Breaking the Cycle

by Peter Goredema

A Woman of Substance 

In the 1890s my grandfather and his compatriots suffered inconvenient forced dislocation in their own land due to colonisation by the British South Africa Company. Given that African culture is reputed to be heavily patriarchal and male dominated, it may sound paradoxical that it was Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana (a Hera woman of the Hwata Mufakose Dynasty) who inspired the masses into that first revolt against the unfairness of the domination of the many by the few.

Zimbabwe is today crying for such women to spearhead a revolution to steer us out of the dismal abyss of perpetual poverty and oppression that have been brought about by corrupt governance that we continue to suffer under ZANU PF. The great mind Albert Einstein is among the geniuses that are reputed to have said:

“If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got.” 

The situation in Zimbabwe is so dire that I regret to have to say to our brave women;

“Cry louder still, even to the point of tears of blood, to assure your children the milk and honey that potentially flow in our beloved country if only we had a benevolent Government of the people, for the people, by the people.”

 Domination of us the masses by the few of ZANU PF must not be allowed to continue.

The Mirage of Milk and Honey   

In the 1960s a second popular revolt was initiated by the likes of the late Dr Joshua Nkomo, Father of Zimbabwe, who motivated us at Chaminuka Square in Mbare by declaring: “Poor people can progress from punitive poverty to positive prosperity and power provided they are prepared to pay the price for the prize.” Rank and file did pay the price, and the prize of independent Zimbabwe was duly delivered to us on 18 April 1980. But that soon proved to be a mirage at every level of the socioeconomic spectrum.

Dr Joshua Nkomo

A friend of mine who held a tender to supply fresh eggs to Harare’s Parirenyatwa Hospital had it cancelled overnight for “health reasons”, only to be replaced immediately by a Government minister. Another friend passed all protocols for leasing a BP Garage in Harare’s Avondale suburb, only to be told that could not be because neither he nor his father had contributed to the building fund of the ZANU Headquarters. Whereas Peter Goredema (Harare) and Peter Dube (Bulawayo) were reputed to be the best A Level Chemistry teachers in Zimbabwe, their travel tickets and spending money from the International Chemistry Teachers’ Association were usurped on five different occasions (Maryland, Bristol, Addis Ababa, Manilla, London) by ZANU PF Government officials who were themselves not teachers, let alone chemistry teachers.

What a loss to Zimbabwe’s science education that must have been! Ironically, one of those who stole our tickets and money went on to be a Provincial Governor! Whereas the Government passed a law requiring omnibuses to be equipped with steel wheel rims to prevent buses from overturning in case of sudden tyre puncture at high speed, it turned out that it was a ZANU PF Government minister who was awarded the tender to manufacture and sell those rims. Ample cause for Dr Nkomo to writhe in his grave.

In any country in the world people look forward to elections with vigour and excitement. Not so in Zimbabwe where law-abiding citizens have to fear for their lives and their properties.

• Here physical and emotional violence permeate the electoral system as a government campaign tool or as a weapon for punishing those who have not voted for ZANU PF.  
• For the past three decades there has been a disappointing atmosphere of inevitability about election results. 

Uncommon results require uncommon commitment, so it is incumbent upon all of us to go the extra mile to mobilise a vote for change in 2018, fundamental change, real change that dethrones the dictatorial government by the few of ZANU PF and enthrone a democratic government of the people, for the people by the people.