Waiting for the Fourth Chimurenga

The piece by this writer published on Monday under the headline “Zanu-PF’s youth generation of shame” elicited some interesting, and strong, reactions.
But it was not unexpected.On the one hand were bitter youths of the ruling party who felt slighted by the piece in its apparent lack of recognition of what they believe are their heroic efforts of this day.

On the other, were people who felt edified by the piece’s comparison of Zanu-PF and opposition MDC-T’s youth with the latter earning a rare praise for standing up for something, even when the writer clearly doesn’t agree with the larger politics that informs the same.

It has become characteristic that whenever we write something deemed critical of the ruling party, or an aspect thereof, the writer immediately becomes the toast of the opposition and a social media trend. In fact, that is a cancer of the current polarised and binary environment in Zimbabwe.

It is either you are for or you are against something. This may explain why some quarters may be so unhappy that we interview a character like Temba Mliswa to hear his story and gauge his political mood and by extension that of the whole political field.

To the misinformed — at least in the manner of how newspapers operate — you then parade as having endorsed such a Mliswa character, never mind the strategic benefit of knowing the mind of such a political player.

Gokwe Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena had such a vintage comment regarding Monday’s piece when it was being discussed on a social media platform to which this writer was invited.

He said: “I’m an avid follower of Cde Zindoga’s articles/opinions but I’m afraid, on this one, I’m inclined to believe the article was written by the G40 Gangsters in the comfort of their offices. This is so (because) Cde Zindoga failed to defend his position. All Cde Zindoga did was to put his byline whatever they call it. I pray and hope Cde Zindoga is a professional who will not personalise and or scandalise this statement. I’m still your fan Cde!”

He had to be reminded that he knew better than that, just a couple of moons after celebrating a piece by the same writer which bemoaned the perceived abuse of the name of the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe.

In fact, after doing that piece, the same Cde Zindoga was accused of “speaking like a successionist” and using the rationale and arguments of the same!

This is probably the reason why Zanu-PF Youth League secretary for finance Tongai Kasukuwere shines out as a level-headed guy, on top of his hard work and clear vision which charcateristics are eluding the youth today.

Kasukuwere sent the writer an early morning congratulatory message on the same piece noting its candidness and hoped that “vane nzeve vanzwa and vanoona vaona (those with ears have heard and those with eyes seen)”.

Such is a rare quality in a person whose organisation and generation is at the receiving end of under-warm comments. If only the world, and in particular the leadership both old and young had this golden quality! But the Zanu-PF youth were not too amused by the few home truths that came their way on Monday.

An attempt was made to equal their concerns.
One youth felt that, “Your comparison of Zanu-PF youths to the opposition, is it not a dangerous path as we are founded on opposite ideology?”
The answer he received was: “The comparison seeks to demonstrate how the ruling party youth is actually a danger to itself, the party and nation.”

Another noted that the offending article stated that youths were being used as foot soldiers.
“Weren’t the youths of the liberation war era foot soldiers? Aren’t you perhaps mistaking the vanguard role of the youths as being used as foot soldiers?”

The answer to that was that the youths of yore were footsoldiers for a cause not personalities and factional warlords and supposed godfathers.
And asked whether the judgment on the youths was not too harsh, the youth were reminded that the youths are both a society in itself and the main political party in miniature.

“If we were to take the current youth leadership and elevate it to national leadership what kind of republic would we be? Banana?”
The discussion also tackled the issue of social media and a particular view among the youth that the piece in question advocated rebellion among the youths, perhaps just as Julius Malema did in South Africa’s ANC.

Sadly, this is a misplaced notion.
Zimbabwe is a revolutionary country and it is up to the youths of today to carve a defining paradigm of our time and which paradigm will be the pedestal on which the next generation leader stands.

Zimbabwe, for example has fought three Chimurengas, the first being initial resistance to European settlerism; the second modern military struggle and the third being the Land Reform programme.
Why has this generation not executed the Fourth Chimurenga?

The reader may be aware that an attempt has been made to dub the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme as another Chimurenga — with someone even saying it was the Last Chimurenga.
However, it is a fact that such nomenclature has not stuck.

The reason why this has not stuck is because despite all the revolution spirit that imbues Zanu-PF and the legal framework that it has put in place, there have not been any serious attempt to execute the idea of economic empowerment as a social, cultural and political movement that predecessor Chimurengas were.

It is a generational failure.
It is such a shame that young Zimbabweans have not managed to convert this idea of economic empowerment into a powerful, defining agenda despite the example, direction and guidance set by the likes of President Mugabe, a hero of the last two Chimurengas.

This is where the burning shame comes in.
This is where the particular angst over preoccupation with social media at the expense of working for the good of the party and country comes in.

It has to be noted as well that to demonstrate the urgency of the call for the Fourth Chimurenga, Zimbabwe is the only country that faces economic challenges that equate to a real war zone.
But creativity, hard work and vision have to bear out.

Do we have any of the above among the Facebook and WhatsApp generation?
The youths of today have not only failed to take the cue from President Mugabe to pursue a historical continuum.
They have also made a cheap mockery of the education and the empowering policies that have been availed by President Mugabe and his generation.

This is the truth.
And it is not misplaced to point out that we do not have a Malema of Zimbabwe.
Much worse, we do not have a Robert Mugabe of this generation.

Anybody who feels challenged by this can help us by producing one.
We accept even magic tricks.