Opinion / Columnist
How can a brutalised nation stand with abusive regime?
10 Mar 2021 at 01:05hrs | Views
YOUR Excellency, President ED Mnangagwa,
At times I believe the main reason Zimbabweans are still standing today in spite of the political, economic, physical, and emotional brutalisation they have endured at the blood-dripping hands of their own abusive government - which is expected to be the protector, provider, and enabler for a respectable, dignified, and prosperous nation - is as a result of their positive outlook of life, perseverance, and ability to adapt to whatever situation they find themselves forced into - nonetheless, assuming that they are foolish enough to stand with their tormentors by helping them cover up their numerous sins, portraying a false image of a caring leadership that should be re-admitted into the international community as a civilised and responsible member, would not only be foolhardy, but exceedingly delusional.
What manner of a people would we be, if we were to, endure the untold pain and suffering meted out on us by this regime, mostly in worrying and unsettling silence, while patiently praying for God's immediate intervention, and strength in finally bravely standing up for our rights - at the danger of an obvious barbaric, savage, and murderous response (which has become all too familiar) - yet, expect us to behave as the perpetually fearful abused wife, who ends up lying that the bruises on her face were due to falling down, or bumping into the cupboard?
We may be typically, but disturbingly, quiet and docile, in the face of unprecedented political State-sponsored brutality and persecution (characterised by the stifling of democratic expression - usually met with the full wrath of State machinery, as well as political, social justice, anti-corruption, and labour rights activists being arrested on spurious charges, with rarely any convictions, in addition to reports of abductions, torture, and sexual abuse), and economic injustices and alienation due to rampant corruption (whereby, the powerful ruling elite loot every wealth that this abundantly endowed nation has been blessed with, leaving millions of Zimbabweans without enough to manage sustainable livelihoods, afford basic commodities, and die in their homes for failure to access essential medication)... but, we are definitely not idiots.
The Harare administration may have miscalculated, and deceived it self into believing that our silence and passive nature - of which, we pray for God's grace everyday, that His strength may be made perfect in our weakness, so as to eventually be able to fearlessly and relentlessly stand up against these gross crimes against humanity - was a sign of foolishness, nonetheless, we will never unite with them in painting a deceptive picture of "all is well with us", so that the regime can finally be regarded as civilised, and welcomed with warm arms back into the family of nations.
Your Excellency, let us make it abundantly clear - the Zimbabwean military-backed junta is still an atrocious, ruthless, and callous rogue regime, which should be regarded as the pariah State that it is - and, if that is how a civilised nation is supposed to operate, then well and good, the international community can embrace this mafia, as one of their own... but, we, the people of Zimbabwe, will never accept that.
Unless and until the indescribable barbarous, savagery, and cannibalistic political, economic, physical, and emotional abuses that we have had to endure for generations end, might we possibly have a change of heart, and hopefully speak with one voice as a nation.
Nonetheless, I will not hold my breath, as a leopard does not change its spots, and some of us saw the first signs of this coldhearted power-hungry tyranny as far back as the 1980s (most specifically, in 1984, when I was still eleven years old, being an unwilling witness to the brazen and brutal beating up, burning down of properties, and sheer torture of perceived opponents of the State, which, in this case, was any Ndebele-speaking person (man, woman, child, or even unborn baby, whereby over 20 000 people were massacred) - thereby, meaning that two generations could have been born between then and now, yet the wickedness and pure evil continues unabated.
This is the same government that that sees no evil in evicting and displacing its own citizens from their ancestral land, as well as destroying their homes - condemning thousands upon thousands of families to the caprices of this season's incessant rains, unforgiving hunger, the shame of loss of dignity and general pain and suffering - all in the name of investment, or correcting land allocation anomalies.
What manner of people do that to other human beings?
Then, we are all expected to act all "jolly jolly", and pretend to be "one happy family" - while, telling the whole world, in the name of patriotism, that our leaders are great!
Your Excellency, quite frankly, no one in Zimbabwe cares a hoot about the so-called targeted sanctions imposed on about 142 top officials, and entities (for human rights abuses, electoral fraud, corruption, and economic mismanagement) by largely Western countries - since, very few of us see any effect of such pathetic measures, which would hardly force any hardcore wicked, cold-hearted, power-hungry, and corrupt individual into reforming.
Surely, for instance, what sense is there in merely banning a ruthless, murderous armed bank robber from coming to your house, but letting him continue robbing the bank, while holding innocent people hostage (and, even killing some of them)?
All the people of Zimbabwe want is their freedom from the captivity of this cruel and ruinous regime.
We want to finally enjoy all the goodness that God, in His abundant wealth of grace, exceedingly blessed us with, without any criminal powerful elite depriving us of our inheritance.
Your Excellency, we desperately long for that day when we can successfully find employment, or if we so choose, establish our own businesses, and be able to adequately provide for our families (watching our children joyfully growing up with everything they need, including world-class education, and a guaranteed future) - while at the same time, we are free to exercise our democratic rights to expression, opinion, and to choose a government of our own choice.
Surely, is that too much to ask for?
-----
Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, and speaker. He writes here in his personal capacity.
At times I believe the main reason Zimbabweans are still standing today in spite of the political, economic, physical, and emotional brutalisation they have endured at the blood-dripping hands of their own abusive government - which is expected to be the protector, provider, and enabler for a respectable, dignified, and prosperous nation - is as a result of their positive outlook of life, perseverance, and ability to adapt to whatever situation they find themselves forced into - nonetheless, assuming that they are foolish enough to stand with their tormentors by helping them cover up their numerous sins, portraying a false image of a caring leadership that should be re-admitted into the international community as a civilised and responsible member, would not only be foolhardy, but exceedingly delusional.
What manner of a people would we be, if we were to, endure the untold pain and suffering meted out on us by this regime, mostly in worrying and unsettling silence, while patiently praying for God's immediate intervention, and strength in finally bravely standing up for our rights - at the danger of an obvious barbaric, savage, and murderous response (which has become all too familiar) - yet, expect us to behave as the perpetually fearful abused wife, who ends up lying that the bruises on her face were due to falling down, or bumping into the cupboard?
We may be typically, but disturbingly, quiet and docile, in the face of unprecedented political State-sponsored brutality and persecution (characterised by the stifling of democratic expression - usually met with the full wrath of State machinery, as well as political, social justice, anti-corruption, and labour rights activists being arrested on spurious charges, with rarely any convictions, in addition to reports of abductions, torture, and sexual abuse), and economic injustices and alienation due to rampant corruption (whereby, the powerful ruling elite loot every wealth that this abundantly endowed nation has been blessed with, leaving millions of Zimbabweans without enough to manage sustainable livelihoods, afford basic commodities, and die in their homes for failure to access essential medication)... but, we are definitely not idiots.
The Harare administration may have miscalculated, and deceived it self into believing that our silence and passive nature - of which, we pray for God's grace everyday, that His strength may be made perfect in our weakness, so as to eventually be able to fearlessly and relentlessly stand up against these gross crimes against humanity - was a sign of foolishness, nonetheless, we will never unite with them in painting a deceptive picture of "all is well with us", so that the regime can finally be regarded as civilised, and welcomed with warm arms back into the family of nations.
Your Excellency, let us make it abundantly clear - the Zimbabwean military-backed junta is still an atrocious, ruthless, and callous rogue regime, which should be regarded as the pariah State that it is - and, if that is how a civilised nation is supposed to operate, then well and good, the international community can embrace this mafia, as one of their own... but, we, the people of Zimbabwe, will never accept that.
Unless and until the indescribable barbarous, savagery, and cannibalistic political, economic, physical, and emotional abuses that we have had to endure for generations end, might we possibly have a change of heart, and hopefully speak with one voice as a nation.
Nonetheless, I will not hold my breath, as a leopard does not change its spots, and some of us saw the first signs of this coldhearted power-hungry tyranny as far back as the 1980s (most specifically, in 1984, when I was still eleven years old, being an unwilling witness to the brazen and brutal beating up, burning down of properties, and sheer torture of perceived opponents of the State, which, in this case, was any Ndebele-speaking person (man, woman, child, or even unborn baby, whereby over 20 000 people were massacred) - thereby, meaning that two generations could have been born between then and now, yet the wickedness and pure evil continues unabated.
This is the same government that that sees no evil in evicting and displacing its own citizens from their ancestral land, as well as destroying their homes - condemning thousands upon thousands of families to the caprices of this season's incessant rains, unforgiving hunger, the shame of loss of dignity and general pain and suffering - all in the name of investment, or correcting land allocation anomalies.
What manner of people do that to other human beings?
Then, we are all expected to act all "jolly jolly", and pretend to be "one happy family" - while, telling the whole world, in the name of patriotism, that our leaders are great!
Your Excellency, quite frankly, no one in Zimbabwe cares a hoot about the so-called targeted sanctions imposed on about 142 top officials, and entities (for human rights abuses, electoral fraud, corruption, and economic mismanagement) by largely Western countries - since, very few of us see any effect of such pathetic measures, which would hardly force any hardcore wicked, cold-hearted, power-hungry, and corrupt individual into reforming.
Surely, for instance, what sense is there in merely banning a ruthless, murderous armed bank robber from coming to your house, but letting him continue robbing the bank, while holding innocent people hostage (and, even killing some of them)?
All the people of Zimbabwe want is their freedom from the captivity of this cruel and ruinous regime.
We want to finally enjoy all the goodness that God, in His abundant wealth of grace, exceedingly blessed us with, without any criminal powerful elite depriving us of our inheritance.
Your Excellency, we desperately long for that day when we can successfully find employment, or if we so choose, establish our own businesses, and be able to adequately provide for our families (watching our children joyfully growing up with everything they need, including world-class education, and a guaranteed future) - while at the same time, we are free to exercise our democratic rights to expression, opinion, and to choose a government of our own choice.
Surely, is that too much to ask for?
-----
Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, and speaker. He writes here in his personal capacity.
Source - newsday
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