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Good luck and goodbye
Chris Kabwato, Zimbabwe in Pictures
August 12, 2011

This is my last column for this year. I am not riding into the sunset on a horse like Bud Spencer and Terence Hill in those cheesy Westerns I loved so much in my childhood. Rather I am taking some time off to think through and, hopefully, implement some projects I feel very passionate about. I am re-arranging my professional and personal furniture, so to speak.

When Nesbert Chirewa, a ZIP fan, asks me next "You call this Zimbabwe in Pictures? Where are the photos?" I should be able to answer that critical question.

We have had some marvellous three years since the inception of Zimbabwe in Pictures but at the same time I feel we have underachieved. The blame lies squarely with me not taking the lead when it mattered. I am now in a position to change course and ensure from mid-January 2012 we deliver on three fronts: a multi-functional web portal, a weekly newsletter and a dedicated training programme.

I have many people to thank for the support over the last three years but I will limit myself to just a few:

Bob van Winden, Christian Kuijstermans, Babah Tarawally, Colin Miller, Farai Mpfunya, Chipo Muvezwa, Sharon Hudson-Dean, Sizani Weza, Professor Fortune Mhlanga, Shalen Gajadhar, Bold Hungwe, Taurai Maduna, Vincent Kahiya, Brian Mangwende, Kamurai Mudzingwa, Saeanna Chingamuka, O-Brien Mudyiwenyama, Maria Wilson, Manuel Bagorro, Tafadzwa Simba and Fungai Tichawangana.

I am most grateful to my brother, Levi, who has single-handedly maintained the website, edited the newsletter and taken photographs. Without his support this project would not have come this far.

But who am I without my ever-partisan and supportive "Mafia" - aah to be young, gifted . . . that-s where it-s at.

I will sign off with an e-mail I received from a soldier and veteran of our liberation war in response to last week-s article

"Now we are talking, now you are talking! Ndizvo chaizvo zvinofanira kutaurwa nemumapepa chaiwo sezvo its not everybody who has access to the net and computers. I am a veteran of the war of independence and the equally brutal (but arguably more destructive) Mozambique campaign when we had to force RENAMO to the negotiating table but at a terrible cost. That gung-ho attitude mentioned in your article is very dangerous and is being promoted by persons who never fired a single shot and who do not know the business end of a rifle. I spent sixteen years under arms, twelve of them at the Commando Regiment under the command of the legendary Brigadier Charles Gumbo and (now) Major General Nicholas Dube. I have been exposed to everything that a war can throw at a human being, and I can now talk about it, I have seen colleagues fall apart and become vagrants with a triple digit bank balance, become hopeless alcoholics and drug addicts. I am one of those who came out of it quieter / reflective and totally opposed to war, I left the special forces prematurely to avoid premature burn-out. I am sure that I also have my scars and my own set of demons to chase. One thing that I can tell you with certainty is that there can never be any justification for a war in this country, those that beat the drums of war I can never describe or address in any language and hope to avoid the use of four letter words in the process. I believe that it is high time that we started to openly discuss the cost of the last four wars, ie Chimurenga II / Entumbane disturbances and the ensuing anti-dissident campaign / the Mozabique campaign / the very unnecessary but costly DRC adventure".

So it clear - our people want a conversation. On our return we shall provide those platforms and more so we can "discourse".

Hasta la vista! Kenge

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