Oppression, brutality: Zim has a long way to go

TUESDAY November 21, 2017 was a historic day for the people of Zimbabwe as they celebrated the news of former President Robert Mugabe’s resignation after close to four decades of ruining the country.

His resignation was welcomed universally. It had always been said that Mugabe must go.

Today, he is gone, but we remain privy to the fact that it is still game on until we attain the full package of freedom for the people of Zimbabwe.

Mugabe’s resignation was a victory for the people. He had to go and he did go.

The fight against Mugabe and Zanu PF began a long time ago. It dates way back to the days of Edgar Tekere and Patrick Kombayi (both late), among other patriotic Zimbabweans who sacrificed their lives to fight dictatorship.

Picking from these efforts, in 1999, MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai was clear and remained clear until his death that the citizens need to see a purely free and democratic Zimbabwe.

The students, civic society, churches, youths and the entire populace have exhibited great commitment in fighting for the democratisation of the nation.

Zimbabweans need to remain united and create dialogue around the critical issue of electoral reforms to pave way for free and fair elections, where everyone will have the opportunity to elect a leader of their choice.

Ours should be a peaceful struggle based on democratic principles, where we will only seek our mandate from the electorate.

Never should we resort to violence or seek a helping hand from the military to land ourselves in government.

Every Zimbabwean citizen must register as a voter and go on to exercise their right to vote in the next election because real freedom is found in the ballot box.

As a nation, we were liberated from colonial rule by our esteemed war veterans, but the liberation did not culminate in our freedoms. We, therefore, have a responsibility to ensure that we claim our victory through the ballot box.

An elected government should guarantee that the nation enjoys free and fair elections which will allow citizens to elect a leader of their choice and usher in uncontested outcomes.

It is in everyone’s best interests and priority to deal decisively with the challenge of unemployment and create avenues of job creation.

Education should regain its status as a right, unlike the current situation where it has become a privilege to those who can afford.

Loans and grants should be back for students enrolled at tertiary level to ease the financial burden on students and their families.

A caring government should foster the spirit of inclusion, where everyone will be awarded equal opportunities and marginalisation of certain groups will become a thing of the past.

The youth and women quotas must be upheld unconditionally. Freedom to the people of Zimbabwe can never be sufficient if we continue having some individuals subjected to languish in prison based on their political activism.

A purely independent and judicious Judiciary system that guarantees justice should be established, not one which is compromised based on political party lines.

Yes, Mugabe is gone, but that does not mean the struggle is over. We still have a task, an enormous one ahead of us.

The former President was just but part of what we are fighting against. Today, he has been replaced by his long-time aide, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The system of oppression, destruction, corruption and patronage which these two represent should fall with them.

When the country reverts back to normal and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission opens up the voter registration process, let us all register to vote so that together we achieve total freedom come 2023 through the ballot box.