The current state of affairs is that the majority of our people have over the years been 'panel beaten' into submitting to a philosophy that independence and sovereignty are synonymous with Zanu-PF. Any individual or system that opposes that phylosophy is viewed as an enemy of the state and will be made to suffer the consequences through repressive laws, the most draconian of these having been engineered by the now out of favour Professor Jonathan Moyo.

Regrettably, and hopefully not too late, the man who Admore Tshuma is eulogising seems to have now realised that Zanu-PF is not a party that will allow people of his calibre to flourish for they are peceived to be dangerous to the maintenance and sustainance of the status quo. What the intelligent Professor deliberately failed to realise was the fact that his strategy of 'beating them by joining them' was seriously flawed because a one man band has little or no chance of success against a system of Zanu-PF's magnitude. It is encouraging at this juncture that Prof Moyo is now where he belongs, among the many who for years have been crying for social and economic justice. However, the unfortunate scenario is that he finds himself in a situation where the same laws he promulgated will be used to Zanu-PF's advantage against him.

The people of Zimbabwe at this time need people who can tackle the status quo head on, and Moyo has recently shown the propensity to fit that bill. Zanu-PF will obviously see this as a sour grapes issue but Moyo needs to rise above such perceptions and work with rest of the oppressed to champion the emergence of a new Zimbabwe. If Moyo is very genuine about his fervent advocacy for democratic principles as a universal and national requirement as he has been preaching lately, the people of Zimbabwe may forgive him for the role he played as an ardent proponent of Zanu-ism. Zimbabweans forget easily and Moyo may be fortunate to escape the brunt of the masses. For the development he orchestrated in Tsholothso, I personally take my hat off for him for the simple reason that he is the alfa and hopefully no the omega in the region to have succeed. If Mugabe did it in Zvimba, Muzenda in Gutu, Kangai in Buhera and Mujuru in Chikomba, why not Moyo in Tsholotsho. The problem comes when nothing happens in Shurugwi or Silobela because noone influencial enough comes from that area. As Zimbabweans in positions of leadership we need people who have the nation's interests at heart and not regionalists.

If Moyo is indeed a hero, who is he a hero to? To individuals like Admore, he will for ever be a hero for the reasons he inscribed in his article. For the people of Tsholotsho Moyo is undoubtedly a hero because he has brought meaningful development to the area, something no politician from the area had managed to do. To suggest that Moyo is a hero of national status at this time is certainly a misconception. During his tenure in Zanu-PF, he created more enemies than friends both within the party and in the public domain. His fall out with his bosses in Zanu-PF could be interpretted as resistance to change if his strategy was to transform Zanu-PF. But his unpopularity with the public stems from his ruthlessness in furthering Zanu-PF's repression agenda. For him to win the people's hearts because his marriage with Zanu-PF has ended in divorce is something he needs to think seriously about because it will not just happen without some sacrifices.