What did 40 years of independence give us?

On the18th of April 1980, after a furious liberation struggle, all Zimbabweans celebrated in exaltation for we were now free from the colonialists who had presided over the people for decades. On this date we finally felt like we could be our own people never to be oppressed again and free to live and build Zimbabwe for our children and our children's children. 40 years on, are we enjoying all the freedoms that we thought we had gained on that exultant day in 1980?....sadly NO.

The liberators who fought and claimed that our people would never be oppressed again have now taken the place of the colonialists and have now become our biggest oppressors. One would think that the injustice that many experienced before Independence would never be seen again but now injustice rules the day. Zimbabwe has been ruled with an iron fist by the ZANU PF party since independence and they have become the greatest instrument of destruction for Zimbabwe. From infrastructure to agricultural output, you name it, they have destroyed it. From donor funds to money in the government coffers, you name it, they have stolen it. From beatings, rape and murder, you name it, they have instigated it. What haven't they done to oppress the people of Zimbabwe?

What started off as cries of exultation on the 18th of April 1980 have now become cries of despair over a government that cares nothing for the needs of its people but rather looks for opportunities to prosper at the expense of the masses. When President Mugabe was ousted from power in November 2017 many thought that the serpent was destroyed and a new day had now come to Zimbabwe but the time under President Mnangagwa has proved that the serpent is very much alive only now with a new head and capable of doing far much worse than we had ever thought...so much for 40 years of independence.