Opinion / Columnist
Job Sikhala spot on; seem we are getting some traction eventually
05 Apr 2014 at 09:49hrs | Views
I fully support Job Sikhala's position and utterances of a possible way forward. That's true and fearless leadership. Zimbabweans missed such kind of leadership and direction for a long time. The old and frail Robert Mugabe should be tackled head on. We Zimbabweans cannot afford to look whilst looking at the Zanu Pf caused decay. Yes this is time to dig trenches and fight and defend our freedom and survival. If we don't resist we will face annihilation at the hands of Zanu Pf.
We people now have seen that Zanu Pf controlled and masterminded all the foregone elections and there is no way the opposition going to win if Zanu pf contends and referee at the same time. It therefore leaves only one option for the suffering masses, peaceful protests: The Ukraine way of change of government.
There is sufficient evidence that Zanu Pf has completely failed even though it tenaciously failed to deliver. There is no more time for Zanu Pf. Look around and you see corruption, poor service delivery. Civil servants, lower rank police, soldiers and prison staff are very poorly remunerated. Mugabe himself has sanctioned corruption by his reluctance to deal with his highly corrupt officials. Because of this corruption is way out of control. He is tired and now only waiting to die. When Zanu Pf consorted among itself to rig elections, the result is that Zanu Pf officials now see corruption as a way of life. As a result we are now being ruled by thugs, Mugabe being thug number one. Let's not beat about the bushes anymore. People of Zimbabwe and Sikhala have come to realise that the shocking reality that elections will never be an effective means to bring about a desired government. Mugabe is old and waiting to die, his family already rich. He does not care anymore about the future of Zimbabwe. Other Zanu Pf thugs attitude given this is, loot all the best you can while the sun shines.
In majority of Sub Sahara African region it is impossible to unseat liberation movement party's incumbent governments. LMP governments have turned out to be unfeeling, self-serving and. LMP officials have accumulated immense wealth while the general people have remained in unimaginable poverty. LMPs have remained in power for decades in several African countries through sophisticated and shameful manipulation of the voting processes. In these countries control of their respective judiciaries has also been a key to their "election victories". This has happened in Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi to name just a few.
In Zimbabwe, since 1980, the army, CIO, the police and Zanu Pf youths keep vigilance and tight control over the entire voting process. Zanu Pf prints and distributes the ballot papers. Zanu Pf carries out the voter registration. Mugabe and Zanu Pf choses who and who shouldn't monitor the elections. Mugabe himself selects and appoints the Zimbabwe Election Council. The ZEC officials then conduct the election under tight scrutiny and guidance of the Zanu Pf loyal security forces. Above all this Zanu Pf controls the principal information dissemination agencies ( ZBC, Herald, Sunday Mail) and effectively uses these to threaten the opposition and the general people in a bid to sway and manipulate the election in its favour. How then will Zanu Pf ever lose? There is no other way for the people expect to use protests and industrial action to be heard. This the only way left. This is the only language left that Mugabe and his evil Zanu Pf will understand. If people will not go this way, Zanu Pf will continue looting, infrastructure dilapidation will continue, the economy will continue on its downward spiral and service delivery will soon vanish. Going to the ballot is like using foreign language to Zanu Pf, it doesn't hear it.
Columinst and commenters may continue to and have nagged Zanu Pf through their articles, but Zanu Pf pirates, whilst busy looting and deep rooted in pride, have inserted logs into their ears and have largely grown deeply arrogant. So people being the rightful owners of the country, have to find other avenues of reaching out to these uncaring selfish Zanu Pf looters. Job Sikhala is therefore using the correct language, and Mugabe who has degrees in violence is the only language he can hear and appreciate. Protests against poor or neo non-service delivery, tyranny, economic mismanagement and disgusting corruption are long overdue. Unless if Zimbabweans don't feel the pain. But they do. MDC formations and the civil society kept trying ineffective and failed strategy of going to the ballot over and over again. With Zanu Pf maintaining a tight control over every other state machinery, the seemingly foolish opposition may even maintain the same strategy until 2100AD.
In Ukraine combined and determined effort by citizen yielded positive results. Ukranians were tired of government official's corruption and general fiscal mismanagement. The same conditions exist in in Zimbabwe today and the Zimbabwean should not merely look on. Change does not happen on its own. It has to be caused. The only fear we may have in Zimbabwe is that Mr Jacob Zuma or SADC may send some soldiers to annex some part of our country, just as a way to put some spanners in our inherent right to fight and gain our much endeared freedom- freedom which we never had since "independence" in 1980. Russia is too preoccupied with the ramifications of its cruel, criminal and unjustified occupation of Crimea, so Zanu pf hopes of getting help from the Kremlin is close to Zero.
Sometime Zimbabweans waited and hoped SADC would resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe expeditiously, but South Africa, benefitting economically because of the resulting economic crisis, instead behaved like a vulture feasting on a dead carcass. The EU also is not to be counted on. Feeling outpaced by the Chinese and Arabs in purchasing cheap diamonds from Zimbabwe's corrupt Zanu Pf officials, the EU seems impatient and seems to be mulling lifting the targeted sanctions imposed on Zanu Pf economic criminals and human rights abusers. The ultimate aim of the EU may seem to join the Marange diamond race alongside the unethical Chinese. The EU will stand to lose its much integrity if it is to behave as greedly as to sacrifice important principles for transient corrupt gains. We also now see an undecided EU, divided over how to deal with the Kremlin over the Crimean crisis.
However the US, though hated by many rogue governments, has steadfastly stood by its principles and has recently not shown any vestiges of budging. The targeted sanctions have recently proved to be a thorn in the flesh for Mugabe and Grace who are keen to go shopping in western countries using ill-gotten money. There are other governments also who have remained faithful to the Zimbabwean people' cause, e.g. Australia and Britain. But largely it remains on the shoulder of the Zimbabwean, to continue bearing or to break the Zanu Pf yoke of oppression. We should never rely on the African Union either. It is merely a body of African Head of states and represents solely the interests of the head of states. The AU does not seem to care about the African. Its real name should be African head of states support Union.
The disgruntlement in Zimbabwe is widespread; sadly elections will never address this injustice. The Zimbabwean should surely protest against this abuse and should protest towards the consummation of his freedom. Freedom will gain more freedom and the progeny of this freedom will be democracy. WOZA women have been in and out of jail several times and the generality of us have let them down by not supporting their cause. As far as I am concerned, the WOZA women are the only men in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean, have a march to your freedom. If Job Sikhala mulls this, he is hitting the bulls eye..
The time is now and there is simply no other way out of the Zimbabwean political crisis. The formula is industrial action coupled with protest, then transitional government, and ultimately very transparent elections monitored by all who care about the Zimbabwean and not handpicked by Mugabe.
Source - Zanda Shumba
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