Zimbabwe still just like Rhodesia, says Khama

FORMER Botswana president Ian Khama has thrown barbs at Zanu PF and its leadership in government, saying on Friday night that life in post-independence Zimbabwe is the same, if not worse than it was in Ian Smith’s colonial rhodesia.

Khama was the guest of honour at the launch of Job Sikhala’s book, Footprints in the chains: The life story of Job Sikhala at Sapes Trust in Harare.

Khama delivered his speech virtually from Botswana after having failed to make it to Harare owing to ‘logistical challenges’.

“The only thing that changed was the name of the country and that of its leaders,” he said.

“The rest remains the same.

“So as a result many Zimbabweans leave the country for the same reasons as before, because of a new elite that amasses wealth for their own benefit while the masses suffer.

“Now there is a new generation of freedom fighters engaged in a struggle to liberate themselves from the new oppressors, seeking to regain what their forbearers sacrificed themselves for.

“Prominent amongst those heroes is the fearless, pro-democracy activist, Job Sikhala, who himself has been subjected to some of the worst abuses by the government of Zimbabwe.

“When we speak of Job Sikhala, we speak of a man who has chosen to walk a dangerous path in pursuit of justice; we speak of someone who has paid the price for refusing to be silenced in pursuit of justice.”

He said the government of Zimbabwe should be reminded that the human spirit, when grounded in conviction, could rise above even the most brutal of circumstances.

“Job Sikhala has walked a hard road, and his footprints have not been erased, nor will they ever be,” Khama said.

“They are marked in the dust of his nation’s history.

“They will lead us somewhere, perhaps to a Zimbabwe that is free, more just and more accountable; but only if we choose to follow them.

“May his book ignite not only thought, but also action.”

Nelson Chamisa, one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent opposition leaders, attended the function and said Khama’s speech was “very powerful” and meant a lot to Zimbabwean politics.

“President Khama’s speech was very powerful and we are grateful to him a lot,” he said.

“It is a speech that tells you that we are not alone in our struggle; it is a speech that shows that there’s solidarity to our journey, and tell you what?

There indeed shall be freedom.”

Sikhala concurred, saying: “President Ian Khama is a doyen of democracy, not only in the region or the African continent but the world as a whole.

“He stands for what is good.

“His speech demonstrated in every detail that Zimbabwe has not known real freedom and democracy, even after independence in 1980.”

The event was attended by some of the senior members of the original opposition Movement for Democratic Change founding members, including Advocate Tendai Biti, Charlton Hwende, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Daniel Molokele among other opposition activists and human rights defenders. Standard