Letter to Mama Thokozani Khupe

By Job Sikhala

I find it difficult to accept the ZANU PF notion that if someone has been overwhelmed by ambition and chose his or her own path you suddenly turn villain. You remain the hero of the modern struggle against the hegemony of ZANU PF rule in our country since your days in the trade union up to the formation of the movement in 1999. We were together on the path to fight for a just society.

You still retain my respect and the respect of all those who worked with you on this difficult and arduous journey. Let me reassure you that President Nelson Chamisa does not have any hard feelings against you at all. He neither hates you. He is rather despaired by the path you decided to take.

We are all despaired by the path you have taken because we all love you. We know you are one of us and have braved the brutality of this regime. I know that disappointments through the dreams that might not manifest the way we hoped for would end up having people taking decisions through anger. Anger is the greatest weakness of humankind. It’s normal because we did not create anger.

The creator of anger knows why he created it. I used to be one of those who could be provoked into raging anger at the twinkle of slightest provocation. I think you know it. Along the path of growth as a human being I decided to divorce myself from anger as it can only bear frustrations and arrogant decisions. The moment when I allow ego to reign supreme against logic I have lost it. The consequences of decisions made out of ego tramples against fate and destiny.

You agree with me and I think if you are honest about it, yesterday’s events at Stanley Square was not an extra ordinary congress as prescribed by Article 6.2.5 of our constitution. It was a gathering of angry people whom we don’t how they thought such a gathering could be a solution to the national cause.

We once travelled the same path as you know after we all became angry about the Senate decision in 2005. We were not happy about the attempt to overturn the decision of the National Council that voted to fight against ZANU PF in the newly created Senate then.

We allowed anger to reign supreme than let it pass and wait for another day. You know that President Tsvangirai after his Huruyadzo Rally on the midst of rebellion by Renewalists came to my house and asked me to pluck out any anger I had against him and think like a leader and advance the cause of the people of Zimbabwe.

This is the day we reconciled and agree to move forward together once more again. Even before his unfortunate demise our great leader Morgan Tsvangirai worked round the clock to reunify the party to its 1999 original. Despite having had differences with Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube you know well he personal approached them and talked the differences out.

We are now one happy family back together once more again. On the midst of such joy the actions of yesterday are a huge disappointment to the people of Zimbabwe at large.

There are better methods to solve grievances and differences than the path you took yesterday. The path you decided to take yesterday made me return huge respect for Nelson Chamisa. Despite being young he made several attempts to reconcile with you.

I know personally that he tried to call you several times on your mobile and you were not picking your phone. I know he made the best effort when he travelled all the way to Bulawayo to come and engage with you. Despite spitting him, he visited you at your Bulawayo residence and asked for your consideration to think big about the bigger picture.

We all prayed you would see logic on the attempt to smoke the peace pipe but you spanned it. It is not true that there is tribalism in developments that took place in the party recently.

People just chose Chamisa for his appeal only. Nothing more than that. If tribalism truly manifested itself in what was happening I would not have supported it as you know that I am so intolerant and abhor such political disposition.

Zimbabweans are tired for continued suffering on the hands of the ZANU PF regime. They just want to be given a fighting chance against 4 decades of ZANU PF hegemony and dictatorship. It is my humble request and submission that you take a decision bordering on the interests of the people of Zimbabwe and disband whatever happened at Stanley Square yesterday.

It’s never too late.

I thank you.