Back home for the first Christmas in 11 years

I am naturally thrilled at the prospect of rejoining the loved ones for Christmas Holidays after a decade in hiding – thanks to the GPA, which brought about relative peace and some semblance of political tolerance among rural communities. The inclusive government also helped fill up shops.

I managed to buy Christmas gifts and other items to spoil my relatives them after my long absence. My journey from Harare Bulawayo where I am based to Marondera was quite exciting and eventful.

The geographical terrain along the roads has changed significantly. Where there used to be a farm field, there are now dotted homesteads characterized by pole and dagga huts. There is no evidence of meaningful farming activity on the farms.

Former farm schools and churches have been turned into cattle pens. School children playfully chasing each other along main roads on their way from school are no longer in sight..

Along the Harare-Marondera road in the Bromley area, former greenhouses are a pale shadow of their former self. Only a few remaining poles give away the position where the greenhouses used to stand when commercial farmers ran the farms.

As I reached my home town of Marondera, I was excited to see new business developments mushrooming. Next to TM Supermarket towards Dombotombo, a local business tycoon, Adam Molayi, is constructing a state-of-the-art shopping mall.

Industrious workers at the construction site said the mall would encompass service stations, banking malls, fast food outlets, furniture and clothing shops, internet cafes among other outlets. The most magnificent aspect would be a car racing track which would snake around part of the complex. Construction workers were toiling themselves around the clock to beat the April 2011 deadline.

I remember meeting Molayi before I fled from political violence in my nearby rural home, Chihota. He looked level-headed, apolitical and a hardworking budding businessman then. Now I am told he embarked on the giant project in order to plough back into the community which nurtured him.

In the central business development centre, where there used to be the Magistrates Court, they have turned the building into a flea market and internet cafe. Dozens of vendors rent a tiny space for $100 per month. The owner of the building should be making a killing out of the complex. Two thirds of entrepreneurs here are in the flea market business, while other buildings were turned into food outlets.

Before I left for Chihota, I decided to visit Forest Lodge Farm, where as young boys we would hunt down wild birds for meat.

I could not believe what I saw there. The beautiful flower plantations are no more. They used to cover several hectares and attracted various types of beautiful birds. The birds would suck nectar from the blooming flowers. Brandishing catapults we would shoot down the birds for meat. The birds would hover over the colourful flowers in their thousands. The war veteran who took over part of the farm attempted to plant a maize crop, but it failed dismally.

Disappointed, I headed for home where I was given a heros welcome by relatives and friends. After settling down I visited the traditional beer outlet. There, I met with local Zanu (PF) and traditional leadership. With some reservations, they welcomed me back home. When we were through with greeting preliminaries, I bought them some opaque beer. We forced some friendly conversations out of deceitful minds. There was some element of mistrust between us, but what mattered most was the fact that at least I was back home for the festive season. Though my family fields were annexed by Zanu (PF) during my absence as punishment for supporting MDC, I did not bother making an issue out of it. What mattered most was that I would make merry with old friends and relatives over Christmas for the first time in many years.

I fear with this election talk that this could be my first and last Christmas holidays home for another decade, as there threats of fresh political violence, if Zanu (PF) loses the coming elections to MDC as is widely expected.

For Muhwema and other victims of political violence in his situation, they will feast and drink as much as they can and enjoy the temporary relief conducive for merry making provided by the GPA.