Anyone who professes ignorance of the damaging dysfunction causing lack of political progress in the pro-Mthwakazi politics is dishonest, if not an outright liar. There are many plans on the surface, some are sound, but the absence of and/ or poor planning is costing us progress.
For many years we have been turning over in our minds the political field, which is not how you plough a field. Our success or failure hinges on these practical steps: 1. long-term planning, and 2. a willingness to review our core values.
Let us start tomorrow’s politics today so that we are not caught off guard by the challenges of the next generation politics. If the base of our politics is truly the people as we often claim, then we should acknowledge people’s needs and values change, and objective flexibility should be our core political value.
We cannot change our values to reflect those of our communities until we consult and understand the public’s real concerns. Over the years an ‘age gap’ has developed between politicians and the public. This generation no longer believes politicians are the solution but a major stumbling block that needs shifting out of the way.
The underlying question and concern in the minds of the people is the disproportionate distribution of power between the Zimbabwean State and the regions and regions and the people. The State has too much power and implications of that have been apparent, the public vulnerability has been seen where state resources such as the police and the army have been unjustifiably deployed to shield the political elite from the public.
Basically Zimbabwe’s independence has overseen a persistent and growing abuse of state resources by the State to impede rather than to enhance people’s rights and freedom to call politicians to account. If Mthwakazi politics is to be genuinely different, it needs to revisit power sharing between the public and the State as a matter of urgency, work with the public for the progress, safety and security of all.
Change only happens when people do yet to date, apart from the rapidly growing number of often invisible ‘white collar’ and online politicians dishing out plans behind the safety, comfort and cover of anonymity, the main problem with our politics has been the misplaced sense of entitlement; the political environment is dominated by people who believe in their rights to freedom yet want to be free of the responsibility of planning to acquire it.
Getting involved in planning is everything; if each one of us believes ‘somebody’ is going to do it and we all stealthily remove ourselves from that ‘somebody’ category, then be rest assured no planning will be done.
Now that excuses have run their course, it is time for Mthwakazi people to face up to the truth; this is the reality that plans without planning are nothing but a wish list. We must be practical; evidence on the ground shows, we can talk all we want about our plans for Mthwakazi’s economic and political recovery and independence, but that means precious little or nothing if we are not investing our resources into the planning that will allow the effective implementation of those plans.
Human and financial resources are a vital part of planning and implementation of any programme. If we cannot invest our time, put our bodies in the line of fire and/ or contribute finances towards the causes we believe in, oppression and disadvantage will persist and so will poverty; poverty will extend its grip on our territory. And that is not the end of it, the end result is that people will run back to the oppressor to shelter despite all the evidence pointing at the leaking roof.
We have a multitude of problems but skills have never been a problem in Mthwakazi, it is the identification of suitable personalities and building effective teams that has been the problem. Planning the recruitment process of paid and voluntary workers to set up fundraising events will be paramount.
I have mentioned the identification of suitable characters as paramount to the planning stage because not every highly skilled individual will make an effective team. We have witnessed groups of highly talented people and watched their painful break-ups, the need to mix complimentary personalities, core values and expertise is important for an effective team. A recruitment process informed by more than just talent needs to be put in place and be the guide to the selection process.
We have a past, and history forms who we are but not all history is beneficial. For instance should political movements, formations and organisations persist with such descriptions of citizens as amaNguni, abeNhla and amaHole? This is our past but this bit is a divisive past and a past from which the only lesson worth taking is that people should not be valued according to tribe or clan. We must institute a new norm that will see people identified first and foremost as simply citizens and then earn their value according to their contribution not their tribe nor ethnicity, nor race nor gender, and classed according to agreed, not imposed, systems.
For far too long we have seemed to be doing something but seeming to be doing something is not doing. It is only through planning that our future will be brought forward for us to start working on it. We are clear the object of the pro-Mthwakazi agenda is the attainment of political and economic empowerment of our people and the region. Systematic planning is now the only focus for those serious about Mthwakazi freedom.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 