CCC theatrics won’t work

Retired Major Action Mandingo

Just like we have been saying, the country’s harmonised elections will be held on August 23 without the imagined reforms that Nelson Chamisa and his CCC have been calling for.

At one point, Chamisa even threatened to boycott the forthcoming elections, but we knew that those were just theatrics.

Now that it is clear that there is nothing that will stop the elections — and with indications on the ground showing that ZANU PF in general and President Mnangagwa in particular are heading for resounding victories — we should be on high alert for more theatrics.

President Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe has nothing to hide and so foreign observers will be allowed to come and observe the elections. This is the opportunity that Chamisa has been desperately waiting for and we should brace ourselves for a crazy campaign season.

Chamisa has refused to listen to sound advice from many people, including some of his close associates.

He has refused to form proper structures for his party, and what makes the situation worse is that the same party has no ideology. Now, this is a dangerous cocktail — a politician with an inflated ego running a structure-less and ideologically bankrupt political party!

It is a ticking time bomb.

Many years ago, American author Frank Herbert warned: “Desperate people are the most dangerous.” US politician Robert Kennedy added: “A hopeless man is a very desperate and dangerous man, almost a dead man.”

As it is, Chamisa is like a dead man going for election and, as we all know, dead men have nothing to lose. And, as they say, “A desperate person tries to seek attention from other people by doing unnecessary activities.”

Chamisa is desperate to attract international attention. He knows that he cannot and will not win the elections, and so he will be garnering for a contested election result.

Right from the belly of the beast, New York-headquartered global ratings firm Fitch Solutions has already predicted that the ruling party, ZANU PF, will win the elections. The party “remains the dominant political force in Zimbabwe over the coming years . . . We still expect that ZANU PF will win a comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections in July, with the ruling administration benefitting from a host of incumbency advantages,” said Fitch Solutions in its report titled “Zimbabwe Country Risk Report”.

Of course, Chamisa will put up a brave face but he knows the deal is done. He has been pressing the suicide button since 2018 and on August 23, his fate will be sealed.

A contested election result suits him because it throws him onto the international scene.

We all know how much Chamisa likes media attention.

And we all know he thinks his Western friends will come to his rescue. The country’s security forces should be on high alert, but, most importantly, Zimbabweans should be vigilant.

Patriotic Zimbabweans have to be on the lookout for machinations that are brewing in CCC because they will go all out to soil the country’s name and discredit the elections. The ZANU PF machinery should never go to sleep.

All the visible and invisible layers of the party should always be vigilant. What has been happening in the country’s economy over the past few weeks is not by accident.

The timing shows that the enemy is already at work.

Thank God the monetary authorities quickly sensed the mischief and they are working day and night to sort things out.

From the economy, the enemy will try violence, fake abductions and even deaths.

This is not the time to snooze. During the liberation war, we would say this is the time yekurara wakavhura ziso one (sleeping with one eye open).

President Mnangagwa has done all he can. The economy, despite the setbacks over the past few weeks, is on a growth trajectory. The devolution agenda is transforming areas that were marginalised.

No one and no place is being left behind in terms of development. The engagement and re-engagement drive is now bearing fruit. Zimbabwe is now using its own resources to develop and modernise. We have to complement the President’s efforts. This is the time to show in real terms that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.

When the theatrics start, let us not be surprised and let us not panic.

Being forewarned is being forearmed!