An insurmountable legacy

A CENTURY has defined generations, and seven years short of a century, it is quite remarkable to reflect on the almost century that we have been blessed to have in the life of President Mugabe.

That President Mugabe is a scholar, an achievement that is often on the lips and minds of many, usually masks the considerable achievements he has made in other fields of endeavour.

It would be a miss by a mile, to chronicle the life of President Mugabe from the baby steps of 1924 to the present, without any mention of how he has defined world politics.

Zimbabwe, by any measure a miniscule component of Mother Earth, is known from pole to pole, in large part due to President Mugabe’s unwavering statesmanship.

Deep down in the middle of, say Greenland, it should come as no surprise to get an inquiry on how President Mugabe is doing. That legacy, which straddles borders and boundaries, imagined and real, draws entirely from a steadfast implementation of the land reform programme.

Even those who hate President Mugabe with a passion-and-half have smiles that they may never publicly share, when they think of the highly successful land reform, which has been spurred on by Command Agriculture.

It should be a chorus by now, even in pre-schools, the transformation from the single bottle-necked university nation we inherited in 1980, to the present academia which is driving world economics, politics, engineering, scholarship, entertainment, sport, you name it.

This is all thanks to the vision and aspirations of a Zvimba-born herdboy to turn the world around.

Even in Biblical times, prophets were never celebrated in their own backyards. Quite regrettable, indeed. Whilst many might be blinded to the achievements and legacy of Robert Mugabe, precisely on the simple assumption that it is Robert Mugabe, we should be bold enough to declare, for posterity, that it might not be our generation, or maybe the next one, to appreciate and fully benefit from President Mugabe’s vision and leadership.

The strides that have been made on the health front do not need any further prodding; the results are there for all to see.

Just a sneak peek into our HIV/ Aids campaign, and how our model has become the envy of, not only the region, but the international community, speaks volumes of a leadership that has always been keeping an eye on posterity.

Admirers and haters of President Mugabe, of course, should take a leaf from his personality.

That of resilience, consistency and being steadfast.

Even the South Africans, saddled with the land question for centuries, are, even without admitting it publicly, inspired by President Mugabe’s way of doing business.

We will, closely, be following how they will work their things out.

The celebrations from yesterday are long gone into the books of history, but our collective psyche should never be tempted to deviate from the values and norms bestowed on us, as a nation, region and continent, by President Mugabe.

We should be grateful that, from the class of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, Samora Machel, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, we still have Robert Mugabe to conserve with, consult with, seek advice from.

It makes a rare breed and generation — and we should take advantage of that time.

We wish you many more years to come, President Mugabe, so that we can keep drawing from your vision and dreams.