Sometimes, of course, our politicians pretend to ignore the definition of a hero; a man who is idealized for possessing superior qualities in any field. More than thirty years since the fall of Rhodesia, Zimbabwe's ruling government has still not learned that the war that brought us independence was not fought by ZANU (PF) alone. Robert Mugabe and his Politburo have had their own version of good hero, bad hero. So now we know. The latest edition to the long list of national heroes, Edgar Tekere who once played the hard man, was too courageous, too brilliant, principled, charming and a true comrade.
Did I neglect to mention that the former Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) leader was a womaniser, murderer and too controversial? It's because that's not the Zimbabwe way. You see, these fine words about heroism in our context are lost and argued ad hominem when the possibility of a heroic individual hostile to Mugabe and his party being dead is faced. And yet we repeatedly told that a liberation war credentials is the only criterion for granting such honour: hence it is worth our support.
There is, in short, very little that is actually startling in ZANU (PF) now: the same old witnesses who never paint a true portrait of what happened during the war, What we know is no less important for our judgement of course. THe late Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole of ZANU (Ndonga) and Maurice Nyagumbo were both former members of ZAPU before switching sides. Nyagumbo committed suicide to save his face from corruption uncovered in the Willogate scandal and was subsequently granted national hero status in 1989. Sithole was never recognised at death. Instead, despite his poor health, Mugabe 'fabricated treason charges' against him and continued his assault until he secured a conviction. Tekere on the other hand in 1989 accused Mugabe of corruption, then expelled from ZANU (PF) and a year later formed ZUM. He then went on to form an alliance with the much hated Bishop Abel Muzorewa in 1994 after failing to unseat Mugabe in the previous election.
Given their known contribution to our nation, Sithole and Muzorewa are not the only victims of this sinister ploy by the Politburo. There are many other independent and opposition politicians in Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who bravely fought for our independence, endured apartheid at its worst submissively and suffered brutality like any other Zimbabwean but ZANU (PF) takes a dim view of bad heroes and heroines. There are many great sportsmen, talented artists and scientists who have done our country proud and made great contributions to our nation, but politicians are wrong to ignore their heroism because they did not support ZANU (PF) or did not fight in a war. Even when marriages break up it doesn't stop people from reflecting on the good times they have had together. What worries me is that my country will remain divided on this thorny issue until the Politburo abandons its one sided policy of unconditional appointments for its loyalists to this tax payer-funded facility. In any fair way, ordinary citizens must decide who they want there.
Grown up politics is what ZANU (PF) need to move beyond and indeed reading some of Aristotle's work may be worthwhile. For Aristotle (384-322 BC), the Greek philosopher paid attention and more respect to tutor Plato: the purpose of politics is not only to ease economic exchange and provide for the common defense; it is also to encourage good character and form good citizens.
Our economy has been losing momentum since independence. In an age of austerity, where even the world's great economies are struggling, I must admit that the cost of maintaining such a luxury has become more expensive to service. We should not overlook the fact that every child born since 1980 owes a lifelong financial debt to the war of independence. In her book The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein describes a long time South African antiapartheid activist, Rassool Snyman, as saying "They never freed us. They only took the chain from around our neck and put it on our ankles". Snyman was pointing to ANC's failure to implement the promises synthesized in 1955's Freedom Charter. I am afraid to say Zimbabwe and its 'born free' are in no better position.
My current frustration is that our politicians see liberation as a gift to the nation or a self-achievement. They view public funds as their personal wealth. What we owe the heroes of this bygone struggle is a moral debt and no reparation should be made for civic virtue. It is therefore unfitting that a country struggling with its economy should continue to pay hefty pensions, increasing wealth without end to a few war veterans while they plot their next evil deed. It is unfitting that those very same thugs who have chained democracy and wreaked a ruthless terror on innocent citizens continue to have huge pay cheques, even in death for their surviving families. More worryingly, all paid for by their victims.
What is fitting is that these so-called 'heroes' should be taxed on death or during their lifetime and pay for the upkeep of 'their shrine', their own estates. There should be no question of who is liable because they know each other; it's only a matter of who the heavens call first. They have stripped the country of its assets and looted from the poor. ZANU (PF) like the ANC broke with the past as Francis Fukuyama put in his End of History and The Last Man, abandoned their Lenin-Marxist ideologies that they were always supposed to be for. It is indescribably dreadful how they have already undermined freedom rather than increasing it, by turning civic duty in to tradable goods as argued by Rousseau in The Social Contract (1762). Their widows and children are equally rich and should not be looked after at the tax payer's expense. I am convinced of this, given our scarce resources, deal with this obvious injustice.
If this proves painfully inadequate and in case the insane, greedy, shameless ZANU (PF) Politburo refuse to pay for their resting place, certainly I call all Zimbabweans to push for reforms that could eventually shut down that shrine. My understanding of social reality is; there is nothing wrong with burying them at one of their multiple farms as my family lay at rest at Mawire village in Buthera. After all, there are many forgotten heroes scattered across Mozambique and Zambia who never made it back home. Otherwise, funds saved from this misadventure could be put to better public services and free the children of Zimbabwe of unnecessary debt.
The heroes acre has been unpopular with many Zimbabweans for obvious reasons. It has failed to serve its purpose. Instead of uniting us, it has further infuriated apartheid: "apartness" in independent Zimbabwe. It will be an understatement to suggest that I see our politicians like George Orwell's pigs in Animal Farm, and endorsement of an earlier column by Dr Alex Magaisa on NewZimbabwe.com. Each time I reflect on Harare's Warren Park Hill, I see a monumental blunder. You decide!
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