Life, as they say, has a way of throwing curveballs at us, and among the most unexpected of mine, was the journey from the heart of Zimbabwe to the prison cells of the UK. The landscape of my life has been a blend of political passion and a quest for justice, but before we delve into the intricate dance of politics and military in Zimbabwe, let’s draw a parallel.
Imagine owning a property constantly threatened by vagabonds, and you have dogs to guard against such threats. Naturally, you’d spoil these dogs, ensuring their loyalty and protection. This narrative, although not about dogs or property rights, draws a parallel to Zanu PF’s perception of citizens as threats to its power, with the military being the ‘spoiled dogs’ tasked with quelling these perceived threats.
In any setup, if the dogs aren’t well-fed, they either find a new master or turn against you. The military, under Zanu PF’s leash, requires a constant ‘spoiling’. A case in point is the 300 newly appointed lieutenant-colonels awaiting luxury vehicles, a ‘thank you’ for their role in the illegal coup that ensured Zanu PF’s power continuity. Ironically, the bill for this opulence is footed by overtaxed Zimbabweans, 5.5 million of whom are facing starvation.
The focus here isn’t on the military high ranks but on the foot soldiers deployed on streets to strip citizens of their constitutional rights to assembly and expression. These men and women, unlike their bosses, don’t have access to luxury cars or medical treatment in foreign lands. Their children attend under-resourced public schools with striking teachers, yet they are the ones doing the dirty work for Zanu PF to maintain its illegitimate grip on power.
Zanu PF, aiming to centralize power and ensure military loyalty, resorts to an economic maneuver known as quantitative easing. This deceptive term essentially refers to the government’s overzealous printing of money, in Zimbabwe’s case, pumping out largely worthless paper to cushion the military against inflation. However, this preferential treatment towards the military assumes they are the only faction affected by the inflation triggered by Zanu PF’s economic mismanagement.
This isn’t a demonstration of goodwill by Zanu PF but a preemptive strategy to deter rightful power acquisition by the people. It’s a resistance against a much-needed power transition towards a development and economic growth-oriented governance, as showcased by the vibrant opposition during the Government of National Unity.
The irony of Zanu PF’s strategy is that by injecting ‘helicopter money’ into the economy to pacify the military, they are exacerbating the very problem they aim to mitigate— inflation. This creates a vicious cycle where the general populace is excluded from any economic interventions meant to alleviate the economic stress endured by the same citizens perceived as threats by Zanu PF.
As the relaxed lockdown follows in the wake of this military-targeted quantitative easing, it’s clear that Zanu PF’s antics are strategic, aimed at keeping power even if it means blinding the military with largely useless currency in an informally redollarized economy. The relaxed lockdown, marked by a high cost of living and eroded purchasing power, showcases Zanu PF’s blatant disregard for both the military and the citizens it purportedly serves. Through this, the narrative reveals a dire need for change, democracy, and national healing, standing in stark contrast to Zanu PF’s oppressive governance model.
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