Back to Index

People power must prevail in Zimbabwe
By Itai Masotsha Zimunya
January 06, 2004

The socio-economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe has exacerbated the psychological pain among the majority of Zimbabweans. The question "when shall this end?" does not invite hope but more frustration. The use of brutal force by the state (killing machinery) on civilians, the scourge of HIV/Aids and Hunger, the suspension of the rule of law through the selective application of the law and the state's insistence on using an expired constitution added to the massive militarisation of state institutions point to oppression. It is this quagmire and myriad of social ills that the tested and successful strategy of people power be brought to use.

In the Zimbabwean case, there have been hot debates on the current crisis. Various positions suggesting that the people of Zimbabwe are cowards, too lame, cocooned in fear and of related sorts. The other position, derived from the management theory of X and Y style of management, in my own opinion is true to Zimbabwe and her people.

Management Theory X and Y attempts to explain leadership styles for successful leaders or managers. It says in X - people are initiative but simply need direction while in Y - people are not initiative and need the leaders to lead them. However, output is the same. What is simply needed is for the leaders to adopt the proper style and all set targets will fall.

In that regard, it dismisses the argument that the people of Zimbabwe are too afraid. Afraid of what - The soldiers and the Riot police? Our brothers and sisters who are also feeding on less than 100 pieces of beans and 20 leaves of vegetables per meal or the war veterans who are our parents and neighbours kumatangwena kwedu?

This assertion has evidence when the 1997/98 ZCTU, NCA mass protests come to the scan. The brave people who protested facing the army and police today are still the same brave people on the streets. This answers the natural question of the argument. The fact of leadership - the nurturing part stimulates more debate. The 1997/98 people power had clear leaders who identified with the people. Leaders who were true to their goals. This, of course does not therefore mean that, today we have a leadership crisis in Zimbabwe. As a participator in the 1997/98 struggles and still an admirer of the struggle - the leaders of then still lead us, though in different capacities. The vision is still the same: a prosperous, free and democratic Zimbabwe.

Now if the leaders are there, the people ready and the vision clear, what is delaying the revolution? The parliamentary elections of 2000 and the almost equal representations of the two major political parties in parliament diverted the attention of the people. It gave people a false hope that now that they are almost equal elected representatives in Parliament, progress will start. After three years of struggle and battles with the anti-law agents, the brave people of Zimbabwe retreated for a rest hoping that in Parliament, where the almost 50-50 representation was going to provide the necessary competition and friction of ideas that would leave them smooth.

Today the people are starting to take back their power that they had vested in leaders in the councils and in parliament. Though arguable, a lot of people voted into councils and parliament have joined the club of charlatans whose new thrust is simply to make more money while ignoring/neglecting the peoples wishes. This is true to some MDC, Zanu Pf and Independent office bearers. Woe Unto You.

The people of Zimbabwe have power. They know what they want but they are extremely peace loving and stubborn. The testimony of some overzealous musicians who got carried away and produced songs in support of repression, thuggery and Zanuism must be an example for all. At present, these once popular musicians have been condemned to oblivion and their music sales plummeted despite massive airplay by Nathaniel Jonathan Manheru. This is boycotting, a form of people power. The lesson to the current councillors, Members of Parliament and base leaders must be that - No force will stop the power of the people for nothing is permanent but change.

The struggle for a new Zimbabwe where liberty and prosperity shall prevail has not been easy. A struggle means really to struggling. Necessarily it proceeds in cycles, downwards and upwards but on a generally increasing trend. People know the kind of life that they want. The people know the spirit, content and product of a constitution and economy that they want. People also know the president that they want and even names and residences of those junior police officers notorious for torture. Striking though the people sit and pretend to live a very normal life every day.

Now as the masses are starving, unemployed and struggling from day to day those oppressing us enjoy the luxury of the latest Mercedes Benzes and even imported wardrobe sorters to sort their perishables. Every half-hour on radio, we are constantly reminded that Zimbabwe is the land. This boggles the mind and leaves a cognitive imbalance. It therefore means, if you have no land, then you are not a Zimbabwean for the Land is Zimbabwe. Fine then, to you comrade Mugabe, where is my piece of land for a house in Budiriro? Where is my piece of land for maize in Mazowe?

In our name(the peasants), land, cattle and equipment were looted and privatized by a few in the name of black empowerment. As transport costs have skyrocketed and fuel scarce those few in Zanu PF celebrate and kill much profit on our sweat as they "chested" fuel procurement licences to their kith and kin. In government circles, it is our sweat in the form of taxes and TV/Radio licences that pays for Zanu PF propaganda and that buys teargas to silence us. A vicious cycle indeed, we pay taxes to the government. The government instead of providing education, defence and health sends a n'ganga /sangoma) to change names of schools, bans Zimbabwe Junior Certificate of education, brings rot to the Ordinary and Advanced levels and returns to comment on "madzinza/ imbali"- African history. The same government refuses to pay our teachers, nurses and doctors but opts to pay those that beat us - the bombers and the army. Every copy of the Herald we buy means Yes to more propaganda.

It is therefore, imperative that people take the power into their hands again and make the Zimbabwe that they want. The spirit will live forever. Didn't the liberation struggle progress as Ian Smith commandeered propaganda in Rhodesia? God have mercy, the very people who led the liberation struggle have turned against the very principles and values that they fought (if ever they fought) and for which many sons and daughters of Africa died for.Get fired up. Tora Nyoka yako. Thatha ilizwe lakho.

Itai Masotsha Zimunya, is a Harare based human rights activist. Write to him at itaizim@yahoo.com

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP