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Détente: Beware of anti-uhuru saboteurs

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AS we prepare to celebrate our 37th independence anniversary next week, it is also time to recollect some of the hurdles we overcame in order for this day to be a reality.
Those opposed to the idea of black majority rule used all sorts of tricks, both overt and subtle, to delay or derail the process.
They failed.
That is why on Tuesday, April 18, we shall be celebrating our 37th Independence Day anniversary.
However, in 1974 when South Africa’s then Prime Minister John Vorster teamed up with Zambia’s former President Dr Kenneth Kaunda to stop hostilities in Rhodesia, they might have delayed our independence by at least two years.
But even then, Kaunda was a well-known staunch supporter of black nationalists whose objectives and those of Ian Smith, an ally of Vorster, were irreconcilable.
So for sceptics, nothing much could be expected from these two strange bedfellows.
The process of Détente, which they introduced, failed dismally.
The ceasefire they had called for was not observed by the Smith regime which took it as an opportunity to regroup after suffering some reversals on the battlefront.
On the other hand, for the liberation forces, the ceasefire was a great setback.
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) mistook the truce to be genuine and stopped all military supplies to the liberation forces.
So it can be seen from the outset that the inverse effects of the ceasefire left the Rhodesian war machine rejuvenated while that of the freedom fighters was decimated.
On paper, Détente sounded like a noble idea yet in reality Smith saw it, not only as a way to delay majority rule, but even to thwart it
Attempts to stop hostilities at a negotiating table were doomed right from the start.
How can you expect people supposed to discuss serious issues take venue as a priority?
Imagine the use of a whole South African train across the Victoria Falls Bridge just to satisfy the egos of the belligerents!
Within hours, the talks predictably collapsed.
Smith, with his UDI laager mentality, would not accept majority rule until his position on the battlefront had become hopeless.
He was a genuine racist who would not imagine a black majority rule Government in his ‘lifetime’.
On the other hand, the nationalists were able to see through Détente as a ruse to give Smith a chance to restrategise.
The escalation of the war on the eastern front was a definite headache for the Rhodesian regime.
So it looks like the people who were genuinely interested in Détente were Kaunda and Vorster, but for expediency.
Zambia’s economy was suffering because of the closure of the border with Rhodesia.
Vorster also hoped that by helping resolve the Rhodesian problem, Frontline States would be less hostile to his apartheid regime.
But as demonstrated by the collapse of the Victoria Falls talks, the Détente exercise was premature.
The Rhodesian regime needed a few more telling blows on the battlefront before Smith would realise the futility of his intransigency.
That is why when the OAU, now African Union (AU), realised they had been duped by Détente, they were quick to resume supplies.
The formation of ZIPA also demonstrated the enthusiasm of the major liberation forces (ZIPRA and ZANLA) to persue the armed struggle.
Even though later they continued fighting a common enemy as separate entities, their objective – black majority rule – remained common cause.
In the end, Détente and all other machinations to sabotage our struggle for independence failed.
As we celebrate our independence on Tuesday, April 18, we must always remember to remain vigilant, for our enemies have never forgiven us for defeating them.
And they are full of all sorts of wicked tricks.

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