Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-MDC member and former Education minister David Coltart launched his book, The Struggle Continues 50 Years of Tyranny, in Harare on Wednesday defending it as a personal perspective as he continues building momentum on the controversial publication.
The hefty tome is a biographical account of Coltart’s life journey in both spheres political and social since pre-independence and has drawn the ire of government officials for its allegedly malicious views.
Among some of the issues that have drawn the ire of government has been Coltart’s view that Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa was one of those who incited the 1980s Gukurahundi atrocities that claimed nearly 20 000 civilians in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.
Mnangagwa has since dismissed the allegations as false and malicious.
Permanent Secretary for Information George Charamba has also come out attacking the publication.
However addressing the gathered audience during the launch at Gallery Delta, Coltart admitted that the book is simply a publication of his views as a person and should be interrogated as such.
“The book is indeed subjective since I wrote my own views”, he said.
This resonated with his earlier statements during a launch in Bulawayo.
“It’s my perspective. What I hope it will generate it’s a debate. The challenge is to the Jonathan Moyos, to the Nathaniel Manherus and all other politicians to write their own stories,” Coltart said at the launch.
“It encourages all the Zimbabweans right across the political spectrum to write their own stories. There are far too few stories written about Zimbabwe. There are very few political autobiographies or even biographies written in Zimbabwe”.
“There is not a single biography about President Robert Mugabe written by a Zimbabwean. I think that is a challenge.”
“If you think of other icons of our country there are no biographies about Garfield Todd (former Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia), Edson Zvobgo (Zanu-PF co-founder) and many other iconic figures,” he said.
The Harare launch was attended by numerous political and civic society players who included MDC-T Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora, former ZANU PF member Cephas Msipa, Member of Parliament Jessi Majome, Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, MDC-T members Jonathan Samkange and Job Sikhala.
Comments
About Author
