A ‘puppet of the West’ is a president who still opens Parliament riding in a vintage Rolls Royce!

I seriously doubt if there is any other country under the sun where the term ‘puppet of the West’ is repeatedly abused as in Zimbabwe.

Anyone who stands up and speaks out against the ruling elite – in exposing their brazen corrupt deeds, mismanagement of the economy, or numerous other malfeasances – immediately finds himself with this tag.

Of course, there is a history to this tendency of branding individuals opposed to those in power as ‘puppets’.

This goes back to the colonial era itself – whereby those seeking independence for the majority were painted as ‘communist puppets who wanted to rid the country of its Christian values’.

In so doing, the ruling establishment hoped to create divisions both within the country and globally – since, at that time, communism was deeply frowned upon.

This was further exacerbated by their (communists’) rabid hatred of any form of religion – which they perceived as a way by the bourgeoisie (capital class) to brainwash the proletariat (workers) into submission and acceptance of their oppression.

As such, those fighting for Zimbabwe’s liberation – who were actively supported and sponsored by communist nations as the Soviet Union and China – leant pretty quickly that resorting to labelling opponents as ‘puppets’ was quite an effective method of separating them from the rest of the population.

They (liberation movements) were soon to come up with their own term, ‘zvimbwasungata’ – which had the same meaning and connotation as ‘puppets’.

This time around, anyone who resisted or stood against these movements was called a ‘puppet of colonists’ (or simply a neo-imperialist) – worthy of a gruesome torturous death.

Nonetheless, at the turn of the millennium, this phenomenal took on another form – as ‘puppet of the West’ was introduced into the fray.

This was deliberately designed to portray any opposition to the ruling elite as being engineered and originated from the US and UK (the former colonial master).

As the Zimbabwe regime has become progressively more corrupt and oppressive – resulting in increased disgruntlement from the ordinary citizenry – this branding has similarly taken on a darker and more menacing shade.

This has witnessed any voices of dissent being relentlessly persecuted and the main opposition brutally cracked down upon – all done under the pretext of ‘protecting the country’s sovereignty and independence’.

Any demands for constitutionally-enshrined rights – such as political, assembly, demonstration, and expression freedoms – is characterized as ‘seeking regime change’, ostensibly at the behest of the West.

It is as if black Zimbabweans are totally incapable of thinking and acting on their own – and require the instruction and control of whites!

That warped belief, in itself, exposed the ruling establishment’s own colonial mentality at play.

However, what I find rather curious and the height of disingenuity is the hypocrisy of those in power.

Are our ruling elite not the ones who literally worship the ground on which our erstwhile colonizers walk?

Who is filled with unbridled excitement – as a child left alone in a toy shop and confectionery – whenever invited to the UK?

Was the President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa administration not over the moon when he received an invitation to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (2021) and King Charles’ coronation last year?

State propagandists could not stop themselves from bragging over these trips – regardless that he was one in nearly 200 world leaders in attendance!

In spite of Mnangagwa regularly invited to other countries, most particularly on the African continent and even to eastern Europe and Asia – having visited Russia, Belarus and China – the excitement was no where near these UK invitations.

In fact, the Zimbabwean delegation’s antics in Glasgow hogged news headlines for all the wrong reasons – including buying trolley-loads of expensive Scotch whiskeys, despite the fact that their country could not even afford to procure pain killers in its public health institutions.

Furthermore, even though those in power in Zimbabwe always want us to believe that their ‘Eastern allies’ are our ‘all-weather friends’ – none of them have ever visited these countries for holidays, let alone seek citizenship.

Yet, government and ruling ZANU PF party top officials as Chris and Monica Mutsvangwa never fail to parade their pictures taken on their vacations in the US, where they visit with maddening regularity.

Where are their photos whilst at the Great Wall of China or outside the Kremlin?

This is while information ministry permanent secretary Nick Ndavanini Mangwana has British citizenship, whilst finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s family is based in Switzerland.

Why are these ‘patriotic’ men not content with simply being Zimbabwean citizens?

It is not as if they were born in the UK or Switzerland – neither are they descendants of British or Swiss parents.

Nevertheless, what I find extremely bizarre is Mnangagwa’s continued use of a colonial era vintage Rolls Royce, together with the horse-mounted entourage – in officially opening Zimbabwe’s Parliament.

This grandiose custom is of British heritage, brought to Zimbabwe via colonization.

If he is the epitome of patriotism and champion of anti-colonialism – as he wants everyone to believe – then why has he not ditched this entire circus?

We can also look at the judges in our higher court – who still don those weird British judicial wigs.

In 2019, the JSC (Judicial Service Commission) reportedly placed an order for 64 wigs from Stanley Lee Legal Outfitters in London for a staggering £118,400.

This, as mentioned earlier, in a country without adequate medication, ambulances, and functional cancer machines.

Imagine what £118,400 would have purchased!

For what reason would the ZANU PF regime be so eager for a legacy of colonialism to the extent of using so much money on wigs?

I will not even bother speculating the costs involved in maintaining a vintage Rolls Royce, considering just how expensive those vehicles are.

A quick check reveals that an average US$4,000 annually is required to keep those costly cars running smoothly.

All this so that Mnangagwa can feel British and colonial!

Now, who is the real ‘puppet of the West’ in all this?

Who is still drunk from the vestiges of colonialism?

Who appears to feel more important and special simply because of their association with anything British or American?

So, before accusing Zimbabweans who demand their rights of being ‘puppets of the West’, please look yourselves in the mirror first.

More so, when still wearing those ridiculous wigs or riding at the back of the Rolls Royce with horses cantering by the side!