Opinion / Columnist
ZAPU: How will devolution redress past imbalances?
07 May 2011 at 12:55hrs | Views
One of the world's greatest statesmen of his time, Napoleon, once remarked that 'you must never fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war '. The guy must have been a good history student who had acquainted himself with the 100 years' war between France and Britain. One hundred years fighting the same enemy!
The same thing is happening is Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean opposition have been trying for ages to unsit one individual without any success; especially people from Manicaland :Ndabangi Sithole, Edgar Tekere, Margaret Dongo (where is she?) and now guess who else?
Yes, Morgan Tswangirai.The above list has one more common denominator-fighting against an individual. Their obsession with unseating the most powerful man in Zimbabwean politics has blinded them to a plethora of pertinent issues facing the ordinary Zimbabwean. They have been so oblivious to the end that they have replicated the same ruling party political structure and tactics in their political organisations. One would be forgiven to assume that all these leaders adore the ruling party's mixing of party politics with government issues.Then enter ZAPU, in all this noise and confusion a voice of reason rises above this political pandemonium: Devolution of Power. What does it mean for my grandmother uMaBhonzo?
I will put it the way one of the great Zimbabwean philosophers, Doctor Joshua Nkomo, would have put it. It means she won't have to travel to Harare from Beitbridge to get a long birth certificate for her grand children. After spending two days in the queue at Makombe building, she is told to go back and bring some witnesses, most probably her grandmother. Funny.With devolution of power services are brought to the people and not people suffering in their own country. Governors and provincial leadership will be chosen by the people and acccountable to the people. Who chooses the governor in the current set up? The President?
What are they, Politicians or civil servants?
They are role is not clear. They are strategically selected to serve party politics and not the people. Now ZAPU is fighting against unsound policies and not individuals.We need governors who will be selected by the people to serve the people. How can someone detached from the people make plans, economic and development plans, for the people he has no link with?
Devolution of power starts within the Party itself, how can a party choose someone from midlands to go and stand as an MP in Masvingo?
Why do these people run away from their home areas?
Devolution of power does not mean cession, our President has made that clear. One can understand the anger amongst the young people. I was still at secondary school when Nelson Mandela visited Zimbabwe for the first time. The question was 'Why did he go only as far as Kwekwe?' One guy said Mandela arrived at state house and requested to be toured around Zimbabwe. The president of Zimbabwe took him to Kwekwe and faced north and said,' This is my Zimbabwe', with his back to the South.Economic development in space is bound to be uneven between areas within the same city, district, province, country or even globally, but the disparities between the south and north of Zimbabwe have been exacerbated by unsound, tribalist spatial development policies. This has driven most young people in the South to push for cession arguing that devolution of power won't redress or compensate for decades of marginalisation. If devolution of power lacks that attribute, one is tempted to ask the question, how is cession going to redress past imbalances?
Won't it create war in the sharing of state assets?
What if after five years the Kalanga people find themselves under the oppression of the Ndebeles and call for cession, then the Tonga, Fengu, and so on. How many countries will that make. Do not forget that among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.Let us solve our issues as a nation and take not take the cowards way out. What of the many people who died from th Gukurahundi even in Mashonaland Central?
Don't we owe it even to them to bring freedom and justice to the whole country?
If the southern region of the country survived Mfecane, Gukurahundi and years of deprivation, what else can break us?
Contact Author: Mpumelelo Ndlovu +27 824 052 216
These pestilences have only made us stronger.The fight is yours ZAPU. Make Zimbabwe a credible state. One day Zimbabwe will be requested to send election observers to Germany, or even Britain.
The same thing is happening is Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean opposition have been trying for ages to unsit one individual without any success; especially people from Manicaland :Ndabangi Sithole, Edgar Tekere, Margaret Dongo (where is she?) and now guess who else?
Yes, Morgan Tswangirai.The above list has one more common denominator-fighting against an individual. Their obsession with unseating the most powerful man in Zimbabwean politics has blinded them to a plethora of pertinent issues facing the ordinary Zimbabwean. They have been so oblivious to the end that they have replicated the same ruling party political structure and tactics in their political organisations. One would be forgiven to assume that all these leaders adore the ruling party's mixing of party politics with government issues.Then enter ZAPU, in all this noise and confusion a voice of reason rises above this political pandemonium: Devolution of Power. What does it mean for my grandmother uMaBhonzo?
I will put it the way one of the great Zimbabwean philosophers, Doctor Joshua Nkomo, would have put it. It means she won't have to travel to Harare from Beitbridge to get a long birth certificate for her grand children. After spending two days in the queue at Makombe building, she is told to go back and bring some witnesses, most probably her grandmother. Funny.With devolution of power services are brought to the people and not people suffering in their own country. Governors and provincial leadership will be chosen by the people and acccountable to the people. Who chooses the governor in the current set up? The President?
What are they, Politicians or civil servants?
They are role is not clear. They are strategically selected to serve party politics and not the people. Now ZAPU is fighting against unsound policies and not individuals.We need governors who will be selected by the people to serve the people. How can someone detached from the people make plans, economic and development plans, for the people he has no link with?
Devolution of power starts within the Party itself, how can a party choose someone from midlands to go and stand as an MP in Masvingo?
Devolution of power does not mean cession, our President has made that clear. One can understand the anger amongst the young people. I was still at secondary school when Nelson Mandela visited Zimbabwe for the first time. The question was 'Why did he go only as far as Kwekwe?' One guy said Mandela arrived at state house and requested to be toured around Zimbabwe. The president of Zimbabwe took him to Kwekwe and faced north and said,' This is my Zimbabwe', with his back to the South.Economic development in space is bound to be uneven between areas within the same city, district, province, country or even globally, but the disparities between the south and north of Zimbabwe have been exacerbated by unsound, tribalist spatial development policies. This has driven most young people in the South to push for cession arguing that devolution of power won't redress or compensate for decades of marginalisation. If devolution of power lacks that attribute, one is tempted to ask the question, how is cession going to redress past imbalances?
Won't it create war in the sharing of state assets?
What if after five years the Kalanga people find themselves under the oppression of the Ndebeles and call for cession, then the Tonga, Fengu, and so on. How many countries will that make. Do not forget that among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.Let us solve our issues as a nation and take not take the cowards way out. What of the many people who died from th Gukurahundi even in Mashonaland Central?
Don't we owe it even to them to bring freedom and justice to the whole country?
If the southern region of the country survived Mfecane, Gukurahundi and years of deprivation, what else can break us?
Contact Author: Mpumelelo Ndlovu +27 824 052 216
These pestilences have only made us stronger.The fight is yours ZAPU. Make Zimbabwe a credible state. One day Zimbabwe will be requested to send election observers to Germany, or even Britain.
Source - Mpumelelo Ndlovu
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