The Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) President Dumiso Dabengwa has said the whole country made a mistake by allowing a few individuals to determine the country’s destiny.
Speaking during a Leadership Spotlight public meeting organised by the Contemporary Affairs Foundation on Thursday afternoon, Dabengwa said of all the false starts to Zimbabwe’s Independence, leaving a small clique with absolute power to run the country the way they wanted, was a monumental error.
“We allowed the country to be governed by a few individuals without the participation of the majority. This was the biggest mistake we ever made. We created a dictatorship that we have failed to handle. This has been our greatest failure,” he said.
Dabengwa said when Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, there was need for a new constitution to be written there and then and not to wait for 32 years when the damage had already been done.
“Failure to draft a constitution resulted in problems that we are experiencing 32 years since independence from colonial rule.
“When we got our independence, we were supposed to draft a new constitution of our own, but we did not. We were so excited about attaining independence that we forgot that the constitution would guide governance structures in the country’s future,” he said.
Drafting of a new constitution is proving a mammoth task in Zimbabwe as the three main political parties spearheading the process are currently deadlocked over a number of contentious issues.
The process, currently at drafting stage, has literally stalled as the parties are divided over clauses to do with devolution, citizenship and whether or not Zimbabwe should have two vice-presidents among other issues.
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Now the country cannot proceed with elections as the Global Political Agreement that brought them together insists on a new constitution, before elections are held, plunging the country into a crisis. However, treasurer-general of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Welshman Ncube, Paul Themba Nyathi, said the real crisis in the country was a result of partisan politics.
“The problem has largely emanated from partisan politics and the manner in which political affairs are being conducted in the country,” he told the public meeting. Dabengwa is a former Cabinet minister.
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