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Zimbos pledge to die for the West

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YOUR Country Needs You!
I wonder how it may have felt for young British men and women in 1914, when they woke up to see Lord Kitchener’s war time recruitment poster, with a finger pointing at them reading: ‘Your Country Needs You!’
Did they feel a sense of responsibility to die for Britain, or felt the desire to run away to some far away colony?
But rather than running away, “Nearly half a million joined up between August 4 and September 12, including 33 204 on September 3 alone,” (British Library).
This week I came across two interesting stories, one published in the Australian Brisbane Times (March 31 2015) about Zimbabwean born identical twins Allen and Allan Dube, who joined the Australian army; and another article published by the New Zimbabwe.Com (March 25 2015) about a Zimbabwean born soldier in the British Army, Private Taaziva Mutekedza, who is appearing before the courts accused of sexually assaulting two female British soldiers.
At the surface the articles seem different. The first one is commending the bravery of young Zimbabwean born, 18-year-olds, who have decided to defend Australia even with their own blood. They are photographed taking their pledge, and in another photograph they are smiling, showing their certificates of conscription.
The other one, though now portrayed as a villain, shows the photograph of Zimbabwean born, British soldier, Private Mutekedza, smiling in his British army uniform. He too, pledged to die defending Britain.
Nothing wrong with deciding to join any army where one is permanently domiciled. It is a job, but one which comes with responsibility; and possibly the prize of one’s life. It is called patriotism.
Because being an Australian or British soldier means active service, maybe in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq or what have you, or somewhere in Africa! True to the words of an Australian senior recruitment officer Captain Glenn Ellis, who said of the twins: “They’re the frontline soldiers, foot soldiers, who go out and do the war fighting.”
However, commenting on the story, an Australian, identifying himself as Phil, posed the question: “Good on you lads. Just out of curiosity — does anybody know what percentage of our defence force personnel were born overseas?”
Good question from Phil, although his motive may be racial.
I have used the two stories which show the bravery of Zimbabwean born young men and women, who are prepared to die for Britain and Australia. Indeed this is bravery and patriotism to their new countries.
But in our country, Zimbabwe, we have a different war; an economic battle to remain afloat, after years of economic sabotage.
This week, President Mugabe made an appeal from Ethiopia, for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to help rebuild the country by sending some cash remittances to the country, many people in the Diaspora did not see this as a justified war.
He said: “Ethiopia has managed to do a lot of construction and improvement because a lot of its people are in the Diaspora… It is also happening in other countries like Cape Verde Islands and I want to urge our people to come together. A Zimbabwean is a Zimbabwean whether ZANU PF or MDC. This is one area we cannot be separated from each other; an area where we are Zimbabweans together,” (New Zimbabwe.Com).
Rather, many people reacted to his appeal by posting negative and to some extent, derogatory comments. Some online newspapers ran negative headlines: “Mugabe appeals for bottom cleaners’ help: Now he needs you.”
Yet we are willing to die for other countries!
There is nothing wrong with President Mugabe’s appeal.
Last year I wrote an article: “The role of the Diaspora in rebuilding the country through the Diaspora Bonds,” in which I gave examples of how countries like India, Israel, Nigeria and Ethiopia have benefitted from their own Diaspora. For example, in Israel Diaspora Bonds raised more than US$25 billion while in India Diaspora Bonds raised more than US$11,3 billion.
I took the following comments from people commenting on some online newspapers.
William Doctor wrote: “If the Diaspora do send money, then it will simply drag out ZANU PF rule. The best thing to do is stop, let the country implode — which will precipitate a revolution and force ZANU PF out (and into the courts to be tried for human rights abuses).”
Another commentator wrote: “GUSHUNGO is basically not insulting people for going into the Diaspora. He was clearly saddened that people are running from the country to foreign country where they are given menial jobs and treated like second class citizens instead of helping build the country.
“He is inviting everyone to help him build the country as he cannot do it alone. He also says he did not fight for the country alone. He and all of us fought for the country so why are we leaving it to him alone to build the country. That’s a statesman right there. That’s a speech from a leader concerned for his people. Play the video again. The message is right there and very clear.”
Someone identifying him/herself as Awake wrote: “While some are busy saying they will never invest their money in Zimbabwe, other clever Zimbabweans are expanding their investments in Zimbabwe. If you have no house or other ongoing investment in Zimbabwe ameno hako isu tirikugadzira mari and we are neither ZANU nor MDC”.
I have a few friends who are married to English or Scottish men (white), and I have observed that in the past years, my friends and their husbands/partners have been buying or building properties in Zimbabwe. Their white husbands or partners see a future in Zimbabwe and not here in the UK. One of them, (who is an intellectual), said to me last year, “The sad thing about Zimbabwe is that most of you Zimbabweans, people like you Sarudzayi and (his partner)…you have let down your own country and your own President.”
As I write this article, this white guy is in Zimbabwe at the moment, where he is planning to move to permanently.
It took me some time to comprehend what he meant.
But what he simply meant was, when the war of words and economic sabotage broke out between Zimbabwe and Britain under Labour, we joined the war, but on the British side.
He was right. We are still fighting, when the Labour Party that started the war, has given up.
So Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, here is Lord Kitchener’s wartime poster for you: Your Country Needs You. Zimbabwe needs us.

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