Chairperson, how can we celebrate Africa Day with a clear conscience this year, if the world must in horror watch images on TV of an African being burnt alive by another African in our own beloved country? Where is the respect for human life? The last time we saw images of a man being necklaced was in 1989, when there was an orchestrated agenda to make the country ungovernable. But, 18 years later, we do have a democratically elected government. We must be obeyed. Why this lawlessness?
What is currently happening in South Africa with the reference to the attacks on foreigners is not to be seen as an isolated incident. South Africa forms part of a collective of states in Africa and the rest of the world, which must account for its actions and policies. There is a growing disillusionment amongst our people with government and the political institutions in general. A recent survey by the Human Science Research Council, HSRC, has shown that trust in our political institutions is weak, which suggests that people are not impressed with the way political parties are governing their affairs. It might be that the recent attacks on foreigners reflect a symptom of this distrust in leadership. It would appear that, instead of relying on the political officials to address their grievances and problems, our communities seem to be taking matters into their own hands with dire consequence.
There is a leadership crisis in our nation and due to the fragmentation within the ruling party and government, our state is under siege because of a void of purpose, direction and constraint.
We ought to have brought hope and peace to Zimbabwe through mediation, but instead we brought the crisis to our land. We ought to have expunged corrupt officials from government, but instead, from the top echelons of government to the average person in our communities, there is a disregard for our justice system.
In conclusion, if we wish to be respected among our peers in other countries, then we have to go back to the ideals we had or believed in when we fought, and many died, for a free and democratic nation led by a respected leadership. I thank you.