I am still in Mzansi, obviously not by choice, but by circumstantial coercion. None of my children refer to Zimbabwe as home because they were born in South Africa. My eldest child Sibanengi (jnr) confronted me when we were in my rural home in Mberengwa last December and demanded to be taken back home as he was tired on being in Zimbabwe.
The home he was referring to is my bank bonded house in Winchester Hills, Johannesburg where he was born. When other stunned family members reminded him that he was actually at his real home, he retaliated by boycotting his meals until we left for Johannesburg in a few days time. This encounter has been constantly coming back to haunt me. It never crossed my mind that I would have kids who regard my home country as a camping festival destination. I was distressed.
Blame at our door
My experience is not alien to my friends and family members, who are dotted around the globe as Zimbabwe continues to be a refugee generating pot. Why are we in this situation? Who is to blame? We may all ask. Why this curse? Could it be Zanu (PF)?
Zanu (PF) might have authored the situation that we find ourselves in, but the blame lies squarely with all Zimbabweans. How then can victims of the situation become instigators of their won predicament? The honest answer is that we allowed Zanu (PF) Pharisees to openly privatise our country for the benefit of few Zanu (PF) idiots as the majority gets snared by maddening poverty and hopelessness.
One painful reality is that very few Zimbabweans feel at home when they are in Zimbabwe. Who would be proud of a home where violence is perpetrated by State institutions who are supposed to provide security, hope and confidence? We might all be proud Zimbabweans but the beautiful country was made inhabitable under everyones watch.
We surrendered territory to a few greedy clowns, who have been plundering the political and economic landscape of the country for the past 31 years. Takaranwira makudo munda, manje haachada kubudamo. We gave Robert Mugabe a signed blank cheque book, literally giving him a green light to insert any amount that suits his ravenous taste for sumptuousness. These former guerrillas, masquerading as national heroes are nothing other than unrepentant full-time murderers who will never stop killing as long as we continue to surrender ourselves to be guillotined.
Non-action
As I write this, 47 activists, including two former MDC MPs, Munyaradzi Gwisai and Job Sikhala are in detention facing charges of treason for watching a video of revolutionary protests being staged in North Africa. Guess what the general populaces reaction is to these wanton arrests of innocent citizens: non-action.
Where is the crop of former student leaders who warned the nation about Zanu (PF)s indecency? Have they gone underground or surrendered to Zanu (PF) as Zimbabwe goes up in smoke? What happened to the selfless bravery of the former student leaders, who used to be the beacon of light? Was their resilience drowned by academic perfume, as the Police Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, once put it in reference to military tear gas that was used by riot police to disperse demonstrating students?
It is interesting to note that most of the best brains to come out of Zimbabwe are being absorbed by the lucrative NGO sector where their energies and brain power are consumed by writing project proposals and concept papers. Some have even grown so influential to an extent of controlling, distributing and approving budgets of donor communities. They are in the business of trading calamities. Their stock is the crisis bedevilling Zimbabwe. All they do is to document or analyse the crisis for a living but adding nothing of value to mitigate the crisis.
Zimbabweans are petrified of confronting Robert Mugabe even though he is already one foot in his grave. Yes! This is a fact. It is public secret that Mugabe is always in and out of operation theatres. Zimbabweans are genuine cowards, hell-bent on preserving their lives with no regard of the quality of life they are subjected to. They are an opposite of Egyptians who confronted Mubaraks armed soldiers on tankers, with prayers and stones.
Zimbabwe has been mortgaged to Zanu (PF). Can we honestly afford the luxury of folding our hands as the nation faces extinction? Zimbabweans are good at masking cowardice. Some claim to be apolitical, mouthing neutrality at every turn and event. It is an individual choice to join politics, but in Zimbabwe there are only two options that are obviously identical. It is either all Zimbabweans must demand freedom from Zanu (PF) or we force Zanu (PF) to deliver freedom to us by any means necessary.
Post published in: Opinions