Dare to Be Different

With winter on the horizon and the first orange aloes blooming, a brisk wind stirs the banners strung up across our town’s highways.

But it’s not just the onset of winter giving us chills this May 2026; these banners promote the ruling party’s suggested amendments to the Constitution.

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The banners do not call for: Protect our Constitution, Protect one man one vote, Protect democracy, or Protect referendums. Instead, they proclaim: ‘Constitutional Amendment Bill No 3. Putting development ahead of politics’.

‘Development ahead of politics’ they assert, conveniently omitting their desire to extend presidential terms to seven years and stripping 16 million citizens of their right to vote for a president in favor of 300 MPs and senators in parliament.

‘Development ahead of politics’ they claim, while we ask, what about prioritizing people over politics?

What about prioritizing nurses, who currently earn less than $390 a month and face chronic staffing shortages, resulting in nurse-to-patient ratios of 1:20, and even 1:30 in some wards? The recommended nurse-to-patient ratio is one nurse for every five patients.

‘Development ahead of politics’ they claim, while we pose the question, what about prioritizing teachers, who earn between $320 and $480 a month?

Teachers who cannot afford public transport to commute to work. Teachers struggling with a teacher-to-pupil ratio of 1:45, while the recommended ratio is 1:25.

‘Development ahead of politics’ they assert, while we ask, what about putting ordinary people first; those who still live in dusty villages lacking water or electricity, 46 years after independence, and rely on donkeys and ox carts for transportation.

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Both urban and rural communities are grappling with financial hardships as they prepare to pay school fees in just a week.

This week, a father shared a heartbreaking story. His son, having excelled enough to be named school captain, now needed a new uniform: new colored trousers and shirt, a new blazer—before even considering the school fees.

“I am so proud of my firstborn,” he told me, tears in his eyes, “but I don’t know how I will pay for it.”

The deadline for feedback on the proposed Constitutional Amendment is 15 May.

The government insists there is no need for a referendum, yet it erects banners and employs arrests, beatings, intimidation, and threats against those who dare to disagree.

Please remember Zimbabwe and its ordinary citizens. Don’t forget the nurse caring for 20 patients, the teacher managing a classroom of 45 students, and the father beaming with pride for his firstborn son.

© Cathy Buckle