Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe

Mbuya Pamgaimbe was the only person who remained behind in Charunda village among the supporters of the MDC who were threatened by a surge of violence by rowdy ardent self appeasing ZANU Pf party supporters. In her own words she felt that, ‘’chinouya chinondiwana ndiripano” for obvious reasons related to the issue of mobility as the fleeing group was forced to walk for more than 84 kilometers at night in the dark in the mountainous magnificent terrain of Muzarabani.

She is the classic representation of the biblical mother carrying two generations that are at war with each other. Only fate knows if she will live to see the second deliverance of Zimbabwe from the dormant chains of oppression from dictatorial rule. First she endured the suffering and sacrifice thrust upon the nation during the liberation struggle from colonial rule from the British government and now she is being subjected to incessant abuse and denial of her fundamental human rights by intransigent forces against democracy.

Mbuya Pangaimbe cannot bring herself to account for the paranoid changes that her naked eyes have seen in her 30 years troubled journey, witnessing the once celebrated, cherished guerrilla fighters/ heroes becoming ruthless and brutal villains pouncing at their own siblings.

The definition and meaning of an Independent Zimbabwe has over the years been circumvented, suppressed, muddled, misrepresented, manipulated, personalized, monopolized, turned into a fuss and a myth. In the backdrop of what is transpiring today, in an independent Zimbabwe everyone should leave in peace with full protection from the state without fear of the unknown.

• In an independent Zimbabwe, everyone should be free to choose a political party of their choice without fear of reproach or persecution.
• In an independent Zimbabwe everyone should be equal before the law regardless of tribe, race, ethnicity or political creed.
• In an independent Zimbabwe access to health care, education, shelter, employment opportunities and better standards of living should be open to all without all forms of discrimination ranging of politics to economics.
• In an independent Zimbabwe, God given human rights should be enjoyed by all not at the pleasure of political parties or man but because all human beings are born free endowed with inalienable rights upon birth.
• In an independent Zimbabwe, there should be universal suffrage, one man one vote. People should choose their own leaders through democratic free and fair elections.
• In an independent Zimbabwe leaders should be accountable to the people who elected them into office.
• In an Independent Zimbabwe, journalist should write and not have people knocking on their doors at night.
• In an independent Zimbabwe, political activities should not be associated with violence, torture, suffering, rape, abductions, arbitrary arrest, harassment, intimidation, internal displacements, and media oppression.
• In an independent Zimbabwe, there should carrier open to talent without discrimination on partisan lines
• In an Independent Zimbabwe and its vision should be shared by all men, women, children; disabled and non disabled, partisan and non partisan. All should be free to openly participate in national events and governance issues that affect the nation at large.
• An independent Zimbabwe should be the envy and not a pity among other African nations.

For Peace, Justice and Freedom

Check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/sets/72157623759903273/ for pictures of Mbuya Pangaimbe. 

“We need to constantly check if we are still heading north as our compass had always instructed, if we check our compass and it indicates that we are now heading south, we would have betrayed the blood and souls split during the war. The blood of the sons and daughters would have spilt in vain.’’ Dr Edison Zvobgo

The liberation struggle purchased through sacrificial blood the transition from an undemocratic system of governance to self rule. It was the culmination for the redefinition of the status quo, the setting up of new standards to affirm the universally set standards that human beings are made equal and therefore should be equal before the law regardless of political affiliation, tribe, and man’s intuition. Blood of gallant sons and daughters was spilt to redefine the status quo as the foundation for all generations to come, for them to cherish and guard jealously the hard won freedom upon which a liberated Zimbabwe was born.

Undeniably, the liberation struggle enabled the repossession of our country from the settler British occupants and transferred authority and power into the hands of Zimbabweans to be able to assume the right to choose their own representative leaders without persecution. The repossession meant that we became a sovereign nation responsible and accountable to everything within our borders, all kinds of wealth of resources and the different vibrant peace loving tribes who make up Zimbabwe.

Now three decades after attaining independence from colonial rule from the British, the answer to why the liberation struggle was fought remains shrouded in mystery and not shared by everyone as a national vision. There are those who claim monopoly and credit to the sacrifices that were made, some see it as a victory for autonomy to further personnel interest ahead of national ones,  others see victory as justification for the creation of an elite class with overriding monopoly of how the national treasure should be distributed while others see it as a national  symbol of  selfless sacrifice that purchased the freedom  of the people from oppression, discrimination, inequality, denial of fundamental human rights, social rights, economic rights, political rights and religious rights.

Regrettable.  The journey from the post independence era to where we are today is less reflective of the essence of why the liberation struggle for freedom was waged. The last decade has witnessed horrific events equating to a walk in the wilderness. It is as if our leaders have learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Consequently shaming deeds have been carried out systematically by a few malign, avaricious and self centered leaders to reverse the very gains of the struggle to make law unto themselves, to create new social strata of elite classes based on political patronage at the expense of the nation.

Man made calamities driven by insatiable desire to cling to power culminated into misrule, greed, corruption, culture of impunity, rigging of elections, violation of property rights, silencing of voices of reason, denial of the right to vote through inhuman degrading means. All these practices slowly crept into our nation without much attention, the seeds grew to become trees and in the face of growing agitation the trees established roots which run deep into the ground. It’s now a full blown rooted flourishing system that feeds on anything goes for its survival even destroying the environment and the eco-system.

The ripping effects of this evil system presided by an elite class of people more equal than others is now causing untold suffering causing a lot of pain to endure. Lives have been lost and a lot of blood spilt in the process. A highlight of the few chronicled events which represent this suffering include the Gukurahundi Massacre in which more than 20 000 people were butchered for political expediency, the operation Murambatsvina which saw more than 750 000 inhabitants losing their livelihoods and shelter, the election violence beginning from 2000 to 2008  saw innocent lives lost to violence, torture and intimidation for political expediency, the violent land grab resulted in chaos, widespread looting and triggered rampant inconceivable violation of human rights among white farmers, farm workers and innocent man, women and children.

 Human and political activist are being harassed, battered, abducted and tortured for exercising their rights, labor union members  are being brutalized for expressing their disgruntlement through demonstrations,  journalist  continue to be victimized for criticizing the powers that be.

 The 30th infamous celebration of our independence comes at a time when the country is being run by a coalition government that was brokered by negotiations to forge peace between warring political parties MDC and ZANU Pf, not a byproduct of the people’s voices as demonstrated by the March 29 vote. The encumbered coalition government is a marriage of convenience of two irreconcilable factions.

What is more perplexing about where we are as nation is that, the intransigent forces of democracy and good governance are still prophesying total ignorance, hardening themselves against the winds of change  blowing towards a better Zimbabwe. They want to squander every opportunity to invest into the future for the next generations to leave in harmony. The historic writing of a people’s constitution has been sabotaged left, right and centre yet it embodies what prompted the liberation fighters to take up arms- so that one day we could write our own constitution and not be bound by the undemocratic Lancaster house alien constitution.

There are those that are on the wrong side of history, standing in the way of progress hindering the decade long struggle for democracy, a culture of human rights and upholding people’s freedoms. Mired in the rhetoric of war clichés, militancy and old fashioned partisan propaganda oppressive forces want to reverse the hands of time having failed dismally to align to the new struggles of the 21st century world: the advancement of the universally cross cutting principle of the  inalienability of human rights across continents.

Failure of leadership renewal has precipitated the failure of a change to a new mindset to keep abreast with the advancement of developments that are shaping the world body politic. We are in a new world with the old way of thinking and in the end the old cap of mind is a stumbling block to the new Zimbabwe. It’s an unfortunate case of new wine in old bottles.

ROHR Zimbabwe and Victim Action Committee’s position on Zimbabwe turning 30

First and foremost ROHR Zimbabwe and VAC joins the rest of the nation to honor the gallant selfless heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Zimbabweans from oppressive rule of the colonialist and helped shape the foundation upon which the cradle of a democratic liberal society was founded. We acknowledge the commitment and laborious prolonged protracted process which brought about the independence of our beloved country to affirm the rights of all.

We also continue to honor those new heroes and heroines who continue to fall in the fight for democracy and human rights to further the noble work that was chartered by our torch bearers who began the struggle for people’s rights and freedom from as far back as 1963. Understanding that the liberation struggle was a fight for human rights, we hold that our independence is a lost cause of mixed feelings if three decades down the line people are being persecuted and oppressed for political expediency and personal interest. The plight of suffering Zimbabweans as a result of manmade catastrophes is a major cause of concern.

We condemn in strongest terms all those who standing in the path of building a democratic society that is built on ideals of equality, the rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance, transparency, accountability, equality, non discrimination, fairness, respect for humanity.

We affirm that the only acceptable credible methodology for Zimbabwe to be restored to its respectable position is through the holding of a free and fair election, in which people exercise their fundamental right of choosing a leader who is accountable to them for the simple reason that they chose him/her.  The elections should be held in a free environment supervised by international observers devoid of intimidation, coercion and persecution to protect the voice of the people.

As ROHR Zimbabwe and VAC we affirm our energies towards returning Zimbabwe to the apex of the vanguard of upholding human rights in the continent. As in the words of Zimbabwe’s first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, ‘’Zimbabwe does not belong to us, but rather it has been loaned to us by the next generation. It is our duty that we make it a better place for the next generation.’’

For Peace, Justice and Freedom