A time to reflect

Zimbabwe celebrates 42 years of independence from colonial rule on Monday. In a first since 1980, the main celebrations will be held in Bulawayo at Barbourfields Stadium.

The independence did not come on a silver platter: it came after a protracted armed struggle in which thousands of lives were lost.

Some went to war and never came back. Others are buried at the National Heroes Acre, provincial heroes acres and in mass graves in Zimbabwe and outside the country’s borders.

The war of liberation was intended to bring universal suffrage, freedom of expression and association and access to the means of production.

Universal suffrage has been attained and freedom of association is in place, more so in politics where there have been a number of political formations, notwithstanding that some have been fly by night and making up the numbers.

The fast track land reform exercise has given landless citizens access to the means of production. Some have been industrious and have taken over in cash crops such as tobacco. There are some loose ends that have to be tied especially on the tenure system.

The 99-year leases have not been accepted by banks as collateral and this has hamstrung efforts to get funding for agriculture as farmers do not have the security to borrow from financial institutions.

Regrettably, there is a new breed of multiple farm owners who are holding onto the land for speculative purposes. They are leasing out the farms and pocketing the proceeds. Despite plans to audit land ownership to flush out multiple farmer owners, the wheels have been moving slowly.

A new class searches for productive farms and move in during harvest time with an offer letter. They will gloat that land reform exercise was a success leaving former owners stewing in death.

Some residents have not had running water for more than a decade. The buck stops with central government as local authorities have been decimated following the removal of the executive mayorship.

Refuse has not been collected in ages while the infrastructure in most urban areas has all but collapsed.

While the colonial system ensured that a few benefitted, that system has been replicated with a few connected having access to the national cake under the slogan “it’s our time to eat”.

These mostly pot-bellied beneficiaries cruise on the potholed roads with the latest SUVs, unperturbed by the rising fuel prices. They are living in their own world, outside the Zimbabwe where the majority of the workers earn below the ZWL$92,000 monthly bread basket and are part of the working poor.

The connected few have been grouped along tribal lines as they get seats on the exclusive gravy train.

As thousands throng stadia on Monday, they have to reflect on the journey travelled, hits and misses in the comfort that they are the masters of their own destinies. Happy independence Zimbabwe.