Since the violence around the Highfields rally on Sunday 11 March, people have been asking how to keep up momentum, or build on momentum—how to leverage discontent and a seeming willingness to act.
I was reminded of this question of momentum when I was running the other night. I noticed my shoelace untied some 20 minutes or so from my destination. I knew I should stop and tie it, as I could feel my shoe working itself loose on my foot and I didn"t want to trip over the laces. But I didn"t, because I didn"t want to lose momentum. So I figured I"d wait until I got to a good place to stop.
Of course, when I did trip myself and landed splat in the dust with a skinned knee and damaged pride, that was a good time to stop—but not quite as good as a few seconds earlier might have been. I was reminded of the importance of taking breaks and adjusting to changing circumstances.
I"ve been thinking similarly about the stay away which the ZCTU has called for 3 and 4 April. Maybe it"s a change of tactics, an opportunity to deescalate violence, build confidence and move energies for another phase. I"d love to see a massive shut down of shops, banks and businesses, but I don"t know how well it will be supported.
The other morning, I stopped in to pick up some bread, and chatted a bit with the guy behind the counter there.
–How"s business, I ask him.
–Tight. No flour.
–It"s hard to run a bakery with no flour.
–It is, he shrugs.
–What do you think of this stay away coming up?
–He laughs and shakes his head.
I had a look at the minimum wages which were gazetted in January. The government agreed minimum wage for the highest level of domestic worker—a red cross certified disabled or aged minder—is Z$620 per day. A banana costs $1,000. One way transport from a nearby suburb into the city centre is Z$5,000. Things are seriously out of whack.
The Tiri-pa-tight Negotiating Forum may not be able to deliver solutions, but I think the reasons to support the stay away go much deeper than any hope of an instant pay rise or even sudden change of heart by the regime.
Like Trevor Ncube was saying in the Independent this week, "as Zimbabweans who believe in our country, we must begin to plot a way forward that is not dependent on Mugabe, Zanu PF or even the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)."
This stay away is about taking advantage of an initiative that"s been in the works since February, and using it to mobilise and inspire people, and giving confidence in the our ability to work together and get outside of party politics.
People I"ve spoken with in the past few weeks are concerned about the violence Zimbabwe has seen in recent weeks. Many have made comments about not wanting to see Zimbabwe go back to the bush, or back to war. If the options are violence or the status quo, it seems many would rather stick with the status quo.
This is one more reason to support the stay away—it is a change of tactics. It"s one more way to build participation and collective resistance, hopefully non-violently. I"d love to wake up next Tuesday to empty streets and shuttered doors.
 
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