Intolerance and Desperation

Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe, is flanked by a saluting Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Chiwengwa, during the singing of the national anthem at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday as Zimbabwe celebrated Independence Day

Somebody calling themselves "Anonymous" (how unimaginative!) left a message overnight on this blog saying that I would be lucky to get to the end of the year alive. I don't publish comments from Anonymous contributors because anyone without the guts to identify themselves loses their right to be heard on this blog.

I consider this desperation which is coming from an MDC-T supporter who misguidedly believes that democracy means agreeing with everything the MDC-T does no matter what.

But on a more general note, there are things that I feel I should, just this once, address. It is the first and last time I will devote a post to anything other than the examination of the goings on in Zimbabwean society and government. So here it is.

I have always been very clear that there is no point in writing articles and analysis if everyone agrees with your opinion, because that means you are not generating debate, from which new ideas emerge.

I am also of the opinion that, unless you can upset some people with what you write, then you do should not be considered a serious contributor to national debate.

I think that if my articles stopped upsetting some people, then I might as well stop writing. When I start hearing everybody agreeing with me, then I think I would have lost the way!!

I bring this up in light of the desperate examination of my work for hidden hands and so on by people that I am very happy to upset.

For a start, let us get it in the open that, yes, my boss at the office, Mr Godfrey Chanetsa, was Mugabe's spokesman from 1975 to 1984.

But then again, Geoff Nyarota of the Zimbabwe Times was Canaan Banana's spokesman after independence, so that means nothing.

Yes, Chanetsa was a resident of Mgagao Camp in Tanzania, where ZANLA fighters were stationed during the Liberation War and he remains extremely good friend with most of the top army brass, including General Chiwengwa and Perance Shiri, the Commander of the Air Force.

It is also true that Sally Mugabe and Robert Mugabe considered Chanetsa "a son", with Sally always referring to Mugabe in her conversations with Chanetsa as "your father." This is understandable, since Chanetsa was only 22 years old when he started working with Mugabe.

All this means nothing, really, to the work I do now.

I could also easily point to the fact that for some time after independence, Morgan Tsvangirai was a Political Commissar for ZANU PF in Redcliff. I could decide to concentrate on the fact Tsvangirai personally engaged in beatings of opponents of ZANU PF in those early days as he defended his party, ZANU PF.

But I realise that people change, they see the error of their ways and I will only judge them by what they are now and what motivates them now.

While not disputing the truth of my stories and analysis on this blog, enemies of diversity and democracy are seeking to shut me up by throwing accusations and innuendo at me, by suggesting all sorts of nefarious things on my behalf.

It will take a lot more than that to get me to shut up, I am afraid. Like I said, I love it when enemies of diversity in opinion and views clearly get hot under the collar from my work.

If I stopped upsetting them, then I would stop writing. There would be no point.

Perhaps they do not understand that I have never been swayed by criticism because I believe that is what actually makes democracy exciting.

It is the reason you will never, ever see me respond to personal insults, because my eyes are set on issues.

I hope to continue upsetting as many anti-democratic forces as possible, be they from the MDC or ZANU PF or any other party until the day I die.