ZAPU Europe Province Chair's statement May 2013

Dear Fellow Countrymen,

Allow me to begin my statement by paying our heartfelt sympathy as a Province of ZAPU to the families, government and people of Nigeria during this difficult time when over two hundred school children remain captive and away from their parents. For now we can only pray that the almighty God intervenes to secure their release and deliver them safely to their loved ones.

 Over 50 years ago an organisation that was to execute both the political and armed struggle to set our country free in a process that could have ensured full emancipation of the country and its citizenry came into being in our country. The outcome is now contested as to why the result has been that some are enjoying the fruits of freedom while millions continue to endure the suffering not even experienced under the notorious rule of Ian Douglas Smith. After our people campaigned together as one for liberation under one umbrella of the 1957 ANC of Southern Rhodesia, followed by the NDP in 1960 and then under the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) then came a demon of separation and segregation, the one that broke away in 1963 and became ZANU. This organisation was spawned in evil, operated with the spirit of evil, took power through evil means in 1980, thereafter unleashing evil on innocent citizens the after effects of which are still being felt today. When some of our citizens who experienced the evils of this organisation at the time tried to alert the nation no one heeded the call; indeed many approved of what was happening possibly through ignorance of purpose or whole hearted complicity.

The party of evil was quick to convince the greater part of the population to be on its side as a way of righting alleged past misdeeds. It continued to rule through evil which was by both killing of the innocent and massive intimidation. It still continues to rule through evil now even applying the new method of Nikuving the election with minimal intimidation, yet continuing to maintain the strength of the military in order to suppress dissent. Many truths have been told about the evils of the system of governance that is accompanied by brutality, intimidation, corruption, nepotism and many other forms of evil.

Yet the reality is that all the evils continue unabated and that all those that recently appeared in the eyes of many to be carrying the nation's hope of setting the people free are now in disarray. The time is now that people need an organiser to mobilise them for total freedom. It is the time now not just to keep mentioning the evils of this system but to work out means of undoing it. It must be mentioned that the ruling party is succeeding in tearing the opposition apart leaving it in small ineffective groups. It is now the time and opportunity for the real liberator party to seriously come in and free the people of Zimbabwe. Things have turned ugly in our country with many of the leaders simply mentioning the word people as if they are concerned about the masses when in reality they will never allow people to freely express their will again and they are prepared even to use the military. This is the reason why even on the issue of retirement and who should take over leadership of the country is discussed by the military.
This is certainly not what the people of Zimbabwe endured suffering for to remove Ian Smith. I will give a few quotes from Zimbabwe's current leaders for you to see how they take citizens for granted and fool them around; it is common knowledge that the people of Zimbabwe do not approve of corruption and looting that has bedevilled our country over the years so much that if there was freedom of expression they could have long taken to the streets. I listened to the President of Zimbabwe when he appeared on a BBC news channel. He said he would love to see leaders that are elected by the people, listen to the people and guided by dictates of the people. However on Independence Day he was threatening the people that whoever takes to the streets, the security agencies will not stand by and watch.

The Commissioner General of police was recently quoted as saying his police officers do not go to work in the morning to assist in the death of citizens, yet it is common knowledge that during political violence when opposition supporters were attacked, the police simply stood by and watched on orders from above. The former Prime Minister in the inclusive government addressing his supporters recently said, ‘I will never betray the people of Zimbabwe' but in reality when he had won the first round of the presidential election and the parliamentary ones in 2008 he agreed to the formation of the inclusive government leaving the killing machinery of the entire securocrats intact. That was actually one of a few betrayals ever witnessed by Zimbabweans even when they were braced to support him all the way.

The ZAPU leadership recently met in Zimbabwe (28-29.03.2014) and came up with the guidelines that will take our party to our next congress in 2015.

Our Europe Province is holding an important mid-term AGM on Saturday 31 May, 2014.  All party members are invited to attend this significant gathering. There will be a few invited guest speakers while most of the day will be spent on real party business. The Chair's report covering the last year will be delivered, debated and adopted. The PEC will seek endorsement of a few decisions requiring the members' mandate and taken since the last AGM. The financial statement will be delivered by the provincial treasurer. The AGM will then look at the NPC road map to our 2015 party Congress and discuss how our province will walk the road to Congress.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all, including non-Party members who joined us in contribution towards the SA disused mine disaster where our fellow countrymen were trapped and almost all lost their lives. I then came across a writing someone asking whether we were going to do the same with the Tokwe-Mukosi disaster. To answer that question, while we grieve with all grieving Zimbabweans and sympathising mainly with families, friends and relatives who lost their loved ones I wish to state that it is the function of government of the day to handle such issues. It is its responsibility and duty to look after all citizens and declare emergency relief where national disasters have befallen.
We do acknowledge that the government went some way in discharging its duty by declaring Tokwe Mukosi a national disaster. To the surprise of many the government never did the same with Durban Deep mine disaster. The Embassy and the Zimbabwe Consulate staff were just taking their time in involving themselves on the matter in spite of ZAPU assisting families contacting them to come and help. Knowing that ZANU PF has never in its history ever treated citizens the same way and realising that they were not going to declare emergency on the disaster, ZAPU quickly moved in to assist families in bringing out the bodies and appealing to its members to for help.

As we began coordinating the assistance and communicating with our members on the scene and the leadership back home, I was personally making an effort to find out how other national leaders were treating the matter especially those in government. I asked whether the President had made any statement. The answer was no. I asked whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs had done anything or issued a statement about it, the answer was no. Whether The Minister of information issued any statement, the answer was no. or at least the presidential spokesperson and permanent secretary in the ministry of information, the answer was no. It was after some days that the Consul General Mr Magwenzi only issued a condolence message and thanked his staff for issuing travel and other processing documents.
I also wish to state clearly that with ZAPU has never taken action for political points. Our organisation was founded and has produced leaders that extra ordinarily cared for the people. That spirit of care continues to manifest in the party today. I will name but only three.

1.    Joshua Nkomo (former President of ZAPU) – All corners of Zimbabwe (including those that wanted to kill him at some point calling him father of dissidents they themselves produced) know how this man loved and cared about all citizens of the country.

2.    Josiah M Chinamano (former Vice President of ZAPU) who was so passionate about education for all that he then founded the Highfields Community School  in Harare and became its first Principal, a contribution that was mentioned on his burial at the heroes acre in1981 by the then Deputy Prime Minister Simon Muzenda.

3.    I will dwell on Dr Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa to whom I owe my living (according to mum)
Dr TS Parirenyatwa became the first African medical professional (Doctor) in the country to be in charge of Antelope Mine hospital. I was born in that hospital just before his arrival, and his presence touches upon my life when as a toddler my mother took me to hospital when I was critically ill. She says it was her first time ever to see this young African doctor who gave care to patients in an extra ordinary, a practice that had not until then been experienced in the history  of the hospital.  He would work all day long yet overnight still manage to visit critically ill patients. On the day I was dying, without her expectation Dr. Parirenyatwa arrived in the children's ward where I was in the early hours of the morning and stayed until sunrise to make sure I had recovered.

There was a large presence of a white community who had reserved their acceptance of an African doctor in the hospital. However after seeing his tremendous works in the hospital, there was change of heart and they did not want him to leave. A disturbance occurred at the hospital a few days later when the minority government of then Rhodesia gave Dr Parirenyatwa an ultimatum to choose between abandoning Joshua Nkomo's things (politics) to carry on with his medical career or leave altogether. My mother says the doctor chose to liberate his people. It then happened that on his last day in hospital having been ordered to leave, the doctor went ward by ward bidding good-bye to patients and their relatives  and staff.

The hospital turned into a mourning scene as if someone had died. It was a double sided mourning in that while on one hand they were mourning that a beloved, caring and professional people's doctor was leaving the hospital forever,    on the other hand they were tears of comfort that the doctor was leaving to be with Joshua Nkomo in the quest for liberation. My mother rose to become a district treasurer of a local party district and used to frequent Bulawayo's Lobengula street ZAPU offices to cash in subscription monies from the district.

Until her death, she always mentioned the late Dr TS Parirenyatwa as her inspiration. Whenever she imagined the future of our country under a ZAPU government and how the nation would be cared for, she always gave as an example how the late Dr Parirenyatwa cared.

This spirit of care continues to dwell in and amongst the membership of our party and the vision for the future of the country cannot be any better. The vision of a country where all citizens enjoy equal protection of the state regardless of political affiliation. The vision to undo all the evils we have seen as a country ranging from ranging from corruption, hatred, nepotism, uneven development, looting of national resources right up killing of innocent citizens. On this matter I must say it was really unfair of those that rule the country to venture in to the politics of the country only to lead the country to such ills and evils that we do not even know at what cost they are going to be removed.

The whole electoral system has been rigged (Nikuved) so much that as a nation now we must begin to think on how to undo the systematised rigging which now make ZANU appear as if it wins elections through a popular support when it is common knowledge that the majority of citizens now want to see a different party lead Zimbabwe.

As we go to our ZAPU Europe provincial AGM, we say it is the time to begin walking the road to our party congress in 2015. There is work to be done and I call upon the membership of the party to come in their numbers bearing in mind that there is no organisation in our country that will undo all hatred and divisions that we have all seen under those who divide our people and run our country today.

Long Live the spirit of freedom - Long live.
Amandla ka wehle
Masimba ngaadzike
Devolution of power.
I Thank You.      

Christopher Maphosa
Chairperson – ZAPU Europe Province