Since independence there has not been tangible or evident peace of mind
in any Zimbabwean's mind.Right from independence abductions,torture and
murder embraced people who had just thought were free from white
minority.The Gukurahundi atrocities caused a major dent on the image of
the new government.For the first time blacks were now governing
themselves.The fissure on the new government horizon was far from being
mended.The 1987 unity accord never did justice in that it never
addressed the issue of reconciling opposing groups.So it was just a an
agreement that overlooked a lot of unresolved issues and the new
government never offered some form of assistance to the victims of this
genocide.Given the fact that Matebeleland is a semi-arid region,the
people there continued to live under dire conditions because the
government never sought to address the isssue of food and water in that
region.Zimbabweans never enjoyed the taste of true independence that
most of them have dreamt of.The new government quickly overlooked
unresolved issues.Then came the compensation for the "gallant sons" in
the form of Z$50000 .At the centre of this acrimonious move was the
transparency of the whole "compensation" issue.The whole process was
marred by cheating and faking on who the real ex-combatants were.Most
of the real mbuyas and sekurus in the back of beyond never got any
money because they didn't have someone in high office despite the fact
that they participated in the liberation war.Any honest Zimbabwean
would agree with me that if you travel to the rural areas you will
meet your old relative who would tell you about how bad the war was but
never received any form of compensation and might be living in sheer
poverty.Then the year 2000 saw the controvesial land reform which was
characterised by Mugabe's diatribe against the former colonisers who
were keeping the Agricultural sector productive.He went on to sing his
new song of "blacks being landless".Well, what must be understood is
the definition of the "landless blacks" he referred to..There was never
any black empowerment but ZANU PF empowerment.Most of the few who claim
to have been empowered actually have unproductive land with most of
them having been resettled in plains.Most of these stalwart supporters
of the land reform are actually ZANU PF loyalists and apologists.Mugabe
even tried to impose and extend his rule in this same year which the
people refused through a referendum.With the 2002 presidential
elections in sharp focus,Mugabe had to act quickly.He had to hire the
services of a new kid on the block,a spin doctor,Jonathan Moyo, who
went on violent campaign against the independent media.With the
legislation of draconian laws such as AIPPA and POSA,many publications
were closed down.Who was going to give the innocent Zimbabweans a voice
in voicing out their concerns.The attrition of the independent media
was now at full scale.The furore over the closure of the Daily News
reached critical levels but still the spin doctor continued his violent
campaign against the independent media.Now it is the same political
chameleon Jonathan Moyo who is back in the the ZANU PF fold.One
question now haunts the mind of innocent Zimbabweans who had found new
hope in the form of the inclusive government, as to what the spin
doctor has up his sleeves this time.After perfoming dismally in the
2005 parliamentary elections, Mugabe was determined to punish the urban
folk for voting against him.He unleashed Murambatsvina especially in
Harare where thousands if not millions lost their homes and left
destitute.The MDC's victory in the 2005 parliamentary and 2002and 2008
presidential elections was not because it had any political clout but
because ZANU PF's promises after independence were null and void.It
seems as if every time people's hopes begin to gather momentum,ZANU PF
always takes away that hope.For example the strict stance taken by
Mugabe that his party wants the Kariba Draft adopted as the basis of
the new constitution proves this.So evil and cunning and calculating is
Mugabe.He allows people to raise their hopes and before their hopes
materialises into reality,he takes it away.He has reunited with his
protege and servant, Jonathan Moyo once again and the peace,hope and
optimism the people now had in the inclusive government is starting to
fade away every day. What a life we Zimbabweans have.The issue of
national healing needs a holistic approach and therefore the inclusive
government is not giving it due attention.All the instigators of
violence in the past have to be aprehended so that society dwells in
true peace and harmony.When are we going to have a peace of mind and
peace in the back of our minds?Would it not be a good thing to be at
peace knowing that on the political arena, all is well.
By Rawlings Magede My visit to one of the Genocide memorials During the past weeks I was holed up in Rwanda visiting memorial sites and villages in a quest to learn more on how the country has recovered years after the 1994 genocide that left more than 800,000 civilians dead. The genocide lasted for hundred days and engulfed the country into a turmoil as organised killings and massacres of the Tutsi escalated. The colonial practice of ethnic profiling on identity documents aided in the easy identification of Tutsi minorities during roadblocks and targeted searches. Churches that had since time immemorial been credited for speaking truth to power become complicit in the killings and often deceitfully offered “safe” refuge to Tutsis but only alerted the Interahamwe’s ( Hutu militias) who massacred hundreds of thousands in cold blood. The snail’s pace by the international community to intervene and stop the killings further aided the killers and saw the killings stretching up to hund