The lessons from Zambia

I have just celebrated my 77th birthday and have settled on two proud new titles. I have now added a new title to my repertoire. I was given the title of mukoma at the Manica Post. Governor Josiah Hungwe gave me the title of Rukuvhute rweShiri (born of the Rain Bird). My new title is mukuru (elder) of the most illustrious people of the Eland.

I can see my brother Ibbo Mandaza green with envy and Fabian Mabaya having to be restrained when youngsters bow their heads in respect as they pass my shadow.

The issue at hand is whether the lessons of peaceful transfer of power as has happened in Zambia can be repeated in Zimbabwe. My correspondents have put up barriers against such an eventuality and they have given their reasons.

These brothers, mighty men of letters, lack only one indispensable arrow in their quivers, history. Two examples will suffice. I was one of those early birds who grasped the idea that the election of Barack Obama as president of the US was good for the black race, and I played a very small part in inviting him to Lander University to give a speech.

Now there lived of Oz, a no nonsense black matriarch by the name of Mrs Robinson, mother to Ms Michelle, Obama's wife. Obama was gone for two years, abandoning his two daughters to the vagaries of male predators, in his quest for the US presidency.

Mrs. Robinson confronted Obama. "I have heard that you are a narcissistic person. Now I can confirm that this is the case. I have heard that you have abandoned your family in search of the Holy Grail of the US presidency. Tell me, where on earth have you ever heard of a Negro president of these United States?"

When Obama returned to Chicago on election eve, Mrs Robinson and the Reverend Jesse Jackson were in tears. They had said bad words about Obama, which I will not repeat for lack of space.

The issue here is not whether the young man Nelson Chamisa can carry the day. The issue is whether the idea of change has come and whether, apart from that, the majority of Zimbabweans can see themselves and their children as inheritors of Zimbabwe's fabulous resources. Or to put it bluntly, do they see the Chinese, the Billy Rautenbachs as the inheritors of fatherland, while we remain hewers of wood and carriers of water for them.

These are the issues before us.

Zimbabwe is the wealthiest country in the world. By a strange ideology Zanu-PF has missed the simple truth and here is the truth. In my 10-year research on Roert Mugabe's life, I came across a memo. The memo was addressed to the Zimbabwe Cabinet. It said that the mines "must" be sold to the Chinese.

Mutumwa Mawere was an arrogant and self-serving young man, but that is usually the way with geniuses. The output of Shabani-Mashaba Mines contributed 7%  of Zimbabwe's foreign exchange product.

I do not know anywhere in the world where a government would be gung-ho to dispossess its citizens in favour of foreign entrepreneurs.

The same applies to Marange diamonds. This scenario has been repeated in the Green Fuel experiment. Natives are dispossessed of their land in favour of the predator entrepreneur, Billy Rautenbach. Chief Chiweshe has complained about Chinese invasion of the pristine Mavhuradona Mountains in search of minerals.

The lesson of Marange, the loss of $15 billion in revenues to Chinese predators has not been learned.

After all this they go begging for loans from the Chinese. Perhaps they should just ask for their $15 billion which went missing.

There is no human being worse than a person with a colonial mentality. He begs for things which are his, and asks for a roadmap to his own village. It is obvious that predator foreign companies are being favoured while native skills are overlooked.

Foreigners are asked and money is borrowed to build water tanks and water reservoirs. Parliament buildings are designed and built by foreigners.

The issue here is whether Mawere can say with certainty. "This is my country, my home; this is where my heart is."

Put differently, according to a former Zanu-PF operative, Godfrey Tsenengamu, it is clear that predator business cartels are gradually extending their power over every aspect of Zimbabwean life.

The presence of these Zaibatsu's is gradually being felt in every aspect of life.

The comparison with Obama is that Chamisa's youthfulness may resonate with Generation X (between 18 and 30 years old).

Fear as a weapon

Most of the arguments against change in Zimbabwe are based on the role of the secret services in instilling fear in the population.

Zanu-PF operatives are embedded in every institution of state, the electoral commission, the police and the judiciary.

The use of fear has reached a level of diminishing returns and was never programmed to win friends.

One of the least known victims of political violence was a twoyear-old boy, Collen Matemagawo who was abducted on December 3, 2008.

In a similar incident Broderick Takawira, an MDC organiser, was abducted in broad daylight in Mt Pleasant.

In the Bantu ontology, those who carried out these activities on behalf of government have gone mad. Joseph Mwale was arrested, tried, and found guilty in the fire-bombing of Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya. He was pardoned by his employers, but is living in the shadow of lunatics (madhumukwa).

Chris Makedenge was involved in some unsavory activities. He is living the life of a dumukwa even as we speak.

The generals who master-minded the Gukurahundi massacares have died miserable deaths.

My point is that unless there is no God in heaven, one does not abduct a two-year-old child, beat it to death and hope to live an honourable life after that.

A barometer of political life comes from war veterans. If we take the utterances of Amos Sigauke seriously, the spokesperson of the rebel group, these veterans are the most miserable people upon the face of the earth. Perhaps the winds of change are blowing in their direction. Sigauke says that he realised that he has been used by people who speak from spunky "hotels".

Welcome Brother Amos to the real world. What Amos calls "paltry" stipends he is receiving is the result of financial mismanagement by government.

The value of money is related to production and use of resources. Factories have been closed everywhere. Mawere's mines were closed because he refused to pay his tithes.

As we speak, (3rd September) the Deutsche Bank, the largest bank in Europe has divested its relationship with Standard Bank of Zimbabwe; this is the number 105 institution to divest from Zimbabwe (Bloomberg).

Things change, and things can change rapidly. I have hope. the wins, without the sport.