By Nelson Chamisa
Today was a special day for me. Special in ways more than one as I spent the greater part of the day in Court. It dawned on me that as Zimbabweans we have lost everything to the extent that there is nothing else to lose.
A few days ago, I came across a very emotional video on Facebook. The video was very short, just about 2 minutes but I could not stomach the pain of our parents, our heroes, brothers and sisters, comrades and patriots who fought in the liberation struggle for this very land we stand on. Yes, this very beautiful and Great Zimbabwe, the land of stone.
They were standing in solidarity with our brother and comrade Douglas Mahiya who has become the latest victim on the long list of revolutionary fathers being consumed by the very ‘revolution’.
Their crime, my brothers and sisters, is that they have ideas, just like Pastor Evan Mawarire, Promise Mkwananzi, Linda Masarira and the unaccounted for Itai Dzamara, and many other peace loving Zimbabweans who were and are being persecuted just for sharing their ideas and thoughts for this great nation.
I felt so compelled by the situation that the political tinder box has created that I chose to show up at the magistrates court, also in solidarity. It turned out to be a very sad yet unique day.
Sad because I met with various war veterans and had a one-on-one with most of these esteemed citizens. I failed to comprehend how much they have been driven to the cliff, how much they have been strangled by grief and how much they have lost under the current dispensation.
Our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters who sacrificed their livelihoods for our independence have been robbed of hope and dignity, they have lost opportunities for their children and grandchildren and above all they have lost the promise of this great country. The very essence of their struggle has been violated by those whom they have entrusted with their future.
It was a sad day because just as we were getting out of the courtroom walking side by side with Cde Victor Matemadanda, the Cde was dramatically snatched and arrested under my watch and at the court room entrance. We had just exchanged greetings and as we started to get in conversation, the man was arrested and will possibly go through the same cycle of agony and embarrassment.
But, it was also a unique day in a way. Unique because a lot of people from across the social and political divide as well as civil society, showed up in solidarity with Cde Douglas Mahiya.
Unique, because for the first time since the inclusive government, I met my former Cabinet mate Dr Joyce Mujuru in person and in the courtroom, also standing in solidarity with fellow comrades.
In times like these we should stand and act together as a people. We must rally behind and stand in support of the voices and faces of the soon coming New Zimbabwe.
As a nation, we need to holistically look at this horrific abuse of the citizenry and objectively calculate how far we can go at this rate. The courts are supposed to be the oasis of effective justice, the last pillar of self defense by a tormented people but it would it appear that this pillar is being tested and shaken.
Of late, the constitution is also under constant testing and retesting to the profit of jurisprudence
I have come to the conclusion that as a people, we have lost everything we possibly could in this country. We have lost our dignity, our legacy, identity and livelihood. We are a peace people, a great great humble and loving people and all that we have lost. More fundamentally we have lost a country as we have also lost a lot of time.
We need our nation back, we need our pride back and with it our Ubuntu. We are a great people, but we have been driven to a point where we have nothing else to lose. And I mean it, we have #nothingtolose
Think Excellence, Think Difference, Think Brilliance!!
