A lion does not fear the forest

The MDC formations have shown that they are beyond rehabilitation for their betrayal of the Zimbabwean people by saying that the Copac draft is final and they are not prepared to make any amendments. By now they must know that it is now just a stone’s throw before the people will judge them in the already looming elections. Ironically, man doesn’t know how to act until he realises what he is acting against.
What is laughable is that the MDC formations have already gone into overdrive through the independent Press, ignorantly hollering that Zanu-PF is afraid of elections. Every serious student of political science or international relations can easily tell that this is palpable hogwash.
Since when has a lion ever been afraid of the forest? The forest is its domain, explaining why it is called king of the forest. A crocodile’s strength is in water and the revolutionary party’s strength is with the masses.
Zanu-PF as a party has already shown that it is committed to the Zimbabwean people’s intensified struggle to free themselves from the shackles of neo-imperialism, a total liberation of the country. President Robert Mugabe is the strategist of the economic development of Zimbabwe, explaining why he said that his fist is a fist of the people never to be used against them.
This is why we strongly contend that all progressive Zimbabweans must reject the slanderous criticisms by Zimbabwe’s erstwhile neo-imperial enemies and their sponsored puppets bent on derailing our progress.
Zimbabwe’s gallant sons and daughters who participated in the liberation struggle cannot be fooled into going against the party. They are the party and cannot be diabolically deceived into rebelling against themselves. Ambuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Chitepo, Ziyapapa Moyo, Tongogara and others are remembered as strong and dedicated fighters against colonialism and neo-imperialism.  
This is why our new Constitution must reflect the wishes of the majority. It must be the bedrock upon which Zimbabwe’s development in all spheres of life, be it economic, social and cultural are embedded.
As Zimbabweans we have already said Yes! to economic empowerment, No! to reversing the land reform programme, No! to homosexuality or lesbianism.
We also wonder why the religious leaders have shown such deafening silence on such an un-godly and satanic issue as homosexuality. We definitely need religious leaders with the courage of biblical prophet Elijah to tell some of our leaders to desist from supporting such dirty and backward behaviour.
We strongly urge all religious leaders to openly speak against this “satanic clause” that has been smuggled into the draft constitution. During the second Chimurenga we used to sing, “povo yaramba zvamadhisinyongoro, Zanu yaramba zvamadhisinyongoro” meaning the people and Zanu-PF cannot accept rubbish. Today we are continuing to sing this song because we understand the past, we understand how we came to be where we are and we know where we are going.
This is why millions of Zimbabweans signed the anti-sanction petition, and this is why we must continue to be strong-willed and prepare our children for a brighter future, a Zimbabwe that will have be immune from any form of neo-imperialist domination.
It is a fact that some sections of the Zimbabwean people, albeit an insignificant minority, do not share the hopes of the Zimbabwean majority of an economically empowered Zimbabwean populace.
Quite a lot of noise has been made over the Save Conservancy because only a few still want to benefit at the expense of the majority. To borrow from Dr Chivaura, we are not African citizens but Africa’s children who are courageous and determined to remain on-board the Zimbabwean ship.
The black man as a child of Africa should benefit from the resources of his God given land. The irony of it all is that there is a group of white-blacks among us that believes in clandestinely defending white interests through a heavily doctored Euro-friendly draft constitution. These are the people who have been over the years demonising the Zimbabwean land reclamation exercise; becoming passive observers after they had been hoodwinked into believing that it is only the white man who could grow cash crops to revive Zimbabwe’s economy.
Dear reader, what must be known by every sane Zimbabwean is that the formation and growth of the Zanu-PF party is not by chance. It is because it has a clear meaning, yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yesterday it spearheaded the struggle against Ian Smith’s ruthless and oppressive regime, the very reason why we are enjoying our hard won independence.
Today we are beneficiaries of the land reform exercise and if all Zimbabweans continue to support the indigenisation and empowerment exercise and astutely make use of our robust mineral resources, then what can stop us from achieving Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa’s vision of “Zimbabwe becoming the Singapore on the African continent?”
This Zanu-PF impeccable record shows that Zanu-PF, like an alligator, can never be afraid of the river just like the whales are never afraid of the seas.
Zanu-PF has shown that it is a party with a vision. It is a party with clear ideas and is traversing on a unique correct path. It is a party that has refused to dine and wine with all those who have incompatible attitudes and interests against the Zimbabwean masses.
It is in the public domain that the MDC-T has been a willing but ineffective neo-imperialist midwife to Britain and the United States of America’s regime change machinations. What is embarrassing is that it is a party that does not want to serve the people but the interests of its own elite that sprung from the Zimbabwe labour movement, the ZCTU, some few educated elite and students.
They have failed to fulfil the promises that they made to the civil servants before they became part of the GNU.
Some of the people we interviewed have clearly stated that they are no longer in a position to tolerate political opportunists who are only interested in lining their pockets, are not delivering and are only seen driving posh cars at the expense of the ordinary people.
In the impending elections the people are saying No! to those politicians who purport that they are of the people and yet they are not of the people.
Many people across the political divide opined that they can no longer elect into office pseudo-politicians who are only interested in globe-trotting instead of being with the people and solving their problems.
Some are already looking forward to the day they will cast their votes and have warned that pseudo-politicians have already shot themselves in the foot and must prepare to exit the political scene.
From these interviews, one will not be off the mark if one says that the die is cast, the people can no longer afford the luxury of being lied to.
The time has come for the people to call a spade a spade and not call it by another name. The time has come for people to put a stop to those who want to sell their birthrights, opportunists who prefer disorganisation so that they can manipulate the people.
Zimbabwe’s affairs should be run according to Zimbabwe’s specific conditions, by Zimbabweans.
As Zimbabwean people we must uphold our national self-respect and pride and this is our highest God-given honour. Zimbabweans are therefore expected to vote for a party that is bent on developing productive forces and in the process eliminate poverty and raise the people’s living standards.
This is no longer the time to vote for political parties that engender political confusion and despair among the people, parties that are devoid of inspiring confidence on the electorate.
These are parties that no longer have anything to sell to the electorate.
Zanu-PF, since the liberation struggle, has shown that it cannot be separated from the people. The people and the party have got a symbiotic relationship that is firmly fixed in the political philosophy of humanism, a philosophy that realises the desire for development, peace, harmony and stability.

Darlington N. Mahuku and Bowden B. C. Mbanje are lecturers in International Relations, and Peace and Governance with Bindura University of Science Education.