Recent events in Zimbabwe have seen the re-birth of ZAPU and its subsequent withdrawal from Zanu-PF, 20 years after the signing of the unity accord. Ordinary Zimbabweans the world over can not help but wonder whether that is a good thing or not. Just when they thought they had seen it all, they are again left speechless by events.
Those who have lived long enough to have seen the formation of the original ZAPU will undoubtedly remember the split that saw the emergence of Zanu as a liberation movement turned political party. These people will be the only ones who will have fond memories of ZAPU and what it stood for. They will remember stalwarts and men of integrity who founded that great liberation movement, men who lived, and sadly for others, died for what they believed in. When Joshua Nkomo signed the unity accord, that was the death knell for ZAPU. ZAPU was buried in the annals of history.
Over the years a lot of people prayed and hoped for a miraculous resurrection of the party they remember with such fondness. Young men and women grew up on stories of the struggle and of uMdala (Nkomo), Chinamano, Malunga, Dumiso (Dabengwa) and Lookout (Masuku). Every unemployed young man from Matabeleland looked to the heavens and silently mouthed why, and when. However ZAPU stayed buried. Some people have tried to use the name, hoping for that enigmatic effect on the people, to no avail. Remember the doomed Zapu 2000 party that tried and failed to imitate the real thing? Others have believed that it will take a special man to successfully resurrect ZAPU. Others have voiced, what I believe to be the most sensible thing to do: Leave ZAPU alone, do not dirty the name of THE party, its place in history is assured. ZAPU fought for the liberation of Zimbabweans and achieved that objective.
Can Dumiso Dabengwa claim to be that special man who can do the impossible and raise ZAPU from the dead? The real question is; does Zimbabwe need ZAPU at this present time?
I have never met Dabengwa and I certainly have nothing personal against him. However there are some Zimbabweans who have met the man and wished they never had. Dabengwa was the Minister of Home Affairs under the Mugabe regime for 8 years. During those years his police detained and tortured thousands of people whose only crime was to belong to the MDC. Dabengwa has uttered what many political commentators I have spoken to have termed ''the fib of the year''. He said ''When I was in government and in Zanu-PF, I used to tell Mugabe not to victimise and use violence against the MDC, but he did not listen''. A bit like Enos Nkala claiming he had no idea what the 5th Brigade was up to in Matabeleland in the early 1980s (He was minister of Defence then). If what Dabengwa is saying is true, then he needs to refund the Government of his ministerial pay for the eight years he was in office because he was definitely not doing his job! All that the police have been doing throughout his reign was crush rallies and peaceful demonstrations by the opposition as well as their favourite pastime of abducting and torturing MDC activists whilst turning a closed blind eye to the atrocities carried out by the war veterans and Zanu supporters.
For a person who claims to have been against the violence perpetrated by his own party, Dabengwa was surprisingly quiet about his true feelings. Sympathisers can turn around and say he dared not oppose Mugabe if he still valued his life. It is unfortunate that Dabengwa chose to keep his nose on the trough and continue munching alongside Mugabe. It was during this time that people like Morgan Tsvangirai, David Coltart, Welshman Ncube, and Bishop Pius Ncube amongst others were putting their very lives in jeopardy by speaking out against the same violence that Dabengwa claims to have spoken against in private. Were their lives worth less than his because they did not belong in Zanu-Pf? Maybe it was because they did not fight in the war of liberation as Zanu-Pf loves to point out.
Imagine the reaction of the world ,had one of Mugabe's top ministers, come out and publicly condemned the violence that Mugabe was actually denying existed? He might have had to flee the country if he felt that he was a target due to denouncing the violence. He definitely would not have been the first or last Zimbabwean to leave everything behind to flee torture and even death. However, Dabengwa is different from the average Zimbabwean refugee. The average refugee did not live in the lap of luxury in the low density areas of the major cities. The average refugee did not own a number of farms as well as a fat bank account that was constantly replenished by an obscene government salary every month! Not to mention the perks and allowances that come with being a minister and a war veteran. Remember this is only the income we are aware of!
If Dabengwa's silence and inaction did not disqualify him from attempting to lead any decent party in future, his actions certainly ensured that he will be remembered as an active participant in the violent uprisings that gripped Zimbabwe with the birth and rise of the MDC. Recent reports from South Africa have indicated that Dabengwa was present during some interrogations carried out by the CIO on MDC activists. Torture and severe beatings were employed on these individuals with the apparent blessings of the minister. In England amongst Zimbabwean exiles and activists, especially those from Bulawayo, Dabengwa's name is synonymous with betrayal, self-service and violence. According to eye witnesses Dabengwa and Sikhanyiso Ndlovu led a militant group of war veterans who torched the MDC offices in Bulawayo in retaliation of the burning of Ndlovu's college (ZDECO). Still not satisfied with that action they led the war veterans on a bloody trail to the Bulawayo city hall with the intention of burning it to the ground as they claimed that it was an MDC haven. Shadreck Moyo, a former employee of the Bulawayo City Council remembers how they scurried out of the building for fear of being burnt alive in the city hall. ‘‘Dabengwa was calling for Ndabeni (N Ncube-MDC Mayor of Bulawayo), saying he was a dead man. To this day, I don't know how the mayor survived or why the city hall is still standing, Dabengwa meant business!
ZAPU was an institution that was representative of all tribes in Zimbabwe, it was a national party.The fact that Zapu was a national party is as well documented and widely known as the fact that Mugabe introduced the concept of Nkomo's country (Matabeleland) and Mugabe's country (Mashonaland). Zapu was formed and led by men of integrity drawn from right across the tribal spectrum of Zimbabwe. Trying to find men who have the integrity of Nkomo, Chinamano and Tongogara and Sithole in Zimbabwe today would be like trying to find five good people in Sodom and Gomorrah! Zimbabwe is today ruled by leaders who are morally bankrupt and ethically destitute. That is why we see people whose hands are dripping of innocent blood standing up and trying to convince people that they stand for their cause.
The real ZAPU was a national party, but this new Zapu smacks of a dire attempt to play the regional, if not tribal card by Dabengwa and Co. At a time when Zimbabweans need to be united against Zanu, we have people like Dabengwa, who can not bear to accept that their 15 minutes of fame is gone, further dividing the masses. If Makoni had not barged into the presidential race, Tsvangirai would have clinched the majority needed for an outright win. That scenario is on the verge of repeating itself if Dabengwa gets his way. This is a time for all Zimbabweans to show their maturity and do what is best for Zimbabwe. The people of Matabeleland have their own problems that need to be addressed like the marginalisation of the region. But if we think that Dabengwa will be the person to solve those issues then we have a lot of learning to go through because he is not.
Xolelo Sean Sibanda writes from London England