Zimbabwe. How do we begin to re-imagine ourselves as a truly peaceful, prosperous and happy nation? Because currently, austerity will not lead to prosperity. Austerity in the “new” dispensation means that the average Zimbabwean’s pocket and waistline gets smaller. The second republic has widened pre-existing gaps of socio-economic inequalities. Salaries are devalued. Memories of hyperinflation, shortages of basic goods and state-sponsored violence evoked. Relieved. We are in a perpetual state of trauma.
The tea pot shaped nation overfills with tears and blood. We cry for our loved ones who die in understaffed and poorly resourced public hospitals. We share the frustrations of medical professionals who strike and demand better working conditions and increased supplies of basic medicines and equipment. We shed tears over the phone as we tell family and friends we cannot afford to come home for Christmas or funerals. The great exodus of Zimbabweans into the diaspora results in globalised family structures. From the early 1990’s Zimbabweans of all social spheres left for greener pastures. All in the hope of providing for children, parents and siblings left behind. In an attempt to ensure our relatives survival in this dire economy, our understanding of family became distorted. Instead of physical touch and laughter; remittances, WhatsApp and different time zones determine the strength of familial bonds.
Not only do we shed tears but blood flows steadily in this House of Stone. This house lays its foundation on militancy, bones and anger. The militarisation project did not start with those two dramatic weeks in November 2017. No. The “coup which was not a coup” that removed former President Robert Mugabe is a continuum of violence. A moment in a long history of male nationalism, repression and denialism. We are unable to differentiate the blood spilt over the ages. The infertile soil and cries of wondering souls reminds us that we have not healed from these series of unfortunate events. The 90 year long formal colonial occupation. The Liberation Struggle. Gukuranhundi; the genocide in which the minority Ndebele tribe was persecuted by government backed security forces. Electoral violence in every election season. In the 2018 election season, the country saw unprecedented acts of violence by military forces as six unarmed citizens were shot dead during protests against delayed results in Harare.
Blood flows more frequently than clean water in Glenview, Budiriro or Chitungwiza. Instead of clean pipes and safe water, citizens in high density areas are surrounded by burst sewage pipes and litter. Communal boreholes and water pumps are health hazards, not givers of life. Because in this nation to be working class and living on the outskirts of Harare is a crime. Your sentence includes occasional outbreaks of typhoid and cholera. Overcrowded dwelling spaces, patchy gardens and limited public services and amenities are your lot. Your home, business, livelihoods and communities centres can be demolished within days as shown during Operation Murambastvina ( Clean up) in 2005. Mlambo ( 2008: 21) states the government launched the clean-up project as a punishment against the urban poor. This demographic were viewed as betraying the ruling party, Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). By freely exercising their right to vote, a majority of urban dwellers voted for the Movement for Democratic Change in parliamentary elections. This election saw ZANU (PF) lose its control over the urban electorate. Those in the cities defied ZANU (PF)’s authority and felt the heavy hand of the state.
There are many more moments of reactive state policies and action. The most recent seeing the state cut off internet services in Zimbabwe. The internet is key to survival of millions in this country as mobile money, Ecocash keeps the economy breathing. Not only we were cut off from the global society but we weren’t able to buy bread. Women were particularly vulnerable in this dark periodas rape and sexual violations were committed by military officers. The sexual violation of women bodies is a state sanctioned practice emerging from colonial rule. Colonial occupation erased and delegitimised the fluid nature of Zimbabwean gender and sexuality. The political project constructed racialized gendered identities and rendered black women as third class citizens. Objects to satisfy the sexual and emotional needs of men. Their social status determined by their proximity to men. It laid the foundation for the denial of rights to bodily autonomy, land ownership, safe and full sex lives, equal opportunities for learning and employment. In the same vein, men who lacked sexual prowess, economic value or physical strength were terrorised by agents of the patriarchal homophobic classist and tribalist social order.
In the beginning, I asked how do begin to re-imagine ourselves as a truly happy, prosperous and peaceful nation. I posed this question because we need to break this continuum of physical and structural violence shaping our past. Our present. Our Future. In breaking this pattern of violence and militancy, we can mend the social fabric of Zimbabwe. In this dispensation, families are reunited. Public hospitals are longer death sentences. Public servants can proudly work for the state as good working conditions and liveable wages exist. Access to clean and safe drinking water is a reality for everyone. Owning property and decent living spaces are not only for the wealthy or political elite. Girls, women, queer folk, transgender and non-binary individuals freely exist in public spaces. No longer does the state monitor who we choose to love. Or deny access to medical treatment. Our broader society does question how we dress or speak.
Dialogue not security forces will be the first point of call for the state in moments of civil unrest. Civil-Military relations are repaired as a separation between the ruling party, the state and armed forces finally occurs. Through security sector reforms, the security needs of Zimbabweans are first priority. In the third republic, those responsible for violence in the past and present are held accountable for their actions. Reconciliation and restorative justice guide our next chapter as we deal with the generational trauma inflicted in our land. Healing, Dialogue and Truth are pivotal to achieving a socially justice Zimbabwe. We must continue to speak truth to power and construct a new narrative for the nation.
