By Trevor Makonyonga
Forty marks completion in the Holy Book. After forty years Israelites managed to cross the desert. It was in forty years that Moses fought with Pharoah. Right now Zimbabwe is 40 and a lot can be said about the country’s journey thus far.
For movie lovers, it is disappointing when a romantic show ends with horror scenes. This description suits the journey of Zimbabwe in the past 40 years. Soon after Independence, the front cover looked like we were set to build a country yet in the background, evils like the Gukurahundi were taking place.
Thousands of our dear brothers and sisters lost their lives in what the late former president, Robert Mugabe, would later describe as a moment of madness. This prompted one of the most sincere leaders of Zimbabwe has ever had in Joshua Nkomo to give in and sign the Unity Accord of 1987. Then came the Willowgate Scandal where Morris Nyagumbo lost his life in very controversial circumstances. Geoff Nyarota lost his job for uncovering this scandal and was promoted by the then-president to a ceiling post.
In these 40 years, we saw Ndabaningi Sithole facing outrageous treason charges which also meant that he could not be afforded the national hero status which he deserved. He did not agree with certain policies and thereby became an enemy of the state. James Chikerema and Abel Muzorewa also suffered the same fate.
From political oppression to the suppression of media freedoms, these 40 years have had it all. The turn of the new millennium was marred by the introduction of such ills as the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Privacy and Protection Act (AIPPA). Journalists have never been really free as seen in the cases of the late Mark Chavhunduka, Ray Chiro and the missing Itai Dzamara. It would seem the 40 years have been darker than there could have been light.
Then came the racist and evil land reform programme which targeted white commercial farmers and which eventually cast Zimbabwe into a pit of hunger from being the bread basket of Africa. Not to be outdone was the Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order where hundreds of thousands were displaced and left homeless. From there Zimbabwe entered a dark spell in 2008, people were brutalized for supporting the opposition and hunger were biting a large chunk of what was left of them. As if that was not enough, Cholera also struck.
The inclusive government made things seem better but was soon gone and disaster came back. The hyperinflationary environments, archaic illnesses like typhoid and cholera, human rights violations, retrogressive policies and greed have made the 40 years hell for the ordinary Zimbabwean.
The coup of November 2017 gave people hope and you could see the jubilation people had was genuine only that takapembera ngozi tichiti mudzimu. Treason charges befell on opposition leaders like Job Sikhala, Joanna Mamombe and Caston Matewu. In fact, any serious opposition politician in Zimbabwe has faced these charges. The likes of Tendai Biti and Morgan Tsvangirai among others have been condemned in this category. The name Ari Ben Menashe would bring some memories of how the regime was desperate to consolidate power.
It’s n two and a half years in the new dispensation and nothing much has changed. Health system is dead, so is education and the economy. The entertainment sector is suffering as well.
Right now, the world is in turmoil due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Zimbabweans live in hunger and fear of this deadly virus.
As if to reinforce what this article is discussing, The Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC_A) Youth Spokesperson, Stephen Chuma, sent a message which outlined what the 40 years have been.
Part of his statement reads, “It is very sad that 40 years after independence, our country has regressed at an alarming rate as far as issues to do with the liberation agenda are concerned. The liberation war agenda clearly speaks to fundamentals like one man-one vote, the land question and basic universal suffrage rights of man but unfortunately, those who hijacked the liberation agenda have failed to address these issues. Since the turn of the millennium, we have disputed elections as a result of rigging and that is against the one man, one vote principle. On the land question, we have politicians owning fertile land at the expense of masses. Talk of human rights and sanctity of life we all know what happened from Gukurahundi to 01 August 2018!
“Yes it is 40 years after Independence but in reality, it is 65 years of heightened repression and human rights abuses since the day Ian Smith declared UDI. The day marks the greatest betrayal by opportunists on thousands that sacrificed their lives for a better Zimbabwe.”
To date journalists are not free, opposition politics warrant drastic measures and poverty still stalks the nation. The people await for joy in Zimbabwe that was birthed on 18 April 1980.
It hasn’t been only bad as we have had some success stories like the 1980 Hockey Golden girls, Kirsty Coventry, Hamilton Masakadza, Charles Manyuchi, Elliot Mujaji among others. On the socio-political front were bread and butter issues are concerned the doom and sickness have been real.
Till the day we have smiles on our faces, food on our tables, jobs in our societies and water on our taps we will say Happy Independence with frail faces.
