Opinion / Columnist
Support ZANU-PF at your own risk as it will eat even its own children
22 hrs ago | Views
Can ZANU-PF ever be trusted?
The heart-wrenching letter from the headmaster of Stoneridge Park Primary School in Harare South Constituency exposes an unsettling reality about Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party.
Those who pledge loyalty to ZANU-PF, sacrifice their time, energy, and resources, and mistake this misplaced allegiance for patriotism often end up as victims of betrayal by the very regime they supported.
This is a recurring pattern in ZANU-PF's modus operandi - using and discarding its loyal supporters once they have outlived their usefulness.
The story of the headmaster and his team is a striking example of this cruel betrayal.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
As stated in the letter addressed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the school staff, all devoted ZANU-PF supporters, took it upon themselves to establish Stoneridge Park Primary School in their neglected community.
They commenced construction in 2016, using their own limited resources and enduring immense hardships.
They purchased stationery, taught children while sitting on dusty ground, and walked long distances to handle paperwork for the school.
Despite these sacrifices, they remained committed to their community and ZANU-PF, trusting in the party's promises and principles encapsulated in the slogan "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo" ("A country is built by its people").
Their efforts led to significant progress, and with assistance from Plan International, the school neared completion.
However, in August 2024, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) registered the school as a government institution and deployed its own staff to replace the existing team.
This unceremonious removal of the founding staff, many of whom were underpaid and owed salary balances, highlights ZANU-PF's disregard for its supporters.
These loyal citizens were left to face poverty, humiliation, and uncertainty, despite their unwavering allegiance to the party.
As the headmaster lamented, they had "constructed the school for other people who did not sacrifice for it."
This is not an isolated incident.
ZANU-PF has a long history of betraying its supporters.
Those who naively believe that their loyalty will be rewarded often find themselves discarded, abandoned, or even persecuted by the same regime they defended.
The party's ruling elite have repeatedly demonstrated that their primary concern is enriching themselves, with little regard for the people who have supported their rise to and stay in power.
One of the most glaring examples of ZANU-PF's betrayal is its exploitation of the very resources meant to uplift ordinary Zimbabweans.
The party's ruling elite have consistently looted national resources, leaving millions of citizens, including their own supporters, in abject poverty.
While ordinary Zimbabweans struggle to make ends meet, ZANU-PF leaders live in luxury, building mansions and driving expensive cars.
This is the same regime that has no problem watching patients sleep on hospital floors or disused doors repurposed as makeshift beds, while health facilities crumble under the weight of underfunding and neglect.
The ongoing electricity crisis in Zimbabwe is another example of ZANU-PF's self-serving governance.
Those aligned to the ruling establishment have reportedly misused millions of dollars meant for power infrastructure, leading to near 18-hour daily power outages.
This has crippled the economy, driven businesses into bankruptcy, and left households in darkness.
Yet, ZANU-PF leaders continue to enjoy uninterrupted power in their opulent homes, shielded from the hardships they impose on the rest of the nation.
The looting of food aid and agricultural inputs meant for vulnerable populations further underscores the regime's callousness.
Reports of ZANU-PF officials diverting food and farming inputs intended for the poor are widespread.
This deprives struggling families of much-needed assistance, leaving them dependent on government aid while perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
It also illustrates the regime's tendency to prioritize its own gain over the welfare of the people it claims to serve.
Given this track record, why did the headmaster and his team believe their loyalty to ZANU-PF would yield positive outcomes?
The letter reveals their belief in ZANU-PF's promises and their hope that their sacrifices would be recognized and rewarded.
They even boasted about ensuring ZANU-PF's electoral victories in their community.
However, as the headmaster's letter painfully demonstrates, loyalty to ZANU-PF is rarely reciprocated.
The party has no qualms about discarding those who have served it faithfully, as long as it serves its interests.
The betrayal of the Stoneridge Park Primary School staff is a cautionary tale for all ZANU-PF supporters.
It highlights the party's ruthless nature and its willingness to sacrifice its own loyalists for political convenience.
As the headmaster noted, the deployment of government staff to replace the founding team has plunged the displaced workers into financial hardship, with many facing poverty and humiliation.
The decision to remove them disregarded their contracts, their qualifications, and their contributions to the school's establishment.
This pattern of betrayal is not unique to the school staff.
Across Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF supporters have faced similar fates.
War veterans who fought for the country's liberation were once staunch supporters of ZANU-PF, but many now live in poverty, abandoned by the regime they helped bring to power.
Civil servants, once loyal to the party, have seen their salaries eroded by inflation and their working conditions deteriorate.
Even ZANU-PF politicians who fall out of favor with the ruling elite are not spared, as evidenced by the numerous purges within the party.
The reality is that ZANU-PF is a party that prioritizes self-preservation and personal enrichment over loyalty, patriotism, or even basic decency.
Its leaders have no loyalty to anyone but themselves.
They are willing to exploit, betray, and discard anyone - including their most loyal supporters - to maintain their grip on power.
The headmaster's letter is a wake-up call for all Zimbabweans who continue to support ZANU-PF in the hope of receiving special treatment or rewards.
It is a stark reminder that ZANU-PF does not care about its supporters, its promises, or its slogans.
It is a party that uses people for its own gain and discards them when they are no longer useful.
As Zimbabweans, we must learn from these experiences and recognize the need for accountability, transparency, and genuine leadership.
Supporting a regime that has repeatedly betrayed its people is not patriotism - it is complicity in the suffering of millions.
The time has come for Zimbabweans to demand better governance and hold their leaders accountable, rather than placing blind faith in a party that has proven time and again that it does not deserve it.
Supporting ZANU-PF is not only futile; it is a risk that no one should be willing to take.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
The heart-wrenching letter from the headmaster of Stoneridge Park Primary School in Harare South Constituency exposes an unsettling reality about Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party.
Those who pledge loyalty to ZANU-PF, sacrifice their time, energy, and resources, and mistake this misplaced allegiance for patriotism often end up as victims of betrayal by the very regime they supported.
This is a recurring pattern in ZANU-PF's modus operandi - using and discarding its loyal supporters once they have outlived their usefulness.
The story of the headmaster and his team is a striking example of this cruel betrayal.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
As stated in the letter addressed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the school staff, all devoted ZANU-PF supporters, took it upon themselves to establish Stoneridge Park Primary School in their neglected community.
They commenced construction in 2016, using their own limited resources and enduring immense hardships.
They purchased stationery, taught children while sitting on dusty ground, and walked long distances to handle paperwork for the school.
Despite these sacrifices, they remained committed to their community and ZANU-PF, trusting in the party's promises and principles encapsulated in the slogan "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo" ("A country is built by its people").
Their efforts led to significant progress, and with assistance from Plan International, the school neared completion.
However, in August 2024, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) registered the school as a government institution and deployed its own staff to replace the existing team.
This unceremonious removal of the founding staff, many of whom were underpaid and owed salary balances, highlights ZANU-PF's disregard for its supporters.
These loyal citizens were left to face poverty, humiliation, and uncertainty, despite their unwavering allegiance to the party.
As the headmaster lamented, they had "constructed the school for other people who did not sacrifice for it."
This is not an isolated incident.
ZANU-PF has a long history of betraying its supporters.
Those who naively believe that their loyalty will be rewarded often find themselves discarded, abandoned, or even persecuted by the same regime they defended.
The party's ruling elite have repeatedly demonstrated that their primary concern is enriching themselves, with little regard for the people who have supported their rise to and stay in power.
One of the most glaring examples of ZANU-PF's betrayal is its exploitation of the very resources meant to uplift ordinary Zimbabweans.
The party's ruling elite have consistently looted national resources, leaving millions of citizens, including their own supporters, in abject poverty.
While ordinary Zimbabweans struggle to make ends meet, ZANU-PF leaders live in luxury, building mansions and driving expensive cars.
This is the same regime that has no problem watching patients sleep on hospital floors or disused doors repurposed as makeshift beds, while health facilities crumble under the weight of underfunding and neglect.
The ongoing electricity crisis in Zimbabwe is another example of ZANU-PF's self-serving governance.
Those aligned to the ruling establishment have reportedly misused millions of dollars meant for power infrastructure, leading to near 18-hour daily power outages.
This has crippled the economy, driven businesses into bankruptcy, and left households in darkness.
Yet, ZANU-PF leaders continue to enjoy uninterrupted power in their opulent homes, shielded from the hardships they impose on the rest of the nation.
The looting of food aid and agricultural inputs meant for vulnerable populations further underscores the regime's callousness.
Reports of ZANU-PF officials diverting food and farming inputs intended for the poor are widespread.
This deprives struggling families of much-needed assistance, leaving them dependent on government aid while perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
It also illustrates the regime's tendency to prioritize its own gain over the welfare of the people it claims to serve.
Given this track record, why did the headmaster and his team believe their loyalty to ZANU-PF would yield positive outcomes?
The letter reveals their belief in ZANU-PF's promises and their hope that their sacrifices would be recognized and rewarded.
They even boasted about ensuring ZANU-PF's electoral victories in their community.
However, as the headmaster's letter painfully demonstrates, loyalty to ZANU-PF is rarely reciprocated.
The party has no qualms about discarding those who have served it faithfully, as long as it serves its interests.
The betrayal of the Stoneridge Park Primary School staff is a cautionary tale for all ZANU-PF supporters.
It highlights the party's ruthless nature and its willingness to sacrifice its own loyalists for political convenience.
As the headmaster noted, the deployment of government staff to replace the founding team has plunged the displaced workers into financial hardship, with many facing poverty and humiliation.
The decision to remove them disregarded their contracts, their qualifications, and their contributions to the school's establishment.
This pattern of betrayal is not unique to the school staff.
Across Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF supporters have faced similar fates.
War veterans who fought for the country's liberation were once staunch supporters of ZANU-PF, but many now live in poverty, abandoned by the regime they helped bring to power.
Civil servants, once loyal to the party, have seen their salaries eroded by inflation and their working conditions deteriorate.
Even ZANU-PF politicians who fall out of favor with the ruling elite are not spared, as evidenced by the numerous purges within the party.
The reality is that ZANU-PF is a party that prioritizes self-preservation and personal enrichment over loyalty, patriotism, or even basic decency.
Its leaders have no loyalty to anyone but themselves.
They are willing to exploit, betray, and discard anyone - including their most loyal supporters - to maintain their grip on power.
The headmaster's letter is a wake-up call for all Zimbabweans who continue to support ZANU-PF in the hope of receiving special treatment or rewards.
It is a stark reminder that ZANU-PF does not care about its supporters, its promises, or its slogans.
It is a party that uses people for its own gain and discards them when they are no longer useful.
As Zimbabweans, we must learn from these experiences and recognize the need for accountability, transparency, and genuine leadership.
Supporting a regime that has repeatedly betrayed its people is not patriotism - it is complicity in the suffering of millions.
The time has come for Zimbabweans to demand better governance and hold their leaders accountable, rather than placing blind faith in a party that has proven time and again that it does not deserve it.
Supporting ZANU-PF is not only futile; it is a risk that no one should be willing to take.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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