adminAnalysis Limukani Ncube
IF there was anyone still doubting that once upon a time, there was a cabal within Zanu-PF plotting to unseat President Mugabe, that was settled last week. One good thing about the truth is that it has its own way of coming out, and yes, it eventually comes out, no matter the denials or underhand dealings. The “unveiling” last week of the “manifesto” or blue print or what ever name you may ascribe to it, by former vice-president Dr Joice Mujuru through a Press statement in the private media was enough proof that indeed, a number of members, expelled from the party amid serious accusations of plotting to unseat or assassinate President Mugabe, harboured ambitions of taking over reigns in the top echelons of power, with Dr Mujuru believed to be earmarked for the highest office in the land.
The fact that Dr Mujuru, expelled from the party together with a group of like minded individuals, now rallying together under the banner of “People First” and of late the blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development (BUILD) mantra, are now criticising Government policies which were crafted and implemented when they were still in Zanu-PF and Government, gives credence to fears that they have always been running parallel structures, with a sinister agenda too.
How do you explain their criticism of the Land Reform Exercise? An exercise that was necessary to correct the imbalance in terms of land ownership in the country, as vast tracks of land were in the hands of the white minority, with the majority of Zimbabweans — blacks — cramped in dry and unproductive areas. In fact, the land issue was one of the major reasons why the liberation war was fought.
How do you explain their criticism of the Indigenisation Policy? A policy that is meant to give opportunities to Zimbabweans to benefit from natural resources found in their own country, and also giving them a chance to play a role in the country’s economy.
How do you explain their criticism of the leadership of the ruling party and Government? Is it because they are now out in the cold and crying out for attention or they never believed in the system in which they were part of, a system that catapulted them to the top, and gave them opportunities to enjoy life under the sun in this good country called Zimbabwe?
Mr Goodwine Mureriwa, a political scientist, told The Herald that Dr Mujuru’s statement vindicated Zanu-PF’s decision to fire her from the party.
“Mai Mujuru was identified by the West as the so-called moderate a long time ago, that is why there were attempts to have her take over leadership of Zanu-PF at the Goromonzi Congress in 2006. She has always opposed empowerment policies that have benefited the majority even when she was in Zanu-PF; therefore her pronouncements now are not surprising. The West have realised that Morgan Tsvangirai will not win any elections because he lacks the liberation war credentials and have therefore identified the so-called moderate former liberation war fighters to do their bidding as is shown in this blueprint released by Mujuru. They were subverted even at the time they were still in Zanu-PF as they were acting like an opposition within.”
Among senior members expelled from the party were former ministers Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo.
However, analysts say the coming of their political party, which is rumoured to be set for launch “anytime soon”, will be a non-event. This is because they promise to offer nothing new from the slogans that have not taken the existing opposition parties anywhere. It sounds and feels pretty much the same as the “Mugabe must go” noise from the likes of MDC-T, MDC, MDC Renewal and all other opposition political parties.
The publication of the “manifesto” was also seen as tantamount to putting the cart before the horse, as their party has not yet been launched, something that has led some analysts to assert that Dr Mujuru is a “scared leader”, and of course, not to be trusted.
“Until Mujuru comes out in the open and takes ownership, she will be seen as an unwilling or rather scared leader. To wait until a vision is launched without owning it will impact negatively on Mujuru. When the Republicans voted for (US President Barack) Obama to be their presidential representative, he was the one to announce their campaign phrase “Yes We Can”, which is popular till this day. The candidate introduced the slogan and not the other way round,” said political analyst, Nhlanhla Dube, speaking to our sister paper, Chronicle during the week.
More so, they have already been dismissed as ideologically bankrupt by Zanu-PF.
Zanu-PF Politburo member and Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo used the social media, Twitter, to declare that Dr Mujuru’s project was offering nothing new to Zimbabweans as it was regurgitating MDC-T’s failed manifesto.
“Zanu-PF will never produce such an anti-Zimbabwe and treacherous document against land reform and indigenisation. Gamatox (derisive name for Mujuru’s faction while still in Zanu-PF) has stolen a failed MDC-T manifesto with indigenisation and land reform as the targets,” he said.
“There’s no way a manifesto thief like Mujuru can succeed where a liberation stalwart like (Dumiso) Dabengwa (Zapu) miserably failed!,” he added.
Even the MDC-T, in its state of disarray, believes the Mujuru “party” categorically offers nothing new.
“In a way, the Mujuru policy blueprint is speaking our language; the document is singing our chorus. As the MDC, we feel humbled and flattered that the BUILD manifesto largely mirrors what we have already stated in our JUICE (Jobs, Upliftment, Capital Investment and Environment) and ART (Agenda for Real Transformation) policy blueprints. They are touching on issues such as respect for property rights, Press Freedom, democracy and human rights etc.
“They are talking our kind of language; indeed they are singing our chorus. We are very flattered by that. They also agree with us on issues of dual citizenship and on the need to revamp and overhaul the indigenisation laws and regulations,” said MDC- T spokesman, Mr Obert Gutu.
Nonetheless, academic, Dr Ibbo Mandaza, who was part of Mavambo party formed by Dr Simba Makoni when he left Zanu-PF ahead of the 2008 elections, and has also been linked to the People First project, when quizzed by the media last week, denied that he was part of the BUILD document.
“Yes I was a founding member of Mavambo and was involved in writing that (Mavambo) manifesto. There are many similarities between the two documents because that is what you get when you are stating the obvious. Just because I came out in the paper in support of the document you can’t then think that I wrote it!”
Nonetheless, lessons have shown that political parties that split from revolutionary parties that are in Government do not succeed. Dr Makoni’s Mavambo is one example home, joining Edgar Tekere and his Zimbabwe Unity Movement party. And across the border in South Africa, Mosiuoa Lekota’s Congress Of the People (Cope) which broke away from the ANC, suffered the same fate.
There were reports that Dr Mujuru could join hands with the Tsvangirai-led MDC, but Professor Moyo was quick to dismiss it as another joke, likening it to the settlement by the late Ndabaningi Sithole and Abel Muzorewa just before independence which failed to win the hearts of the majority.
“A Tsvangirai-Mujuru coalition is as useless as was the Ndabaningi Sithole-Abel Muzorewa pact!”
derick.khumalo