THE liberation struggle was waged against the backdrop of a callous colonial regime that exuded immense power and influence over the majority black population.
The heroes of our revolutionary armed struggle, mostly barefoot and malnourished, sacrificed their lives to confront the seemingly indestructible regime with all its might and opulence.
They refused to be swayed by the offer of wealth and privilege to renounce their lofty principles and usher in genuine freedom and independence for all the people of Zimbabwe.
At the height of our struggle in 1977, I was appointed director of politics for the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army.
In our political orientation, we highlighted the values of our struggle, which we regarded as sacrosanct. The three most notable being:
Land
Keep Reading
- War vets feel economic heat
- Mapping roadmap for gender equality in politics
- The alternative Sona
- Lest we forget the genesis of our independence
Africans were dispossessed of their land without compensation. After the attainment of independence land was to be returned to its rightful owners and the usurpers would not be compensated.
Universal adult suffrage
On attainment of independence, the principle of one man one vote would be applied and upheld.
Class struggle
We were taught that our struggle was a class struggle that pitted the peasant and the worker against the bourgeoisie. Victory against colonialists would not spell the end of the colonial doctrine. There would be neo-colonialists (new colonialists) after independence, mostly from among the oppressed blacks themselves. Independence has seen a proliferation of petty bourgeoisies. We were warned in our orientation that there would emerge a class we could call the comprador bourgeoisie class. These are people who would amass so much wealth that they would use to buy influence and position themselves in society.
The war veterans factor
War veterans have been used and abused by Zanu PF as a convenient tool for maintaining its grip on power.
To set the record straight, the number of war veterans today exceeds the number of war veterans at the time of attainment of independence.
This is besides the fact that the majority of war veterans have died due to natural causes, as well as under suspicious circumstances. It is not surprising that you find today's war veterans who were not yet born when Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980.
One cannot apply to become a war veteran on the mistaken criterion of being a loyal cadre to the ruling party. No. If that were the case, it would mean if a new party came into power, all the war veterans would cease to be war veterans or they would need to switch allegiance to the new ruling party to maintain the war veteran status?
The War Veterans Association today is taken as an appendage of Zanu PF. Nothing can be further from the truth.
You may be affiliated to a political party or organisation, but remain a legitimate war veteran because of the supreme sacrifice you made to join the struggle for the liberation of Zimbabwe.
Whatever political party or organisation, a war veteran is affiliated, he/she is expected to espouse and defend the values of our revolutionary armed struggle for which many lost their lives.
The War Veterans Association should serve as a regrouping of all the comrades who chose to join the armed struggle for the liberation of Zimbabwe.
It should serve as a platform to review whether the ideals of our struggle are being implemented outside the influence of any political party, including the ruling party.
Comrades, we chose to sacrifice our lives for a cause we knew was just and principled. Why abdicate those lofty principles now?
Constitutional Amendment No 3 Bill
In his own words, President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa is a constitutionalist sworn to defend the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe, of which Mnangagwa is a key architect in its formulation, does not say it cannot be amended. However, it places roadblocks and stop signs along the road to constitutional reforms. Cases abound of people who overshoot roadblocks and ignore stop signs at their own peril. Let us examine some of those roadblocks and stop signs:
The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe shall serve not more than two five-year terms in office.
Amendments to the Constitution should be preceded by a national referendum (not ruling party conference or resolution).
Amendments to the Constitution must not benefit the incumbent.
Mnangagwa understands full well the provisions of the 2013 Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land.