Watching the resignation of President Robert Mugabe. Celebrations in the streets. Sounds of freedom everywhere. Is it time to let the political dinosaurs go extinct?
The old guard first republic political dinosaurs are tackling the 21st century problems with obsolete ideologies from the 19th century.
Where is the future of the youth in Africa? What is the future of the young people in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe, the “alligator” 93 years old believed to be replaced by the “crocodile” a 75 years old former vice president Emmerson Munangawa.
The more things change, the more they stay the same! Zimbabwe is not yet out of the woods. Robert Mugabe sets and Emmerson Mnangagwa rises. Nothing more, nothing less. Munangagwa is as brutal as Mugabe.
A complete new era of leadership is what is needed in Zimbabwe. One dictator replacing another dictator for no other reason than to continue the dictatorship and protect the interests of the few eaters. They were soul brothers until very recently.
Former vice president Mnangagwa is responsible for the all social- political-economic atrocities committed in Zimbabwe rendering it a terribly failed state as much as Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabweans, especially the youths, are optimistic about the future of their country (and who can blame them), but they will be better advised to be cautious about this “change” for three reasons:
1. The nature of the change: the Army did not intervene to remove Mugabe because of his rule of impunity or corruption, but rather, to protect their own (war veterans: Mnangagwa’s camp) against the non veterans (mostly youths), who formed the camp of Grace Mugabe. It seems that if Mugabe had succeeded to install his wife, Grace Mugabe, as his successor, she would have weeded the old war veterans from the power structures (including within the Armed Forces) and this fear, more than anything else, was the motivation for the “coup”, and that should be worrying to Zimbabweans.
2. The selection of Emmerson Mnangagwa as the successor: Mnangagwa, a war veteran and long time ally of Mugabe, is very much part of the entire story of the Mugabe Administration, and in some instances, he has often been cited as the man behind a number of atrocities, including mass murder and mass graves. In The Gambian context, his succession would be akin General Saul Badjie replacing Yaya Jammeh. Only a “mad” Gambian would celebrate such a change.
And if Zimbabweans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, then his statement; his very first public statement, labelling the opposition as “barking dogs” and vowing that ZANU-PF will continue to rule, should be enough to temper their optimism for change with caution, for this change does seem to fit the dictum, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”
3. A sense of entitlement to high public office: There seems to be a deep rooted sense of entitlement to hold high public office in Zimbabwe within the war veteran community, due to their independence struggles against colonialism and White rule, and this is one of the biggest challenges that Zimbabwe faces in its efforts to democratise. Many of these old timers are in very high positions within government, the ZANU-PF and the Armed Forces and are very rich, powerful and influential. It is even reported and recorded that the military high brass have publicly vowed that they will never salute a non war veteran; meaning that they will never accept a non war veteran occupying the Office Of the President Of Zimbabwe. How could you have a genuine democracy, where such a powerful National Institution has granted itself the power to decide who is entrusted with the people’s mandate? That was why they disliked Grace Mugabe (not a war veteran) and that was why she was nudging Mugabe towards purging national institutions of influential war veterans, to pave the way for her own installation as successor, which ultimately, led to their downfall.
Zimbabweans can challenge this status quo and usher in the change that they aspire, as power really belongs to them, but they must be prepared to fight the fight, because they are being held hostage by a generation that feels entitled to the goodies that independence brought, and won’t give it up easily.
They would use torch-lights to search for Mugabe,and they will never see him.Change is fundamental,but care is needed and must be taken
Waaw…Bax, this is scary then. Zimbabweans must be very careful as they have a long way to go to have an ideal democracy in their country.
Let,s remind ourselves with this song of Bro Bob which full of meaning.
Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny
And in this judgment there is no partiality
So arm in arms, with arms
We’ll fight this little struggle
‘Cause that’s the only way
We can overcome our little trouble
Brother you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right
We gon’ fight (We gon’ fight)
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
We gonna fight (We gon’ fight)
Fight for our rights!
Natty dread it in-a (Zimbabwe)
Set it up in (Zimbabwe)
Mash it up-a in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Africans a-liberate (Zimbabwe)
No more internal power struggle
We come together to overcome the little trouble
Soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary
‘Cause I don’t want my people to be contrary
And brother you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
We gonna fight (We gon’ fight)
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
Fighting for our rights
Mash it up in-a (Zimbabwe)
Natty trash it in-a (Zimbabwe)
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
I’n’I a-liberate Zimbabwe
Brother you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right
We gon’ fight (We gon’ fight)
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
We gonna fight (We gon’ fight)
Fighting for our rights
To divide and rule could only tear us apart
In everyman chest, there beats a heart
So soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary
And I don’t want my people to be tricked by mercenaries
Brother you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
We gonna fight (We gon’ fight)
We’ll have to fight (We gon’ fight)
Fighting for our rights
Natty trash it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Mash it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Natty dub it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Every man got a right to decide his own destiny
To divide and rule could only tear us apart
In everyman chest, there beats a heart
So soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary
And I don’t want my people to be tricked by mercenaries
Brother you’re right, you’re right,
Here’s a different take on Sir Robert Magabe
https://youtu.be/OBwmLwG19aY
Jack, when a Rass is bigging up any African leader, it is always for something that, the African leader has accomplished in the past on the international(worldwide) politics arena,
rather than at local (country) politics level.
Rass is a rastaman/rastawoman/Rastafarian.