A Message of Hope for Zimbabwe - One Year on
Almost a year ago, just after the first horrendous politically motivated murders of MDC activists and farmers had occurred, I sent out a “Message of Hope”. In it I posed the question whether there was any hope for Zimbabwe or whether it was simply destined to an inevitable slide into anarchy. One year on Zimbabweans are still faced with the same question. Last year I answered the question by giving six reasons why there was still hope. One year on it is necessary to revisit those reasons and to give further reasons why there is still hope for Zimbabwe.
1. The violence is a consequence of ZANU(PF)’s fear of losing the election
Last year I warned of a long, hard and rocky road we had to travel in our journey to achieve democracy. Very few Zimbabweans appreciated just how hard that road would be, especially those Zimbabweans living in the north and east of the country who had never experienced the true nature of ZANU(PF) as those from Matabeleland had in the 1980s. We all now know the real ZANU(PF) - it is a party that uses the facade of democracy when it feels secure but which will increasingly resort to violence when it feels threatened.
Last year I said that the increased ferocity of the violence was in itself a sign of hope because, ironically, that in itself was the surest sign of what ZANU(PF) itself thought of its chances of winning, or, more accurately, of losing. Nothing has changed and the increased violence we have witnessed throughout the country in the last few months is the best possible indicator of ZANU(PF)’s sense of alarm. Indeed I have been amazed to see how widespread the violence has been: even in areas like Muzarabani, where I thought the MDC was relatively weak, we have seen violence which indicates that even there ZANU(PF) feels under threat.