A recent update from the MDC shares the news of Shakespeare Mukoyi‘s release, after four nights in police custody and following his assault by police. Mukoyi was arrested with fellow congregants at a prayer for peace gathering on Saturday. The others were released on Monday:

Shakespeare Mukoyi, the MDC Harare Youth Assembly vice chairperson who was arrested and beaten by police at a peace prayer church service on Saturday was released on free bail on Wednesday. He was arrested with 12 other people who were released on Monday. Mukoyi who appeared in court with a neck brace after he was seriously assaulted by the police will appear in court on 18 May. He is facing allegations of assaulting a police officer on the day he was arrested.

Rumours of a revolution in Zimbabwe have been greatly exaggerated. Filled with hope but little practical knowledge, several unidentified groups took to Facebook in an attempt to replicate the Egyptian revolution here. These attempts have failed because as Ghandi says ‘Revolution has had no blueprint, and all the blueprints that were written before a revolution never proved true.’

In my recent interview with Professor John Makumbe, this is what he had to say about the failed Facebook attempt:

It failed because everybody knew it was organised from the Diaspora, and the Diaspora has no business organising people in Zimbabwe. It is when people organise through cyberspace in Zimbabwe so that the cyberspace communication is reinforced by clandestine on the ground assurance that things will happen. People are very keen to do it, but they will not do it without knowing someone who is going to be part of it, or someone who is organising it, or someone to whom they will cry if things don’t go well. And it must be someone local. Not someone toying with cyberspace in the Diaspora from the comfort of one bedroom with a large screen television in the hope that they can mobilise the poor people to hit the streets. From there no!

Are Zimbabweans different from fellow citizens of our neighbouring countries like South Africa, Botswana or Zambia? Do Zimbabweans have what it takes to bring change in their own country, without external influences? Are there any Egyptian or Tunisian or Libyan traits in Zimbabweans? What would a Zimbabwean value more, by virtue of being a Zimbabwean? To read more visit this link. Below are excerpts from an article written by Vince Musevewe on his opinion of the Zimbabwean he knows. Is your Zimbabwean different from his or they are the same?

The Zimbabwean I know is a highly accomplished character academically and to me, that has been his fundamental blemish. His persona has shaped mostly in a colonial environment where he believes in hard work and a reverence of those that are above his station or those in authority…

The Zimbabwean I know is an extremely proud individual with an over bearing sense of self-importance. To him education comes first for that has been his escape from poverty and his offspring must get a better education than him.

He will therefore do anything to ensure that his offspring receive better schooling. He will also hastily exhibit his academic accomplishments whenever he is afforded an opportunity to do so. Unfortunately these have been rendered useless in the political environment…

The Zimbabwean politician, on the other hand, has taken full advantage of these weaknesses and has pushed the boundaries to the brink and exploited the ordinary Zimbabwean in all spheres of life. The politician has used intimidation and fear as his tools to cower the Zimbabwean into accepting his dominance…

The Zimbabwean businessman, in my view, has become compromised and therefore useless in the game of change. He can only survive in this environment by supporting the ruling party or else his business will come to ruin.

Unfortunately he has become a partner in the entrenchment of a dictatorship. Because of the fear of loss, he has chosen not to dabble in politics but be a mere spectator. His position is similar to that of the Zimbabwean in the Diaspora who can make as much noise as he wishes to no effect…

Despite all this Zimbabweans I know are sick and tired of ZANU (PF) but know no better means to dislodge it but through the ballot. That is his only conceivable and safe means of bringing on change and yet it tarries…

The day will come, I guess, when all fear must dissipate and all Zimbabweans realise that without force there will be no change because this adversary is not going anywhere. Until that happens expect nothing much to change and the situation to worsen.

*Vince Musewe is an independent Zimbabwean economist based in South Africa. You may contact him on vtmusewe [at] gmail [dot] com

Eddson Chakuma is a Trade Unionist who was arrested with Munyaradzi Gwisai for attending a meeting to discuss the political events in Egypt. Following his release on bail, Eddson Chakuma was suspended from his job at the United Food & Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe due to the time he missed from work when he was imprisoned. He now has no way to sustain himself.

Please narrate the events leading up to your suspension?
The three of us who had presented (at the meeting) myself another student representative and another lecturer were beaten so that we would testify that we were planning to subvert a Constitutional government. After that we were taken to court and placed on remand. On the 17th of March we were placed on two thousand dollars bail. I returned to work after my release and worked for almost a week. I was told to write a report about my continuous absence from work. I wrote it, explaining how I was arrested for attending an educational programme at Zimbabwe Labour Centre. Two days after submitting my report I was informed that I was to attend a hearing concerning my misconduct. Up to now I’m waiting for the verdict of the hearing.

What was your presentation about?
My presentation was about the problems of the workers. I talked about the how dollarization has adversely affected pension schemes. Workers who have worked for almost 30 years were given small amounts of pension. Pension houses were saying that their savings had been eroded by inflation. Another problem is casualisation, which is rampant in industry, as well as subcontracting.

In your opinion was any of what happened in that meeting an attempt to subvert a constitutional government?
There was nothing like that. We had been talking about the problems of the workers, the lessons which we learnt from the revolutions happening in Egypt and Tunisia vis-a-vis capitalism, socialism and imperialism. There was no plan to subvert the government. It wasn’t about the government, but about capitalism, imperialism and socialism, which have to go if Zimbabwe or even Africa is to come out of capitalism.

Then how do you feel about your detention?
It pained me. I was subjected to torture. Even when I told them what I had presented they kept on torturing me, they wanted me to say something that we didn’t plan or do.

Are you angry?
Sure I’m angry! If you face a situation where your colleagues don’t visit you in prison, they don’t support you financially. After coming out of prison where I’m facing a treason charge, which has a penalty of death or life imprisonment and somebody cuts your salary, suspends you and makes you write a report…it’s devastating. That person wants you to suffer more than what you have already suffered.

How has your detention affected your family?
When we were arrested it was toward the end of the month. My wife had to run around to look for money for utility bills, transport to visit me in prison… this was a big problem.

Judging from the hearing you had last week, do you feel hopeful that your suspension will be reversed?
I think there’s a 50-50 chance. The panel that was there was questionable. I’ve worked with some of the guys on the panel before and find it unfair that they put a panel of guys whom I’ve worked with and have at times had clashes with in terms of being voted into some posts. For me to become a unionist I had to battle it out with some of the guys who were on that panel.

The Youth Forum in a recent statement remind Zimbabwe’s authoritarian government that people power might well be coming to get them.

The capture and demise of Laurent Gbagbo, the Ivorian despot who refused to cede power after losing an election in November 2010 is testimony to the fact that dictators will not always have their way especially when the people have had their say as the people of Ivory Coast did in November 2010. While such news will obviously attract scorn and spite from like-minded dictators and sympathizers of despotic regimes, it is indeed sweet news for the people of Ivory Coast and other pro-democracy voices across the continent and the world.

As young people in Zimbabwe, we feel very inspired by the struggle of the people of Ivory Coast and take heart to the fact that even in the face of repression of the highest order, the forces of good always triumph against evil. We also feel encouraged that Gbagbo even after having sent his envoy to Harare to get a few notes on how to stay in power after losing an election, eventually could not have it his way. His capture while holed up in his fortified bunker reminds us of the same demise of Saddam Hussein, the former Iraq strongman.

As the Youth Forum, we take this opportunity to urge our politicians in Zimbabwe to be always mindful of the fact that real power lies with the people and it is the people who always have the final say. As the country gears for elections which shall signal the end of the current inclusive government, we urge all the political players in the country to genuinely work towards ensuring that the next elections are convened in an environment that allows the people to have the final say. We also urge SADC as the guarantors of the GPA to continue tightening the screws on our political players to ensure that the next election will not be fraudulent or is not again stolen by the loser. We again urge SADC to heed the winds of change that are sweeping across the African continent, long considered as the last den of dictators. The days of African ‘dictatorship’ disguised as African ‘brotherhood’ are long gone and the world as we know it has become less tolerant of dictators.

JCI Zimbabwe is inviting nominations for the 2011 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Zimbabwe (JCI TOYP) program. The program formally recognizes young people between the ages of 18 and 40 who excel in their chosen fields and create positive change, raising the status of socially responsible leaders in this world. Nominations are being invited from individuals, professional bodies, associations, religious groups, Non Governmental Organisations, interest groups, the academia and quasi government institutions, in ten areas.

Each nominee must be entered in one – only one – of the ten categories below:

1.    Business, economic and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment
2.    Political, legal and/or governmental affairs
3.    Academic leadership and/or accomplishment
4.    Cultural achievement
5.    Moral and/or environmental leadership
6.    Contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights
7.    Humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership
8.    Scientific and/or technological development
9.    Personal improvement and/or accomplishment and
10.  Medical innovation

Young men and women may be nominated in one of ten categories. The honourees will be selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Up to ten honourees will be selected from all nominations received, regardless of category entered, and will be announced and honoured with JCI TOYP trophies at a National Ceremony set for July 30, 2011.

Nomination forms must be submitted physically to any Innov8 Bookshop around Zimbabwe, by email to jcitoyz [at] gmail [dot] com on by filling out the online form by May 6, 2011. Once chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Zimbabwe, the honourees will be entered into the JCI International Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World competition where they will compete at international level against entrants from over 100 countries where JCI is represented. The top ten international winners will receive an all round trip, accommodation plus registration to attend the 66th JCI World Congress in Brussels, Belgium, 1 – 5 November, 2011.

For more information, questions or concerns, contact: Tinashe Nyaruwanga (Program Director) Phone: +263 772 750 133 Email: tinasheny [at] gmail [dot] com or jcitoyz [at] gmail [dot] com

Lloyd Ngwenya (JCI Zimbabwe National Public Relations Director) Phone: +263 774 302 442 Email: lngwenya [at] zol [dot] co [dot] zw