Tendai Ruben Mbofana
There was no name more well-known and revered as that of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.
In fact, his name was synonymous with the struggle for independence, and he became the embodiment of the people’s dreams for liberation.
All the people’s hopes and aspirations for finally breaking free from the shackles of colonialism and subjugation fell upon him.
However, as the 1960s rolled on and there was no end in sight to racial segregation and oppression, the nation started questioning Nkomo’s approach to the quest for emancipation.
He had largely preferred a strategy of passivity – whereby negotiations with the colonial administration and enticing regional support played a central role.
In so doing, he agreed to several piecemeal concessions in giving black people some token representation in parliament and severely limited voting rights.
This clearly did not go down well with those who had had enough of their suffering under the yoke of decades-long repression.
The thought of more years of this pain and misery was simply unimaginable, as each day was more miserable than the last.
They wanted and needed uhuru now!
That opened a huge opportunity for the emergence of a more militant and revolutionary movement in the form of ZANU led by Ndabaningi Sithole – who broke away from Nkomo’s ZAPU on 8th August 1963.
The party’s talk of an armed liberation war found resonance with the oppressed majority – who were now desperate for liberation.
As the first shots of the armed struggle were fired on 28th April 1966 in the Chinhoyi area, the people of Zimbabwe were filled with a sense of immense hope.
As such, there was a steady wave of support transferred from Nkomo and ZAPU to Sithole and ZANU.
Not because Nkomo was a bad man or because the people had begun to hate him.
No, not at all.
In fact, based on some reports, the great man remained extremely popular and well-liked all the way into independence.
There is actually a strong belief that he was still more acceptable as a leader than ZANU’s later leader, Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Nonetheless, the only reason the population ended up gravitating towards ZANU was the more militant approach which held a promise of emancipation in a relatively short time.
This was in stark contrast to what was perceived as Nkomo’s lacklustre dealings with the colonial regime – which clearly was not interested in immediate majority rule.
Regardless of the tremendous love and affection the people had for him, Nkomo inevitably lost their support for a more aggressive and confrontational leader.
In dealing with a government that has no desire for the people’s freedom and will do anything (no matter how brutal and savage) to keep them in subjugation, a leader who largely depends on merely talking does not go far.
This brings us to present-day Zimbabwe.
We all know the barbaric and even illegal lengths the ZANU PF regime is prepared to go in keeping the majority under the shackles of oppression.
In actual fact, our former liberators have morphed into far worse and more heinous oppressors than the colonial regime they once fought.
Over the course of the past 43 years, since the country’s independence from colonial rule, the government has resorted to the most diabolical and despicable means of staying in power.
Every form of atrocity has been witnessed in Zimbabwe.
Any opposition posing a real threat to the ruling establishment has been met with a vicious crackdown – characterized by killings and beatings up of supporters, arrest of leaders, rigging of elections, and abuse of state institutions for partisan agendas.
This, while the political elite plunder, with unbridled greed, national resources for self-enrichment – as millions of Zimbabweans languish in abject poverty.
Nevertheless, what has been conspicuous in all these brazen abuses of the citizenry is the evidently docile reaction of the main opposition CCC party under Nelson Chamisa.
The young man reminds me a lot of Nkomo.
He is undeniably gifted, endowed with phenomenal charisma, and possesses qualities of a brilliant leader.
That is not debatable.
This explains why he is so loved and adored by a significant portion of the population.
He is a modern-day Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.
However, the similarities also carry with them negative attributes.
The man is too passive and timid!
Just as with the colonial regime, ZANU PF will do anything to hold on to power – and can never be swayed by mere talk.
The CCC has recently had a clear victory stolen from them through embarrassingly flawed elections, which were roundly condemned by regional and international election observer missions as falling far short of acceptable standards.
Yet, the CCC did absolutely nothing to galvanize the people whose vote was stolen to stand up for their rights in their numbers.
We are lamely and naively waiting for a SADC that is not coming and has already moved on.
Right now, a questionable individual by the name of Sengezo Tshabangu has apparently written to the Speaker of the House of Assembly Jacob Mudenda, ostensibly recalling 15 CCC parliamentarians (on the pretext that they had ceased being members of the opposition party).
This is aimed at giving the ruling party the two-thirds majority that they failed to attain in the 23rd and 24th August harmonized elections – which they need to amend the Constitution, especially in removing presidential term limits.
The CCC, again, is evidently not doing anything on mobilise public outrage over this attempt at reversing their electoral choices by a shady character (clearly serving a sinister ZANU PF agenda).
We are also reminded of the arrest and subsequent jailing of then legislator and CCC vice chairman Job Sikhala – who has been sitting in prison for over a year, without trial and repeatedly denied his right to bail.
What did his party do in pressuring the oppressive regime for his release?
Absolutely nothing!
Again, you can not tweet your way out of ZANU PF’s dungeons of subjugation.
As much as Chamisa is dearly loved and whose overwhelming support is undebatable – there is a real possibility that he risks losing relevance.
Zimbabweans are suffering in unimaginable ways, and just as in the colonial times, we can not afford to wait a day longer for our freedom.
We can not patiently wait as the opposition plays its political games designed for no other purpose than ensuring that their leader reaches State House with minimal damage!
Their strategy does not go beyond preserving Chamisa.
This struggle for emancipation – again, as in the colonial era – far transcends the political interests and ambitions of only one man and party.
We can not merely sit around or stand by as the person in whom we had placed our hopes and aspirations prioritizes his own safety and comfort over the greater goal for the people’s liberty.
If Chamisa prefers playing it safe, then the oppressed impoverished people of Zimbabwe now desperately need a more revolutionary leader to step up to the plate.
As I have repeated in my numerous writings, we are not yet at a place where the country needs the same liberation struggle as in the 1960s and 70s.
Why are we not starting with the bare basics?
Zimbabweans need to come to a place where each one of us is ready to make their own sacrifice for a better tomorrow.
This may be in the form of not attending to our workstations for an agreed length of time – despite the negative financial ramifications due to loss of income in a reeling economy.
This can be for a few days, weeks, or on particular days each week until our demands are heard and heeded by those in power.
No one will be placing their lives in any danger as this entails simply staying in our homes – whilst at the same time bringing the economy to a screeching halt.
The impact of something so simple is unimaginable!
Yet, we lack the leadership to galvanize the population.
We have the misfortune of having those driven by their own egocentric self-preservation – who fear arrest.
I, nonetheless, truly believe that an individual is coming, who will lead from the front, in doing what is required in pressuring a stubborn, arrogant, and oppressive regime.
A ‘softie softie’ approach will not and can not work on ZANU PF.
This is a regime that takes full advantage of and abuses anyone who exhibits signs of cowardice and timidity.
And, it only gets worse each time.
At this rate, I have a strong conviction that by the time we reach 2028, Zimbabwe will effectively be a one-party state – with either the opposition banned or its leadership behind bars.
Chamisa will always be a darling of the people – but, as with Nkomo, we can not take the suffering anymore and desperately need a savior.
Sadly, Chamisa is proving not to possess what it takes.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: http://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/