Tendai Ruben Mbofana
The paradox of the Zimbabwean condition is a question that has echoed through our corridors of learning and our dusty streets for decades.
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Why do a people so renowned for their high levels of education and intellectual rigor continue to endure such profound and soul-crushing suffering?
It is a question that demands an answer more substantial than simple bad luck or external interference.
Zimbabweans are not poor because they lack the intelligence to build a thriving economy, nor are they unlearned in the ways of modern statecraft.
Similarly, the men and women who occupy the high offices of power are not failing because they are incompetent or uneducated.
Those who preside over our national decline know exactly what is required to transform this nation into a global powerhouse.
They understand the mechanics of governance and the strategies needed to harness our vast mineral wealth and fertile soils for the benefit of every citizen.
The failure is not one of the mind, but of the heart.
It is a calculated choice driven by unbridled greed and a staggering level of selfishness that prioritizes personal enrichment over the survival of the collective.
While the ruling elite functions as a kleptocracy, looting national resources with impunity, there is a secondary and perhaps more uncomfortable reason for our stagnation.
In spite of our academic achievements, we have remained remarkably cowardly when the time comes to confront and challenge those who are dismantling our future.
We have allowed fear to paralyze our agency.
This silence is compounded by a lack of forceful, visionary opposition leadership capable of galvanizing the masses into a coherent movement for change.
However, beyond the fear and the leadership vacuum, there lies a much deeper, more insidious psychological barrier that prevents us from reclaiming our dignity.
It is a glaring flaw in our everyday approach to national issues.
We have fallen into the trap of treating our political welfare as if we were supporting soccer teams.
In Zimbabwe, like in other parts of the world, soccer is more than a game; it is a religion.
Fans support their favorite teams with a zeal that borders on the fanatical.
They offer a dying devotion that involves defending their side with every fiber of their being while maintaining a hysterical opposition to any rival.
In the context of sport, this passion is the lifeblood of the game.
It creates excitement, fosters community, and gives the sport its massive following.
But when this same brand of fanaticism is transplanted into the political arena, it becomes a lethal poison.
Politics is not entertainment, and it is certainly not a game.
It is a serious undertaking that determines whether a family eats tomorrow or whether a child has a future.
It dictates whether a patient lives or dies in an under-resourced hospital.
Approaching these life-and-death matters with the mentality of a soccer rivalry is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous.
Consider the current debate surrounding the proposed Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill.
This piece of legislation seeks to, among other things, extend the term in office for the sitting president.
As expected, the political landscape has erupted into a cacophony of vibrant debate.
Yet, if one looks closely at the noise, a disturbing pattern emerges.
People are taking sides based purely on their political “team” rather than the merits of the Bill itself.
If you are a supporter of ZANU-PF, you find yourself fervently defending the Bill.
If you are on the opposition side, you ferociously attack it.
In this polarized environment, the actual details and the long-term consequences of the amendment are lost.
There is almost no consideration for the technicalities or the legal precedents being set.
If you were to stop the average person dancing and chanting in support of Amendment No. 3 and ask them what the Bill actually seeks to change, the response would likely be a blank stare or a rehearsed slogan.
Most have zero understanding of the pros and cons or the specific legal processes required to effect such a change.
They do not know, and perhaps more tragically, they do not seem to care how these changes will impact their own lives or the lives of their children.
For them, the objective is not a better constitution; it is the humiliation of the “opponent.”
They are playing for a political win, hoping to see their “team” defeat the other side, even if that victory comes at the cost of their own economic and social well-being.
This is the height of folly.
When we allow the supreme law of the land to be manipulated for the benefit of one individual and a small circle of well-connected elites, we are paving the road to our own destruction.
It does not matter how loudly one sings or how high one jumps in support of a political leader; the resulting poverty does not discriminate.
The looting of national resources by a few affects the supporter and the detractor alike.
By cheering for the overriding of constitutional requirements to extend a presidential term, we are setting a disastrous precedent.
We are telling future leaders that the law is a flexible tool to be bent according to their whims.
This affects our children, our grandchildren, and generations yet unborn long after the current crop of supporters is dead and buried.
What is to stop a future leader from using this same precedent to temper with other enshrined rights?
If the constitution can be changed to suit the person in office, what prevents a leader from claiming personal ownership of all minerals and land in the country?
We risk a future where millions of Zimbabweans are deprived of their inheritance and their legacy because we were too busy treating politics like a weekend match at the stadium.
This brand of fanaticism blinds us to the reality that in politics, if we do not guard our interests with intellectual honesty, we will all end up as losers.
The national interest is never a matter of “us vs. them.”
Hunger has no political affiliation, and a crumbling infrastructure does not care which party you voted for.
There is no “us” and no “them” when it comes to the basic requirements of a dignified life.
In the stadium of politics, the only true winners are those who hold the reins of power and the keys to the treasury.
The rest of the population, divided by tribalism and partisan loyalty, remains in the stands, cheering for their own impoverishment.
If we continue to be blind, if we continue to prioritize team loyalty over national survival, the only thing we will achieve is a more efficient way to suffer.
It is time to retire the soccer jerseys and engage with politics as the serious, consequential matter that it is.
Our future depends on our ability to see past the slogans and demand accountability, regardless of which “team” is in power.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. To directly receive his articles please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08