It is a sunday afternoon am in the middle of Perth Australia outside a church biulding. A small crowd is already gathering, there are a couple of television crew setting up their gear.
Rimbidzai Tsvangirai is dressed in a white tshirt with MDC slogans written all over. She is twenty two years old and today for the first time she is here to make a statement on the political situation back in Zim. The atmosphere is electric.
The rally starts with heated Zimbabwe chants..
New Zimbabwe!
Mugabe Out!
MDC a new beginning!
The convenor of the rally narrates how Zim has fought against oppression for a long time and the songs that they used to sing when ZanuPF was spearheading the independence struggle are still relevant today. He invokes the spirits of the ancestors to join in the liberation of Zimbabwe...
The next speaker is a representative from the Workers Union of WA who points out that the struggle of the people of Zim is the struggle of the worker, it is the struggle of men and women who desire and wish for peace...There is a mock election held to gauge the view of the Zimbabweans present in the rally...
We then sing the national anthem of Zim and Rimbidzai is invited to address the rally. We all inch foward with anticipation.
She strides and reads out a prepared speach. She talks about the countless times that they have prayed for the safe return of their father from the hands of police. She pledges to campaign for democracy in Zim for as long as she lives. She urges the Australian government to tighten pressure on the Mugabe regime and also extend aid to those suffering as a result of the violence.
"I will soon return home once we attain democracy" the crowd cheers at every pose...
I leave the rally wondering why history is so cruel, repeating itself albeit in different countries. Mugabe blatantly refuses to conceed defeat. He points out the freedom struggle and yet today majority of people in Zim are worse off than ever. It does not matter if you are killed by a bullet fired by an African soldier or by a white farmer both kill..It does not matter that you are bashed by a black Mugabe supporter or a racist white farmer both intimidate, maim and intend to oppress.
MDC has pulled out of the elections and this might be the last straw..but we must commend the oppossition for containing their supporters and for being peacful during this tyring times..
MDC and the oppossition should now seek massive support locally so that even if Mugabe wins it will be with the smallest number of votes ever..One danger though is that MDC supporters might be targeted if they do not go out and vote..my be they should still go out and spoil their votes..
I am reminded of the road that Kenya has travelled and how little the Mugabe regime seems to have learnt from other happenings the world over..
The best description of what is happening in Zim is that the regime has eaten the fruits of independence now they want to eat the indepence itself!
Wake up and smell the rain!
Oti
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