adminAn extract from Robert Mugabe’s 1978 New Year’s message titled To arms, all of you. The year of the people reads: “The year 1977 has closed and the year 1978 has set in. Revolutionary New Year greetings to you all and the best wishes for even greater victories this year than in 1977.
“Our revolutionary armed struggle has, but for external constraints of 1975, continuously and progressively spun time and the Zimbabwean territorial space from 1966 to 1977. Since January 1976, we have successfully maintained the offensive and vastly expanded our operational zones. By December 1977, the whole country had been turned into one vast military operational zone. Now, we feel proud, that our Zimbabwe National Liberation Forces can be encountered anywhere and everywhere in full force. Every district in the country has become a hotbed for the enemy and a favourable operational zone for us . . .”
This message not only serves as a recollection of historical alliteration and allude but an aide memoire that new years have always been laden with struggles and a remembrance of our national struggles is benevolent in the wake of continued opposition perplexity, remote controlled annexation, redesigned putrid imperialism engineered through our very own, some who were direct recipients of that 1978 message. Our struggles in Zimbabwe have not moved a creep from those of fighting racist displacement of our people, trans-generational privilege and sell-out behaviourism. As I further read the Robert Mugabe: Our war of liberation 1983 publication I learnt of the 1979 “The year of the people’s storm” New Year’s message to abafana labomkoma which articulately remarked 1977 as a triumphant armed confrontation year. What detains the eye the most is that beyond the death and dearth of the struggle’s wherewithal and comrades, President Mugabe always remembered to remind fighters that a past year did not mean erasure of problems, but a new year was a habitant of continuing exertions with added struggles. The resolutions made in the jungle were also confronted by new strategies for a new year crafted in the Rhodesian KGVI, 2 Brigade and 1 Commando barracks. 2017 like any other new year is nothing new compared to 1978 and 1979, it’s only battles that were won then and so is 2016. The struggle continues. However, in this new year we have new comrades, remodelled rebels, old enemies in new skins (political coconuts) but a repetitive strategy by the enemy.
What pains the most is that moral prefects tutored by the same 1966 oppressor are not in the political game for the sake of the people, but all because of power hunger. I really wanted to pen this piece and argue about why it’s more prudent and reasonable to vote Zanu-PF continuously in power than the current new political players, because new players are so hungry that for the next 30-40 years they will spend enriching themselves to materially catch-up with those they allege have impiously ransacked the country (let’s assume their argument is true). So if their argument was true, then those who have already looted are probably tired and may start to focus on developing the ordinary man than a freshman who would take at least an equal 37 years equalling himself, so a harm’s analysis coupled with a cost benefit balancing would prescribe a re-vote of the current regime which already has administrative knowledge, tired of ransacking (if that is true) and its much sole intent now is to create a good legacy for themselves — that results in public benefit. Anyway this week I am not on that argument, let me reserve it for some other time.
Let’s talk about the coalition. That’s the New Year’s resolution of opposition politics in Zimbabwe. My submission is not entirely divine, but it’s appositely valid. As I write this piece I am listening to an original version of Sendekera mkoma Chakanyuka by Zanla choir — This song was recorded at a Zanla base sometime between 1976 and 1978. This song inspired our liberation struggle. This year as we mark our independence day (37 years) let’s look back at the sacrifices of our people, we look at where we are; the status quo; we then weigh our aspirations.
I always use the phrase: othering of others based on dissent or self styled similarities. Comrades, a coalition is probable but it definitely will fail in the present political display. Looking and listening to Zimbabwe’s opposition politics is no different from watching the Bill Cosby’s Kids say the Dumbest Thing talk show. The sole intention of the coalition is to remove President Mugabe from power only. For some time, opposition has claimed that the political system has maimed them hence suggestions of the reforms at the Sadc Troika Summit a while back. Firstly, that’s a mistake, they confuse President Mugabe and the system, the overly assumption is that if they manage to remove President Mugabe from power they would have dealt with the system, hell No! President Mugabe is guided by a Zanu-PF system of doing things and so is any Zanu-PF member, even those who have joined you, the likes of Joice Mujuru, Temba Mliswa and some rogue war veterans. I want to make reference to the 1975 “Gwenyu Kwenyu” Zanla choir song, it says “ . . . tisu takada kubva Zimbabwe . . . toenda Tanzania . . . tisu takatanga hondo yeZimbabwe.” These are men and women who voluntarily joined the liberation struggle championed by Zanu-PF. The mastery of that music culture tells you how deeply tattooed they are in Zanu-PF, they only have differences with individuals within Zanu-PF, not that they quarrel with the system. So the failure of the coalition is pregnantly hinged on that misconception, worse some of the consortium members are realising that folly.
Moreover, Morgan Tsvangirayi, through his spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora in his New Year’s message outrightly demeaned fellow democratic champions by pebbling them. Mwonzora declared that they are ready for a coalition ONLY with bigger parties which are ZimPF and Welshman Ncube’s MDC, the rest he told to go to hell. Appalling, is the idea that so called democratic forces selectively “groupie” themselves. They view others’ struggles as “mahumbwe” or “ukudlala ubaba lomama” in their political race. The othering of others has been an engraved culture by MDC-T which has a self-ostentatious political poise stating that it has the majority so they have a better bargaining power. Already those Mwonzora sentiments have set small and virtual briefcase parties spiralling wild with absolute resilience of a coalition in 2018. When you demean a man’s dedication to his cause however small, you equally publicly announced his lark bedroom performance, which is a premeditated ego murder, never will that man associate himself with you, you even lose his respect. Hope for a coalition is in the doldrums as we speak. The others have declared non-allegiance to those talks because they have no stake as Mwonzora has reminded them. So far so good, wrong assumptions like this deserve a Chinx Chingaira led vocal of Maruza imi.
Akula lutho lapha; Hapana Hapana!
Did you know that ZimPF has no substantive structures nationwide and no 2018 electoral plan, and probably not anytime soon. Political discipline teaches us that a formidable party is not a chancer. With a few months to go to the ballot box, a party that lies at a rally that it’s bigger than Zanu-PF but has no structure and no plan should probably smell its armpits.
Discussions of a coalition with such a party are the most dangerous move ever. The million dollar question is will the ordinary member be thought of in the bargaining or the principals will solely focus on cuts for themselves only? Basic logic reveals that a well structured and already planning party will bargain with a reflection of the cell members and how they are meant to benefit in the event of a victory. The reluctance by Obert Gutu and cabal is because they know there is no order in the Joice Mujuru Camp.
Again, a huge assumption by the coalition masters, they think Welshman Ncube is still powerful in Matabeleland. Come on guys, get real. When did you last come to Bulawayo for instance? Who in their right Matabele senses still wants to associate with that top level embarrassment of a political party? That team struggled to get 2% of votes in 2013, really? An entire man in his right senses will not vote for that failing party, this time I can guarantee you a repetition of Shakespeare Maya 2005 results. Again, the principals make a wrong judgement call, in othering others they intend to wed an already dysfunctional “ecosystem” party.
Truth be told, politics never loved the Kingdom, history doesn’t hide that. For a long time, people of this region have failed to stand the political terrain. This is a fact however, pinching it can be. I once wrote about politics as a vocation and as a competitive terrain. The people of the region have usually lost political contests, I hearken to mention some names, but I am scared that they are so big that I might end up not being served at any restaurant in the city or attacked by ethnic extremists and fundamentalists.
Micheal Mhlanga is a research and strategic communication specialist and is currently serving Leaders for Africa Network (LAN) as the Programmes and Public Liaison Officer. He also administrates multiple youth public dialogue forums in Zimbabwe including the annual Reading Pan Africanism Symposium (REPS) and Back to Pan Africanism Conference.
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