As pressure from the strike by social workers and the Zimbabwe Congress Trade Union (ZCTU)’s call for a general strike mount on the government, with the recently ended doctors strike, university students strikes in Great Zimbabwe and Lupane State Universities, the big question lingers, was the November euphoria for independence worth the marches or Zimbabweans are a bunch of dreamers lacking realism?
Wednesday, 18 April 2018, marked 38 years since Zimbabwe attained independence and of these years, 37 have been marred by absolute rule, nepotism, corruption, neo-colonial rule and arbitrary arrests of civilians, artists and journalists from different sectors whose charges where either on fair reporting being challenged by unconstitutional defamatory laws or as in the case of Owen Maseko ‘insulting the president’.
It is of great importance to trace back the major objectives of the armed struggle and wear the 6-foot 5-inch sandals of the fighters, who were labelled as ‘Guerrillas, Torroros, Gandangas’; derogatory names meant to undermine them yet they fought with zeal and strength so Rhodesia (currently Zimbabwe) could attain independence.
If these fighters were to come up today and walk down the streets will they be elated and celebrated for their good fights? Will they be happy to have slept in bushes sharing shelters with lions, elephants and snakes to reach to such a Zimbabwe or they would cry to turn back the hands of time and try to correct where things went wrong?
‘The Revolutionary: A Brief encounter’ an interesting short story by Derek Huggins, shows the passion and the dedication in which the armed struggle fighters had to see to the independence of Zimbabwe. Sadly, most of these deserving heroes who perished in the bushes when their skulls were fragmented by canisters from the barrels of guns of the colonialists never got recognized and never had a single name to themselves erected as an avenue or a street.
The main question that all reasonable war veterans alive should ask themselves is, did they really fight a good fight and did they truly vindicate their descendants?
‘they fought tirelessly with vigor and strength. Fighting and spilling blood for land yet that land is hardly being utilized’ @ClintonKelvin22 tweets.
With land having been inaccurately distributed, most of it having been granted to undeserving men who have used these vast acres of land to erect shamble structures with no forward agricultural production, mines that have turned to illegal gold panning sects for their unceremonious sacrifices of killing one another at the sight of an ounce of gold, it is clear that Zimbabwe is going in circles.
When thousands marched against Mugabe last year, they were driven by dreams and wishful hopes of a transformed Zimbabwe and a taste of a new presidium. Some of course where political parties that had hijacked a military mandate and NGOs trying to stay relevant in the political sphere of influence, development and change.
One twitter tweleb @maDube_ advises citizens that the Junta is no different from its master. So, does this mean that the current leadership is a child of the former hence the staggering changes?
Can people really feel satisfied for pushing for the ouster of Mugabe and promotion of a new dispensation or those where just but dreams of brighter days, yes, only dreams?
For the youths who are unemployed, have you seen any change or the change is yet to develop?
I for one, definitely expected much changes in the media, especially on draconian media laws that have hindered the proper practice of journalism.
Political parties such as the Mthwakazi Republic Party definitely expected a different approach to the idea of devolution as they claim it should be a national project not to be viewed as a Matabeleland project.
Will the new administration of the Junta lead Zimbabwe to the promised land of milk and honey envisaged by the freedom fighters or the Junta will also suffer a mosaic defeat of being so near yet so far from Canaan?
For Zimbabwe to move forward, there is need to really liberate Zimbabwe from all forms of colonial shackles, that involve white balance dependency syndrome and sponsorship.
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