HomeOld_PostsRevisiting Cde Mugabe’s long journey…the good he did must live after him

Revisiting Cde Mugabe’s long journey…the good he did must live after him

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AS former president of Zimbabwe, Cde Robert Mugabe concluded his address to the nation on Sunday evening (November 19 2017) with what have become famous words, Asante Sana (thank you very much), to the discerning political eye, it was all but over for the icon of African politics’ career but certainly not his legacy.
Prior to the Sunday statement, it had been a calamitous last few days for the former president as the army, war veterans, ZANU PF, Parliamentarians and Zimbabweans from all walks of life joined hands in calling for his ouster after he had been compromised by ‘criminals’ in the Party.
But after what appeared to be a muted resistance on Sunday, when he stunned all and sundry during his address by not giving any hint on quitting, it was always going to be difficult for him to continue holding fort; given the pressure that was mounting on him from across the board.
Indeed, even when the curtain finally came down on Tuesday (November 21 2017), it is still difficult to find a beginning to Cde Mugabe’s narrative which has all the tenets of a top selling text or film.
For starters, there is so much to love about Mugabe, from a Zimbabwean and African point of view.
In the same vein, there is so much to loathe about this man, in the eyes of the West.
Equally compelling in this gripping storyline, there is the good, the bad and the ugly.
Still, when all is said and done, Cde Robert Mugabe’s legacy will forever stand tall, looming and lingering on the very acme of our politics as Zimbabweans, Africans and the world as a whole.
While the Sunday speech was in sharp contrast to his resignation letter which came late Tuesday afternoon, the signs were there, lurking, that the end was nigh.
Even as he tottered through his speech, his last as leader of Zimbabwe, it was clear that the Cde Robert Mugabe of old was gone and probably never to be seen in the public scene again.
While the intelligence was there, slowly slipping from him was the vibrancy that the country and the world had become accustomed to, in his long, winding speeches.
Yet, everywhere you go, his legacy pervades the world.
All over the world, a distinction can be made between Zimbabweans and other Africans.
Because of Cde Mugabe’s imbuement to his people with quality education, Zimbabweans are renowned for their confidence, commitment and dedication to hard work.
One can therefore not help but wonder whether those Zimbabweans who called him all sorts of derogatory names had taken time to analyse what Cde Robert Mugabe stood for.
Perhaps for George Bush, Tony Blair and Donald Trump it would be understandable if they would hold month-long parties; Robert Mugabe took them to task over their domineering conduct on global political affairs.
That is what the man was.
He was never afraid of treading even where Angels feared to.
His has been a long and winding career that has seen it all, with the only blight being the later years where he deviated from his mandate.
But that can never take away the legend and the hero in that great man whose career finally came to an end in dramatic fashion on Tuesday.
Still Robert Mugabe is the man.
He is the man who stood by what he believed was right even to the bitter end, even as his fortunes started to tumble.
We start with the good that the iconic former Zimbabwean leader did for his people.
Having been elected to lead the ZANU Party at the Chimoio Congress in 1977, Robert Mugabe led the country to independence in 1980.
ZANU won 63 percent of total poll and Mugabe, then the country’s Prime Minister, immediately embarked on various empowerment initiatives.
ZANU PF’s number one policy, according to its 1980 manifesto, was to liberate Zimbabwe from colonial bondage and establish a ‘nationalist, socialist, pan-Africanist and democratic Republic of Zimbabwe’.
The manifesto said: “ZANU PF believes that power must vest in the people both in respect of the party and in respect of the government of the country.
This is why ZANU PF wants democracy in Zimbabwe, requiring that there should be democratic elections based on adult suffrage to enable the people to choose their own government.”
In the 2005 elections, the message was the same.
The Party’s manifesto said:
“ZANU PF is a mass party that defends, projects, promotes, protects and guarantees the rights of the ordinary people, especially the peasant majority.
It is the only Party that understands the national question and commands most effective ways of resolving it.”
According to a 1995 World Bank report, after independence, “Zimbabwe gave priority to human resource investment and support for small-holder agriculture,” and as a result, “small-holder agriculture expanded rapidly during the first half of the 1980s and social indicators improved quickly.”
The results were there for all to see.
In 1980, the Government propagated a whole range of new economic policies, introducing a minimum wage and virtually eliminating the right to fire workers.
Total spending on education nearly trippled (from Z$227,6 million to Z$628 million) as did Government spending on healthcare (from Z$66,4 million to Z$188,6 million), between 1979 and 1990.
The evolution of the country’s education system began under the leadership of Cde Robert Mugabe in September 1980 with the provision of free primary school education for all.
With these favourable conditions, parents who previously could not afford sending their children to school could do so.
President Mugabe implemented this under a policy called, ‘Education for All’, which ensured near-universal education at both primary and secondary levels.
Massive healthcare institutions were built across the country with six provincial hospitals, 25 district hospitals and 62 rural hospitals in the early 1980s.
About 460 health centres were provided with radio communication, solar-powered lighting and clean water supplies.
As a result of these developments, more than 85 percent of the country’s population now live within eight kilometres of a health facility.
Life expectancy increased from 56 years in 1980 to over 61 years in 2000 before the illegal economic sanctions by the West began to take effect.
The infant mortality rate fell from close to 100 to 66 per live births, the prevalence of malnutrition in children under three years fell from 22 percent to 16 percent and the percentage of fully immunised children rose from 25 percent in 1980 to 86 percent in 1997, while the use of contraceptives rose from about 14 percent to 60 percent in 1997.
From 1980 to 1990 infant mortality decreased from 86 to 49 per 1 000 live births, under five mortality was reduced from 128 to 58 per 1 000 live births, and immunisation increased from 25 percent to 80percent of the population.
By 1990, Zimbabwe had a very low infant mortality rate, higher adult literacy and higher school enrolment rate than average for developing countries.
On women empowerment, the ZANU PF’s Women’s League and the Ministry of Community Development and Women’s Affairs mobilised from cells, villages, branches, districts right up to provincial levels by carrying out income generating and developmental projects.
The following was achieved.
– The Women’s League established a training centre to benefit mainly rural women. Kubatsirana Training Centre offered courses to women in nutrition, co- operative formation, bakery, gardening and so on.
– By April 1981, the Government had spent over Z$61 million to supply seed and family fertiliser packs to over 235 000 families and to feed 700 000 across the country.
Former president Mugabe aptly captured it in 1985, while giving a review of the achievements they had made in the first five years of self-rule.
Writing in the preface of the book: Rebuilding Zimbabwe at 5 Years of Independence, President Mugabe said:
“We have had to restructure an economy previously geared to serve a quarter of a million people so that it can respond to the needs of over seven million Zimbabwean citizens. We have tackled the problems of landlessness, ill-health, illiteracy unemployment and all those others that our people fought against over the last 90 years of colonial rule. We have not won them all, but we have made a start.”
The Economic Structural Adjustment Programme, The Case of Zimbabwe 1990- 1995 Report notes that:
“The Zimbabwean model of economic development was to be based on a co-existence of socialism and private enterprise… Because the war had destroyed the returnees’ (people displaced by the war) houses, livestock and agricultural implements and inputs, the government had to support them materially until they could find their feet again.
This meant it had to provide everything from food, shelter, tools, seeds, fertiliser to draught power, to thousands of people throughout the country all at once.
By April 1981, the Government had spent over Z$61 million to supply seed and fertiliser packs to over 235 000 families and to feed 700 000 across the country.”
The major highlight of his career was in 2015 when Mugabe was leader of both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU).
As SADC Chairperson, former president Mugabe introduced the Industrialisation Programme while as AU leader he advocated the body to be self-reliant when it comes to funding.
In July this year during an AU Summit in Addis Ababa, he donated US$1 million towards boosting the regional body’s finances.
There was also the bad.
As the country faced a plethora of challenges ranging from illegal economic sanctions, a nonsensical opposition and old age taking its toll on him, there emerged his wife in 2014 who within a short period of time had with the help of young and ambitious party cadres was pushing for Vice Presidency.
As Grace Mugabe’s influence soared both in the Party and in Government, Mugabe’s grip drastically loosened.
His fortunes also took a huge tumble as he became overshadowed by the belligerent Grace.
That is when things started fall apart for the old man as Grace expelled everyone and anyone perceived to be a stumbling block to her ambitions.
Then came the bad.
In December 2014, Joice Mujuru who had been Mugabe’s deputy for a decade was shown the exit door for allegedly plotting against her boss.
Emerson Mnangagwa took over but no sooner had he settled in office that he started facing similar allegations of plotting against Mugabe.
Mnangagwa’s allies put up a spirited defence of the preferred successor but were soon booted out.
Reports of massive looting of state funds at the behest of Grace soon started emerging.
-On November 6 2017, Mnangagwa was expelled before fleeing the country.
-On November 13 2017, Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, General Constantino Guveya Doniminic Nyikadzino Chiwenga warned that the military would not hesitate to intervene if ZANU PF continued mistreating veterans of the struggle.
-On November 15 2017, Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Spokesperson Major Sibusiso Busi Moyo announced that the army had taken over.
-On November 18 2017, Zimbabweans took to the streets to push for Cde Mugabe’s ouster.
-On November 19 2017, the ruling ZANU PF Central Committee recalled Cde Mugabe from Party and Government leadership and nominated Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa to take over as new leader.
-The Party also resolved to start processes for the impeachment of Cde Mugabe.
-In the evening of the same day, Cde Mugabe addressed the nation and said the defence forces were maintain peace and stability in the country.
He also said that he would be presiding over the ZANU PF Congress in December.
-On November 20 2017, 230 legislators met at the Party headquarters and endorsed the impeachment drive.
-That evening the Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda announced that there would be a Cabinet meeting at State House the following morning.
-On November 21 2017, Cabinet did not take place while legislators started pushing for the impeachment.
While the impeachment process was ongoing the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda announced that Cde Mugabe had resigned.
Everything just happened fast until Tuesday when the unthinkable happened.
When all is said and done, there is no doubt that it didn’t have to end that way for Cde Robert Mugabe.
But all the same, we say thank you Baba!
You served your country very well.
Kwahiri. Asante sana.

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