The Patriotic Front (TPF) notes with concern comments attributed to former Zanu (PF) Politburo member and former Zimbabwean Minister of Information, Professor Jonathan Moyo, on this week’s retirement of Zimbabwe Prisons Service Commander, Paradzai Zimondi.
Professor Moyo claimed on microblogging site Twitter that Commissioner Zimondi’s retirement amounted to a takeover of the country’s security services by the Zimbabwe Revolutionary Army (ZPRA), a former ZAPU military wing which fought the liberation war which the brought the country’s independence in 1980, alongside ZANLA, the former military wing of ZANU.
While we respect Professor Moyo’s freedom of speech, we however, caution that such statements are careless, add fuel to the already existing undertones and may lead to unrest within the country’s security services, thereby affecting the ordinary population which is already bearing the brunt of political polarization and economic rot.
First and foremost, Professor is in no good position to be making such comments about the ZPRA or ZANLA as he was never a member of any of these two former liberation forces, which last existed when they got integrated into the Zimbabwe National Army. To insinuate that somehow ZPRA is still alive to be able to take over the Zimbabwean security forces is both mischievous and foolish. If in Professor Jonathan Moyo’s mind ZPRA still existed, why did he not give them their war records, which were stolen and hidden by his former or present political colleagues?
The Professor has been a senior member serving in the ranks of the ruling party, which caused the untold suffering of former ZPRA forces members by both neglect and dispossession of the same people he claims are now taking over. Taking over what when they can’t even take over the properties they were dispossessed of by force by Moyo’s party?
The Professor must know that there is no more ZPRA and ZANLA, as these were demobilized four decades ago. It is the actions of people like Professor Moyo, of dividing and placing Zimbabweans into groupings of different kinds, which has led to this toxic life of unnecessary hatred among people of this nation. Such kind of toxic thinking like Moyo’s led to the darkest time of our history, when those who hallucinated about a ZPRA attempt to take over Zimbabwe carried out the mass murder of an estimated 20 000 predominantly civilian population in the 1980s. They, like Professor Moyo, deliberately ignored the fact that there was no more ZPRA or ZANLA after 1980. There is no ZANLA in existence, so there can be no ZANLA retiring.
Zimbabweans have moved on and have no time for such mischief and distraction. Zimbabweans are currently worrying about fixing the mess of poverty, hunger, corruption, mismanagement, bad governance, looting and broken economy partly caused by Professor Moyo himself. They have no time for imaginary takeovers.
Professor Moyo’s thinking is however, not surprising because it is symptomatic of the paranoia within Zanu (PF) circles. We therefore, call upon all war veterans to move away from this misleading party which is fixated in the past and join TPF and work in unison with fellow Zimbabweans to achieve the ideals of the liberation struggle, which include equality, inclusiveness, unity, a sharing of national and natural resources, diversity and economic progress for the individuals, communities and the whole nation.
Andrew Nyathi
Former ZPRA Commissar
Secretary General of The Patriotic Front (TPF)
