Coalition 'kubika mapoto' & MDC must leave

By Mutsa Murenje

In my ‘Is Mugabe reliable and dependable?’ written in February this year I asked two questions. Unovimbika here mutana uyu? Unogondeka here? This was after the consummation of the ‘strange marriage of patriots’ or simply this marriage of convenience between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations. I argued in that contribution that the old man lacked reliability and dependability.

For this reason, I reasoned that our struggle for a free, just and democratic Zimbabwe wasn’t over yet. There was no need to retreat or to surrender because this long and sometimes turbulent struggle of ours has taught us that defeat is definitely not part of our agenda. The struggle continues unabated! Aluta continua!

And yet I am disappointed! But why? Deep clouds of disappointment are indeed floating in my mental sky. This is largely a result of the fact that we overtrusted the octogenarian tyrant, Robert Mugabe, and is now telling the whole world that he has been very faithful to all the provisions/letter and spirit of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

But I don’t blame anyone for this. I believe all of us have this belief in man’s capacity to better himself. So to all of us, optimists and pessimists alike, the Government of National Unity (GNU) came to us as a moment of inspiration and confidence in the future of the human race in general and Zimbabweans in particular. Tanga tatambura veduwee! Nhamo yanga yapfunya chisero mudzimba dzedu mufunge.

Zimbabweans, however, are saturated with vim, vitality and vigour. We have this rare strength from within, power and perseverance that are impervious to the blows from without. We have dignity because ours is explicitly a just cause-a genuine passion for freedom, justice, equality, fairness etc.

For we all know, don’t we, that our struggle is genuine and veritable because it was born from the womb of intolerable conditions and unedurable situations-poverty, dictatorship, corruption, nepotism and cronyism. The good news, however, is that we, the suffering and oppressed people of Zimbabwe, are determined to liberate ourselves. Our cry for justice, freedom, independence has hardened into a palpable, irresistible force and we aren’t ready and willing to retrogress.

We do have a comprehensive grasp of contemporary problems bedevelling our country. We see that tyranny, poverty and unemployment are grave and growing catastrophes and those caught most fiercely in the grip of these unfavourable situations are the poor whether educated or not. We sincerely thought that the coalition government had come as a joyous daybreak to our long night of flagrant and violent violation of our dignity, rights and freedoms.

We thought it was a bright interlude to the long and turbulent struggle that we have had with regards our insatiable desire for freedom, justice and democracy in Zimbabwe. But Mugabe has scuttled its progress and presently the country has to import something like 350 000 tonnes of wheat! Siyengaphi/Where are we going/Tiri kuendepi?

What’s the way forward? There is, as it were, an imperative need for us as Zimbabweans, possibly with assistance from the international community, to approach the solution with sincerity, with realism, and with wisdom. We need to encourage and enable more people to move in this direction, to multiply the numbers of committed people in rebuilding what the selfish dictator and his trusty henchmen have pillaged, people who see the incumbent need to put the suffering and oppressed people of Zimbabwe first, and finally, to stiffen our courage and will to act.

It is my opinion that sincerity is not enough for our struggle. The fighter must be both sincere and intelligent. I also think that one should possess profundity of conviction. It is my profound conviction that I, as a change agent, should possess these qualities. GNU is a juntado union/kubika mapoto uku and the earlier we withdraw from it the better. I put it to you dear Zimbabweans and I rest my case. Be blessed and God help Zimbabwe.