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Cuthbert Mavheko

Tomorrow, Zimbabweans across the political divide will join hands in commemorating Unity Day.

Thirty two years ago, the towering icons of our liberation struggle, Cde Robert Mugabe and Dr Joshua Nkomo, signed the historic Unity Accord, which merged the two once bitter rivals — Zanu and PF Zapu —into one united political outfit — Zanu-PF. 

The agreement, signed on 22 December 1987, came at a very crucial time in Zimbabwe’s history- a time when a civil war seemed inevitable, following political disturbances that rocked Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands in the mid-1980s.

 The violence of those years came to an end when then Prime Minister R.G. Mugabe and Cde Joshua Nkomo signed the Unity Accord after agreeing that they and their parties should work together for the good of the nation.

This year’s Unity Day commemorations are unique and special as they come at a time when the nation is still in a state of mourning, following the death of former president Cde Robert Mugabe in Singapore on September 6. 

As we celebrate Unity Day, may we humbly bow our heads down in solemn respect and observe a moment of silence in honour of this gallant son of the soil, who served his country with honor and distinction. 

In the aftermath of Mugabe’s death, the local and international media was inundated with complimentary and contradictory comments, obituaries and narratives about his life, political exploits, his legacy and so forth.   

On one hand, we have some who tried to cast aspersions on his impressive pan-African credentials by insinuating that he was a brutal dictator who failed to usher the people of Zimbabwe into the biblical land, flowing with milk and honey.

Admittedly, Mugabe was no saint. Like any other human leader, he had his own faults and weaknesses. This notwithstanding, to most Africans he was the voice of the voiceless; the biblical David of the oppressed people, who looked the imperialist Goliath of the mighty Western Empire in the eye and told him, in no uncertain terms, not to poke his ugly nose into the internal affairs of other countries.

Sight should not be lost of the fact that the economies of most African states are today still controlled by their erstwhile colonisers, despite the fact that they gained their independence many years ago. Mugabe was the only African leader I personally know of who in spite of massive resistance from some Western countries, economically empowered his people through agrarian reforms in 2000.

Others contend that Mugabe was a self-centred, power-hungry individual who dethroned Ndabaningi Sithole, then president of Zanu. This absurdity is worse than a cruel lie and must be treated with dismissive scorn.

Through hindsight, it can be seen that it was actually in prison that Cde. Mugabe assumed the leadership of the then Zanu. This was after the majority of the national executive members of the party voted him to replace Ndabaningi Sithole.

It is worth noting that after the death of Cde Herbert Chitepo in Zambia in 1976, Cde Mugabe and Edgar Tekere left Rhodesia clandestinely to reorganise the party and restructure the armed struggle in Mozambique. It was during this period that Cde Mugabe was confirmed as the unchallenged leader of Zanu and commander- in- chief of its armed forces, Zanla.

Following Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, Cde Mugabe became the Prime Minister and later Executive President in 1987.

As I personally see it, the greatest legacy of Cde Mugabe lays not so much in his quest for the complete annihilation of colonial rule in Zimbabwe as such, but rather in his grand vision of pan-Africanist liberation where the rest of the continent is politically and economically free. 

He fervently believed that Africans should determine their own destiny, make their own decisions and be able to exercise their sovereignty meaningfully without outside interference.

He also rightly believed and persistently argued that Zimbabweans, and indeed Africans in general, would not be able to defend their sovereignty without unity. This is what pushed him and his erstwhile political antagonist Joshua Nkomo to forge the Unity Accord in 1987.

It was that firm belief and commitment to unite and emancipate their people from the shackles of social, political and economic enslavement, coupled with both leaders’ fervent resolve to place Zimbabwe’s resources back into the hands of the indigenous citizenry that invited the ire of Western imperialists, leading to the imposition of illegal sanctions against the country.

It is undeniable that in the last years of Cde Mugabe’s rule, Zanu-PF faced a plethora of challenges which almost brought it to its knees.

However, history has shown that people, who are pushed to the bottom of the pit, can bounce back and chart an upward course to recovery again.

In November 2017, a new chapter was opened for the revolutionary party to navigate the future in a different way when a new political dispensation rolled into power following the resignation of Cde Mugabe.

Since establishing the Second Republic, President Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabweans to bury the hatchet and embrace peace, unity and reconciliation as the way forward in addressing the multiplicity of political and socio-economic challenges bedeviling the country.

He has lived his talk by, among other things, launching the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) in May this year. The major thrust of POLAD is to bring all political parties which took part in the 2018 harmonised elections together for constructive dialogue as part of wider efforts to bring about national healing and build a prosperous Zimbabwe.

What is most sad, however, is that MDC- Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, who is fast gaining the reputation of being a confused and disorganised political demagogue, has refused to join the political dialogue.

This is a clear demonstration of the arrogance, self-righteousness and conceit of the MDC-Alliance leader who has illusory visions of grandeur in which he sees himself as God’s anointed leader. 

In my view, if Chamisa wants to be respected as a potential occupant of the country’s highest office, he must swallow his pride and board the train of peace, unity and development which is steaming across the country at full throttle with Cde Mnangagwa at the controls. He has no choice.

Parting point: Chamisa and the coterie of ‘yes men’ who surround him need to be told, loudly and clearly, that the ‘kudira jecha’  (MDC’s agenda of frustrating progress) mantra is retrogressive and will not benefit anyone. As Zimbabweans, we must put our selfish interests aside for the greater good of the country, come together as a united people and build our country together without outside interference. United we can move mountains.

– Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist living in Bulawayo. Contact details: Mobile phone 0773 963 448; e-mail [email protected]