guest column:Nelson Chamisa Fellow Zimbabweans, When we began this journey 22 years ago, I was a young college student alongside my contemporaries. I was part of a generation of college students that joined veteran trade unionists, powerful women in the women’s movement, war veterans, civic and church leaders, among others, who believed that the way Zimbabwe was being governed needed serious transformation. We believed that the system over which Zanu PF presided was only serving a minority of elites who occupied vantage positions within and around the State, while most Zimbabweans were condemned to suffering. It was plain that the future was bleak unless progressive Zimbabweans intervened to change the course. That is why we championed the message of change. Looking back those days seem like a long time ago. A new generation has emerged since that time. Babies born in 1999 are now adults. They have lived their formative years in very difficult circumstances. Times were different back in 1999, but I remember the energy and passion of every cadre as if it were yesterday. The idea that was sown in our hearts and minds has no expiry date. To be sure, the journey has been gruelling. But I was never under any illusion that it would be easy. We have lost thousands of cadres along the way, including our founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai, who departed in February 2018. I was privileged to have a special relationship with him and from him, I learned a lot under his leadership and guidance. The most painful losses have been those suffered at the hands of the State, through violence. We cannot betray the memory of these dearly departed cadres. We must honour their dreams and aspirations for a better Zimbabwe, otherwise, they would have died in vain. This is why I have never veered from the course that was set in 1999. I look back and realise that I have spent more than half of my life chasing the vision that was designed and shaped by those courageous men and women who gathered in 1999 to form the Movement for Democratic Change. The greatness of the idea has not diminished with time, no. It has been strengthened. Those men and women understood that the fundamental weaknesses at the heart of government needed not only new leaders but also a fresh set of ideas and ways of doing things. We remain committed to that vision. One of the things that please me a lot is seeing a younger generation coming up and carrying the torch in politics. This is how strong institutions grow and I want to pay special tribute to the young people of Zimbabwe whose political consciousness is growing. The journey has had seminal moments, some positive, and others negative. Both types have been important learning experiences. Some of these challenges have been read as representing existential threats to the organisation, but we overcame them. We survived the loss of our founding father by going on to amass the largest electoral votes in the history of the opposition and had we not been cheated; we would have prevailed. It is a testament to the strength of
