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Stephen Mpofu
SIGNIFICANT milestones in Zimbabwe’s 34th year of independence from British colonial rule collectively marked a point of departure for our national and into a potentially brave and more prosperous future socially, economically and politically.  
Politically, a landmark win by Zanu-PF in last July’s harmonised elections left the country’s external enemies and their local quislings sprawled on the ground with the opposition factious, wondering what hit it and biting itself, like a wounded snake.

Today fragmented political groupings are in a helter skelter trying to forge a coalition to remove from power revolutionaries who ushered Zimbabwe into freedom and independence in 1980 after a protracted armed struggle.

But there can be no fundamentally viable coalition, no openly articulated alternative agenda to grow the country democratically and economically to fill a vacuum created in the event of Zanu-PF getting out of power.

Moreover, any such coalition becoming a political and governmental force to which Zimbabweans might rally their support is unimaginable with a preponderant culture of political violence and a tendency for some people to perpetuate themselves in leadership positions defining the characteristics of the opposition political parties.

Contextually, therefore, what stands out in the circumstances is desire to remove Zanu-PF from power, regardless of whether such an envisaged coalition, if it, indeed, became a reality, would bring about any radical paradigm shift to the country’s political, social and economic order which the opposition parties criticise without presenting a different programme for Zimbabwe in post-modernity.

This pen humbly suggests that the politics of opposition-for-opposition’s sake will not fill the bellies of Zimbabweans, however shrilly, anyone propounds on such a rosy but imaginative political order.

That being the case entrusting Zimbabwe to the opposition at this point in time would be akin to rounding up zebras in the wild attracted by their beautiful political colours and harnessing them to draw the apple cart, Zimbabwe, and they can only head in the direction all too familiar to them, with disastrous consequences to this nation.

The weekend celebrations marking 34  years of Uhuru ought also to be regarded as a watershed into the beginning today of 35 years of freedom and self determination in so far as the campaign to rid this nation of various instances of corruption bedevilling various sectors of the economy is concerned.

In the past one might suggest that corruption was scarcely confronted as openly as is the case now. Indeed, one might have likened it to a mother-in-law whose name sons-in-law shy away from mentioning directly, yet it is damnation to the name of any country where it rears its many ugly heads.

Let us suppose that a country represents a human being whose body is blighted all over by pimples that grow and grow and grow and then burst open, choking the people with their pass and the stink filling the air to high heavens.

That is what corruption would amount to if not exposed at its pimpling stage by a patriotic press so it might be nipped in the bud.
Some political witches will no doubt have criticised the press, the president and other leaders for openly denouncing corrupt practices in Zimbabwe and calling for its eradication with every means possible.

But no. Talking openly about malpractices with a potential to malign the country’s image with detrimental effects  to foreign investment is a desirable and commendable act of self introspection, self correction and self purification without which a country might pretend that all is well only to wake up when the boils have burst open choking everyone including potential investors, with their pass and stench. Then there is for the first time ever open talk about succession at the land’s top most post, the presidency.

This pen suggests that a wonderful opportunity now exists for Zimbabweans to look around and decide who among the political leaders in the country boasts the ideal mettle to replace President Mugabe when he steps down after resolutely leading the country through thick and thin from independence to the present day.

Zimbabweans should not be duped into believing that factional or tribal leaders are presidential material by virtue of their being venerated by those they lead.
A true leader, as Zimbabweans have already seen and learnt from an existing example, is one who denies self, tribal and factional belonging to become a leader from whom the Zimbabwean population as a whole is his faction and tribe and constituency.

Then, of course, Zimbabweans entered the 35th year of independence with the Zimbabwe Agenda For Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation as a blueprint for the future and whose various aspects should be religiously regarded and followed as commandments for this country’s resolute, forward march and survival before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

As the ruling party which crafted Zim-Asset has already stated all efforts on reforming an educational system from being big on theory and small on practicals, and vice versa to provide desired skills for diving the economy, and making investment in Zimbabwe attractive while promoting indigenisation and empowering women economically and politically, among other things, make the sky appear the limit for Zimbabwe in the country’s efforts for self realisation and self-actualisation  in a world where a syndrome of dependency on former colonial powers has tended to be hazardous at times as it tends to turn recipients of international capital into client states.

Zimbabwe is immensely endowed by God with mineral resources that should be exploited and turned into finished products locally for export with value added to them.

If, for instance, the auctioning of Zimbabwe’s diamonds abroad becomes a permanent feature here at home with the exploration for more minerals and their exploitation done by Zimbabweans or with Zimbabweans holding majority share holding in joint ventures with foreign companies it might just be a matter of time before this country transcends its status as an underdeveloped country.

Stephen Mpofu is former editor of The Sunday Mail and Chronicle