Zimbabweans' Dilemma: To Support the Geza Revolution or Not?

For over four decades, Zimbabweans have endured increasing hardships under the rule of ZANU-PF. The party has entrenched itself in power by any means necessary, showing little regard for democratic governance, human rights, or economic stability. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens face growing poverty, while the ruling elite enjoys lavish lifestyles fueled by corruption and looted wealth.

The military intervention that removed Robert Mugabe in 2017 was initially met with celebration, but it quickly became clear that little had changed. Removing a single leader while leaving the party machinery intact was akin to replacing the head of a predatory pack and expecting the rest to behave differently. Under Emmerson Mnangagwa's leadership, corruption, nepotism, and political repression have intensified. Zimbabweans are not only disillusioned but also outraged at his efforts to establish a dynasty, consolidating power within his family and close allies while the country's economic decline accelerates.

The current call by war veterans for a popular uprising against Mnangagwa, known as the Geza Revolution, presents Zimbabweans with a difficult choice. While frustration with the regime is justified, history has shown that internal struggles within ZANU-PF do not necessarily lead to genuine change. Many fear that supporting this movement might simply be a case of helping ZANU-PF resolve its factional battles, only for it to emerge stronger and more repressive.

Zimbabweans want meaningful transformation, not superficial changes that allow the same system to persist. They seek a break from the cycle of suffering that has persisted under successive ZANU-PF leaders. Any effort that simply replaces Mnangagwa with another figure from the same corrupt network is not a solution - it is an extension of the status quo.

Mnangagwa, once Mugabe's right-hand man, has long been implicated in state-sponsored violence, disappearances, and political assassinations. His tenure has revealed that he was not just a loyal lieutenant but perhaps the true architect of many of the regime's brutal tactics. Now, as he faces opposition from within his party, Zimbabweans must ask: does removing Mnangagwa while leaving ZANU-PF intact truly serve the people's interests?

One of the key figures being positioned as a successor is equally tainted, having been involved in past corruption scandals and implicated in human rights violations, particularly in the Matebeleland massacres of the 1980s. Replacing one oppressive ruler with another from the same party is a recipe for continued suffering. Zimbabweans have already moved from the tyranny of Mugabe to the authoritarianism of Mnangagwa - should they now risk moving from fire into an even deeper crisis?

The fundamental question for the people is whether they should participate in this uprising without clear guarantees of what comes next. Supporting a factional rebellion within ZANU-PF risks giving opportunists a blank cheque to manipulate the country's future for their own benefit. For over forty years, the ruling party has been at the center of Zimbabwe's suffering. Should Zimbabweans seek to remove only Mnangagwa, or should they push for the complete dismantling of the system that has oppressed them for decades?

It is understandable that people are politically exhausted and desperate for change. However, the M31 movement appears to be an internal rebellion aimed at rebranding and prolonging ZANU-PF's rule rather than delivering real democratic transformation. When Mugabe was ousted, the people's suffering did not end - it worsened. If Mnangagwa is removed, will Zimbabwe's core problems be solved?

I believe not. The real issue lies with the party itself. True change will only come when Zimbabweans dismantle the entire oppressive structure, rather than replacing one face with another from the same corrupt system.

Fikile wa Motsamai is a political commentator based in Johannesburg.
fikile.ntolilo@gmail.com