LAST week President Robert Mugabe was elected to the post of Chairman of the African Union (AU).
Congratulations! Makorokoto! Amhlope! Thank you Africa!
We celebrate the ascendancy of Cde Mugabe to the above prestigious post. There are good reasons why Zimbabwe deserved to be bestowed with the great honour of leading the entire African continent for this coming year.
The first reason is to do with the successful liberation war waged by Zimbabweans against racist Rhodesians during the 60s and 70s.
The AU, then known as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed on May 25 1963 in Ethiopia and was then transformed into the AU in 2002.
The main aims of the (AU) when it was still known as the OAU were:
To coordinate and intensify the co-operation of African States in order to achieve a better life for the people of Africa.
To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of African States.
To eradicate all forms of colonialism and white minority rule.
To achieve the last aim above, a liberation committee, was established to aid independence movements.
This is where our country Zimbabwe comes in.
The Liberation of our beloved country owes a lot to the OAU and its liberation committee.
One can go a step further and say that Zimbabwe’s Liberation would never have happened without the support it got from the OAU itself as well as its liberation committee which was headed by Mr Hashim Mbita of Tanzania.
“The OAU after it was founded immediately created a liberation Committee whose aim was to offer direct military assistance to African liberation forces resisting colonial rule.
“The OAU and its liberation committee therefore became actively involved in Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
“It also gave moral support. It encouraged member states to offer bases, training and materials to the guerrillas.”
It was not surprising therefore to find Zimbabwean freedom fighters having military training camps in countries such as Tanzania, Libya, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana etc.
And because some of our neighbouring countries won their independence struggles earlier than us, the military resources they had been getting from the liberation committee, “were immediately placed in the hands of Zimbabwe’s freedom fighters.
“Such assistance was invaluable in determining the outcome of the Liberation struggle.”
It is important to point out that there came a time when the OAU liberation committee was mostly preoccupied with the Zimbabwe liberation struggle when the wars of liberation had been won in Mozambique and Angola.
The OAU did not only support Zimbabwe from a military point of view.
They also fought in Zimbabwe’s corner at the diplomatic level.
“At the diplomatic level, the OAU missed no opportunity to raise the Zimbabwe issue at international conferences.
“In 1973 for example, General Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria raised the Zimbabwe problem at the United Nations (UN).
“He also condemned the internal settlement of Muzorewa in 1978, which would have given advantages to the white minority government of Ian Smith.”
While the rest of Africa supported the liberation movements in Zimbabwe against the Rhodesian racists, an African country, South Africa which was under apartheid then was the odd country out.
They instead fought on the Rhodesian racists’ side.
“Apartheid Pretoria struggled very hard to frustrate all moves towards black majority government in Zimbabwe.
“In an effort to create another apartheid regime next to his doorsteps, Voster (South Africa’s apartheid Prime Minister then) stretched his economic, diplomatic and military might to the limit to help Rhodesia.”
Yes the racists in South Africa joined forces with the Rhodesians to fight freedom fighters in Zimbabwe.
Apartheid South Africa provided the latest weapons such as tanks, bombers etc to the Rhodesians to fight freedom fighters.
On top of this the South African racists went into numerous battles jointly with the Rhodesian racists against freedom fighters.
However, the racist in Rhodesia could not in the end ‘stand the weight of African support for black fighters in Zimbabwe’.
And so in the end they crumbled and Zimbabwe became independent in 1980.
It is therefore important that a Zimbabwe President who was at the helm of the Zimbabwe liberation struggle chairs the AU as a big thank you to the rest of Africa for helping Zimbabwe become free.
The other good reason why Zimbabwe should get the AU Chairmanship at some point is for purely sentimental reasons.
The name of Africa itself.
Story goes that in times of antiquity, our beloved country had fabulous gold reserves throughout the country.
Many stories were told about the abundant resources of gold to be found in the country.
It is said rivers of gold could be found up and down the country.
Yes, gold belts with embarrassing gold nuggets were found in mines throughout the country.
Gold was said to be found even in the roots of trees, their trunks, branches and even leaves!
Cattle in the country then were reported to pull ploughs made of gold while the yokes on their necks were also made of pure gold.
The stories about our country’s gold riches soon spread to all the corners of the globe resulting in a worldwide gold rush to our country.
Portuguese explorers and found lots and lots of gold in Zimbabwe.
So did biblical figures like the Queen of Sheba who carried about 400 pounds of gold to the Jewish King called Solomon.
These people spread the fame of our country far and wide.
Legend has it that at that time, our country was called Ophir.
And because Zimbabwe had been made famous by the gold its name then of Ophir also became very famous.
And so in the end the name Ophir also became the name of the whole of Africa to people like Europeans and others who lived outside our continent.
With the passage of time the name Ophir got twisted around.
The French turned Ophir to Ophirique while others twisted to Ophir Ofirico etc.
From all these twists and turns Ophir eventually became Africa on the English and Portuguese side while it became Afrique on the French side.
Since Zimbabwe’s old name Ophir gave our continent its name, Africa it is in order that this country and its President must be honoured by being given the highest post in Africa – the Chairmanship of the AU.
Thank you Africa for honouring our President and country.