Justice for the oppressed

Justice for the oppressed

The absence of justice in a society always leads to trouble and chaos. Zimbabwe is filled with massive injustice, whilst some people are busy working hard to fight injustice, the majority of the people don’t care or if they do care, they simply don’t know what to do about it or they are just ignorant and filled with fear of the unknown. The truth is simply without justice things don’t work properly. Robert Mugabe and his zanu pf government has selfishly allowed widespread malnutrition, starvation and disease especially in the rural areas and peri-urban areas whilst they continue to live lavish,  exorbitant lifestyles at the expense of the heavily taxed taxpayer.

It is our duty to care for orphans, widows, the poor and the oppressed. The current government has failed to provide for orphans, senior citizens, widows and the disabled. They don’t care about the welfare of the underprivileged, all they care about is getting votes violently after every five years and further oppressing the already destitute and poor Zimbabwean. If South Africa, Zambia and Botswana can take care of the disabled, disadvantaged, widows, etc why not Zimbabwe? We have a crisis of having a President who thinks Zimbabwe is his personal property with his family. I for one will not sit back and watch this nation sink. Zimbabwes economy is at comatose stage and what is next? The opposition is weak and divided, activists are fighting each other and the masses are clueless and helpless.

When people are oppressed, they have a burden that is unreasonable, it overwhelms and depresses them.  “LEARN TO DO RIGHT, SEEK JUSTICE, RELIEVE THE OPPRESSED, AND CORRECT THE OPPRESSOR, DEFEND THE FATHERLESS AND PLEAD FOR THE WIDOW.” (ISAIAH 1:17).I read this verse everyday because it reminds me of God’s expectations in my life. I will not sit back and watch my beloved country go down the drain. If we worship the same God, who is your very own maker why are you not fighting for justice? 

We need to look beyond our own selfish egos and unite to remove the evil Zanu regime from power. Tolerance and respect for each other is critical if we are going to form a formidable coalition of opposition parties for the 2018 presidential election. Zimbabwe needs leadership that is accountable, responsive, honest and transparent. Name calling, hate speech, big brother mentality and numerous opposition political parties will not eradicate kleptocracy and the evil culture of corruption bedeviling this nation.

Since the colonial era, Zimbabweans have carelessly struggled to achieve national unity and to create a national common identity, we have no values as a nation that is why we can’t unite for the good of Zimbabwe. What is our national identity? We are so quick to say Zimbabweans are peace loving or there is peace in Zimbabwe. What peace when there is no justice? The two cannot be separated. I pray for the day when sanity will prevail in Zimbabwe, when political party leaders will selflessly commit themselves to unite for a better Zimbabwe, when they will remove their inflated ego jackets and consider the plight of millions of Zimbabwe who have lost hope for the future and when they will unite to rebuild Zimbabwe not to amass power to boost their egos but for a better Zimbabwe. A new Zimbabwe is possible in our lifetime.

Linda Tsungirirai Masarira
Zimbabwe Women In Politics Alliance