Opinion / Columnist
Chamisa teaching Zimbabweans an important lesson
20 Aug 2024 at 16:40hrs | Views
Zimbabweans have suffered too long under the unbearable Zanu-PF yoke of oppression and abuse. The abuse manifests itself in neglect, human rights violations, abductions, unlawful arrests, lack of service delivery, repression and at times mass killings to silence the citizens and cling on to political power.
There is no doubt that raising your head against Zanu-PF has serious personal consequences. Everyone knows that ZANU-PF abducts, tortures and actually kills opponents without shame.
For that reason, many Zimbabweans are justifiably terrified to stand up against ZANU-PF misrule. Those who have done so, since time immemorial, have tales to tell.
However, there is one significant problem that stands out. There is too much fear and selfishness among Zimbabweans to the expense of national interest. They want someone else's child to go out and fight for them to get a job; fight for them to remove Zanu-PF. Someone else should fight for you and your kids to live a better life. Good luck.
Zimbabweans should know that as long as they are selfish and want a Zim-Jesus to sacrifice for them and die for their freedom, they can forever kiss their freedom goodbye. No one is going to do that. Nelson was born of a mother like all of us. If your mother does not allow you to go out and fight because you will get killed, don't expect Nelson's mother to lose her son for you. Forget Zimbabweans.
Chamisa is our leader but never our savior alone. The era of demanding that he sacrifices for all of us while we are sitting at home or making money in our enterprises is over.
It is so important that he has stepped aside, albeit for a while. His stepping aside has exposed how selfish and useless we are as a nation. It's clear for the world to see that Chamisa was walking alone and left to sacrifice himself with no tangible support from the masses.
This is not a joke. It is very serious. We have now been exposed for who we are - gullible and selfish cowards. All the blaming and shouting at Chamisa shows that we have many who have been contributing nothing but hiding behind the shadow of Chamisa. Come out now if you are better and do what you claim he was failing.
The man deserves respect for standing up when all of us are hiding. We are learning now how important he is but we never saw how we have been neglecting him ever since.
No leader can succeed in leading selfish people. The problems in Zimbabwe are known by all. I will make a few examples to show you how useless we have been to Nelson Chamisa from whom we demand everything including that which as a people we should also do and contribute
1. Where is the citizen protest? Should Chamisa protest for us alone. Should he come to Gweru to lead protests here? The only people who protested when SADC came were from Gokwe. Yes, Gokwe of all places. Don't tell me about soldiers and police on the streets. We are just selfish. We don't want to sacrifice and put our bodies on the line. We want someone to die for our freedom.
2. Chamisa can't go to work like all young people of his age because he is leading the struggle. But he must still toil and use his personal money to organize and mobilize. Since Zanu-PF expropriated all the political parties funds, he has been running around without a budget. Did we ever think about that? Yes, some few supported but, in truth, how many of us contribute anything to the change we want to see? Do we think vanhu vanounganidzwa nemuridzo sembudzi here? Very selfish and useless people. Tichadya izvozvo hedu.
3. When the election was stolen in broad daylight in 2018 and 2023, what did we do? We allowed a few people to face the brutality of Zanu-PF takavanda mudzimba dzedu only to start demanding action from Chamisa. What did I do and contribute to stop election theft? Inini ndiri kuverenga, don't talk about others.
4. When Tshabangu recalled MPs and took over the CCC what did we do? We said Chamisa should fight. How should Chamisa fight for the MPs we elected in our communities? What are we doing in Mkoba, in Bulawayo, in Harare to fight this except watching and complaining? We are so weak and so easy to abuse and unless we change our attitude we will be abused until the end of time. Our grandchildren will be abused even more because thats the inheritance we are leaving for them.
5. Jameson Timba and others, including a one year old child, are languishing in jail for nothing. What are we doing about it? A one year old child in the filthy cells! It does not pain us at all as long it is not me hazvina kana basa. When it's your child you will need others to fight with you right? Very selfish. Justice will never come unless we all defend it with everything we have. We say, Chamisa must get them out again? How?
My point Zimbabweans is, when we are serious about our nation; when we want collective action; when we are ready to serve and sacrifice; when we are ready to support Chamisa; when we all want a good country - we will come together, sit under a tree and then Chamisa will lead us. For now, we are not ready, and we have not yet suffered. When we have suffered, we will talk less and do more.
Let's think as a nation and not as selfish individuals. Zanu-PF is institutionalized oppression. It needs collective action. As Morgan Tsvangirai said, change needs both the people and time to be ready. We are not ready. Our generation is weak, selfish and misguided - unfocused. But we will wake up one day. No savior is coming.
My advice to Chamisa is - if these people remain the same, if they want you to die for them; if they want you to do everything vakagara; if they don't want to come out and fight - then please stay at home with your wife. They are not serious. You can not lead a country of selfish cowards and achieve anything. Wait for a new generation - time is on your side. If and when these ones are ready, they will call you.
Asante sana
There is no doubt that raising your head against Zanu-PF has serious personal consequences. Everyone knows that ZANU-PF abducts, tortures and actually kills opponents without shame.
For that reason, many Zimbabweans are justifiably terrified to stand up against ZANU-PF misrule. Those who have done so, since time immemorial, have tales to tell.
However, there is one significant problem that stands out. There is too much fear and selfishness among Zimbabweans to the expense of national interest. They want someone else's child to go out and fight for them to get a job; fight for them to remove Zanu-PF. Someone else should fight for you and your kids to live a better life. Good luck.
Zimbabweans should know that as long as they are selfish and want a Zim-Jesus to sacrifice for them and die for their freedom, they can forever kiss their freedom goodbye. No one is going to do that. Nelson was born of a mother like all of us. If your mother does not allow you to go out and fight because you will get killed, don't expect Nelson's mother to lose her son for you. Forget Zimbabweans.
Chamisa is our leader but never our savior alone. The era of demanding that he sacrifices for all of us while we are sitting at home or making money in our enterprises is over.
It is so important that he has stepped aside, albeit for a while. His stepping aside has exposed how selfish and useless we are as a nation. It's clear for the world to see that Chamisa was walking alone and left to sacrifice himself with no tangible support from the masses.
This is not a joke. It is very serious. We have now been exposed for who we are - gullible and selfish cowards. All the blaming and shouting at Chamisa shows that we have many who have been contributing nothing but hiding behind the shadow of Chamisa. Come out now if you are better and do what you claim he was failing.
The man deserves respect for standing up when all of us are hiding. We are learning now how important he is but we never saw how we have been neglecting him ever since.
No leader can succeed in leading selfish people. The problems in Zimbabwe are known by all. I will make a few examples to show you how useless we have been to Nelson Chamisa from whom we demand everything including that which as a people we should also do and contribute
1. Where is the citizen protest? Should Chamisa protest for us alone. Should he come to Gweru to lead protests here? The only people who protested when SADC came were from Gokwe. Yes, Gokwe of all places. Don't tell me about soldiers and police on the streets. We are just selfish. We don't want to sacrifice and put our bodies on the line. We want someone to die for our freedom.
2. Chamisa can't go to work like all young people of his age because he is leading the struggle. But he must still toil and use his personal money to organize and mobilize. Since Zanu-PF expropriated all the political parties funds, he has been running around without a budget. Did we ever think about that? Yes, some few supported but, in truth, how many of us contribute anything to the change we want to see? Do we think vanhu vanounganidzwa nemuridzo sembudzi here? Very selfish and useless people. Tichadya izvozvo hedu.
3. When the election was stolen in broad daylight in 2018 and 2023, what did we do? We allowed a few people to face the brutality of Zanu-PF takavanda mudzimba dzedu only to start demanding action from Chamisa. What did I do and contribute to stop election theft? Inini ndiri kuverenga, don't talk about others.
4. When Tshabangu recalled MPs and took over the CCC what did we do? We said Chamisa should fight. How should Chamisa fight for the MPs we elected in our communities? What are we doing in Mkoba, in Bulawayo, in Harare to fight this except watching and complaining? We are so weak and so easy to abuse and unless we change our attitude we will be abused until the end of time. Our grandchildren will be abused even more because thats the inheritance we are leaving for them.
5. Jameson Timba and others, including a one year old child, are languishing in jail for nothing. What are we doing about it? A one year old child in the filthy cells! It does not pain us at all as long it is not me hazvina kana basa. When it's your child you will need others to fight with you right? Very selfish. Justice will never come unless we all defend it with everything we have. We say, Chamisa must get them out again? How?
My point Zimbabweans is, when we are serious about our nation; when we want collective action; when we are ready to serve and sacrifice; when we are ready to support Chamisa; when we all want a good country - we will come together, sit under a tree and then Chamisa will lead us. For now, we are not ready, and we have not yet suffered. When we have suffered, we will talk less and do more.
Let's think as a nation and not as selfish individuals. Zanu-PF is institutionalized oppression. It needs collective action. As Morgan Tsvangirai said, change needs both the people and time to be ready. We are not ready. Our generation is weak, selfish and misguided - unfocused. But we will wake up one day. No savior is coming.
My advice to Chamisa is - if these people remain the same, if they want you to die for them; if they want you to do everything vakagara; if they don't want to come out and fight - then please stay at home with your wife. They are not serious. You can not lead a country of selfish cowards and achieve anything. Wait for a new generation - time is on your side. If and when these ones are ready, they will call you.
Asante sana
Source - Prof Stephen Rupange
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