Mliswa avoid battles on terrain chosen by rulers!
By Chesterfield Samba
So the #MliswaPresser confirmed what we all know or have heard before: that there are factions in Zanu PF or there is ZANU and ZANU PF and there seems to be gays in Zanu PF. That the succession matrix has clearly turned nasty much to the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans reduced to “dollar for all” vendors.
Why should I care that two men went shopping in New York? or that the editor of some personalised daily is not married or that the drafter of some notorious law has an infinite penchant for fine boys, I do men too!
In a country that is failing to pay its dedicated civil servants a living wage, a country that cannot revive its once prestigious currency, a nation that is blighted by pervasive poverty and unemployment, one gets really befuddled by all this negative vibe from people who should really know and understand better the severity of our challenges.
At the barest minimum, I want to see CLEAN water flowing from my tap every time I turn it on, I do not want a god damn detailed ZESA load shedding schedule that is hardly followed. I need a reliable public bus and train service to get me to endure the calamity of my sewage infested ZATA Street.
I hope the gullible voters of this great country are not going to fall for the tactics of the likes of Temba Mliswa and company as they try to divert attention from the failures of this administration and the important issues of the day (such as the economy in free fall, the twisted intelligence to justify the continued effect of sanctions, the failure to adequately adjust Government spending appetite, the failure to help our fellow Zimbabwean citizens in the aftermath of the Tokwe Mukosi Disaster, the failure to increase the minimum wage, the doubling of the deficit, the constant taxation of the populace, the failure to address environmental issues, etc.) with meaningless social issues that play on prejudices and fears (such as gays in Government).
What these party zealots have mastered well is that labelling someone gay in a very homophobic society is enough to silence critics and continue the rage. If the gloves are off, just fight it out and carry on with life.
Radicals of this party have a lot to learn from the rebels in Iraq. When you’re battling an empire, a lot of times it’s not the best idea to launch a frontal assault on heavily armed troops.
Instead, the guerrilla looks for weak spots, looks to distract the enemy from its main goal, looks to move in the shadows until the crucial moment.
Mliswa needs to pick fights that favour spontaneity, flexibility, the element of surprise and other strengths and avoid battles on terrain chosen by the rulers. We need Zimbabwe to work again.
Chesterfield Samba is the Director of the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ). He writes here in his personal capacity
