Zimbabwe Independence: Celebrating Poverty 

By Tawanda Dzvokora

There are holidays in a country which become meaningless as time goes by. This is particularly true with the so called Independence Day in Zimbabwe. To many this day is now just like any other day on the calendar. Nothing special.

Really nothing to talk about or write home about. Ask anyone in Zimbabwe or anyone who has visited recently, they will tell you that it is not the Zimbabwe of the 80’s. The hope and promise of the 80’s has turned into despair, disillusionment and utter horror to some.

The bused thousands who thronged the National Sports Stadium could have preferred to be elsewhere if it wasn’t for the soccer match between Dynamos and FC Platinum. The day has simply lost its social and political relevance.

There is nothing that showed independence from the faces at the Stadium. Even Mugabe himself. He looked so gone, so yesterday, so zombiesh. To call him a scarecrow will be better credit if not a big favor. The man is old , irrelevant and as worthless as his policies.

Policies that have plunged Zimbabwe into this economic quagmire. We are officially one of the poorest countries in the world. One need to just google that. Unemployment is spiraling. Mugabe himself promised 500000 jobs in 2014. Where are they?

Infact thousands have lost jobs and now the government is planning to retrench civil servants without any clear plan for the retrenched. Led by Obert Dube, ZANU PF has syphoned millions out of our diamonds and even now the looting continues.

The returns from diamonds and other minerals alone are enough to get Zimbabwe working again if well managed.  Look at our road infrastructure! It’s pathetic. So what have we benefited from this regime that transcends into independence. Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. As  Zimbabweans we deserve better. Bottom line is there is nothing worth celebrating On 18 April, period.

The goals and ideals that our forefathers and pioneers of our liberation struggle set and strived for were clear and correct. They wanted a free and fair Zimbabwe. A Zimbabwe were everyone was treated with equality and a Zimbabwe were human rights and civil liberties were cherished and upheld.

Above all there was to be an equitable distribution of wealth. Land and minerals being the main forms of our wealth were to be distributed equitably and used to the benefit of every Zimbabwean irregardless of creed, race, political affiliation, color or educational background.

But alas mbuya Nehanda and sekuru Kaguvi must be turning repeatedly in their graves because none of their goals have been achieved. Land is in the hands of a few ZANU PF cronies. So are the mines and most industries.

The faces in the stadium on Saturday were clearly saying we are here, yes, because you want us to be here but there is nothing to celebrate! The celebratory and euphoric mood that used to go with the Independence Day has been replaced by looks of despair and defeat.

To me this day is now just another day, relevant only because it coincides with my fiancé’s birthday. So i don’t go to the stadium. I would rather spend time with her. In normal circumstances we would make it a threesome celebration. But like I said before there is nothing to celebrate on Zimbabwe’s independence.

The struggle must therefore continue until Zimbabwe is free. Free from oppression by big brother on fellow brothers. The country was liberated from the bounds of colonialism but for the majority of us it has been a case of from the frying pan into the burning fire.

Unless as Zimbabweans we realize that there is nothing that ailing Mugabe and his deadwoods can ever do to get Zimbabwe working again, we will continue to be the laughing stock of the world. We will continue to live in abject poverty and slowly but surely we have come to accept suffering as part of our life. That’s pathetic.

And for as long as the situation remains as it is I will never go anywhere near so called independence celebrations for Zimbabwe. I would rather be with my sweetheart celebrating her birthday while deep inside I mourn the death of once a formidable giant. And at the corner of my eye I watch my fellow countrymen celebrating our poverty!