Freedom is coming!

My mind inexorably raced forwards to post-elections and Morgan Tsvangirai’s inauguration speech in November 2013, as the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the Republic of Zimbabwe. I estimate it will be symbolically held at Rufaro Stadium where it all began.

This is what I heard, in my mind:

“The people have spoken! Your Excellencies, the head of states of the SADC, the rest of Africa, Europe and Asia present here tonight, honorable members of the diplomatic corps, invited guests from all over the world, all gathered here tonight, especially the long suffering people of Zimbabwe; I, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, welcome you and invite you to share with us our joy at the birth of a new, democratic and free Zimbabwe.

I ask you to take a minute of silence in remembrance of all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, pre and post independence.

Tonight, we stand at the cusp of a new era of true freedom in Zimbabwe. A freedom that recognizes that no single individual amongst us, or group of persons, can ever claim full responsibility for our liberation. A freedom that appreciates that all of us, in some way, contributed to our liberation struggle and are therefore entitled to its full benefits. From this day onwards, let no single individual ever claim to have the unchallengeable right to govern without a full, democratic mandate from the ordinary people of Zimbabwe as we have achieved.

We stand to say to the whole world that, finally, we Zimbabweans have finished the struggle for a free Zimbabwe that began more than 50 years ago. A country whose democracy is underpinned by human dignity, respect for the rule of law and the inalienable right of everyone born Zimbabwean to pursue their own ambition and happiness without manmade limits.

For nearly 34 years we have lived with falsehood and despair. We have all waited for this day, a day when we can freely become who and what we wish to become without tyranny, violence and the oppression of man by man.

I open my arms tonight to embrace those who may have worked against the wishes of the people in the past. I invite them to join us tonight, in creating a new Zimbabwe that we all desire. Let the past be the past, and let us bury those differences that have worked against us for far too long. Our past has divided us, discouraged us, maimed and even killed some of us because we dared to dream of a free Zimbabwe. Never again will that happen in a free Zimbabwe.

I declare here tonight; let there be no retribution but restoration, healing and revival of the full potential of this beautiful country of ours. A country endowed with unlimited resources, both human and natural whose full potential we have yet to enjoy.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with serious challenges and yes, freedom comes with responsibilities that we dare not shy away from. Our first and foremost responsibility as your government, besides restoring the dignity and rights of our people, is to restore our economy. We must meet our obligations to all those who suffered loss either through Gukurahundi , land repossession, Muramabtsvina or any misdeeds of our recent past. As a responsible and principled government, we surely cannot run away from those obligations placed upon us by history. We will honour them.

We must hurry to create a stable macroeconomic environment underpinned by private property rights and the rule of law so that we may attract new investors. We must account for all our land and mineral resources so that their ownership and the ensuing benefits are not in the hands of a few.

We will work hard to create jobs so that ordinary Zimbabweans can wake up each morning to lead meaningful and fruitful lives. We will pursue the economic empowerment of all Zimbabweans and not the indigenization by and for a few.

We will retool and re-orientate all state institutions so that they can serve the needs of all on a non partisan basis.

Zimbabwe belongs to all who live in it and those born in it and no one amongst us, has exclusive title deeds to its wealth and resources. I invite all those in the Diaspora to hurry back home and join us in rebuilding our nation.

My special thanks go to the role played by the SADC, especially President Jacob Zuma present here tonight and his team, in helping us help ourselves. To President Mugabe, I honour you tonight for your contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe and your role as the first President. I honor you for humbly accepting the wishes of the people. I wish you well in your retirement. Hamba kahle!

God bless Zimbabwe.” – Vince Musewe is an economist based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com