Open Letter to General Chiwenga

Open Letter to General Chiwenga

Sinyoro. Vazungu vakabva Gouveia nengarava. Vanopira midzimu nemvura. My apologies if I got your totem wrong.

I am addressing this to you because I believe you are the man with the power to determine the direction Zimbabwe takes right now. Though it is not official, you are the man in charge.

Firstly I would like to remind you of one slogan that you used to say in those difficult days at pungwes and other dangerous situations as you put your life on the line for Zimbabwe's freedom. The days of the liberation struggle.

One man one vote.

That slogan epitomizes what you fought for. Self determination by the Zimbabwean people. The right of the Zimbabwean people to choose their leaders.

I believe your current actions are correct. Yes the people of Zimbabwe voted for Robert Mugabe, but it is clear he is increasingly incapacitated by old age. Such that his powers were being manipulated by his young wife and other usurping court jesters close to her. I agree with you. Those antics were destabilizing Zimbabwe.

Thanks to your professionalism, vigilance and able leadership of the defence forces, Zimbabwe is not in an unstable state.

As such I do not believe an interim period of stabilization is needed. We can go to elections in 90 days as stipulated by the constitution that you showed us when you announced your intention to stabilize Zimbabwe's politics.

Having a lengthy interim period can only serve patronage purposes. That is to allow some people to enjoy the benefits of power, without facing the generality of Zimbabwe's population. Nobody deserves that because they have not been voted for by the people of Zimbabwe. Only Robert Mugabe won a presidential election. Others need to win their own mandates.

However, the speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda can be acting president for 90 days. He is a neutral person in terms of those who have expressed interest in power. I have got absolute confidence in you and your ability to maintain Zimbabwe's stability under that arrangement.

Those who have expressed interest in power, vana ED, vana Joice, vana Morgiza, vana Nkosana Moyo and others, can hit the campaign trail. They need to convince us, the people of Zimbabwe, that they deserve our votes.

Aka kamukadzi aka, if she wants she can campaign too. But hehehe. Regai ndinyarare.

In terms of the Zanu-PF factional fight, give everyone a fair chance. Imposing a specific person on Zanu-PF is no different from Mugabe imposing Grace. Let Zanu-PF go to congress. Adyiwa adyiwa. The winner contests national elections and becomes president.

I recommend the above course of action to you, because it maintains the primacy of the constitution. It is also the one least likely to bring you into conflict with SADC and the African Union. With the likelihood of external intervention attempts, such a conflict will mean much worse instability for Zimbabwe than that which you prevented.

Sinyoro.
Guvheya.
Vazungu.
Vemachira machena.
Vakauya nengarava.
Vene vemagidi.

Ndateterera. Ndinzweiwo mwana wenyu.