BY OBERT MASARAURE
THE call by war veteran Blessed Geza for nationwide demonstrations on October 17th is a crucial test for Zimbabwe.
Can we transform the ruling party’s internal battles into real liberation, or will we repeat the devastating mistake of November 2017?
The scars from ZANU-PF’s infamous betrayal of the opposition, civil society, and ultimately the ordinary masses run deep.
An excruciating reminder—and a telling warning—that supporting the likes of Geza may simply mean swapping one ZANU-PF leader for another.
Replacing President Emmerson Mnangagwa with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga while the oppressive system remains intact.
Skeptics, erstwhile opposition leaders, and civic society leaders who previously supported the November 2017 coup, wary of aligning with Geza’s call against rampant state-sponsored corruption, patronage, and massive looting.
They point to Mnangagwa’s cynical, unapologetic betrayal.
A betrayal that followed swiftly after the November 2017 military-assisted coup.
He rode, manipulated, and abused the wave of popular hope that brought people into the streets.
That caution is vital, but allowing it to paralyze us is the real danger.
Our failure in 2017 wasn’t caused by engaging with the ruling party’s self-destruction; it was caused by how we—the progressive voices in the opposition, civic society, and ordinary citizenry—engaged.
We made critical errors when the opposition surrendered its leverage by providing mass legitimacy for the coup without securing binding reforms.
Ironically, we ignored glaring signs of the coup captains’ ulterior motives—none clearer than when, shortly after Mnangagwa’s swearing-in ceremony, Patrick Chinamasa deflated the people’s hopes by telling the cheering crowds at Zimbabwe Grounds that this was an exclusive ZANU-PF issue.
“Chinhu chedu,” he declared, affirming that the November 2017 coup was a ZANU-PF project, not the people’s movement.
In the years that followed, we Zimbabweans became a global cautionary tale for voluntarily marching to hand power to another tyrant.
Our once-vibrant opposition demobilized the streets instead of amplifying protest.
Crucial actors like labour unions and churches waited for cues instead of acting independently.
The result was that the opposition gave cover to the coup, the old system entrenched itself, and our hopes were crushed.
Since then, the lesson has become painfully clear, when tyrants tear each other apart, we must not side with one out of convenience.
We must only engage when there is guaranteed necessity—that is, when our aspirations and future are truly embedded in the new prevailing system.
Citizens must be the architects of change.
We’ve seen this strategy work elsewhere.
In Bolivia, when the president lost support, diverse social movements sustained relentless protests, forced resignations, and didn’t stop until they secured a binding agreement for a new constitution written by the people.
In Tunisia, powerful unions refused to let the revolution be hijacked, acting as brokers while mobilizing pressure to dismantle the old regime and secure democratic elections.
Even in our own SADC bloc, Madagascar is witnessing something similar, where citizens—led by Generation Z—are protesting against electricity shortages and unemployment, with the army siding with the masses.
These examples prove that transformation is possible.
Now, the million-dollar question is, “how do we maximize the current ZANU-PF crisis to push for an authentic, pro-people movement?”
It’s quite simple.
Our blueprint is this, before October 17th, citizens, unions, churches, students, and civil society must unite to draft a framework for a non-partisan People’s Charter for Democratic Transition.
This must be our non-negotiable agenda—demanding an inclusive transitional governing body, irreversible reforms such as security sector overhaul, and a guaranteed pathway to free and fair elections.
Then, on October 17th, we must flood the streets—not to endorse Geza, but to brand the Central demand of the need of a NTA and further gather more information on what the Citizens want.
We must turn his stage into our platform.
Crucially, we must keep the pressure burning on October 18th, 19th, and beyond with rolling protests and actions.
This will demonstrate that the fire belongs to the people, not any faction.
We must formally present the Charter to be produced, to Geza, Mnangagwa, Chiwenga, and to the world—declaring, without apology, that our presence is conditional on this agenda.
In this pivotal moment, we must also build decentralized, resilient structures—neighbourhood committees, union task forces, student networks—our permanent shield against betrayal and co-optation.
Why does this strategy win?
Because by controlling the agenda and sustaining independent action, we force victory in every possible scenario.
If overwhelming pressure compels feuding elites to accept the Charter and a transition, we win genuine reform.
Should Mnangagwa remain in power at the end of the crisis, he will inherit a nation united behind the Charter and a reactivated resistance, forcing him to make concessions.
If Chiwenga wins and betrays the people as Mnangagwa did, he will face immediate, massive protests—potentially aided by Mnangagwa’s remnants—sweeping him aside or forcing meaningful change.
But doing nothing—staying home—guarantees that the elites will resolve their fight over our heads, leaving the oppressive system intact no matter who wins.
October 17th isn’t about trusting Geza or any ZANU-PF faction.
It’s about trusting our own collective power and strategic clarity.
Let them tear each other apart.
Our job is to harness that chaos to shatter the system itself.
Flood the streets on the 17th.
Capture views for the people centric Charter.
Keep the fires burning on the 18th and beyond.
Sustain the pressure.
Build the people’s machinery.
Forge resilience.
This time, Zimbabwe’s future must not be forged in ZANU-PF’s backrooms, but in the streets—by the people, for the people, and with an agenda we control.
Our moment is October 17th.
Fellow countrymen as we march toward the 17th of October, let us seize this moment not only as a day of protest, but as a profound opportunity for participatory action research—a collective process of listening, dreaming, and demanding together.
This isn’t just about shouting in the streets.
It’s about hearing each other out—from civil servants struggling under patronage, to vendors enduring daily harassment.
From unemployed graduates and youths facing a bleak future, to transport operators squeezed by bribes and taxes.
From churches and civic society yearning for moral clarity, to Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the business community, and captains of industry suffocating under economic mismanagement.
In every township, city, and rural district, we call on communities to deliberately convene, to reflect on their needs and to draft their own local demands—no voice is too small.
We encourage every demographic group to be represented and to contribute, including women, students, informal traders, the diaspora, artists, and farmers.
These localized demands will be collected, reviewed, and synthesized after the 17th, into a People’s Charter—a living document forged from the ground up.
At the end of October 17th, we will collate all these community-driven demands and adopt a new People’s Charter as the definitive voice of the people.
This Charter will become the foundation for national engagement, and its primary demand must be crystal clear, the establishment of a National Transitional Authority to dismantle the old system, implement urgent reforms, and pave the road to a truly democratic Zimbabwe.
We are not waiting for leaders to save us.
We are creating the mandate.
We are not begging for space.
We are taking it.
We are not echoing the past. We are writing the future.
Let the People’s Charter rise.
Let the people speak.
October 17th should mark the beginning—not of another betrayal—but of a true people’s transition.
