Ousted ZANU PF Youth League Political Commissar, Godfrey Tsenengamu has launched the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ) which he described as a radical and militant economic emancipation movement
We present the full press statement below.
FRONT FOR ECONOMIC EMANCIPATION IN ZIMBABWE (FEEZ)
LAUNCH STATEMENT.
INTRODUCTION
Ladies and Gentlemen, Comrades and Friends
Revolutionary greetings to you all.
I humbly welcome you all on my own behalf and on behalf of the movement, the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ) to this historic press conference, an event to announce the birth of this movement that seeks to undertake a mass-anchored and citizens driven economic revolution in Zimbabwe.
It is not by mere coincidence or accident that this happens today, the 25th of May 2020, a day to celebrate Africa our motherland. In choosing this day, the Africa Day, we did so deliberately in order to share with Africans and Zimbabweans in particular our vision on what we believe must be done going forward.
So here today, we gather to make an announcement to Zimbabwe, Africa and the rest of the world that here a generation has and is organising itself to take up the unfinished business of the liberation struggle, the genuine economic emancipation of the indigenous peoples here in Zimbabwe.
As I come to you and make this statement, I am neither a messiah nor a prophet. My only aspiration was and is to speak on behalf of fellow citizens who have been systematically silenced, those disinherited people of my country Zimbabwe, those citizens economically excluded, exploited and marginalised.
In doing so I am heavily worried, not of the imminent danger and harm that will come my way but of the fact that I may not succeed in making fellow citizens understand my genuine motive, all because of their past experiences. People are sceptical. They were duped and had given up to fate and accepted their situation as the norm and order of the day.
They had conformed and I am worried about how they will take my message. Knowing that the current condition we face today is not “natural” phenomena but a product of unjust economic practices by organised blood sucking economic vampires, cannibalistic cartels, corrupt, selfish and heartless capitalists and monopolists, I have together with some here decided to take a stand giving up the comfort and luxuries of our past associations to fight with with many others for the sake of generations of current and the future.
We have so much confidence in the revolutionary capabilities of ordinary human beings to accomplish this. Because we believe in the men and women, young and old so arrogantly dismissed, neglected and pushed to the peripheries of their own economy as second class citizens in their only country of birth and that Zimbabwe shall be built on a different economic and social foundation that will be created not by “technocrats”, “financial wizards” or “seasoned politicians”, but by the indigenous masses of the toiling workers, miners, students, vendors, touts, farmers, craftsmen, artists, sportspersons and all, the youth and women whose labour and sweat, joined by the riches of nature, is the source of all wealth, we have gathered the courage to come out and speak to you and embark on this journey.
BACKGROUND I have no intention to lecture you on history as I assume that we all know who we are, where we are coming from, where we are and where we ought to be as a people.
Africa and Zimbabwe in particular has come a long way. We have a history and that history has become our teacher and point of reference as to what has to happen and what we ought to do in order to achieve the dreams and aspirations of Africans and Zimbabweans in particular.
We have a history characterised by heroic sacrifices, commitments and struggles of the indigenous people against foreign domination, oppression, subjugation, discrimination, exploitation, corruption, exclusion, manipulation, marginalisation, underdevelopment and racial supremacy in our quest to establish a just and independent society that prides itself in being champions and advocates for self-determination.
Our forbearers in the majority of African countries at one point or the other organised themselves and took up arms against the colonialists and gained political independence from the former colonizers.
We are grateful to those generations, those freedom fighters who paid for our political independence though their blood, sweat and tears. We salute them. May the souls of the departed African heroes rest in peace and may the living ones be blessed and cherished.
In the case of Zimbabwe we got political independence from Britain after years of a bitter and protracted struggle. At the centre of this struggle for liberation were what they termed the national grievances, these being the concerns they had against the settler regime and what ultimately drove them to leave their homes, worried parents, families, employment, schools and everything they had wanted to enjoy and committed to the struggle against political and economic injustices.
Besides the fight for political rights and independence, the freedom fighters wanted to have Zimbabweans in charge of their God given resources, to have the Zimbabwean majority enjoying equal access to economic opportunities, to own and control the means of production and specifically land, to have an enjoyable and prosperous life as an indigenous people which life was being made miserable by a minority group of imperialists and capitalists. The freedom fighters wanted Zimbabweans to be in charge of their destiny politically and economically.
40 years down the line, to a very large extent though its debatable, we have witnessed remarkable progress in terms of consolidating the gains of that struggle politically though a lot still has to be done in regards to entrenching our democracy and fundamental freedoms of the people.
Today we have plus or minus 100 political parties contesting for political office and the mandate to govern at different levels and this movement wishes well to all the political players engaging in the struggle to achieve political freedoms and democracy for us.
However it is our considered view and opinion that not much has been achieved so far in terms of economic freedom and emancipation of our people, the indigenous majority and not much attention and commitment has been given to address economic injustices prevailing in Zimbabwe.
It is very sad and unfortunate that we have become so much obsessed with power and struggles for the acquisition or protection of the same.
We have become politically conscious but economically ignorant.
To a very large extent we have become a sloganeering, politicking and voting populace paying less attention to the economic issues at hand, the bread and butter issues affecting us and we have become economically stagnant and only get aroused and motivated to engage in mostly senseless and counterproductive political disputes and contestations for power driven by bitterness, hatred, desire for revenge and score settling in our various political parties and also at national level, where anyone who gets power whether real or imagined goes all out to suffocate their targets and outfox the other politically.
For lack of a good term, I would submit that we have accumulated negative energy that has become self destructive.
THE CURRENT SITUATION
In order to ensure the successful execution of an economic revolution here in Zimbabwe, there are issues we have to look at and find ways to resolve them. Below are some of them though the list is not exhaustive.
LAND A fast track land reform programme was embarked on and as a very good step, land was taken from an estimated 4000 white minority and redistributed to estimated hundreds of thousands. The majority of that Land is now in the hands of a minority, but this time an indigenous minority, and largely a clique that belongs or associates with one political party. And I am one of those beneficiaries.
To a very large extent those not connected or associated to those in one political party have been sidelined and segregated against and have no access to that land which also belongs to them as a national resource. Except for a few cases land was and still continues to be distributed along partisan lines as politicians continue to be in charge of the land distribution processes. As we speak those who cant pay bribes to officials in charge of land allocation have been denied their right to land.
Those who have fallen out of favor with the leadership of the country are having farms that were previously allocated to them being repossessed. Land has been weaponized and politicised to an extent that whosoever disagrees with the authorities is threatened with land withdrawals or actual withdrawals.
The authorities seem committed to reverse the land reform and give back land to former commercial farmers on various grounds. This is despite the fact that hundreds of thousands if not millions of indigenous Zimbabweans have been and are still waiting patiently to get that small piece of land and produce.
Many across the country have been evicted and ejected from the farms they occupied many years ago as only the politically powerful and connected are now getting it. Offer letters have not been disbursed as anticipated after many years of unfulfilled promises by power seeking politicians during election time.
Those connected and powerful in our society have been given 99 year leases while some have offer letters and the rest have nothing to show except the word of promise by a politician seeking votes.
While the majority of Zimbabweans seek a very small piece of land and have no access to it, a minority clique has vast tracts of land and multiple farms stretching into thousands of hectares and some being kept for unborn babies and the children of powerful politicians who are out of this country.
While many await the results of a supposed land audit, the bitter truth and reality of the day is that high ranking officials within the government and one party have already parceled out the land amongst themselves.
Production on the farms has plummeted as many are nothing but cellphone and visiting farmers who have no commitment to farm and produce for the country and as such we continue to experience food insecurity and largely rely on grain imports.
No meaningful and sustainable farmer support schemes have been put in place to enable and empower the farmer to produce while some have abused the available disorganized facilities and deprived the country of food security and agricultural industry revival.
Related to this, farmers have been made unable to enjoy products of their sweat and returns of their investments through unfair marketing models and exploitative practices. Not much has been done to defend the farmers against exploitation and manipulation, an example being what tobacco farmers are experiencing currently.
CORRUPTION.
Hopes of Zimbabweans have been dealt a huge blow by a demon that has ravaged our economy and society , which demon has been birthed, nurtured and sponsored by the powerful in our society and this demon is CORRUPTION.
It is saddening to note that despite sweet sounding promises and pledges by those in leadership to deal with this scourge, they have done the opposite by protecting and befriending the corrupt. It has turned out to be all rhetoric and no action in addressing this problem.
It is sad that in Zimbabwe we continue to witness the arrest and persecution of petty pickpockets while grand looters, criminals and thieves roam the streets and boast of their ill-gotten wealth.
Thieves and looters have been promoted into public offices either in central government or local government. Corruption has become a way of living and there is no motivation for honesty and hardwork. Corruption is evident across the divide be it in the ruling party controlled central government or in the opposition led town councils and municipalities.
When it happens though very rare that thieves associated with one major party are arrested, the criminals are surprisingly defended and represented by lawyers from the second major party. It’s so sad that to this day Zimbabweans have allowed these politicians to hoodwink them and play games.
The authorities have been so effective in arresting and jailing touts, vendors, makorokozas and street prostitutes while paying no attention to grand looters and thieves in our society who are their associates in crime. Institutions mandated to deal with crimes of corruption and deliver justice, for reasons best know to them seem not willing to deal with corruption decisively and are reluctant to act. Unfortunately citizens are patiently waiting and expecting thieves to order their own arrests. Very sad.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.
A lot has been said and promised about the economic emancipation of Zimbabweans especially youth and women but what we continue to experience today is exactly the opposite of that which we have been promised and never what we have expected.
Supposed empowerment programmes have just been nothing but smoke screens and window dressing antics by the authorities. We decry lack of genuine will to empower the people. It has just become a traditional campaign message for the politicians.
Deliberately politicians are not going to empower anyone because if one gets empowered they may develop a thick head and refuse to be manipulated and abused.
During each and every election, manifestos are printed making fake pronouncements on the massive empowerment initiatives that would be undertaken and nothing substantial has materialized. Though the constitution demands that the state must embark on affirmative action programs, nothing is coming the way of the ordinary indigenous person. The empowerment drive has died. Of late it has become increasingly difficult for any enterprising person to operate and flourish under the prevailing conditions. Instead the authorities have been working hard to create a conducive environment for foreign capital under the Zimbabwe is open for Business mantra while not doing enough for the indigenous investor and entrepreneur.
Do Zimbabweans not deserve the same treatment at the hands of their own government? Imagine the tax free holidays given to some foreign investors under unclear and dubious grounds when no incentive has been put in place for the local enterprising companies and individuals.
Not that everyone expects financial help from the government no but many just want unhindered access to opportunities not what we experience today that when you are not connected or related to someone in government then you have no chance at getting the opportunities.
In the majority of cases where any local business person or company would have been awarded any business opportunity it would be because of nepotism, regionalism, tribalism or some dirty arrangements for kickbacks in return for the favor.
We continue to see a few individuals being awarded business opportunities while the rest get elbowed out. These individuals would grab every opportunity that arises using different company names and this is so because of the influence of high ranking officials in government they work with.
NATIONAL RESOURCES
Sadly we have noted that the authorities seem to have committed to handover the ownership of our God-given natural resources to foreigners who are on a looting spree with the aid of the government and leadership. Our minerals are being looted in broad daylight with the express authority and blessing of the authorities at the expense of the people and posterity.
Non Africans have become a priority of this government as they loot our diamonds, gold, platinum, chrome, lithium and many other minerals. For example these looters have been given unhindered access to our rivers to supposedly embark on “desiltation” polluting our environment and looting our resources while any indigenous person found within those same rivers trying to irk out a living has been condemned to not less than 24 months in prison.
The marauding so called investors have been diverting and disturbing our rivers with the express authority of the government. Recently villagers in Uzumba have had their crops and sources of livelihoods destroyed by the so called investors who enjoy protection from politicians and the authorities as they seem to have been licensed to do as they please in our communities.
As we speak Zimbabwe and all the communities that boast of vast mineral deposits have nothing to show for all the minerals that have been taken out of their communities.
What does Zimbabwe let alone the Manicaland province has to show for the Diamonds they had or they still have? When struck with a Cyclone Idai disaster they could not help themselves and had to wait for donations of torn and second hand clothes from outside the province. How do we justify that? Where are those diamonds going to? Who owns those diamonds and who controls them?
What does Motoko have to show for all the granite that has been taken away? Nothing
Imagine one person has been awarded 4 gas concessions in Lupane as if people from that area deserve nothing. Why is that so? What is there for us as a country from those taking out our resources day and night? Why are we this poor when minerals are being taken out Zimbabwe every second?
We have very rich mines in a very poor communities? A very rich mining company affording to build their empires far away from where they would have exploited the resources using proceeds from a mine in a community that can not afford to build a single hole Blair toilet?
Why is our government doing this to us? Why do we continue to allow this to happen? Till when? Minerals are being exported to outside Africa in their raw state why? Who will replace these minerals for us? Why have we chosen to do this to ourselves and future generations?
As we speak Lithium is being taken out from a mine in Goromonzi and there is nothing to show for it. We all know that lithium is becoming the much sort after mineral as we get into a phase where electric cars are to be produced more but here we have ourselves giving out that precious mineral for nothing. Instead those taking this precious resource have been awarded a five years tax holiday while you and me are being charged 2 percent for every transaction that we conduct.
Besides favoring and prioritising foreigners, the authorities are parceling out all minerals claims amongst themselves and their associates. They have imposed what are called EPOs and now prohibiting anyone from getting a mining claim like in my home area in Mt Darwin. They are doing this while they expropriate and share the mining claims amongst themselves.
Resources in Zimbabwe belong to Zimbabweans and ownership of those resources must show that. Are we going to allow the indigenous majority to be treated as second class citizens in our land?
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
For far too long authorities have not been held accountable for the decisions and actions that they have been taking in the execution of their duties as public officials and servants of the people. We have allowed a degeneration and authorities to get away with murder.
For far too long we have allowed serious crimes against the people to be swept under the carpet.
We cant even talk of transparency in Zimbabwe. Everything is shrouded in secrecy giving room for dirty deals and agreements that will not only cost us but even future generations.
For example have you ever thought of just asking yourself as the taxpayer that what are the terms and conditions of the buses brought in recently and operating under the ZUPCO franchise?
Imagine of it, to this day too many deals have been signed purportedly for and on behalf of us but we know nothing about the details of such deals.
Why have the contents of such deals not been made known to us, the citizens? If these so called mega deals or whatever they are are really for our collective good as a country then the authorities must see no harm in sharing the contents of those deals and agreements.
We are not in any way seeking to conduct a witchhunt but we have had bad experiences in the past where terrible decisions and agreements have been undertaken on our behalf and we suffer the consequences of things we had no idea about. In any case, the central government and local authorities are accountable to us and are we not going to to ask them to account? It is not a favor but a right and we shall demand that on behalf of ourselves as citizens.
We have been told that our President has been receiving generous “donations” of an a private plane whener they need its services from one Crown Prince. Really? And why?
On a related matter Imagine of one who is supposed to represent us in Parliament who is not doing his or her duties when infact they promised to represent us and since 2018 has just gone AWOL. They are nowhere to be seen.
In the majority of cases, the abbreviation MP no longer means Member of Parliament as it now has a new meaning ie Missing Person. They know you cant do anything to them. We used our taxes to conduct their election, they squander our taxes in hotels, we give them fuel from our taxes, we continue to give them allowances and recently we used our monies to give them loans for latest off road vehicles worthy around US$40 000 to US$50 000 and we cant hold them accountable because they are no longer accountable to us but their parties. They no longer represent us the people but their parties.
For how long are going to allow that?? The two major parties always want to take credit and claim responsibility for seemingly good things but do not want to take responsibility for seemingly bad things eg they both wanted to claim credit for the construction of a mere roundabout but recently none if them wanted to be associated with the demolition of market stall and some structures in urban areas. It’s so sad.
LEADERSHIP CAPTURE
We are very much aware of how powerful cartels have captured our leadership and continue to hold this country at ransom. We are also aware of how leadership has allowed itself to be captured by these cartels. Most of our leaders no longer have control or a voice. They have been involved in dirty deals and now compromised
The cartels are causing a lot of untold suffering to us the people by colluding to fix prices and maximize profits as they enjoy protection from powerful and high ranking politicians. Some political parties are now compromised as they have also been captured by these cartles as they are the ones buying vehicles for those parties and their leaders, giving them fuel, paying salaries for their staff and leaders and donate towards their programs and activities.
For example they are flooding bank notes on the black market in search for foreign currency which they would then “burn” or convert into RTGS so that they deposit “donations” into party accounts meant for salaries of members of staff of certain political parties and their leadership
Yes they are allowed to do this for the benefit of a few people but at the expense of the majority.
It would be foolish of us as citizens to continue to expect that those political parties will defend us in the face of attack by their sponsors. It is high time we face reality that we are on our own as citizens.
Some leading figures from across the political divide have fallen victim to the schemes of the cartels and are now compromised and can not afford to correct the wrongs of these cartels and even allow their criticism or attack. We are on our own and this sad reality must sink into our heads as citizens.
Not just some political parties and their leaders have been captured by the cartels even outstanding figures in critical institutions as the legislature have also been captured and now compromised that they cant execute their oversight role. It’s a very sad situation for this country.
UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY
Unemployment is the order of the day and poverty levels have gone up and there seems to be no solution in sight. Graduates are being churned out of universities and colleges every year and they continue to roam the streets. The authorities have shown that they have no idea at all on how to deal with these issues and unfortunately we have become a bunch of armchair critics doing nothing to get ourselves out of this mess.
Mourning and complaining has not helped us and it is not going to help us and as such we have to be action oriented as a movement and in our own ways as affected citizens find a solution to this. No one is going to do this for us. We have been failed and they continue to fail us to this day. Our leaders dont believe in themselves not the citizens as they rely on the World Bank and IMF for possible salvation even when they know that no single country has been transformed by these institutions.
How do we expect a government that has no capacity to afford decent salaries for its employees to even develop us? For how long are we going to rely on them when we can see that we are sinking everyday? How can we continue to rely on those who have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that they are monumental failures?
CURRENCY PROBLEMS
We are all aware of how we have continued to suffer from perennial currency problems in this country. There cant be a successful economic revolution when this country continues to experience these currency problems.
On a daily basis we are always experiencing challenges related to currency issues and the authorities seem reluctant to deal decisively with this problem. We have so many problems related to currency including the forex black market that has to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. For how long are we going to continue to allow this situation to degenerate while we the majority suffer.?
We have to seek to get to the bottom of this problem and confront it in every way possible and necessary. Why are we reluctant to take the authorities to task and not only seek answers but remedial action to the prevailing currency situation?
SANCTIONS
While politicians from across the divide have been bickering over the sanctions issue and traded accusations and counter accusations on the origination, existence, sponsorship, justification and maintenance of economic sanctions on Zimbabwe and key institutions, the movement has taken time to study the US sanctions law ZDERA and concluded that sanctions do exist though in different forms.
There are those targeted at individuals in government and those targeted at key institutions of the state and corporates. Is it not right that we seek to get to the bottom of this matter and attend to the matter for the general good of ourselves in Zimbabwe?
We can never seek to involve ourselves in matters of those measures and restrictions on targeted individuals but on those measures aimed at strategic institutions of this country that have affected the performance of those institutions and thus also contributing to the economic mess that Zimbabwe is in.
Is it right to support any sanctions or measures that target public institutions and are meant to cause untold suffering on ourselves as innocent people? Can there be any justification for such punitive measures against the country’s strategic institutions?.
However we may need not to concebtrate on futile attempts that can not change anything but rather on how to deal with the effects of the same locally in order to achieve our economic goals as a people.
Against that background we thus fail to get the logic of how a government would prioritize to spend huge sums of money on paying foreign lobbyists instead of using the same to boost production and bust the sanctions back home.
Of late some politicians have tried hard to justify corruption as a sanctions busting measure and the as citizens we will not be hoodwinked by such. Those seeking to justify their looting and thievery behind the sanctions mantra will be exposed. As much as these sanctions exist but they can’t be used as a scapegoat for a failed and thievery leadership.
MISPLACED PRIORITIES
For far too long we have allowed authorities to spend unnecessarily and on things that are not a priority. This has to stop. We must have our priorities right as a country.
LABOUR For far too long the country’s workforce has been neglected. There can’t be a successful economic revolution without a motivated workforce. Unfortunately the trade unions that are supposed to represent the workers have turned themselves into political commissars of political parties thus abandoning the cause of the workers? Is it not time that labour reorganizes itself and push it’s own agenda and never be fronted by politicians ? Till when shall workers allow themselves to be pawns and instruments of politicians? Is it not time?
DIASPORA Millions of productive Zimbabweans have gone out of Zimbabwe and forced to irk a living far away from home. In those foreign lands they have proven to be hardworking and innovative and contributing immensely to the growth of those countries economies? Is it not time to take these diasporans on board in this effort to resuscitate Zimbabwe in order for these lovely daughters and sons of Zimbabwe to be able to come back home? Indeed there can’t be any meaningful development here without the involvement and participation of such a critical constituency as the diaspora.
YOUTH, WOMEN AND STUDENTS
Dreaming of a successful economic revolution without the involvement and participation of the critical constituencies of the Youth , Women and Students will remain a pipedream.
It is high time to reorganise and integrate them into this revolution. Infact they are the owners and drivers of this agenda to have a corrupt free and prosperous Zimbabwe. Innovation, hardwork and Entrepreneurship has to be promoted and rewarded.
WAY FORWARD
For far too long we have participated in toxic politics. We have become participants in politics that is driven by hate, intolerance and patronage. We have depended too much on politics and politicians for our salvation. We have allowed party politics to cloud our judgements and everything we get involved in.
We have believed too much in politics of personalities other than cause. This has become our biggest challenge. Our political parties have become part of the problem we have to solve first before we attend to the bread and butter issues affecting us.
We have mortgaged our lives and future with political entrepreneurs. We have sacrificed ourselves so much for our parties, politicians and their ambitions for power and done very little to change our situations.
We have relied too much on a few people to change our situations but all have failed us. +/- 10 Million elders looking upto less than 2 500 people to change their lives. Let me give you the rough breakdown on the figures of those we look upto. Presidium = 3 Cabinet +/- 30 MPs 210 + 60 PR MPs + 60 Senators = +/- 330 Councillors = +/- 2000
TOTAL = +/- 2 400 people
Not to say that they are of no importance or significance in our lives no. That’s not the point but is it not that we have over exaggerated their importance and abilities to be our saviours?
How would we rely on people who have do not even know how to take care of themselves other than relying on allowances and perks from Parliament and Government?
They live out of our taxes. Have you ever checked the noise that they make and unimaginable unity they make when demanding allowances and perks? How can we look upto such people?
Politicians have failed us and we have also failed ourselves by not doing enough for our own sake.
To get my point, look at it this way. Currently we have two major political parties in Zimbabwe based on the results of the 2018 polls. The other party has largely rural strongholds while the other has urban strongholds.
Of the two parties the other one has been in governance in charge of central government for the past 40 years and the other one has been in governance structures especially local governance for the past 20 years. Just visit their strongholds and see for yourself how they are performing even at a local level. It’s pathetic.
They now developed the NO GO AREA syndrome on each other and they have created safe zones for themselves because they now know that in those areas you will vote for them even if they dont deliver. These parties have taken us for granted for too long and take us for their subjects and puppets.
It is time we must take charge of our destiny and make things happen. Politics yes but we will have to deal with that when the time comes.
Let’s come together as citizens and find a way out of this mess. We either organise ourselves now and start correcting the wrongs or we remain doomed.
So here we are today announcing our movement, the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ)
CHARACTER OF FEEZ
FEEZ is a voluntary, apolitical, non-partisan and inclusive radical and militant economic emancipation movement of the united citizens of Zimbabwe who include but are not limited to revolutionary and fearless youth and women patriots and activists, workers, students, liberation veterans, civil society organisations, miners, farmers, industry leaders and entrepreneurs, community-based organisations and lobby groups pursuing the people’s struggle to achieve a genuinely prosperous and corrupt free Zimbabwe
We are the vanguard of community struggles working to confront and eradicate corruption in Zimbabwe, demanding and ensuring accountability and transparency from the authorities, promoting genuine and broad-based economic emancipation and development, eradicating poverty as well as ensuring equitable access to national resources and opportunities by all in Zimbabwe.
We are advocates for self-determination who are committed to undertake an economic revolution in.
We are a movement of the citizens, by the citizens and for the citizens that believes in the capacity of the ordinary Zimbabwean citizen to transform and build the Zimbabwean economy and shall through organic engagement and a constant relationship with the masses in Zimbabwe and key stakeholders in the community seek to provide clear and cogent alternatives to the current neo-colonial economic system, which in many instances has resulted in the indigenous masses suffering economic domination, manipulation, exclusion and exploitation.
FEEZ believes in mutual engagements with all progressive movements in order to contribute effectively to the struggles against man-made poverty, corruption, monopoly and unfair resource exploitation and biased access to national resources and opportunities by organised cannibalistic capital and the greedy powerful in Zimbabwe.
We believe that Zimbabwe shall be built by united Zimbabweans and by extension Africans and that a corrupt free, prosperous and largely self-sustainable Zimbabwe with a transparent and accountable leadership that gives equal access to resources and opportunities to all Zimbabweans in order to bring about a home grown and driven economy is possible in our lifetime.
OUR VISION
FEEZ envisions a corrupt free, highly developed, prosperous, productive, peaceful and non-discriminatory Zimbabwe with highest levels of transparency and accountability, a strong and home-built national economy, a country that prides itself in the genuine, broad-based and sustainable economic emancipation of its communities and peoples through structured ownership and maximum utilization of national resources and equitable access to opportunities by all.
OUR MISSION
We seek to mobilise and organise all Zimbabweans into a united and formidable movement seeking to undertake an economic revolution that shall confront and eradicate corruption and ensure equal access to national resources and opportunities by all in order to establish a corrupt-free, highly developed, productive, peaceful, non-discriminatory and prosperous Zimbabwe through home-grown and citizens-driven economic models and initiatives
OUR VALUES
FEEZ is anchored on the values of Unity, Patriotism, Transparency, Accountability, Productivity, Diversity, Voluntarism, Equality, Inclusivity, Integrity, Collectivism and Ubuntuism
FEEZ LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND MODUS OPERANDI
We are not for or against any political party, a faction or grouping. We are a citizens movement
We have no leadership structure for now as that is not our priority. As a grassroots and action oriented movement we believe in working with volunteers who share the same vision with us.
However we shall be advising you on the leadership structure but for those who are in the habit of seeking top positions of leadership within organisation, FEEZ may disappoint you because we dont prioritize that.
In this economic revolution, we are going to focus primarily on two critical issues, the fight against corruption and related economic injustices and the economic empowerment of the indigenous mass.
As such in the movement we have created two professional units for specific tasks
We have the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Citizens Taskforce which is a small unit within the broader movement manned by a small number of people to deal with specific corruption cases in an organized and professional manner. ZACCT works for and on behalf of the broader citizens movement and works closely with existing institutions and constitutional commissions mandated to deal with corruption.
Secondly we have another smaller unit and wing of the broader movement, the National Affirmative Action Assembly of Zimbabwe (NAAAZ) to deal with specific assignments related to empowerment of the citizens and our communities.
As with ZACCT, NAAAZ also operates in an organized and professional manner executing business for and on behalf of the broader movement.
These two units are manned professionally by a selected few people.
Those citizens who wish to be part of this movement are welcome under the broader movement, the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe they are free to participate and contribute.
As a citizens movement, we have no funder nor patron. We believe that we are our own liberators and as such those who believe in this cause are free to support in any way they deem fit.
However we dont accept string tied support. Those who will decide to support us must not seek to impose conditions on us.
Given the abundance of natural resources in Zimbabwe coupled with a hardworking, educated and resilient people, there can’t be any justification why Zimbabwe and her people are poor and always begging.
We have have confidence in fellow ordinary citizens who have the capacity to transform themselves as we come together to be an active, united, tactical and conscious force under the banner of our movement, the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ) chanting loudly and proudly that “We Are Our Own Liberators”
The Corona Virus must be an awakening call for all of us. It has exposed the truth about ourselves and our government. We thank God that through his Mercy we have not been attacked us to the levels of other countries.
It is time we do what is right for ourselves because the bitter truth is that we are on our own
We reaffirm here and now that our agenda is not for or against an individual or a perceived grouping but against the common enemy i.e. man-made poverty, corruption, economic discrimination and manipulation by the greedy, selfish and heartless in our midst who care not about others but themselves and have taken everything for themselves.
Finally we wish fellow citizens to be realistic and move out of the false comfort zones they created for themselves and be the change they have been waiting for.
For the doubting Thomases one day they will realise our sincerity and see reason in partnering us in this journey and just struggle to actualise the dream of a prosperous and corrupt free Zimbabwe in our lifetime.
THANK YOU