Franz Fannon said that every “generation must discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it”. Zimbabwe’s young people have discovered that their generational mission is to transition Zimbabwe from the 1st Republic to the 2nd Republic. Young people will vote for Chamisa because, to fulfil their generational mission, they must mandate him to lead that transformational responsibility.
By Honourable Patrick Zhuwao
Young people will vote for Chamisa because he represents the future; a future that starts with dreams. Chamisa dares to dream of an exciting future Zimbabwe with state of the art infrastructure like bullet trains. Chamisa’s ability to dream about our future, provides us with the motivation to face the future. The Junta government has no dream or vision because all they want is to retain power for purposes of protecting themselves from previous human rights violations and nothing more.
Young people will vote for Chamisa because he is youthful, energetic and accessible. Chamisa is the effective embodiment of Zimbabwe’s young people who make up the majority of our population. As a nation, we needs to depart from the archaic 20th Century leadership of dinosaurs like Mnangagwa who is not even ashamed that he has not had an email address up till now. Young people will vote for Chamisa to take Zimbabwe’s leadership into the 21st century where leaders like Macron of France, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Justin Trudeau of Canada and other young leaders are introducing governance to the digital age.
Young people will vote for Chamisa to ensure that our governance institutions are civilian led. Young people will vote for Chamisa in the comfort that those that differ with his government can sleep peacefully knowing the gun is not an option for their government. None of us can guarantee that under Mnangagwa and Chiwenga the army cannot be abused again to meet their political objectives.
Young people will vote for Chamisa to send a message and a rebuke to the any further unconstitutional change of governments such as what happened during the 15 November 2017 coup. Whilst it can be argued that it was time for President Mugabe to step aside, the method of using the gun to remove leadership is a dangerous precedent for future governments in this country. A vote for Chamisa will give correction to the history lesson that guns and tanks must never be used to change government.
Young people will vote for Chamisa to reassert the Zimbabwean people’s sovereignty to choose their leaders. Young people’s choice to vote for Chamisa will rebuke the excitable endorsement of illegal regimes by foreign political and economic powers for their own benefit. These foreign powers have been pinning their hopes on Mnangagwa’s illegitimacy. They continue to use Mnangagwa’s quest for acceptance to blackmail him into giving away Zimbabwe’s wealth under the mantra that Zimbabwe is open for business when in effect they are forcing Mnangagwa to open Zimbabwe for further looting.
Young people will vote for Chamisa because Zimbabwe’s transition from the 1st Republic to the 2nd Republic in an inclusive process in which each and every Zimbabwean has a role. For young people to be able to participate in that patriotic duty, they need a leader that allows them the space to flourish. Young people need a leader that allows them the opportunity to dream of the future that will be ushered in by the 2nd Republic. Young people will vote for Chamisa because, like them, he dares to dream of the bright future of the 2nd Republic.
Iwe Neni Tine Basa. Umsebenzi lo Umkhulu Asante Sana