Opinion / Columnist
You are responsible for 'Change', or continuation of suffering - This Election
10 Jun 2018 at 20:12hrs | Views
The fall of Robert Mugabe taught us, once more, that Zimbabwe does NOT belong to an individual. We saw how Ian Smith fell, how Muzorewa fell and from those close lessons, we need to keep reminded that any individual who plots to walk on top of our heads, is destined to fall under our feet.
"Change" does not just happen, but, change is made by us. Who is us?
No matter how diminutive anyone can judge us while we are headboy, kitchen girl, street sweeper, job seeker, hospital patient, driver, vendor, firewood gatherer, we collectively make up the Boss of a Southern African country called Zimbabwe. We own the country, but we pay an individual who works for us, to co-ordinate all functions and affairs and we call that labourer a President.
When we hired Ian Smith to labour for us as Primeminister, 1964-79, the man begun to use our military and our Police to suppress us. Those Military were us. Smith used us against us. Because he used us against us, it was obvious that Smith days were numbered. It does not matter that he once boasted to say "This country will have to wait for a thousand years for a Blackman to become Primeminister". When we hire a servant, we also empower him to produce the best out of us. We actually hire him, to manage us and get us to work for our country. His successes are judged by our happiness during his tenure as our leader.
If our leading servant is seen to be progressive, we vote him back to a job done well. Smith failed only on one aspect, and it was a major failure. Regardless of being born in Zimbabwe by Scottish Immigrants, Smith failed to learn that Zimbabwe was ours. He believed that a strong gun on his hand meant he was stronger than us, while we had cleaning rags on our hands as house cleaners.
Our solution to Smith was Mugabe. On the 20th of April 1980, just two days after Mugabe had taken control, we were pretty convinced that one of our own, would work for us in the way and manner we prescribed. Little did we know that being so fluent in English didn't mean that Mugabe'e education increased his leadership abilities. Mugabe led our country 133 years back in 37 years. It's sickening to describe Mugabe's leadership.
Then came THE DAY!!! This was the last day of Mugabe's term in office, being forced by the power of OUR GUN, which he always confused to be his. WE, in the Military, WE in the street where we vend, WE in the pastures where we head cattle, WE in the offices where we work, converged together and removed Mugabe from OUR offices.
Because of the gap that had been left, we allowed Emerson Mnangagwa, who just had swollen legs, caused by running long distances to foreign lands, running away from Mugabe's demented wife.
We supported Mnangagwa who is just a Mugabe, considering the five decades he spent perfecting Mugabe's tools to destroy our country. We are fair, we may be grass-cutters, but we are fair. Mnangagwa had never ruled Zimbabwe, it was Mugabe. For that reason, we allowed Mnangagwa to run our country expecting that Mnangagwa would listen to Mutsvangwa, who had made a contract with us, that the Politics of hate would cease under Mnangagwa. The politics of calling kitchen girls "Pasi neMhandu", the politics of giving tenders to Zanu bosses' wives, the politics of refusing transparency in the printing of ballot papers, the politics of exiling the Jonathan Moyo's for being a Ndebele while other Kasukuweres are allowed back, the politics of being selective in dealing with corruption, all show us that ONCE ONE IS A MUGABE, ONE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN A MUGABE.
Since WE, the herdboy, the Police Constabulary, the low ranking Soldier, the vendor, the street sweeper and the fire maker, are the collective owners of everything known to be Zimbabwean, we need to reason well during this election. We need to use the time we allowed Mnangagwa as a yardstick by which to judge if at all he is different from Mugabe. Mugabe would blame sanctions for the demise of Zimbabwe, but fail to remember that Ian Smith flourished during sanctions.
Sanctions will never leave Zimbabwe as long as Mnangagwa has not apologised for his role in Gukurahundi. Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa confesses how Solomon Mujuru died? Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa tells us what they did with Itai Dzamara? Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa leads a clean election.
So, as we, the small but big people, make a decision on Election day, let us remember that if we keep Mnangagwa in power, before he has qualified to remove sanctions, the already hungry soldier will go hungrier. The hungry Policeman will revert back to wait to drain your pocket at roadblock.
If we can't learn, we will continue under Mnangagwa as we did under Mugabe, or even worse.
Chamisa is the only new dreamer whose dreams we should invest on. For some of us who were born in the sixties, we know that no one comes to lead us with a FULL JOB EXPIRIENCE. We remember Smith was nothing in 1961. When we allowed him office, we also allowed him to learn from the job. Mugabe was also the same, we allowed him to learn but he underestimated our CONDITIONAL offer.
Mnangagwa had a rare opportunity because of his experience, but, he has proven beyond doubt that he sees us as "Mhandu", just as Mugabe. One cant call us Mhandu, which means "Enermy", while he works for us. Zimbabwe is not a factory which he and his wife established. If it was his factory, maybe he would label some of his workers as Mhandu. If he wants to work for us, as an honest and reasonable servant, he must hold his mouth, or else we are propping up another Mugabe and the Amai's.
Since we always allow our incumbent labourer, the new President, time to learn from the job, we aught to employ a labourer who is capable of learning. Chamisa is the only capable candidate for this job. As a learner, and a young green-borne, he surely will make mistakes, but what we VALUE ABOUT HIM, IS THE CAPABILITY TO LEARN. To learn even from mistakes. Already, as a learning age President, Chamisa was talking about engaging Israel because Israel is well written in the bible. Little Chamisa, born Christian from rural Masvingo, cannot tell the difference between Israel of biblical Moses and Israel of Benjamin Netanyahu. So, we have to accept that our learning boy will understand things better once we give him office and give him free internet access, and free air flights to understand our space in the Universe.
No one can teach Mnangagwa anything new. It's not because Mnangagwa is dull or rude, it's just because he is too old to learn new ways. He should have asked Mugabe to cede power to him in 1985 while he was still young.
"Change" means new. You cant empty dirty water from a cup, and fill the cup with dirty water again, and claim to have changed. Change means, new clean cup, fresh and clean water.
"Change" does not just happen, but, change is made by us. Who is us?
No matter how diminutive anyone can judge us while we are headboy, kitchen girl, street sweeper, job seeker, hospital patient, driver, vendor, firewood gatherer, we collectively make up the Boss of a Southern African country called Zimbabwe. We own the country, but we pay an individual who works for us, to co-ordinate all functions and affairs and we call that labourer a President.
When we hired Ian Smith to labour for us as Primeminister, 1964-79, the man begun to use our military and our Police to suppress us. Those Military were us. Smith used us against us. Because he used us against us, it was obvious that Smith days were numbered. It does not matter that he once boasted to say "This country will have to wait for a thousand years for a Blackman to become Primeminister". When we hire a servant, we also empower him to produce the best out of us. We actually hire him, to manage us and get us to work for our country. His successes are judged by our happiness during his tenure as our leader.
If our leading servant is seen to be progressive, we vote him back to a job done well. Smith failed only on one aspect, and it was a major failure. Regardless of being born in Zimbabwe by Scottish Immigrants, Smith failed to learn that Zimbabwe was ours. He believed that a strong gun on his hand meant he was stronger than us, while we had cleaning rags on our hands as house cleaners.
Our solution to Smith was Mugabe. On the 20th of April 1980, just two days after Mugabe had taken control, we were pretty convinced that one of our own, would work for us in the way and manner we prescribed. Little did we know that being so fluent in English didn't mean that Mugabe'e education increased his leadership abilities. Mugabe led our country 133 years back in 37 years. It's sickening to describe Mugabe's leadership.
Then came THE DAY!!! This was the last day of Mugabe's term in office, being forced by the power of OUR GUN, which he always confused to be his. WE, in the Military, WE in the street where we vend, WE in the pastures where we head cattle, WE in the offices where we work, converged together and removed Mugabe from OUR offices.
Because of the gap that had been left, we allowed Emerson Mnangagwa, who just had swollen legs, caused by running long distances to foreign lands, running away from Mugabe's demented wife.
We supported Mnangagwa who is just a Mugabe, considering the five decades he spent perfecting Mugabe's tools to destroy our country. We are fair, we may be grass-cutters, but we are fair. Mnangagwa had never ruled Zimbabwe, it was Mugabe. For that reason, we allowed Mnangagwa to run our country expecting that Mnangagwa would listen to Mutsvangwa, who had made a contract with us, that the Politics of hate would cease under Mnangagwa. The politics of calling kitchen girls "Pasi neMhandu", the politics of giving tenders to Zanu bosses' wives, the politics of refusing transparency in the printing of ballot papers, the politics of exiling the Jonathan Moyo's for being a Ndebele while other Kasukuweres are allowed back, the politics of being selective in dealing with corruption, all show us that ONCE ONE IS A MUGABE, ONE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN A MUGABE.
Since WE, the herdboy, the Police Constabulary, the low ranking Soldier, the vendor, the street sweeper and the fire maker, are the collective owners of everything known to be Zimbabwean, we need to reason well during this election. We need to use the time we allowed Mnangagwa as a yardstick by which to judge if at all he is different from Mugabe. Mugabe would blame sanctions for the demise of Zimbabwe, but fail to remember that Ian Smith flourished during sanctions.
Sanctions will never leave Zimbabwe as long as Mnangagwa has not apologised for his role in Gukurahundi. Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa confesses how Solomon Mujuru died? Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa tells us what they did with Itai Dzamara? Sanctions will never go unless Mnangagwa leads a clean election.
So, as we, the small but big people, make a decision on Election day, let us remember that if we keep Mnangagwa in power, before he has qualified to remove sanctions, the already hungry soldier will go hungrier. The hungry Policeman will revert back to wait to drain your pocket at roadblock.
If we can't learn, we will continue under Mnangagwa as we did under Mugabe, or even worse.
Chamisa is the only new dreamer whose dreams we should invest on. For some of us who were born in the sixties, we know that no one comes to lead us with a FULL JOB EXPIRIENCE. We remember Smith was nothing in 1961. When we allowed him office, we also allowed him to learn from the job. Mugabe was also the same, we allowed him to learn but he underestimated our CONDITIONAL offer.
Mnangagwa had a rare opportunity because of his experience, but, he has proven beyond doubt that he sees us as "Mhandu", just as Mugabe. One cant call us Mhandu, which means "Enermy", while he works for us. Zimbabwe is not a factory which he and his wife established. If it was his factory, maybe he would label some of his workers as Mhandu. If he wants to work for us, as an honest and reasonable servant, he must hold his mouth, or else we are propping up another Mugabe and the Amai's.
Since we always allow our incumbent labourer, the new President, time to learn from the job, we aught to employ a labourer who is capable of learning. Chamisa is the only capable candidate for this job. As a learner, and a young green-borne, he surely will make mistakes, but what we VALUE ABOUT HIM, IS THE CAPABILITY TO LEARN. To learn even from mistakes. Already, as a learning age President, Chamisa was talking about engaging Israel because Israel is well written in the bible. Little Chamisa, born Christian from rural Masvingo, cannot tell the difference between Israel of biblical Moses and Israel of Benjamin Netanyahu. So, we have to accept that our learning boy will understand things better once we give him office and give him free internet access, and free air flights to understand our space in the Universe.
No one can teach Mnangagwa anything new. It's not because Mnangagwa is dull or rude, it's just because he is too old to learn new ways. He should have asked Mugabe to cede power to him in 1985 while he was still young.
"Change" means new. You cant empty dirty water from a cup, and fill the cup with dirty water again, and claim to have changed. Change means, new clean cup, fresh and clean water.
Source - Multiverse Dungani
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