Rhodesia was colonised and settled from South Africa under the aegis of British imperialism and capitalism. Imperial; policies toward South Africa, especially the persistent desire to create a pro-British South African Federation, shaped the policy towards the colony of Rhodesia. Like other oppressed peoples we face three basic and fundamental contradictions in our country, which must be removed and destroyed, root and branch.
They are:
• The presence of a settler society of 234,000 white people who are an integral part of international capitalism that seeks to exploit and oppress the five million indigenous Africans and to prevent them forming a truly socialist state. This is part of the global conflict of the forces of capitalism and socialism.
• The juxtaposition and consequent competition for power of the white settlers and the African people who differ in colour, religion and civilisation. These differences have been accentuated by the practice of the policy of separate development or apartheid. This part of a global race conflict.
• The existence of a dual economy – a cash economy in which the settlers enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, and a subsistence economy in which the majority of Africans, whether urban or rural residents, live in abject poverty on the verge of starvation. This too is part of the global conflict between the haves and the have-nots.
Since November 1965, the pretensions of the white settlers to establish an independent white state in the heart of Africa have sharpened these contradictions and brought the settlers into direct conflict with the five million Africans who wish to establish a truly socialist state of Zimbabwe and rid it of all forms of capitalism, settlerism, racism and exploitation. The Zimbabwe African Union has joined hands with other progressive forces in Africa, Asia, Latin America and in the socialist countries of eastern Europe to confront and fight the forces of imperialism, capitalism, colonialism and settlerism in Zimbabwe. It has also sought and received the support of progressive individuals and organisations in Western Europe and North America.
The Party must unite all the people in a common struggle against a common enemy – the white settlers. Party is the vanguard of the revolution. It is the machinery through which the revolution has to be planned, waged and prosecuted and finally consolidated. It is the main instrument in the hands of the people in the struggle for national independence and national liberation.
All the African people of Zimbabwe must unite in the common struggle, irrespective or ideological, religious or regional differences. The unity of the people is absolutely essential for the prosecution of “Chimurenga” and the full co-operation of our people as brothers and sisters. Those Africans serving the interests of the settlers either directly or indirectly must be persuaded to see the folly of the course of action they have taken, as well as the need to place the national interest of Zimbabwe far beyond their own personal interests.
The Party must involve all the oppressed people of Zimbabwe, not only in the common purpose of fighting against foreign rule and settler exploitation, but also in the detailed preparation for the new order. It is an instrument for determining the genuine grievances of the people, and not just the wishes of the leaders or of a few. Solutions to these problems must be found by the people themselves within the framework and through the machinery of the Party. Where all the people are involved in the work of the Party, their individual problems and grievances become common problems of the Party as a whole.
Post published in: Opinions