MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT

Zimbabwean interference aside, persistent lack of clarity of goals remains a major affliction in the pro-Mthwakazi agenda. Citizens demand a clear and astute leadership but there is a disturbing lack of political and moral clarity right now. Recovery and progress demand that we reflect on internal processes, some of which frustrate progress while enabling the works of evildoers.

Clarity of goals brings out important reassurance required to secure public support. But we are currently failing at the most basic and important job of leading a nation: the inability to articulate our goals has left us unable to attract significant buyers – the public and potential foreign supporters – into the project and thus unable to protect communities from the MDC/ ZANU PF axis of evil.

At present people are uncertain about the pro-Mthwakazi policy position and what the public role would be. Now, the concern would be the extent to which this lack of clarity is aiding and/ or abetting ZANU PF/ MDC capture of Mthwakazi political soul.

What is certain is the enormity of the power generated by the chaos and frustration due to lack of clarity; it is a destructive poison sucking life out of political goals and causing real damage to our very soul as a nation. Instead of converging to fight a committed enemy, there is widening divergence and deepening internal conflict built on subjective historical reconstructions.

As we fight among ourselves, the responsibility of building politics that would shape our land and future of our communities is left in the hands of our adversaries. The reality of that control is the systemic withdrawal of rights from our people and communities and expansion of Shona control. This is seen in but not limited to the systemic transfer of natural resources (mining rights to outsiders) and positions of authority to imported professional politicians whose role is purely to oversee our management and not empowerment.

To undo the tightening ZANU PF/ MDC nozzle around our neck, we need to urgently weed out the toxicity engulfing our political space. There is a deep running problem of the presence of narcissistic people eager to lead no matter the circumstances and/ or consequences to broader political goals; people who only see and interpret the world through their lenses without consideration for alternative ideas; people with no time and humility to step back and listen to others and be led if that is what will save the nation best.

These are talented, articulate individuals who have managed to build an intimidating and impenetrable ideological bubble around themselves; even more dangerous, these also happen to be people who clearly mistake desire for clarity; they lack the clarity, courage, or determination to follow on their own dreams but have become experts in inflating weak ideas and obscuring pure reasoning while inhibiting and frustrating others’ ideas.

Raw anger and frustration has taken grip of our political space; the unintended outcome is petulance, unconstructive arguments, conflict, and growing intolerance between organisations and no real progress in sight.

If we convert and invest more time to obstructive disagreement and less on constructive debate, things will change but our circumstances will remain the same. If we cannot agree on the most basic elements – what to call our country – what hope is there that one day we will hold a civil conversation on policy? And how do we expect to win public trust?

In a political landscape where our adversaries are working in tandem to ensure the maintenance of the status quo that consigns Mthwakazi people to second class citizens, destroys cultural and social integrity and restricts access to opportunity, we need to stop what are essentially petty conflicts to regain our strategic focus.

We need the political courage to bring out clarity to our efforts and not lose the confidence of the nation. After all our desire is to have as many of our people as possible immerse themselves in the emancipation process rather than separate themselves from it, only to look back at it from a distance as political analysts not freedom fighters in the trenches.

For people to make the sacrifices we ask of them, they will want to understand what their role would be and how the whole pro-Mthwakazi agenda is supposed to be right for them. We are facilitators, we believe in communities’ capabilities and expertise; as facilitators our role is not to free communities but shine the light so people maximise their abilities and unlock systemic safes and free themselves.

History is awash with ‘freedom fighters’ who acquired freedom for themselves and their connections and not ordinary citizens. What will become compellingly important for Mthwakazi political progress is absolute clarity of shared goals and set of principles that every citizen understands with deep conviction.