As I reflect on my past, I am reminded of the wise adage, “what goes around comes around.” My youthful indiscretions, including planting marijuana in Mr. Nott’s office drawer and wrongly framing him as a drug lord, ultimately came back to haunt me. This type of behavior had serious repercussions in my life, teaching me a valuable lesson about the importance of empathy, honesty, and compassion. One of the most significant consequences of my actions was being framed for selling a train ticket to a passenger traveling to Mutare. This experience made me “taste the awful side of my character,” forcing me to confront the harm caused by my own actions.
However, it was not until I was mugged by two men while returning home from the gym that I truly realized that my quick temper and tendency to lash out at others had finally caught up with me. I did not resist because I knew that such thugs moved with dangerous weapons. I was dragged into a nearby bush along Latimer Road, Greendale. The criminals took my jacket, shoes and towel. When they failed to find money on me, one of the thugs kicked me hard on the left eye. During that time, I was preparing for exams and had to attend college with a puffed eye – a constant reminder of the consequences of my actions. The experience was a wake-up call, leaving me with a serious injury and a newfound sense of empathy for others. I decided to revise my character of quickly losing control of my anger and beating up those whom I thought would have crossed my path. If you beat others, you will get to a time when you find out how painful it is to be beaten. If you steal, lie or cheat and harm others, somehow those things will end up happening to you.
As I grew older, I began to reflect on my past mistakes and the harm they had caused. However, I also learned that it was never too late to change and make amends. I decided to reform and start helping others. I became more inclined towards assisting the less privileged, feeling a deep sense of pain when I saw others suffering in poverty. I began to cherish values such as empathy, honesty, and genuine love towards fellow citizens.
I also realized the folly of using prohibited substances, which impair one’s judgment and increase the chance of making wrong decisions that can ruin one’s life financially and socially. Substance abuse is detrimental to one’s personal health and destroys the social fabric by increasing the incidence of crime and vices such as prostitution, poor driving, and violence.
Since, the day I decided to change, I consider foremost the interests of my fellow human beings in all the activities I carry out. This has enabled me to experience a lot of personal growth. In addition to my personal growth, I also had the opportunity to serve my country in various ways. One notable experience was during the 1985 elections, when I was part of a group of comrades deployed to dissident hot spots in Lower Gweru. Our mandate was to secure voters and ensure a peaceful election process.
As many may be aware of, there was an uprising in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands Province started by some disgruntled former ZIPRA combatants. The dissidents, as they came to be called, disturbed peace in the affected areas. Indeed, the former combatants who had gone rogue nearly destroyed the peaceful transition from white minority rule to an independent Zimbabwe. They were threatening to disrupt the 1985 general elections but the government was determined that the elections should go ahead undisturbed.
I and nine other former combatants were summoned for a meeting at 88 Manica Road, the ZANU(PF) headquarters, where we received our assignment. The meeting was chaired by Comrade Mayor Urimbo. Our group included Comrade Lameck Mahachi and Comrade Andrew Mazawara. We were sent to the Central Intelligence Organisation [CIO] Gweru where the boss gave us our orders. We were deployed to various areas, including Insukamini Growth Point, where I was stationed.
During my deployment, I worked closely with local leaders to ensure a secure environment for voters. Our efforts paid off, and the elections were held peacefully in our area. I spent a month in Insukamini, surviving on small allowances provided by the government. While it was not a lucrative endeavour, I was proud to have served my country.
Another significant experience was when I advocated for the rights of war veterans. In 1997, I was part of a successful demonstration that led to the government providing gratuities to former combatants. Veterans of the Second Chimurenga had not received any gratuity and were not receiving any form of assistance from the government. Those in power were amassing enormous amounts of wealth while former combatants of Zimbabwe’s war of liberation were languishing in abject poverty. We assembled at ZANU(PF) Harare Provincial Headquarters along Fourth Street in the capital. Our group comprised of former ZIPRA and ZANLA combatants. We marched to State House and demanded to be addressed by the state president. From the ZIPRA side we had, among others, Comrade Scover who was working as a detective at Harare Central Police Station. He provided us with valuable security information as you know that President Mugabe was a feared despot. From the ZANLA side we had, among others, Comrade Chenjerai Hunzvi who provided us with strategies to arm twist the president into submission. What struck me most about this experience was the sense of camaraderie and shared purpose that defined our movement.
President Mugabe refused to address us and instead assigned Comrade Emmerson Mnangagwa to speak to us. At State House I made the slogan to welcome Comrade Mnangagwa as well as telling him the reason for our gathering. Comrade Mnangagwa then told us that the President had sent him to assure us that the government was going to pay all war veterans gratuities to thank us for the heroic work we did during the liberation struggle.
When the government offered to provide gratuities to war veterans, I declined, choosing instead to allow those who were more in need to receive the benefits. At the time (1997), I was doing very well with the Jenaguru Music Festivals that I had started organizing in 1992. This decision was motivated by my newfound sense of empathy and commitment to helping others. It would have been selfish for me to accept the money when I was making far more than the $50 000 former combatants were being given. I also considered that there were many Zimbabweans particularly those in the rural areas who had suffered immensely under the brutal rule of Ian Douglas Smith and his notorious Rhodesian army, who were in a more miserable situations than me but were not being considered for compensation. I did not want to follow the “grab all ” attitude which our political leaders were already displaying. How can one seek to enjoy independence alone while the masses are suffering? I still think I made the correct decision and it is one of those decisions I’m most proud of.
Through these experiences, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of community service, selflessness, and personal growth. I learned that true redemption comes not from seeking personal gain or recognition, but from working towards the betterment of others and society as a whole.