Inclusivity is one of the major tenets of democracy and development at a national scale. For this particular case, political inclusivity must be in the spotlight.
The impediment we mostly face as a country when it comes to development is the political divisions that exist among Zimbabweans which are further perpetrated by the state.
Community engagement thrives depending on who is leading the initiative and from which political party. This implies that if it is a Zanu PF initiative, MDC member in that particular community will not engage even though it might be beneficial to them as a community. The vice-versa is true too.
Political parties are always in election mode! There should be a difference between a national event and a party event. Chanting of slogans on a national event will only further deepen political marginalization.
Let us take for example the recent national event where the Mbuya Nehanda statue was officially unveiled in Harare during the past week.
To begin with, Mbuya Nehanda cannot be politicized. She was a national spirit medium who should not be claimed by any political party and neither should her statue be. We celebrate her as Zimbabweans.
How it is unfortunate that in the end the whole event was turned into a Zanu PF event with some youths even threatening political violence ahead of the 2023 elections. So much for political tolerance.
To begin with, action must be taken to ensure that the youth on video threatening violence is arrested given the history that elections have in Zimbabwe.
The state must also make sure that national events remain national events. There no need to be wearing party regalia and chanting sloganeering at such kind of events where everyone, despite our differences must take part in.
