Zimbabwe’s liberation will not be delivered by a political savior—the people must become the movement

Tendai Ruben Mbofana

The recurrent tragedy of the Zimbabwean struggle for freedom and justice is not the lack of desire for change among its people, but rather the structural trap in which that desire is repeatedly caught. 

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For decades, ordinary citizens have invested their hopes, resources, and even their lives into formal institutions, political parties, and self-proclaimed pressure groups. 

Yet, the history of these organizations is a painful chronicle of bitter power struggles, unbridled greed, authoritarian tendencies, and the inevitable betrayal of the masses as leaders succumb to the co-optation and bribery of the ruling elite. 

Our greatest weakness has been the inflated egos of opposition leaders, each desperately seeking relevance merely to outperform the other.

When the struggle is institutionalized, it becomes a commodity, and when it becomes a commodity, it is easily bought, fractured, or strategically managed by those at the top. 

If Zimbabweans are to break this vicious cycle of hope and heartbreak, they must radically rethink the mechanics of resistance. 

The solution lies in shifting away from structured organizations toward decentralized, issue-based mass mobilization.

However, we must be absolutely clear about what true decentralization means. 

It is not the cynical manipulation of structurelessness by a single political actor. 

We must firmly reject the deceptive model where an individual intentionally avoids formal structures, constitutions, or official leadership bodies simply to insulate themselves from accountability and establish absolute personal control. 

Strategic ambiguity is not liberation; it is merely autocracy by another name, creating a scenario where one man remains the undisputed “boss” without any institutional checks. 

True decentralization does not swap a structured dictatorship for a formless personal cult. 

Instead, it eliminates the “boss” entirely. It means no single individual announces the birth of a movement, no single figurehead claims ownership of the people’s grievances, and no one man holds the authority to negotiate behind closed doors on behalf of the masses.

When a struggle relies on a central figurehead or a formal organization, it presents the oppressor with an easy target. 

The state apparatus excels at neutralizing centralized entities, whether they are structured political parties or personalized movements. 

It knows exactly who to arrest, who to bribe, who to threaten, and who to infiltrate. 

The moment a leader values their personal brand, position, or proximity to power more than the cause itself, the movement is compromised. 

This model demands a blind loyalty to individuals rather than principles, fracturing the population along partisan lines and alienating millions of citizens who refuse to be pawns in anyone’s personal quest for dominance.

To circumvent these systemic failures, Zimbabweans must learn to stand up for themselves with one voice around common causes, completely independent of any individual’s ambition. 

Imagine a campaign built entirely around a non-negotiable national grievance, such as the rampant looting of national resources, abysmal service delivery, or regressive constitutional changes like CAB3. 

Such a movement requires only a shared conviction. 

By organizing around issues rather than personalities, the struggle immediately becomes inclusive. 

It allows a disgruntled civil servant, a struggling informal trader, a disillusioned youth, and even a progressive member of the ruling party to stand side by side without the baggage of allegiance to any specific man or political brand. 

The cause itself becomes the sole leader.

This strategy is a proven modern blueprint for successful political and social transformation. 

The world has entered an era of genuinely leaderless mass action that leaves oppressive regimes completely bewildered. 

Consider the historic Gen Z protests in Kenya in 2024. 

Faced with a punitive Finance Bill that sought to tax basic goods, young Kenyans did not wait for a directive from a political savior or a traditional NGO. 

They organized organically and digitally using social media platforms, uniting under a singular demand: to reject the bill. 

There was no central committee for the government to bribe, and crucially, there was no single politician pulling the strings. 

When the state tried to co-opt the movement by calling for dialogue, the youth refused to appoint a representative, remaining firmly focused on the issue. 

The sheer, decentralized power of the masses forced the president to withdraw the legislation entirely.

Similarly, the 2011 Arab Spring in Egypt and the 2019 Sudanese Revolution both drew their unstoppable force from informal, neighborhood-based networks and organic civilian unity, not from the command of a singular leader. 

In Hong Kong’s anti-extradition movement, protesters adopted the philosophy to “be water”—fluid, formless, and impossible for the police to pin down. 

In all these instances, there were certainly vocal faces who emerged to articulate demands to the global media or galvanize crowds on the streets, but these individuals held no formal executive power, titles, or authority. 

They were messengers of the collective will, not masters of a political machine.

For Zimbabwe, adopting this genuinely leaderless approach would dismantle the ruling elite’s primary strategy of survival, which relies on polarizing the nation and exhausting the population through endless personality clashes. 

When citizens mobilize organically around the defense of their livelihoods and their constitution, the old propaganda lines of partisan malice lose all traction. 

Power greed and backstabbing cannot thrive where there are no positions to contest, no titles to flaunt, and no de facto bosses to worship. 

The liberation of Zimbabwe will not be delivered by a political savior. 

It will be achieved when ordinary citizens realize that true, lasting justice is won only when the people themselves become the movement.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. To directly receive his articles please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08