All critical leaders of the struggle should be in exile

Re: Tsvangirai should be home with the people?


President Tsvangirai

By John Huruva in London
I felt it necessary to respond to Tanonoka Joseph Whande's article on why he felt Tsvangirai should be home with the people. It is important for readers to understand the history of liberation movements in Africa and elsewhere. Zimbabwe is practically a war zone characterised by abductions, murders, rapes, arson attacks and absence of law and order. This is exactly what it was like during the liberation period.

In similar circumstances, Robert Mugabe , Joshua Nkomo, Oliver Thambo, Thabo Mbeki, Sam Nojuma, Nelson Mandela (in prison) etc were all in the REAR and never pulled a trigger against an enemy. It is stupid and daft to sacrifice your leader when he/she is supposed to provide strategic leadership and police initiatives. Look at what happened to Chris Hani in SA. He shown himself up in an exclusive White surburb and by so doing he exposed himself as fodder to the enemy.

Just imagine the environment were Perence Shiri is shot, Manyika is killed in a "road accident", Chinotimba is recovering from another "road accident" who the hell is Tsvangirai to be spared under these conditions? "Robbers" and "Road Accidents" can easily claim his life. There is a big lesson we seem to overlook. A friend of mine reminded me that, "John, do you remember that all liberation movements used violence to achieve their goal?" He went on to say, "it is precisely for that reason that to this day these movements think that every problem has to be resolved by violence." This is very true of the developments in Zimbabwe today. Zanu PF (old ZANU and old ZAPU (the swallowed one ) have found it difficult to evolve into democratic parties and worse still is that they now believe in their own propaganda such as "we are in this mess because of Brown and Bush" and "now that we have arrested cholera --".

Please Mr Whande, instead of saying people are saying a, b and c, we should use our influence and access to media to enlighten each other on what is best for our country. Mr Tsvangirai will never utter the words you are asking him to say. He will always have a diplomatic response to the issue. A dead Tsvangirai is no good to Zimbabwe. Come on guys, lets give Tsvangirai his dues. He is the only Zimbabwean to take on ZANU PF as epitomised by Mugabe. Hats off to all those guys in opposition who are trying to peacifully democratise Zimbabwe. The civil society should be mentioned in the same breath.



John Huruva



The fight for freedom and justice in Zimbabwe is not going to end with Mugabe's departure.