'Difficult decisions have to be made' Kasukuwere says

Dear Comrades

We all carry deep and painful wounds of the treatment that has been meted out by fellow comrades to many of us. You loved the party and respected President Mugabe. You willingly sacrificed a lot as leaders of the party in various capacities. At the center of the conflict in the party today is the unjustified and callous victimization that has happened since the Nov 17 coup.

This has been painful to all and those of us who were in leadership are aware of how this has brought pain and untold suffering to you. When one joins a political movement, they do so to advance its interests and those of the nation.

The treatment that many comrades have gone through is beyond imagination. Some have lost their beloved ones, others sacked from their work, some thrown out of the party for having supported RGM as our President, others are in exile yet still some live with exclusion and victimization to this day.

Some are in the courts and paying huge amounts to defend themselves on spurious charges. Others have had their land taken away and many are living in fear. ZANU PF was not formed to harm its children..... "kudya vana vayo" as they say.

I, as one of the senior leaders who served under President Mugabe and led many amongst you, am acutely aware of the responsibility on my (our) shoulders. This issue of ill-treatment and injustice to cadres is current and affects one's conscience everyday.

I receive calls and pleas from cadres on a daily basis. It weighs heavily therefore that a solution should be found for our comrades to live their normal lives without victimization and ostracism.

Comrades, it appears those who have turned from the MDC to the current system are actually enjoying to the detriment of those who stood with the party during difficult times. As you are aware, some have become ambassadors and commissioners, board directors and beneficiaries of the state.

The committed party cadres are today running and hiding from fellow comrades. We have turned against each other and have become the most wanted enemies!!! What a change!! We have to ask these difficult questions and hopefully find answers!! Is this the ZANU PF party we served so loyally? Is this the party of our fathers and mothers who sacrificed for our freedom!?

Comrades, I will not bore you with more details and lamentations. Difficult decisions have to be made and, in the process, we should now consult wide and far on how to resolve this deadly conundrum. We are all living victims of our own system and this can't continue.

When I engage, it's not because of weakness but the strength to find a solution.

I will not tire as I am acutely aware of the pain the majority live with. Someone should take the lead and search for a solution. The comrades I met, and those I shall meet in future are all affected.

Freedom and peace will always come at a cost. I have said before, painful decisions have to be taken, and the process has begun. It must not be about an individual but the collective interest of all cadres.

I thought I must share with you my views. We are Zimbabweans and we have to raise our voice now. Fellow Comrades, we have emotions and different ideas on how to tackle this challenge. I have laid out the crisis as I see it and am not afraid to confront it.