May the Lord's will be done in Zimbabwe

The count down in the long awaited Zimbabwe’s March 2008 harmonised elections is over, and whatever the outcome of the elections I hope that peace will be the ultimate winner. There is so much passion and self belief that anything is possible.

Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has red card metaphor for Zanu Pf; he will not have old wine in his new bottle, which is an understandable feeling given the way he has been treated. President Mugabe and his security chiefs have not been outdone either; they warn that they will never ever allow the MDC to rule Zimbabwe. This is dangerous and gets Zimbabwe to a boiling point as the election fever grips the country. The country needs a moderate approach, for a change.

Elections sometimes divide us rather than help us to determine our future together. The reason for this could be that some people come into politics for power and wealth rather than to serve. Winners do not have to take all, and Zimbabwe is more than the sum of its political parties. Makoni’s proposal to put together a National Authority representing all sectors of our society to administer affairs of the state appears to be the middle of the road approach, and answer to both Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

There is a danger though, everyone is likely to claim victory, and claims of rigging will be inevitable. The security hardware is already on the streets and the prayer is that people do not loose their nerve. Candidates should encourage their supporters to be disciplined to avoid any excuses for security intervention.

While candidates or leaders may feel that they are in control, the only control that may be guaranteed is self-control on everyone’s part; once action becomes spontaneous you cannot tell how it will end. Statements referring to the Kenyan scenario uttered by various candidates in the run up to the Zimbabwean election might come back to haunt us.

As for now, hakuna musi usingasviki! Is it going to be Morgan Tsvangirai, Simba Makoni, or Robert Mugabe? May the Lord’s will be done in Zimbabwe. The general peace enjoyed so far is a good sign, but for development we need formidable peace. It is said that Zimbabwe will never be a colony again but another question is emerging, will it be a country again? It's in the Lord's hands now.