“What kind of leaders would the armed struggle throw up?” Was the rhetorical question Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, and the other leaders asked themselves.

“And are those the men and women we would want to rule India?”

Writes Patrick Guramatunhu:

India did not wage an armed struggle to end British rule and when the country finally gained her independence the nation ripped its reward – it had competent men and women humble enough to accept that they are fallible mortals.

Nehru and others embraced the democratic ethos that every citizen has right to a meaningful say in who governed the country. And, more significant, embraced the possibility that armed struggle leaders would be tempted to impose their will on the unarmed civilians.

Zimbabwe’s armed struggle forced the white colonialists to give up power but only to for the liberators to set themselves up as the new oppressors. “Zanu PF yakashungunura nyika akashungirira vanhu!” (Zanu PF liberated the country but not the people!) as my late mother would say.

Our war of independence did throw up leaders who believe that they have the divine right to rule Zimbabwe as they saw fit.

“We are the stockholders of Zimbabwe and everyone else is a stakeholder!” said Victor Matemadanda. He was expressing a view passionately held by Zanu PF members and the war veterans.

As stockholders, they have the veto, exemplified by Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers to rig elections to guarantee no regime change.

We, ordinary people, the stakeholders, have the meaningless vote as elections were routinely rigged to deliver Zanu PF landslide victories.

The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems is the country’s failure to remove Zanu PF from office even when there was overwhelming evidence the party’s leaders were corrupt and incompetent.

The corollary is equally true; the only solution to Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems is stopping Zanu PF rigging elections to ensure free, fair and credible election.

In other words, the one change the nation has been dying for these last 38 years is to have democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections implemented. Without free and fair elections all hope of a just and peaceful political system and economic recovery and prosperity will remain a pipedream!

“I am aware that many will have a difficult Christmas,” Mnangagwa acknowledge in his Christmas message to the nation. “I encourage all of us to be patient, resilient and to work harder in collective unity, as we create a better, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe for all.”

This is all wishful thinking of course Mnangagwa has just rigged the recent elections and thus failed to deliver on the one change without which there will never be any meaningful political and economic change.

For the last 38 years, Zanu PF has promised the nation a better life and yet years after year the situation has got worse and worse. Mnangagwa is asking the nation to be patient. Patient for five more years of heart-breaking human misery whilst Zanu PF blundering from pillar to post!

And worst of all, Mnangagwa is asking the people of Zimbabwe to be patient and let him remain in office until 2023. If Zanu PF remained in power until 2023 we can be 100% certain the party will rig those elections to extend its rule by yet another five years!

The people of Zimbabwe should have never allowed Zanu PF thugs to deny them their birth-right to a meaningful vote. We have allowed the thugs to ride roughshod over our freedoms and rights and have paid dearly for our folly and after 38 years, with the nation in a real economic and political mess the cry to end the madness of appeasing Zanu PF thugs is deafening. Sadly there a few who still want to appease Zanu PF thugs!

“I get attacked for having faith in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s sincerity in changing Zimbabwe,” twittered Trevor Ncube, CEO and owner of NewsDay, The Standard and Zimbabwe Independent newspapers.

“I perfectly understand why some people are angry with me. I have met the man and am convinced he is committed to durable change. In any case I can’t see anybody else with potential to deliver change.”

No Mr Ncube, you think you understand what is going on here but actually you have no clue. Let us just consider three key points:

1. Your faith in Mnangagwa’s commitment to deliver durable change is clearly misplaced. The only durable change in Zimbabwe has to start with implementing the democratic reforms and holding free, fair and credible elections. Mnangagwa has stubbornly refused to implement even one reform since taking over from Mugabe and then blatantly rig the 2018 elections. He did not stop there, he went on even further to shoot dead six civilians, just to underline that he would shed even more innocent blood in his resolve to hang on to power at all cost.

Lest we forget, Mnangagwa and his junta staged a military coup for the sole purpose of wrestling power from Mugabe and the the G40 faction. And before the coup it was Mnangagwa and his junta who had played the major role in creating and retaining the Zanu PF dictatorship. Mnangagwa has no intention of dismantling the dictatorship and the commitment to change. What Mr Ncube is talking about is delusion.

2. “I can’t see anybody else with potential to deliver change!” Of all the feeble excuses that takes the biscuit. So because Ncube cannot see anyone else capable of delivering change he going to support a corrupt and murderous tyrant whose actions has already proven beyond all doubt that he does not want change!

3. The political environment in Zimbabwe is like a lifeless sewage pond and hence the reason there are no quality leaders on either side of the political divide.

The way forward is for country to appoint an interim administration whose number one task will be to implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed at the onset of the 2008 GNU.

The reforms will free state institutions like ZEC, Police and Judiciary to play their part in delivering free, fair and credible elections. The reforms will also end the present culture of stifle debated and democratic competition, this will air the pond to allow life to return and thrive.

Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta rigged the recent elections. They have no mandate to govern. They are illegitimate. They must step down.

Fighting in the liberations war is no excuse for Zanu PF thugs to grant unto themselves the dictatorial powers to deny the ordinary Zimbabweans their birth-right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.

It is tragic that this tyrannical mentality was ever allowed to take root in Zimbabwe and to last all these last 38 years. It must be stamped out immediately!

What Zimbabwe needs right now is man, men, woman or women who will stand-up and look Mnangagwa and his junta straight in the eyes and tell them in no uncertain terms that they are illegitimate and must step down!

“All right, I’ll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I’ll tear them apart!” said the cowardly lion in Wizard of Oz. Next line he was asking everyone “Talk me out of it!”

We are looking for a courageous lion and we got someone worse that the cowardly lion!

“I have faith in Mnangagwa’s sincerity to deliver change!” says Trevor Ncube. Zimbabwe’s dandy-lion has not only talked himself out of standing up to ED but is now talking us all to follow his cowardly and foolish example!

After 38 years of appeasing Zanu PF thugs at the cost of dragging the whole nation right up to the very edge of the abyss; it is time to say enough is enough.

It is time for this nation to deal with its thorny problems and end the heart breaking human suffering and deaths brought on by our failure to accept that our war of independence did throw up corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical leaders whom we have foolishly rewarded with absolute power.

Mnangagwa and his junta are illegitimate and they must step down; this is not negotiable!