I have been contemplating on whether to write this article or not. I have opinions as does everyone else, but my opinions on political matters I usually shy away from, well that was until I saw the below statement:

to applaud a politician because he has built a hospital, school, road etc with public money is the same as applauding an ATM because it gives you your money’                          ~ unknown

This is the problem with African leaders. They feel as though they are doing their countries favours by giving them proper governance. Is it really that difficult to not steal that COVID – 19 fund (that you borrowed money for and will need to be replaced)? Is it really that hard to give your nation decent healthcare (in this day and age how can we have 17th century mortality rates or worse)? Is it that hard to forgo that luxury car so that the people you represent can have better services?

Our leaders forget that they are voted into power by the people, SO THAT THEY CAN REPRESENT THEM! They forget the promises they made and they forget the people and their plight. As long as they are in power and as long as their families are better of. They do not care, but what about the rest of us? What of our families? I guess we do not matter.

And then the occasional times we do get that one individual who will stand up for us. That one ray of hope that encourages us not to take all of this laying down. Our journalists and activists are castrated by our African leaders with the backing of the ‘revolution’ parties (the parties that ushered independence from colonialism). The same parties that will not keep their members in check and ask them to remember what it is they fought for to begin with (they also seem to have lost their way somewhere along the way).

All over Africa we have heard this story time and time again. Khalid Drareni from Algeria, Hopewell Chin’ono from Zimbabwe, Timothy Mtambo from Malawi. These are just a few names from the hundreds that have been silenced. I know someone will read this and say that this is why the west always says bad things about us, how can they not when we do the above to ourselves. Hanging our dirty laundry out in the open for all to see? Well to you who thinks that, just know that sometimes it is necessary for wrong things to be outed. Maybe, just maybe these leaders will have mercy on us as we get louder.

The sad thing is that this is not just the Zimbabwean story or just the South African story. You could be sitting anywhere in Africa right now and this would be your story too. No leader stands for another nation, no leader holds the other accountable. They act like it is not happening next door as they continue to loot the resources of their own nation at the expense of their citizens. Then again how can you speak of the chip in your neighbour’s eye when you have a log in your own?

Dear African Leaders,

The citizenship you represent are not your slaves. You represent people who chose you to stand for them. Do right by them and serve them. You willingly accepted the mandate so please do what needs to be done. SERVE THE PEOPLE. Give them a better chance at life, a fighting chance at survival, a livelihood worth waking up for, and a hopeful future for the generation to come.

Sue