One hour with Bulawayo Province’s new Chairman
3 min read
By Margaret Kamba
As you enter the Bulawayo Provincial offices, you behold a green writing board on which various Biblical names are written. Egypt, Sinai, Canaan are the words that easily attract a Christian to the board which stands adjacent to the Notice Board.
It is easy to dismiss this board but in it lies the depth of the campaign of how the revolutionary ZANU PF must move forward.
His hour long chat with me got me to understand the man, Cde Jabulani Sibanda and his dedication to the revolutionary cause which saw many sons and daughters of the soil, journey to foreign lands to bring about the freedom which we enjoy today.
“The history of ZANU PF is inherited. The Party is not physical like an office or a membership card. It is an idea which brings people together to form an institution and policies which define who the enemy is and how to fight him,” Cde Sibanda said.
“When King Lobengula, Sekuru Kaguvi and Ambuya Nehanda amongst others fought for freedom, they fought the colonizer using the machinery available then and over time the struggle has continued in many forms. People have fought for employment to fit the modern world. When we fought we fought for universal suffrage and the right to vote and have a say in the making of laws.”
Then his narration takes a twist when he begins to explain how Zimbabweans are a chosen generation who like the children of Israel went from Egypt to Canaan. Like them, the children of Zimbabwe have gone through colonialism and are making their way to total independence.
“The children of Israel went through suffering in Egypt and had to cross their Red Sea. We crossed our Red Sea when we fought the liberation struggle. The 51 percent share ownership programme was good but the resources needed to build the country and not building individual empires. When we cross the Jordan River, we will be able to be inter-dependent with other countries.”
According to Cde Sibanda, total independence is obtained when people trade on equal terms and not when the Zimbabwean man or woman is not in control of their natural resources.
He is well aware of the task at hand which is to mobilize ahead of the elections and just as well that he is up for the task. With a huge target for the Province, he is geared to ensure that anyone willing to join the Party finds fertile ground to grow on.
“The revolutionary Party is people centered unlike the opposition which is man centered. I am a revolutionary and it is not being a politician. People ask why I have come back to a Party which expelled me and I have always said that when my ex-wife and I have separated but she is pregnant with my child, I will care for her. However when she aborts my child then I must divorce myself from her. If the Party upholds such vices as corruption then I have no choice but to leave the Party,” he said.
“The task at hand is to infuse ideology into the Party or else it will fade away. We need to reorganize the Party both ideologically and structurally because the revolutionary cannot be sized.
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