WE REMOVED A DICTATOR AND GOT ANOTHER ONE

On this day in 2017, Zimbabwe was full of hope. People went into the streets. They were singing, dancing, and holding signs. Everyone had one message. They wanted Robert Mugabe to go. He had ruled the country for too long. He was 93 years old. People were tired of his rule and wanted something new.

It felt like a new start for Zimbabwe. Even ZANU PF wanted Mugabe to go. They said if he did not resign, they would remove him. The army had already stepped in. Many people said it was a coup, but most didn’t care. They just wanted Mugabe gone. When he finally stepped down, people cheered. It looked like the country had won. We thought we were now free.

But now, seven years later, we see the truth. We made a big mistake. We removed one dictator and replaced him with another one. Emmerson Mnangagwa became the new leader. People called him “ED.” They said he was different. They thought he would bring change. But nothing changed. In fact, many things got worse.

Mnangagwa made many promises. He said he would fix the economy. He said he would stop corruption. He promised fair elections. But he lied. Those were just sweet words to make people happy. People believed him because they were desperate. We wanted to hope again. But we did not ask the hard questions. We did not look at who Mnangagwa really was.

Mnangagwa was not new. He worked with Mugabe for many years. He was part of the same system. He had blood on his hands too. People still remember the Gukurahundi killings. Mnangagwa was involved in that time. But still, people gave him a chance. We thought maybe he had changed.

After he got power, he showed us who he really was. He sent soldiers to beat protesters. He arrested people who spoke the truth. Journalists were jailed. Some even went missing. He did not fix the economy. Things got worse. Prices went up. People are poor. Most can’t afford food or fuel. Life is harder than before.

The elections were also not free. Mnangagwa said there would be fair elections. But there was cheating. There was violence. Opposition leaders were arrested. It was the same as Mugabe’s time. Nothing really changed.

So, what happened? Why did we believe him? The answer is simple. We were tired. We were hurt. We just wanted something new. But we were not careful. We forgot to ask: Is this man really different? We only cared that he was not Mugabe. But that was not enough.

This is a big lesson for all of us. We cannot just remove a leader and hope for the best. We must think. We must choose better leaders. People who care about us. People who don’t lie.

Today, we remember 2017. We remember the songs. The signs. The hope. We must not forget what we wanted. We wanted freedom. We wanted peace. We wanted leaders who listen to the people. That dream is not dead. It is still alive. But we must fight for it.

Zimbabwe deserves better. We must not give up. We must not lose hope. We must learn from our mistake and never repeat it. A better Zimbabwe is still possible. But it is up to us. Let us choose wisely next time. Let us never be fooled again.