ZANU PF holding of nation at ransom makes us wish they had never embarked on liberation struggle!

When a person is saved from a place of bondage, and rescued from the dungeon where he has been held captive under the most intolerable anguish and agony - subjected to the most horrendous unbelievable torture and subjugation - one would expect to live a new life of liberty, in which he enjoys his freedom to the fullest.

Is becomes, nonetheless, very troubling, shocking and unacceptable when the supposed liberator turns into a ruthless oppressor - holding the individual he apparently saved as a hostage, whereby he is made to feel perpetually indebted to his rescuer, who not only never allows him to forget this fact, but also controls his entire life, and never permitting him to disagree or express any dissent, should he find anything disagreeable.

Would it be particularly surprising, or even incomprehensible, if the rescued person is to eventually rebel - finding the environment he now lives under even more repressive and untenable than the dungeon he was rescued from?

In fact, would it not be downright repulsive, heartrending, if not infuriating, that the one who had at some point appeared as the long-awaited solution and answer to prayers, had actually proven to be no better than the life of pain and suffering the rescued person had been so desperate to escape?

Yet, now, he can not even complain of the continued horrid and deplorable conditions he finds himself under, at the hands of his 'saviour' - with any expression of dissent and displeasure being construed as an act of ingratitude and rebellion, akin to "not appreciating the freedom and independence he should now be enjoying", a 'crime' worthy of the most severe punishment,  if not death!

What is this person expected to feel and think?

Who can blame him if, out of sheer outrage and disappointed - thoroughly fed-up with having to grudgingly put up with being treated like a hostage by his rescuer turned abductor, and made to never speak up against the new form of repression and torture, possibly far worse than in the previous situation from where he was rescued - he was to wish he had never been saved from the dungeon, in the first place?

Is that not how we feel today, as the people of Zimbabwe?

As we are reminded nearly on a daily basis how "we are enjoying the fruits of our independence, which was fought for, with many paying the ultimate sacrifice (with their lives)" - we are no longer allowed to express our displeasure and dissent against those who were once our liberators, but now turned oppressors?

Each time we speak out, and stand up against the ruinous ZANU PF regime - which, in spite of fighting for our independence from colonial rule, have destroyed and ravaged our livelihoods, leaving a once prosperous 'Jewel of Africa' in a sorrow state of total despair, with a population wallowing in abject poverty - we are told, in no uncertain terms that we are sellout, who deserve nothing less than death.

What type of liberation and freedom is that?

As a matter of fact - who exactly is "enjoying the fruits of independence" in Zimbabwe?

Maybe, only the ruling elitist clique - who are the sole group that appears insistent that we celebrate and be happy with an illusion, that has never existed for the ordinary citizen.

We hear a lot of those seeking to "reverse the gains of our hard-won independence" - all I can say is, "what really is there to reverse?"

In fact, if we were to reverse the current state of Zimbabwe - that would be an awesome thing for the citizenry, who have endured enough pain and suffering, and a reversal of the status quo will be a cause of immense celebration and jubilation.

ZANU PF can no longer be allowed to hold the nation at ransom - under the pretext of having "fought for this country"!

The people of Zimbabwe should be able to freely and openly castigate and condemn ZANU PF disgusting misrule, mismanagement, and looting of our national resources.

They are not sacred cows just because they believe that they "fought for this country".

If anything, the people who suffered the brunt of the liberation struggle - the ones who did the actual fighting in the bush, as well as our grandmothers and grandfathers, whose cattle were slaughtered to feed the guerrillas, and were brutally tortured by Rhodesian forces for harboring 'terrorists' - are facing the same poverty and oppression today, as the rest of us.

Only those in power are eating the fat of the land, and enjoying lavish livelihoods.

Those are the only ones who can talk about "enjoying the fruits of independence" - as millions of Zimbabweans have absolutely nothing to show for this so-called 'freedom'.

© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, researcher and social commentator. Please feel free to contact him on WhatsApp/Call: +263715667700 / +263782283975, or Calls Only: +263788897936 / +263733399640, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com