I know that our liberation struggle history needs to be re-written. I know that our history has been manipulated and usurped to paint a select few as heroes while those who truly sacrificed much remain destitute and forgotten; that is not right.
However, let us be very clear that, simply because one fought during the struggle does not necessarily mean that they will turn out as good leaders. We have seen claims and counter claims of who did what when during the struggle. My question remains; so what?
Of course I respect and honour those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom but to me, that does not necessarily entitle them to political power nor does it mean that God deposited only in them the monopoly of wisdom. Zimbabwe has been mismanaged because of this claim that "I fought the war therefore...". In fact, many competent patriotic Zimbabweans have been crowded out of leadership positions for the wrong reasons; no wonder why we are in trouble. Liberation struggle credentials have resulted in bad decisions and bad leadership starting at state house.
For me whether Mujuru shot down a helicopter or not has absolutely nothing to do with us creating the Zimbabwe we want in the future. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether she is a good or bad leader. Our future must be significantly different from the past and it is a shame that now, in the 21st century, we still have people in ZANU (PF), thinking that they are entitled to lead simply because of their purported struggle heroics.
It is only in Africa where liberation struggle credentials continue to be abused as a right to power and privilege. Struggle heroes deserve to be honoured and remembered and that's about all; it is time they move on and let us young progressive Zimbabweans lead and create a better Zimbabwe that can compete with the rest of the world.
The power struggles within ZANU (PF) are totally irrelevant to our times. We need solutions and conversations about the future. For goodness sake, we need a new narrative for our country's future and not who shot what down whom 40 years ago!