The Sunday Mail
Revolutions and revolutionaries never die. Sometimes they fade, but they never fade away.
They somehow find a way to regenerate and evolve.
You see, revolutions are born, driven and sustained by people’s aspirations to be free, happy and prosperous.
Revolutions and revolutionaries, therefore, become the delivery vehicle through which these timeless, universal and lofty ideals can be achieved, especially in a highly competitive, cruel and cold world where freedom, happiness and prosperity cannot be easily attained.
Changing people’s conditions and circumstances for the better often involves social, political and economic upheaval.
We have seen this in China, whose continued march towards superpower status can only be described through superlatives.
In the past 41 years alone, it has managed to lift 800 million people out of poverty.
Over the same period, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from US$178 billion to the current US$14 trillion.
But these are not mere statistics.
The material wellbeing of its people has also dramatically improved.
In addition to managing the incredible feat of easily feeding its 1,3 billion people, it now boasts of world-class infrastructure.
Four of the world’s nine tallest buildings are found in China, while the country also prides itself with having the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
Bishop Lazi has been to China and can bear witness to the countless miracles in the cities, from well-irrigated and kempt lawns, quality roads that are routinely sprayed with water each afternoon to control dust, and the dazzling neon lights that keep its towns bustling and alive at night.
Buses and trains run on time, while every facet of life is so organised as if it is rehearsed.
It is simply paradise — however paradise can be imagined.
But the transition from a dirt-poor society to the global power it is today was tortuous.
The Chinese revolution, under the guidance of the Communist Party of China (CPC), had to fight off imperial aggression from Japan (1935-1947) and vanquish internal threats through the War of Liberation (1945 -1949), which culminated in the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
It didn’t end there.
It underwent its own convulsions, not least the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1977 (10 years), before Deng Xiaoping — the “father of China’s economic miracle” — took over in 1978 and set the Asian country on a revolutionary economic path that ushered in incredible growth and prosperity.
However, Xiaoping himself had to jump through hoops and countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles to take China to the Promised Land.
This is what a revolution is supposed to do — achieving the highest standards of living imaginable for its people.
Is it not what we all aspire for?
A revolution reborn
As Bishop Lazi said before, revolutions regenerate and evolve.
Our own revolution is also traversing the same fated path, from the first resistance against colonial rule (1896-1897), the nationalist activism of the 1950s and the 14-year bitter and blood-letting armed struggle that ended with a new Zimbabwe being born on April 18, 1980, whose anniversary we commemorate today.
Perhaps the biggest achievement after reclaiming political power at Independence was repossessing our land at the turn of millennium, which is a feat other former colonies around the world, especially in Africa, have struggled to achieve.
It is a historic milestone that we should all be proud of today.
It is also an indubitable fact that couldn’t escape the voluble young South African politician Julius Malema when he launched his own party on July 11, 2013.
He most famously observed: “You can say whatever you want to say about Zimbabweans, in the next 10 years, they will be the only Africans in the whole of Africa who own their country. Because why? They were ready to take the pain. Revolution is about pain; revolution is change, and change is painful. We are ready for that pain; we need that pain.”
Indeed it has been particularly painful for Harare.
The price that we have had to pay for this accomplishment to correct these historical injustices has been staggering, as sanctions by the United States of America, Britain and the European Union bloc are still extant.
The deleterious impact of these sanctions engendered an inertia that progressively bogged down progress and ultimately gave the impression of a fading revolution, which opened the window for ambitious political opportunists from both within and without.
However, this naturally led to the momentous political transition in November 2017, through which the revolution was reborn with the mission to restore the legacy of the liberation struggle.
Our revolution means little if most of our people live in poverty.
Our purpose means little if we cannot feed ourselves. Our mission also means little if we cannot give our people the high standard of living that they need and deserve.
This is why our heroes, whose remains are in marked and unmarked graves in and around Zimbabwe, made the ultimate sacrifice — to ensure that we succeed and prosper.
John 15:13 says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Despite initial scepticism and cynicism, it is now becoming increasingly apparent that over the past three years, ED’s political administration, which has been talking more economics than politics, has set the country on an inexorable path to success.
And notwithstanding the Western embargo that continues to bog down progress, ED has instructively made it clear that we will leverage on our bountiful mineral resources to chart a new path.
Wherever one looks — north, west, east and south — Zimbabwe is a construction site. New coal mines are at various stages of construction and development in Hwange, and will be contributing power to the grid in the near to medium term.
In the same area, construction of two power-generating units is underway and will be completed next year, adding 600 MW to the grid.
Two other major platinum mines in Darwendale and Mhondoro are being developed, though Covid-19 has significantly affected the latter.
The launch of a major iron ore mine is now imminent, which will set the pace for a defining billion-dollar steel investment.
Swatches of land are being opened up for irrigation development in various parts of the country — Binga, Kanyemba, Masvingo, Buhera and the Lowveld — to ensure we are able to feed ourselves and also export surplus produce to get the much-needed foreign currency.
For the first time since Independence, extension workers are being overwhelmingly supported with resources so that they are able to contribute to the noticeable youth-led renaissance in the sector.
Agribank has since been restructured into a Land Bank to support the Agriculture Recovery Plan.
Roads, especially the major arterial routes for trade, are being spruced up and rehabilitated.
As of last week, $33 billion was committed for urgent emergency roadworks.
A lot is happening whose impact will be felt in time, if it has not begun to be felt already.
A country that is burdened by 20-year-old sanctions and has recently gone through two successive droughts, including a devastating Cyclone Idai in March 2019, wouldn’t have been expected to successfully fight off the most deadly pandemic in a century.
But here we are.
Where well-endowed countries are faltering, the country, through a combination of diplomacy and strong leadership, has been able to roll out a well-coordinated and effective vaccination programme.
It is emblematic of the resolve and determination of the regime in Harare.
Clearly, political independence cannot be enough without economic independence, and our re-energised revolution looks set to achieve this critical milestone.
Long live our Independence! Long live our revolution!
Bishop out!
