The Herald
By Panganai Kahuni
15 April 2013
In Africa, the need for sovereign statehood became the point of African entry into international politics through Pan-Africanism and nationalism.
Pan-Africanism and nationalism symbolised the character of what an African leader must be; non compromising and principled for the restoration of African values, culture and ethos such as did Nkrumah, Lumumba, Chitepo, J Z Moyo and Dr Nkomo to mention just but a few.
Zimbabwean freedom fighters, through the leadership of the principled revolutionary icons such as President Mugabe and Dr Nkomo effectively employed the principle of self-determination in fighting the war of liberation that led to our independence in 1980. Taking the revolution tempo of Second Chimurenga a further gear higher from where Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Kings Mzilikazi, Lobengula and others had left, the two Zimbabwe revolutionary icons led the war of demolishing the Smith Regime with immeasurable dedication and commitment.
During the Second Chimurenga, the war which brought Zimbabwe’s independence, democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, opposition politics and the electoral process that was non-racial, the youths from both rural and urban areas participated in an immeasurable and patriot manner. The courage to withstand hardships and risking one’s life was extremely overwhelming.
Droves of people bravely crossed rivers and walked through densely populated forests that were heavily infested with human predators such as crocodiles and lions. The commitment and devotion made the fighters to gather strengths as the pour of adrenaline constricted their muscles, courageously making them fearless freedom fighters.
The youths of Second Chimurenga, were a rare breed of courageous human beings. Knowing that the notorious Smith army would devour them worse than the bush lions and the river crocodiles, the youths of the Second Chimurenga tenaciously walked through thick and thin, crossing over to Mozambique and Zambia.
Once they arrived in the two countries they received cutting torches (the guns) that they used to break the chains of barbaric slavery and undemocratic, unruly and inhuman treatment exerted on them by the demonic wanton savages of the Smith Regime. Some of the savages that cared less for democracy, rule of law and democratic governance surprisingly joined the MDC formations as paragons of democracy and the rule of law.
What democracy and rule of law can those unrepentant and yester-year uncivil Rhodesian security services men such as Eric Matinenga, David Coltart, Roy Bennet, Giles Mutsekwa, Ian Kay and Eddie Cross teach Zimbabweans today? People must understand that most of those who operated as Selous Scouts; Rhodesian African Rifles (mapuruveya) BSAP joined the violent MDC formations on retirement.
Fellow citizens did you know that Emmanuel Chimwanda who is said to be doing scandalous ventures in ZACC is an MDC-T former BSAP appointee to ZACC? It seems it is the reason he wilfully leaks official secrets to his MDC-T party.
The liberators of this country are asking some million dollar questions: How can former Rhodesian troops call for reforming of the security sector? Whose agenda are they advancing? Why is the MDC-T flooded with these people who committed genocide at Chimoio in Mozambique and Chifombo in Zambia?
Former Rhodesia African Rifles and former BSAP hands drip blood of Zimbabweans they killed during the Second Chimurenga, a war that brought our Independence. When the Whiteman colonised Zimbabwe, they made it clear that all white generations of all age groups were to subjugate Africans.
One wonders why some political parties had the temerity of accommodating such unrepentant murderers in their structures. It is important as it is instructive that our independence is hardly a century and yet some youths have the audacity of camping in political institutions that dine with dangerous elements of the Rhodesia era.
The 33rd Independence Day anniversary is very important to the youths who must jealously guard our sovereign state. What is critical for the youths is to understand the fact that imperialism is adaptable to global political changes. From the days of slavery, the imperial world developed various political doctrines aimed at resource plundering and regime change.
The youths now know it well through the anarchy and mayhem caused by NGOs and civil societies. In Zimbabwe, various neo-colonial doctrines have been employed by the West in order to effect regime change. From 2009, the West, particularly Britain and America, channelled money through various NGOs under the guise of development. They illegally channelled $2,6 billion through MDC-T run ministries and NGOs.
The questions that arise are: if the money was meant for development why was it Nichodemously channelled through institutions whose transparency and accountability raises eyebrows? Can the so-called friends of Zimbabwe account for this huge amount of money which many Zimbabweans believed was meant for wanton regime change.