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Published by the government of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Simba Makoni Goes Back to His Roots

Godwills Masimirembwa

22 February 2008

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opinion

Harare — ON February 5 2008, Dr Simba Makoni launched another escapade by the Western world into Zimbabwean politics, in the vain hope of reversing the gains of the liberation struggle that dates back to the First Chimurenga War of 1896/97.

That Makoni has been on the political landscape for a long time and rose within the ranks of Zanu-PF to become a member of the Politburo is what gives his Western handlers the false hope of regaining the initiative in their neo-colonial agenda. But to the majority of Zimbabweans, Makoni has now demonstrated that he is in the league of "good Africans", those who shun and despise their birthright and believe that without whites Africa is doomed.

The obvious question arises, why then did Makoni rise so high in a party that stands for the opposite of what he says he believes in?

This writer believes that in life misfits can wiggle their way into influential and even dominant positions, but the telltale signs of who they really are rarely escape notice and attention. And in the fullness of time, pretenders normally come in the open and parade their true colours.

This is exactly what Makoni did on February 5. He laid bare his soul. He has all along been a reluctant follower, nay a betrayer of the revolution. His utterances at the so-called World Economic Forum-BBC World Debate, held in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 15 last year to debate the state of affairs in Zimbabwe vindicate this writer's assertion.

This writer thanks Makoni for coming in the open and sparing Zimbabweans of the false notion that in him reposed the qualities of revolutionary leadership so necessary in the on-going struggle against neo-colonialism.

Zimbabweans now know, and this writer is certain that President Mugabe now knows that he misplaced his trust, for clearly, Makoni has all along been an enemy of the revolution.

The chasm between Makoni and the revolution is aptly captured in his own launch statement of February 5, where he said: "First, let me confirm that I share the agony and anguish of all citizens, over the extreme hardships that we have all endured for nearly 10 years now.

"I also share the widely held view that these hardships are a result of failure of national leadership and that change at that level is a prerequisite for change at other levels of national behaviour . . . Let me also affirm here, my deeper faith in, and high loyalty to the whole nation of Zimbabwe which deeper faith and higher loyalty have moved me to offer myself to this once great country and still great people."

Makoni blames President Mugabe for "the extreme hardships that we have endured for nearly 10 years now". He says there has been a failure of national leadership. He says Zimbabwe was once great, but is no longer great, because of a "failure of national leadership".

The phrases "the extreme hardships that we have endured for nearly 10 years now", "this once great country", define who Makoni really is.

"Nearly 10 years now" takes us back to the famous and heroic 1998 near culmination of the land reclamation war. The genesis of the land reclamation revolution dates back to the First Chimurenga War. We won our independence on April 18 1980, but the ultimate precursor of the revolution, the land that had been stolen from us, remained firmly under the control of a handful of whites.

So, nearly 10 years ago, Zimbabweans, under the leadership of President Mugabe, in the face of British arrogance and volt turn, realised the folly of continuing to negotiate and appear to beg for their land, took up the cudgels, as they did during the armed struggle, victoriously marched on to their land, and repossessed it.

So, for nearly 10 years now, Zimbabweans, through and with the able leadership of President Mugabe, have been consolidating their hold and ownership of their land. It was precisely because of the Third Chimurenga, the land reclamation movement, that Zimbabweans were and are being punished by Britain and her allies. The majority of Zimbabweans are all clear and aware of why they are suffering. They have suffered for nearly 10 years now because they refused and continue to refuse to be vassals in their land, their heritage.

The backlash against Zimbabwe from Britain and its allies for daring to be free was in the form of illegal economic sanctions, demonisation, attempted isolation and all manner of evil dishing to subdue our resolve.

Zimbabweans, though suffering extreme hardships, are proud that they have victoriously fought a good fight against settler colonial and neo-colonialism and are now preserving and protecting their heritage for future generations.

This is the revolution and its results that Makoni publicly disowned on February 5. Though a beneficiary of it, clearly Makoni was not and is not with the revolution.

What wrong did President Mugabe do? How did he fail the nation? Is leading the nation to the ultimate prize failure? Is repossessing our land from a recalcitrant former colonial master failure? Is fulfilling the objectives of the First and Second Chimurenga Wars wrong?

If remaining as vassals in our land is, according to Makoni, right, then Zimbabweans are saying to him, "we would rather be wrong than be right. Our land belongs to us, no matter the extreme hardships we may suffer to regain, preserve and protect it".

Makoni says Zimbabwe was once a great country. Allow this writer to sequence it for him. Zimbabwe was a great country prior to colonisation. This is why Zimbabweans are proud of the First Chimurenga. The First Chimurenga was fought to reclaim the stolen land, to chase away the invading and marauding settler colonialists.

The once great Zimbabwe remained under colonial rule until April 18 1980.

Independence partially restored Zimbabwe's greatness. Now with political power, Zimbabweans were able to decisively return the country to its original greatness, the greatness of its people owning its lands, our heritage. With our land, we are now a truly great country.

So, the nearly 10 years of hardships Makoni refers to, are nearly 10 years of struggle for our economic independence through the ownership of our land and resources. Sadly, Makoni believes otherwise. He thinks the era when our land was still in the hands of a handful of whites is the era when Zimbabwe was a great country. Now that we have control of our land and resources, Makoni says Zimbabwe is no longer a great country.

If Makoni had been with the revolution he would be gloating over his role in the triumphant fight for the ultimate prize. Ironic isn't it that he was physically there with the victors in the Central Committee, the Politburo, in the rallies with the masses, at the Extraordinary Congress in December with the thousands of delegates, but in spirit he was at the so-called World Economic Forum, condemning the revolution, despising his own, regretting a status he seems never to have wanted.

It was sad to hear Makoni during the so-called World Economic Forum-BBC World Debate on the State of Affairs in Zimbabwe, say: "At the surface the indicators are not there, but there is a process ongoing within the party Zanu-PF, within Zimbabwe and even within some of our friendly partners. That process is underway. There is an agreement that the state of affairs cannot go on and that it must be reversed."

As fate would have it, former British prime minister, Tony Blair, a foremost advocate and practitioner of neo-colonialism became a board member of the Board Foundation of the so-called World Economic Forum in September 2007. He will chair its Annual Meeting for 2008 in Davos, Switzerland. Truly a Western world Economic Forum.

Would it be far-fetched to speculate that there was already a symbiotic neo-liberal/neo-colonial relationship between Makoni and Blair by the time the so-called World Economic Forum-BBC World Debate on Zimbabwe was held in Cape Town?

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