HOMOSEXUALITY is not the real problem afflicting Zimbabwe. The real problem is political, more precisely President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF’s stranglehold on power, not wanting to let go of power though failing to deliver.
There is a wide range of vices that has taken hold of Zanu PF elite that Mugabe deliberately turns a blind eye to. On April 18 2014, when making his speech, Mugabe talked less harshly about corruption in his Zanu PF party and government officials.
Whilst he was talking about corruption in the country he looked sleepy and exhausted. Gosh the man woke up when he started talking about homosexuality. He knows how to fool Zimbabweans always and anytime. Homosexuality is his ace card.
You can fool some people some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Zimbabwe’s president has fooled us for too long. Mugabe has nothing left to talk about save homosexuality or sanctions. He knows well how to sing about these issues and make the foolish dance until they break their legs.
With very little funding and so many corrupt officials around him, ZimAsset is not going to take off. ZimAsset is a horse without legs. One should never put their bet on such horses.
During the constitution-making process, homosexuality was debated prominently on all State media. It was the only constitutional issue that was allowed to be debated live on ZTV, all radio stations, the Sunday Mail and The Herald.
The more important and sensitive issues of the Constitution, however, were not allowed to be debated publicly. Bread and butter issues were left out. When people were allowed to debate about homosexuality, it looked as if it was the determining factor about the Constitution.
Issues like limiting or controlling the extent of the powers of the executive or devolution were a taboo during constitution-making. The information ministry tactfully chose homosexuality as the core issue of the Constitution and it was discussed at length.
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Even now it is one of the few cards Mugabe has in his hand to sway the feelings and emotions of the general populace. He used it on Independence Day and we saw the Zanu PF elite laughing slyly. They know the card works.
Well, when I go around, I don’t see homosexuals. I see poverty, hunger, potholes on the roads, uncollected garbage everywhere. I see a fat corrupt Zanu PF elite driving posh cars, while the majority of civil servants, junior ranked police and army and air force officials are poorly paid and walk on foot.
I also see a lot of unemployed people wearing dejected faces. I see a collapsed economy and a defiant Zanu PF. I see dilapidated schools, hospitals and colleges.
Recently I visited an aunt at Rusape hospital at twilight. There was no electricity at the hospital, no medicine, and there were no doctors. Despite all this, Mugabe forces us to turn our faces only towards a homosexuality phenomenon which is not apparent.
In Uganda Yoweri Museveni is using the same strategy to stay in power. He has recently signed a Bill that criminalises homosexuality. Museveni has been in power for decades and the Ugandan economy is performing dismally, thanks to his mismanagement and blind eye to corruption.
Museveni knows well to hide behind this homosexuality mantra. Divide and rule. Hungry, unemployed poverty stricken youths in Uganda spend days and days chasing homosexuals and trying to kill them.
They forget their real problem. Politics in Africa is about using each other – more particularly the youths. Politics in Africa is about creating zombies. Zombies don’t think; they just act to devour the next person.
So let not the Zimbabwean be made to forget what he really to fight for. The struggle for the Zimbabwean should be for freedom from Zanu PF oppression, a fight against Zanu PF corruption, a fight against Zanu PF-induced economic failure and a fight against Mugabe’s tyranny.
Above all this, the Zimbabwean should struggle to unseat this illegitimate Zanu PF government. The Zimbabwean should realize the enemy within, that is, Zanu PF. Zanu PF stifles freedom of expression, association and the right to protest against a government that refuses to be accountable to the people.
Zanu PF stifles economic growth through bad policies and looting.
So, I repeat, peaceful protests and industrial action are the only way that is going to bring a change of government. Forget about the Zanu PF controlled ballot system.
Zanu PF registers voters and consolidates the voters’ roll, prints the ballots, distributes the ballots, presides at the polling station, counts the ballots or manipulates them.
Security service chiefs have all sworn total allegiance to Zanu PF and cannot be counted on to bring Zanu PF to justice. Given this, there is guarantee that the government-appointed and controlled ZEC will administer the election with only one motive, to recycle Zanu PF back to power.
Mugabe also selects as election monitors, only organisations and countries he fully knows will endorse his election victory, no matter how crooked.
Botswana recently said it will no longer waste its resources taking part in monitoring or endorsing these predetermined elections.
The Zimbabwean has to know that it is not homosexuality that is the problem, but the opportunity cost of Mugabe and his Zanu PF mis-governance, pillaging and resource plundering, corruption, intransigence, greediness, and incompetence.
What we need is economic growth and an improved standard of living for the Zimbabwean.
But Mugabe knows best too, just like his Ugandan counterpart, to hide behind . . . and sing from the anti-homosexuality hymn, and they slumber.
Zanda Shumba — Originally published by New Zimbabwe
