Strategy For The North

“Security is development” – Robert S McNamara.

I prefer having grain silos to having nuclear silos, that's just me.

The more I find myself talking eloquently on Nuclear Strategy, the more I realise that I am being co-opted into adopting other people's problems as my own. My position - properly conceived - should be that of fearing hunger more than thermonuclear weapons.


Strategy For The North


by Kudakwashe Kanhutu

Devolution of power has been touted in Zimbabwe for a long time by the opposition and some academics. If it were to be instituted, I would hope that it follows the system they have in Nigeria as described to me when I spoke to the Rivers State’s Executive Governor - Hon. Rotimi Amaechi - in London not so long ago. I was impressed by the potential developmental positives their system holds. The problem for me is that, in Zimbabwe, devolution has not been presented primarily to realise our development goals. Development is an afterthought. The main preoccupation is diluting the power President Robert Mugabe has over central government. Some even think it possible to create a separate Ndebele State as part of this 'devolution.' The debate therefore does not get serious consideration which it could get if it was presented purely as a development agency.

Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers State Governor.

Indeed - Zimbabwe on the verge of civil war - before the Government of National Unity on 11 February 2009 offered (albeit as an extreme), the possibility of this kind of devolution, separatism if you like. In a state of war it is reasonable that people must organise themselves as best as they can for their preservation. The government will have breached the social contract in failing to deliver order and security; therefore 'devolution' becomes the logical pathway. I considered the dynamics of that eventuality and identified the area where we would make our last stand had civil war occurred. Typically I proceeded from a sentimental dimension; my family has owned land here as subsistence farmers since the Rhodesian war. The area I am from, being conterminous with Mozambique, was a very active theatre during the Liberation War. My grandparents did not leave at the height of that war, and are buried here, which too means that this is the last place for me.

I am from the northernmost tip of Zimbabwe; our landmarks are the Mavhuradonha Mountain range to the south, and the Zambezi River to the north. The mountain range forms a perfect protective wall, which cuts us off from the whole country, accessible by road only at two points. The area therefore has physical attributes suitable for defensive purposes. Its main guarantor of safety from wars of greed however, has always been that it is devoid of mineral wealth, which is also why it is currently underdeveloped, neglected and overlooked by central government. Had civil war come, it would be different from the Liberation War which was fought in the rural areas. This time the war would be in the urban areas and diamond fields, as belligerents sought to control the centre of gravity of the state. We would only need to arm and arrange ourselves as an insurance policy against defeated units coming here and causing insecurity. The main challenge in war - had it come - would have been food security, and in peace it still is food security. 

Granted, I drew my borders with defence in mind, the area that is bordered by the Mavhuradonha Mountain and the Zambezi River would have been my theatre in civil war. This was not arbitrary; this is my place in the universe. 

"Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from which he draws his faith together with his life."

Did I not walk barefoot to Mahuhwe and back to pick cotton seed when there was no seed at Mzarabani Growth Point? Did I not as a school child scale the Mavhuradonha Mountain to unblock leaves that had stopped our water supply on the Tank Four line? Did I not walk barefoot to church gatherings in Hoya? How about the barefoot trips to Hwata, Kapembere, Mzarabani, Sohwe and Machaya for primary schools competitions? How about when I carried sacks of fish from the Musengezi River? Swam in the Sohwe and Musengezi Rivers? Nights spent in guard huts to light fires to scare away elephants and wild pigs from our maize crop? Braved lions and leopards in defence of our livestock? Or in the dry season, did I not drive our livestock to drink from the Musengezi River?

All these places I mention are within the confines of the Mavhuradonha and Zambezi borders and they hold a special significance for me. They are populated by the people I grew up with; a functional community I owe a debt of gratitude to. You only need to consider the acts of depravity widespread in the media in some countries to understand why I feel that I grew up in the best possible community. If I can contribute so that the children growing up here today are not subject to abuses that tend to occur when extreme poverty breaks up the fabric of society. If I can make a contribution that helps restore the dignity of families here. If I can initiate a sustainable strategy for development for this community, then this debt I owe will have been repaid.

The result that comes from thinking about our community faced with the extreme danger of war, is a realisation that our community must be made resilient against whatever challenge may emerge. The constant challenge is food security, any other challenge springs from this board. As exemplified by the ability of Zimbabwean politicians to, in every election, incite normally civil neighbours to violent hatred by buying them with grain.

My desire is to help create conditions of relative prosperity that will obviate the life and death aspect of elections. If our community can feed itself, our people cannot be incited into acts of violence against each other by unscrupulous politicians in exchange for grain. I am unhappy that people who live civilly with each other throughout the year turn to murdering each other in the two weeks leading up to elections. This dynamic exists chiefly because those who live in near starvation conditions can be made to murder for their next meal. My idea is to turn the land that lies between the Mavhuradonha and the Zambezi into an oasis, disregarding that politicians would rather the whole country was a desert for the sake of power.

Her Excellency Helen Clark, former New Prime Minister and current head of the UNDP with me at a UN Forum.

To this end there are three interconnected imperatives I have always held dear: security is development, community capacity initiated by constituents and, that agriculture is the most viable development option for rural communities. These ideas were reinforced for me when I had a chat with H. E. Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and current Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. I think the first hurdle has always been people’s misconception that success in life, or development, is living in urban areas and working for a wage. The reality, however, is that (global inequities considered) in all agro-based economies such as ours, most people are better off making a living off their land. Efforts should be directed vigorously to sustaining ourselves on the land we own in the rural communities.

The primary goal for me is building capacity for self-sustenance. The requirements are quite simple but will need hard work as it will be a one man initiative to begin with. Three main things are needed, firstly, a large farm inputs depot which will make seed, pesticides, fertilisers and spares readily available in the area. The second thing required will be grain silos in the area and, thirdly, libraries to ensure that, with time, knowledge becomes easily accessible. A larger, ambitious drive would actually harness the waters of the Zambezi River for an irrigation scheme. Our proximity to the great river favours this, but that would be a longer term undertaking. The main idea is that if we succeed in agriculture and maintenance of our livestock, we will have taken a huge step in creating a key component of human security for our community. This will be the springboard for an across-the-board secure community which other rural communities can see and emulate. The big picture will be a functional country that does not depend on food aid.

Kudakwashe KANHUTU

Associations:

Durham Global Security Institute DGSI

University of Kent, School of Politics and International Relations

Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies

United Nations Association of the United Kingdom

University of London, Goldsmiths College [Classics]

[Progressive Nationalism in Zimbabwe]