SO the by-elections have in fact happened and are over, basa ratanga for those that have won. Once again Zimbabweans ignored the ‘opposition call’ to boycott and life must go on. I hope that finally the people have unmasked the opposition. Opposition politics in Africa can be quite depressing it must be said, especially if those opposing have no clue as to what they are doing as exemplified by Morgan Tsvangirai who recently exhibited his utter ignorance of politics when he openly said Kwame Nkrumah was wrong for seeking political independence over economic independence. Such thinking highlights that some of us have completely taken a foreign concept without questions, kubatira chirungu pamusoro sebhasikiti as my mother would say. Steve Biko wrote, “The most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” Politics in Europe and America should never be compared to Africa. You hear the badly informed youth and opposition throw around words like human rights, democracy carelessly into speeches and interviews as if they know what they mean. Where was this animal called ‘human rights’ when these Westerners annihilated entire races throughout the world? Where was the trendy word democracy when the majority in Zimbabwe and across the continent was ruled by a minority? Opposition in Europe is not the same with opposition in Africa. In Europe and American politics, the ‘flight plan’ of the nation does not change. Can someone now ‘spot’ the difference between Barack Obama and George Bush? The answer is no. Western leaders rotate power to perpetuate this myth of democracy when in fact, it is the powerful multi-nationals that have the last say. They are the ones that decide whether a certain administration can get into war as they did in Libya where Hilary Clinton infamously said, ‘we came, we saw, he died’ in reference to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Upon invasion, it is these multi nationals who get the bigger share of the spoils. In Africa, opposition is a different thing altogether. When opposition politicians chant ‘change’, ‘chinja maitiro’ they mean a complete overhaul of every system. And in Africa it sadly means change to the sponsors’ dictates. In many cases, the African politician given an alien governing system simply apes the creators of the system. Few have the guts to indigenise the system, change it to suit his people. Use the provided system to better his community. Instead African politicians think governing a country is the quickest road to fame and carpeted hallways at Buckingham. There is a reason why African presidents tend to stay long. In Africa it is difficult to accomplish any real change in just two terms only to have someone else come in and do a complete overhaul. The reason that Europe and the West encourage presidents to only have two terms like them is to have free reign in the territories. ZANU PF has so far been the only party in the country that is tried and tested. The party will remain etched on papers and corridors of history long after we are gone. It will forever be the system that brought the liberties now enjoyed to the people and no demonising, defection, mishaps and cleansing will take that away. ZANU PF is not an individual entity, it is a system, an institution.