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Panganai Kahuni
The MDC-T Renewal Team is far from being a Pan-African institution. It is not guided by Pan-African politics practised by leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere and many others. It should be made clear that Pan-Africanism is defined as a political philosophy that seeks to liberate Africans from mental slavery with an objective of protecting and defending African heritage, traditions, culture and social practices.

Pan-Africanism is a political philosophy that fights for Africans to unshackle themselves from Western colonial bondage, aiming at indigenising the economy and economically empowering the previously marginalised Africans.

I have attended many debates whose main theme was the need for Zimbabwe to re-engage the international community. Most of these debates were run by SAPES with a view of finding a solution to the economic problems bedevilling our great nation.

While the idea of re-engagement is a noble one, most Zimbabweans are questioning the sincerity of those at the forefront of the re-engagement agenda.

I have come to notice that the re-engagement agenda is held with a lot of passion by the Australians through their ambassador to Zimbabwe, the EU through its ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, MDC-T and MDC Renewal Team and ZANU-PF. The questions that need to be addressed as the country traverses this seemingly noble idea of re-engagement are: who disengaged from whom and for what purposes?

When Zimbabwe pronounced the policy of reconciliation and that of land reform through the willing buyer and willing seller, who made it to fail and why?

Was there anything wrong for Zimbabwe as a state to use all means available to defend itself when it felt both the nation state and its sovereignty were under attack from the West using fronts as local political parties and civil societies?

Fellow Zimbabweans, as we re-engage these people the above questions need honest and sincere ethical answers from those who caused the disengagement, resulting in the country suffering from both political and economic calamities.

In the debate on re-engagement this writer has attended there was a striking observation that Western ambassadors, MDC-T and MDC Renewal Team are agreed on one agenda; to attack and rubbish Zanu-PF.

They all agree that it can only be Zanu PF and its leader President Mugabe that are wrong and must accept the Western way. They all speak with passion when it comes to demonising and attacking Zanu-PF.

This writer was particularly impressed by Ibbo Mandaza who for once tried to manage the debate and make it remain focused on re-engagement, with an objective of coming up with workable solutions that would trigger positive economic activities. People must learn to speak with one voice and giving credit to what is good such as ZIM-ASSET.

Unfortunately, Tendai Biti, the leader of the MDC Renewal Team seems to be a runaway locomotive.
In most of his debate he likes to talk about history which he does not know. Of late he has become an assault rifle used by the West to attack any policy that seeks to indigenise and empower Zimbabwe.

He does not offer any meaningful and workable solution to what he passionately and consistently calls Zimbabwe crisis. In his senseless, emotionally charged debate he opens the safety catch of his automatic assault rifle (his mouth) and blames ZANU PF for everything wrong in the economy.

Like his professed friend, the Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe, he sees nothing good with ZIM-ASSET but offers no alternative. Never will he call for the lifting of sanctions which he and Prof Ncube crafted in Nyanga at the behest of Western countries such as Australia and the rest of the EU. This is the MDC Renewal Team that calls itself a Pan-Africa team. What hypocrisy is that?

Fellow citizen, practising politics of pleasing Western countries and befriending Australian ambassador in search of donor funds does not make MDC Renewal Team Pan-African. Mangoma and Biti must read Pan-African books, the Jefferson that Biti and Mangoma always quote are Pan-Americans and will never be Pan-Africans.

Panganai Kahuni is a political socio-economic commentator.