Now that Robert Mugabe has finally resigned as President of Zimbabwe, there is now an opportunity for that nation to begin to fulfil the promise that it once held as it became independent 37 years ago. Today, with former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa replacing Mugabe at Zimbabwe’s helm, now is the time for that optimism to take root. As Mnangagwa himself noted on Wednesday on his return to Harare from a period of exile in neighbouring South Africa, Zimbabwe is now experiencing a wave of “new and unfolding democracy”.
While the new president was a key member of the Mugabe regime, he is offering every Zimbabwean an opportunity to embrace a new future. For many under 40, Mugabe is the only leader they have known, and for those over 40, they have never been part of a fully independent nation that can take charge of its sovereignty as this changing of the guard now offers.
For the past three decades, the potential of Zimbabwe has been stifled. It is a land rich in natural resources, minerals and ores. These are commodities that must now be carefully managed and used, making sure that their potential riches are now put to waste, but enrich the coffers of the government of the nation so that all Zimbabweans can enjoy their benefits.
Zimbabwe’s infrastructure and power grid needs to be overhauled and modernised, with investment needed to ensure it can build a brighter future, powering the nation on a path to economy prosperity.
For too long, Mugabe used the rich agricultural reserves of his nation as a payoff to those who kept him in power. The reality is that those farmlands are rich and fertile, and have the potential, if properly managed, to meet the needs of all in Zimbabwe, and to export its produce beyond its borders once more. The challenge now is to ensure that this resource is again modernised and managed properly, with modern agricultural techniques, to produce bountiful crops.
This period of dramatic change has shown that despite the efforts of Mugabe and his forces of repression, Zimbabweans are politically astute and are aware of the potential of social media in bringing political change and harnessing popular support. That is a genie that cannot be put back in the bottle, and those working with Mnangagwa should be fully aware that they will be held to account should this new dawn be lost. But above all, today is the first day in a new beginning for Zimbabwe.
