Zimbabwe crackdown on activists reveals importance of unity beyond political parties

Whilst every act mounted to fight against authoritarian rule must be gleefully appreciated, the importance of unity must always be stressed. People can wage a struggle, but if they are not united, chances that their efforts get thwarted remain very high.

It is only when they unite, in spite of glaring differences, that they can formidably increase the cost of authoritarianism. Oppressed Zimbabweans must unite against the oppressor.

Current Wave of Arrests, Abductions And Torture

It is a well-known fact that the Zanu PF regime is currently executing a reign of terror against human rights defenders. The reason why they are doing that is to instill fear in the people in the run-up to the SADC summit of heads of state since they fear that citizens are likely to protest against SADC for not honouring their election report which brought out that the 2023 Zimbabwean election was rigged.

So far, more than one hundred opposition activists and human rights defenders are behind bars and most of them have been denied bail by some captured magistrates and judges.

However, the nature of these arrests need to be looked at thoroughly. It’s not only members of political parties who have been and are being arrested but the nature of the arrests is broad.

From politicians like Jameson Timba, Jacob Ngarivhume, Samuel Gwenzi, plus 78 others, trade unionists like Robson Chere, civic society activists like Namatai Kwekweza, church leaders, vendors, etc, no one is being spared.

The regime pouncing on everybody whom it deems a threat. As l am typing, former Budiriro Member of Parliament Costa Machingauta has just been abducted.

It is within this context that different groups of oppressed people in Zimbabwe must bury their differences, galvanise themselves to come together to cross-pollinate ideas and eventually begin to speak with one loud voice.

Once such unity comes into play, people will realise that “the emperor has no clothes”, viz, Goliath is not as mighty as he wants people to believe.

The First Step

The first step which must be taken by prominent people who are on the side of the oppressed is to have a convention reminiscent of the 1999 Working People’s Convention to have a genuine discussion and show each other that everyone is under threat.

Politicians, workers , churches, academics, students, and other groups are all under threat from the current Zanu PF regime. No one is safe at all.

After such a discussion, people must mould a united front that enables them to speak with one voice. Oppressed Zimbabweans must realize that the duty of fighting for democratic change cannot be abdicated to political parties only, but all groups must unite and build a united front that transcends political parties.

I like the name, “Citizens Coalition for Change”, a name given to one political party in Zimbabwe. Now, there is a need to build a citizens’ coalition for change, with a different name of course, which is not a political party but a group of people oppressed people that encompasses everyone who wants change but does not want to join political parties. There is an urgent need for a big tent.

Unity Of Purpose Keeps The Fire Burning

One thing which oppressors are good at is the divide and rule concept. They create situations that cause their opponents to fight amongst themselves. In the midst of such fights, the oppressors attack their opponents.

Students of Zimbabwean history know that the Zimbabwean First Chimurenga /Umvukela of 1896-7 failed due to many reasons but deficiency of unity is one of the most prominent reasons.

The Ndebele and the Shona did not put up a united fight, so it was easy for the colonizers to crush them.

So, the importance of unity is to make sure that the struggle never stops in the event of arrests and other form of casualties.

One of the reasons that made the French Revolution of 1789 to succeed was because most members of the oppressed, suppressed and depressed third estate came together and spoke with a very loud voice against the despotic rule of King Louis XVI.

Most of you who watch Nat Geo Wild know that most predators attack when their victims are scattered. If the victims are confronted while moving as a group, they put up a spirited fight until the attacker is defeated.

So, the attack on one animal makes the fight more pronounced. But if the animals are scattered, they are attacked at different intervals and that leads to their defeat because when they are attacked while scattered, other animals become afraid and they watch one of their own getting killed because they fear that if they intervene, the same fate befalls them.

The arrests are happening at a time when opposition politicians are scattered, let alone other groups of the oppressed.

When one person is abducted, tortured, killed or arrested, others hesitate to continue the work which was being done by the victimised colleague because they fear that Goliath will also pounce on them. So who will keep the fire of the struggle for democratic change burning?

The solution is to form a united front which has many faces so that when one person is arrested, tortured and abducted, the struggle continues unabated and the fight for the release of that fellow comrade is amplified.

Unity of different groups must be there so that operations are not coordinated from one base. Unity of different groups creates more bases that continue the struggle even when one base seems paralyzed.

When different groups are united, even the regime will have to think twice before it starts to engage in its devilish acts. The response of a united people is too powerful to handle.

For Resource Mobilization Purposes

Every struggle requires resources. Without resources, it is doomed. Resources do not come on their own but they have to be mobilized.

The first thing a united group does is to mobilize resources through membership subscriptions of that group. After that, they then approach sympathisers whom they convince to support the cause with resources.

If there is a big group of a united people, it convinces potential sponsors that the struggle has higher chances of succeeding. Donations begin to come after serious lobbying.

Such resources are used to prosecute the struggle towards uprooting tyranny but to also support victims of the authoritarian regime being fought.

Some people who are being arrested are bread winners in their families and their families need to be fed whilst they are in prison. The same victims need to be looked after very well whilst in prison.

That gives confidence to other fighters that if the same fate befalls them, they will not be forgotten. That will make certain family bread winners to participate in the struggle for democracy, knowing very well that their families will not starve and prisoners’ needs are well taken care of by fellow comrades who are outside.

It is difficult to expect comrades who are outside to use personal resources but resources must come from a united group which would have mobilized them.

At a time when Emmerson Mnangagwa is preparing to extend his term as president of Zimbabwe, people must know that more arrests, abductions and torture are coming.

What is currently happening is just the tip of the iceberg, more state-sponsored brutality will continue to visit Zimbabwean citizens. In that regard, one can argue that now is the time for different groups to unite and resist the mutilation of the constitution.

The current arrests are also meant to instill fear in the people so that if they try to oppose the Mnangagwa regime in future, they will be abducted and tortured.

What therefore needs to be done is to unite and prepare to neutralize the further war that Zanu PF will wage against the citizens in the near future.

Giving Confidence To The Masses

For the masses to follow you, you ought to give them something to believe in.

If the masses see different societal groups unite, it makes them see that something is brewing. They will then begin to join the cause in their numbers. But more importantly, unity of purpose will embolden them.

People are afraid to pursue certain causes when they are few but if the group grows, they become emboldened.

The calls for unity must not just be mere rhetoric but must be followed by practical steps whereby different societal leaders hold negotiations and come to an agreement to form a grand coalition of citizens.

If those leaders start at the top, they must then cascade to the ground for grassroots mobilization. Such acts will convince the masses to sacrifice for the struggle for democracy.

Conclusion

More than ever before, unity is needed among all groups that stand against authoritarian rule in Zimbabwe. Unity is one of the best ways that make authoritarianism expensive. Now is the time to sit down and build a strong fist against Zanu PF terror.