What next for Bulawayo after the elections?

Gatsha Mazithulela
THE resounding victory of Zanu-PF in the just-ended elections surprised the MDCs but some of us were more surprised about why the MDCs were surprised. The MDCs spent the last five years obstructing the work of government and intensifying the calls for illegal sanctions that finished off any hope of revival of industry during their stay in the government of national unity, amongst other nasty things.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF was busy with the transfer of 12 million hectares of land and thousands of mines and other assets to Zimbabweans.

On 18 April 1980, Bob Marley sang a song called Zimbabwe and said, “Soon we’ll find out who is…. the real revolutionary.”  Many were confused by that statement at the time but it is often like that with prophetic statements — you get to understand them when all is revealed.  I guess it had to take the coming and going of the MDCs for the people to find out “who is the real revolutionary” and I wish somebody could invite the Marleys to sing that song again next independence day.

When it came to voting, why then are the MDCs surprised that the people refused to spit out the bread and their freedom? The people refused to be stopped from enjoying the benefits of a hard won economic freedom. Abantu balile ukukhafuliswa isinkwa.

Bulawayo has never been a place for the faint-hearted and I now understand one of its nicknames, koNdukuziwelene (the place of a pile of knobkerries), for we are always at war about something.  But for how long must this city march out of step with the rest of Zimbabwe and for whose benefit?  The big question is what is going to happen now that MDC-T has won the elections in Bulawayo? Is the Bulawayo City Council going to continue obstructing the business of government and what of an MDC-T dominated provincial council soon to be formed? Will they swim against the current with no political backing in the national government and with no influence at all for any decision-making outside their own party meetings? What benefit will the people of Bulawayo get from this unmitigated disaster of a political choice? Of course, this is assuming that the MDC-T elected officials will be allowed to take up their positions as Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, the party leader, has threatened to walk out of all engagements with government.

He has said that MDC-T will not cooperate with any State institutions. For the avoidance of doubt, he is saying that you will not take up your council positions, you will not go to Parliament, you will not go to Senate and you will not be available for any government appointments. History repeats itself, now with MDC-T asking its own winning members to spit out their well-earned bread. Kuthiwa khafulani isinkwa futhi.

Now let me offer some suggestions about what a responsible approach would be, under these bleak circumstances for those who have just received the misfortune of being elected into what would be meaningless positions — if they choose to obstruct progress in Bulawayo.

According to how power relations will play themselves out; if you choose not to participate in any institutions of government, electoral law will automatically have you replaced by those who actually want to participate. You will then become irrelevant.

If Tsvangirai wants you to join him in his new role of irrelevance, you may choose so but I have heard MDC-T members suggesting that he must storm out alone if that’s what he wants. Bathi makahambe yedwa.

The next step is to offer your government the olive branch and there are many ways to do this. At city council level, the law allows councillors to co-opt certain members from outside the electoral process into council, including choosing a mayor.

The law further allows for special interest councillors to be elected and perhaps the new councillors must opt to build a bridge to government by nominating some people from outside their party, and preferably Zanu-PF into both these category of positions. This would be a second step to ensure that there is relevance and the realities of power relations are acknowledged. The people of Bulawayo need this level of political maturity from their elected representatives.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF has pledged that even under these circumstances, Bulawayo will be the first port of call in delivering on the promises made during electoral campaigns. Within days of the election, we have already seen millions of households becoming free of debt due to the scrapping of debts that cannot be recovered through taking the little that the poor have.

This is regardless of how Bulawayo voted, even MDC-T supporters are debt free now because of Zanu-PF. Now that is the level of political maturity that Zanu-PF is showing to all citizens and these good times will continue until the MDC-T dominated city and metropolitan provincial council come in and start playing hard ball with government.

They must not do this at the expense of the suffering people of Bulawayo. Force them to cooperate or leave office. Better still; ask them to join Zanu-PF if they are instructed not to cooperate with government. Please prove me wrong on this one. Don’t allow them to make you spit out your bread again as they always do. Ningabavumeli  belikhafulisa isinkwa njengenjwayelo yabo.

The pleasure of the two Matabeleland provinces, Matabeleland North and South, working seamlessly with government will be very apparent in a short while. The people of these provinces are leading the way in a fresh and responsible political thinking that is a relief after many years in the political wilderness and untold suffering.

The traditional leadership in all my great grandfather’s regimental towns has led a battle in the way expected of those that inherited the privileges that were given by Matshobana himself.

It is a pity that, Bulawayo, his home and king’s regimental town didn’t have any traditional leadership and guidance in this battle. Since his disappearance in 1896, we have never filled that void. Maybe it’s about time that mature traditional leadership moderated politics in the City of Kings.  We seem to have been clutching at political straws since 1896 while the rest of Matabeleland has clearly moved on.

Dr Mazithulela is a scientist, politician and newspaper columnist.  From next week, this column will go back to discussing ways forward to solving economic issues that are important for Bulawayo.