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Gatsha Mazitulela
MY article of Friday 10 January, on the subject of unity, drew an amazing amount of commentary and even criticism and today I explain some of the facts that have emerged as a result. One of the reasons for writing opinion articles on topical issues is to get stakeholders to comment and clarify these issues further. Even if that is the only achievement that we have, I consider it to be a good one as nobody is left in any doubt after such clarification.
Quite rightly, there were several firm comments from politicians to war vets themselves on the relationship between the military and the political parties during the liberation war.
This writer suggested that the guerrillas commanded the people to war — this statement presents what would have been a chaotic or even mutinous situation. The guerrilla armies were firmly under the guidance of political leadership and not a force unto themselves. This may seem like a trivial matter but for military men and politicians, there is a major difference and thank you for pointing it out.
What this also does, is to reinforce the primacy of political participation by me and you ordinary people, represented by our leaders in strengthening and deepening unity amongst Zimbabweans. Disunity pains all of us including the President — which brings us to the second point about last week’s article.
Again the responses came fast and thick on the issue of the invitation to return to Zanu-PF given to war veterans who had opted out of the Unity Accord.
Often when the President speaks on any number of issues, it is amazing how many interpretations quickly arise as we then discuss the message in different contexts. Much confusion has been splashed across newspapers and it is important to state what has emerged as the actual invitation extended by the President.
A war veteran himself, he is pained by having his former comrades in arms, that is other war veterans, not with him in Zanu-PF.
An invitation was therefore made to such war veterans and the correct quotation attributed to President Mugabe is, “Yesterday you were under his (Nkomo’s) command, yesterday he was telling you to go to that area, that area and you were saying yes sir. Now that he is gone, do you think that as he is in the grave he can be disobeyed? To the war veterans I say you fought one war whether under Zanla or Zipra.
Get back together. These are the ones, who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command, they should be united. You settle your contradictions through discussions and hear each other; so I make that appeal, come back. I don’t say that to anaTsvangirai, they can go hang those ones.”
We should pay special attention to this quotation and see it for only what it is — who was invited and who wasn’t? There is no mention of any political party being invited to join Zanu-PF. Only war veterans were asked to settle their differences and those who left Zanu-PF, to return. I think the message was very clear.
Back to the call made last week based on the question, “What do the people want?” The people of Zimbabwe want our revered war veterans to be united forever in peace, unity and progress for the sake of their party and for their country. We, the beneficiaries of independence through their sacrifices would be puzzled by any other stance.
Next week, we return to “The race to the top or to the bottom” as we describe biotechnology, its revolutionary impact, the reasons for its divisive force and whether we should fear it at all. Dr Gatsha Mazithulela is an expert in genetic engineering and will present a balanced series on GMO’s in particular.
Online Reporter