As A Nation We Also Need To Change

In our time we have hosted people from different other African countries that might have been fleeing from war and political persecution. Though we can never be labeled as xenophobic, that could have changed if say the same people that we are hosting started to abuse our hospitality, i.e not paying tax, racketeering or simply being involved in criminal activities. To grasp fully where I am taking you with this, lets look at it microscopically. Imagine you open your home to a stranger fleeing danger, you welcome him/her and treat him as one of your own. You trust him not to abuse your kindness, you don't expect him to start stealing from you, as a matter of fact you have pointed it out to him that if ever he is to be caught stealing you would have no choice but ask him to leave. Like I mentioned prior we as a nation we have been kind to a lot of people, most recent being Mozambiqueans and South Africans. It should be pointed out that none however abused their stay in Zimbabwe, the opposite happened they became our source of cheap labour as it is always the norm with immigrants. I do not envisage us as Zimbabweans keeping quiet if they had been involved in dubious activities.

It is against this inkling that recently I have found disturbing reports of Zimbabweans being involved in racketeering if not more. Today's news headlines did not help, but it is just one amongst many lately of negative reporting involving Zimbabweans. In the past we were labeled as learned, hard working and its fast changing into liars, fraudsters and crooks. For that's how quickly our stock has deteriorated as a result of the actions of a few bent individuals who are driven by greed to dirty our name. Today's report does not help thousands of genuine asylum seekers, who will be labeled as fraudulent in the light of the actions of Joseph Dzumbira. While Joseph was in a asylum racket, there are those that have been reported to have, stolen identities of the old people that are in their care, some have carried out credit card scams until chip and pin arrived, others sold fake NI cards and fraudulent passports. Its gross abuse of our hosts hospitality, and anyone that wants to label me as goody goody try flipping the roles and see if you would turn a blind eye.

After lamenting about the poor showing up of people to things like the Vigil, The weekly forum in London and also the absence of activity when Kate Hoey wanted to organise a demo against the forced removals of failed asylum seekers. It was interesting to note that some people turned up at the Supreme Court hearing of the Home Office appeal on the AA case, however they turned up with their six packs of Fosters lager. It did not occur to them the seriousness of the occasion and the reverence it required. A lot has been said about the attitude of Zimbabweans when it comes to serious matters. We would rather go to the pub, party than attend political meetings that are there to debate issues that affect us. I see it here in Northampton where I live, we call for a branch meeting for MDC and a few people turn up, then after the meeting we make it a habit to meet at a local pub for a drink or two, guess who we see most of the members, yet they could not attend the meeting. We have been lulled into thinking that this is our home and consequently we have become disenchanted towards issues that affect us as a nation.

We need to change, the way we live, the way we think our attitude towards issues affecting us. If you are among those that bring disrepute to the name of Zimbabweans by enganging in criminal activities your time is up because we have been canvassing asking other branches of MDC to adopt a policy of working the the local police that means informing them if they are amongst us bent people. Call it snitching or whatever name I call it keep the name of Zimbabweans clean!

One In Three Zimbabweans Is A Spy

Ladies and Gentlemen we are dealing with a a very ruthless enemy. We are aware from history the danger of violence that Zanu PF is capable of unleashing. Take from Gukurahundi the atrocities that we the people of midlands suffered at the hands of the 6th brigade, then the violent farm invasions led by war veterans armed by Mugabe, recently Murambatsvina wiped the homes and livelihoods of 2.4 million people if that's not enough add the 3000 trained militias notoriously known as the "green bombers" who many suspect will be unleashed when MDC embarks on the peaceful protests. While this all this has been a violent and visible tactics to scare MDC members and their leadership slowly the CIO has been infiltrating every fabric of the Zimbabwean society.

The infiltration has gone unnoticed especially for activists in the diaspora though many were aware that CIO operates here in UK. The attitude has always been that as we have sought refugee in a democratic country where the rule of law is upheld therefore we are immune yes from physical threat. The title of this article is not a wild guess, just after the March congress of Tsvangirai's MDC (Our MDC), Rev Pius Ncube was asked his opinion on the plans for peaceful demonstrations which the MDC had announced. He gave a chilling warning that the logistics of the demonstrations will be leaked to the CIO therefore pre-emptying the demonstrations because yes 1 in every 3 Zimbabweans is spy.

If you think the consfication of Elias Mudzuri's passport on Sunday July 16 as he prepared to board a flight to UK was a random act that of an overzealous Immigration Officer then think again.

First lets examine why this was not a random act: Elias has previously been out of the country, he was in the US for two months prior to passing through UK, he stated that this was a private as well as party business probably the same reason he had given when he left Zimbabwe for US earlier this year.

Secondly lets examine why it was imperative for Zanu PF to curtail his movement: The spy amongst ourselves in the MDC was present at the Grays meeting for branch executives where deadlines had been given for the completion of MDC restructuring in UK. Why is this important you might ask? Elias was coming to complete the re-structuring of MDC in UK and pave way for a congress that would elect the MDC provincial leadership. The completion of a restructured MDC not only in UK but for every Zimbabwean in the diaspora would mean the emergence of a strong MDC in exile. One cannot belittle the importance of strong exiled leadership of MDC, history teaches us to regard the re-structuring as equally important as the re-structuring of MDC in Zimbabwe after the events of August 12 2005. We need to take a leaf out of ANC's book, the work of state agents in South Africa had been cut out - their strategy was simple, incapacitate the leadership, introduce pass laws to prevent movement and thereby gathering and possible insurrection of black people. So the Rivonia trial not only jailed Mandela but 18 other ANC leaders. With the leadership in jail the exiled South Africans really rose to the occasion they built a strong ANC that attracted a large following especially here in UK where the largest ant-apartheid movement was based led by the likes of Peter Hain the current leader of the Scottish in British parliament. Oliver Tambo became the leader of ANC when the likes of Walter Sisulu and Govan Mbeki were jailed at Robben Island. Continuity was maintained and the pressure that they build up from engaging with local politicians forced Botha to negotiate the release of Mandela from prison and pave way for democratic elections which gave birth to the New South Africa. Mbeki the current President of South Africa is a product of exiled ANC.

With the leadership of MDC advocating that they will lead from the front, there is no doubt that they are on a collision course with Mugabe and his blood thirsty state machinery (CIO, Police , Army, Green Bombers, War Vets.... etal)there will be gnashing of teeth. That beside my point really is they are likely to be arrested and jailed playing straight into the hands of Zanu PF and its plans. Once they are incapacitated then MDC would slowly die. Now if you cast your mind back to the grays meeting which was convened by Engineeer Mudzuri to speed up the re-structuring of MDC in UK you will notice that that's when the information was passed on the the handlers of the informants in Harare.

Without the officially re-structured MDC, the leadership will be non-existent as is now. Noone will be able to mobilise fellow Zimbabweans based in UK. Noone will be able to provide continuity for MDC and pressure the international community to bring change in Zimbabwe. That's why it was very important to stop Elias Mudzuri leaving Harare last Sunday.

Its a sad statistic it means those that are involved in the struggle must be vigilant and been on the lookout of members whose interests are to destroy what we are building here. That will mean only a few people will or should be entrusted with sensitive information : i.e dates of travel of MDC leadership from Harare, itinery ... etc.

There is no denying it that amongst the readers of my blog is a spy, always on the lookout for information to derail the struggle to free Zimbabwe from Zanu PF tyranny.

Be strong!

The Hour Is Nigh

The demise of Zimbabwe is well documented,despite the fallacious thinking of Mugabe and his clique. Just at a glance without over dramatising the statistics - Unemployment is at staggering 90% despite the official figures pegging it at 70%. Inflation is at
1, 18.6. The Zimbabwean dollar is officially pegged at US$420000 to the Zim$1 on the parrarel market its at US$900000. Zimbabweans are paying 13 times more for the same basket of goods than they were paying just a year ago. Prices are increasing at an alarming rate because the government has been printing money to pay off its debts, fund its operations and quell the spectre of a disillusioned army and police by giving them wage increases that it cannot afford.

Despite all this evidence of a collapsing economy Mugabe still in denial blaming British government for the collapse of the economy. I liked what professor John Makumbe said when he was addressing the MDC congress in March this year. He said "government could rig elections but could not rig the economy" if elections failed to remove Mugabe the economy will drive him out. The social tensions are gathering especially for those in the urban areas that have had bear the biggest brunt of this collapsed economy from increases in rent, transport costs, the shortages of fuel, sporadic electricity supply, collapsed urban infrastructure of burst sewer pipes and uncollected garbage.

Reports have been rife in the past that Annan will mediate and Mugabe has outwitted him as he has managed to do to Mbeki over the years. Then names such as Mkapa has been thrown in a way to trivialise the Zimbabwean struggle. Zimbabweans are capable of finding their own solutions to the crisis. The MDC Roadmap presented by President Morgan Tsvangirayi is the only hope for embittered Zimbabweans at home and abroad.

The MDC leadership are putting final touches to the program's for peaceful resistance that will force Mugabe to a negotiating table. As I have previously pointed out Zanu PF is a cornered animal, amidst the poverty, hunger and sense of hopelessness Mugabe and his croonies continue to live in pornographic opulence, they are unlikely to relinquish power without resistance. People in the MDC are aware of it they know that Mugabe will use violence to deter ordinary people to demand a new start as he has done before from Gukurahundi to War Veteran who terrorised commercial farmers in 2000. Mugabe will look to exploit the MDC split of October 12 and create intra-faction rival that confuse the demonstrators.

We in the diaspora can only pray that god grants them power and bravery to demand a fresh start. We are busy mobilising here so that people can open their wallets and fund the logistics of the peaceful resistance. It will be hard, be strong we will get through it!