adminThe Zhuwao Brief does not agree with Honourable Vice-President Mnangagwa on the death penalty.
The Zhuwao Brief does not agree with Professor Jonathan Moyo on criminal defamation.
The Zhuwao Brief agrees with Honourable Vice President Mnangagwa on criminal defamation. The Zhuwao Brief agrees with Zimbabwe’s constitution on the death penalty.
Do you find that confusing?
Does your confusion emanate from the fact that I am agreeing with VP Mngangagwa on one issue and disagreeing with him on the other?
Are you confused that I am disagreeing with Prof Moyo despite working very closely with him and his being my boss within our Politburo department?
If you are confused then I feel very sorry for you.
Your confusion is a manifestation of a deep-rooted incomprehension of how Zanu-PF is structured and works.
You will probably fail to comprehend how President Mugabe appointed Patrick Zhuwao as a minister and Politburo member despite his having dreadlocks. President Mugabe is on record stating that he does not like dreadlocks.
These levels of incomprehension, and in some cases outright stupidity, have manifested themselves quite significantly in the two weeks since Prof Moyo’s interview on “BBC Hardtalk”.
The lunatic fringe opposition media have run stories alleging Prof Moyo is opposed to VP Mnangagwa. In some instances, unnamed Zanu-PF “sources” have been quoted. That is pedestrian thinking at its worst.
The Zhuwao Brief will discuss the so-called issue of succession. I will reiterate observations made in the Zhuwao Brief of December 21, 2014 entitled “Appointments of VPs are not about succession”. Prof Moyo made the same point in his “Hardtalk” interview. The Zhuwao Brief will conclude by briefly touching on the creature that Prof Moyo has described as a “successionist”.
Soon after President Mugabe appointed his VPs, I cautioned against peddling narratives that seek to locate these appointments within imagined and delusional succession discourses.
Such narratives were, and continue, to not only be wrong, but also divisive, counter-revolutionary, regressive, and contrary to Zimbabwe’s developmental and transformational aspirations.
The Zhuwao Brief posited, and still posits, that the origins of these succession narratives are founded in the neo-colonial and imperialist programmes that masquerade as neo-liberal and neo-conservative paradigms and find expression within the regime change agenda in Zimbabwe.
The succession narratives are normally based on the comments of unnamed Zanu-PF “sources”, with others based around the actions of some party members.
It is Zanu-PF members who feed these succession narratives.
An example of these deceptive succession narratives is the one that seeks to relegate VP Mphoko and gives more prominence to VP Mnangagwa despite them being at par.
There was an unfortunate incident that sought to create a non-existent distinction between the two VPs by seeking to address Cde Mphoko as the “Second Vice-President”.
Honourable VP Mphoko was very correct to bring to order that senior official who sought to describe him as such. The opposition media then interpreted that to mean the imagined and fictional G40 had roped VP Mphoko into their ranks.
What rank stupidity!
VP Mphoko turns 75 on June 11, 2015; he left the 40s 35 years ago.
Such succession narratives are wrong in attempting to locate the VP appointments in the treacherous and perfidious succession discourse.
Zimbabwe’s constitution gives President Mugabe two terms of five years each. This means he can only be succeeded after 2023. Any discussion of succession before that ndeye vatengesi.
The people of Zimbabwe elected Cde RG Mugabe President of Zimbabwe with an overwhelming majority of 62 percent. He has not even completed two years of his first five-year term.
He is due for re-election in 2018 for his second term.
Zanu-PF’s 6th National People’s Congress elected Cde Mugabe party President and First Secretary from 2014 to 2019. There will be no other ordinary session of Congress until 2019, but there will be National People’s Conferences annually from 2015 to 2018.
The 2017 National People’s Conference will be held prior to the 2018 Presidential elections.
Section 33(3) of Zanu-PF’s constitution states that one of the powers and functions of the National People’s Conference is “to declare the President of the party elected at Congress as the State Presidential candidate of the party”.
This means President Mugabe will be Zanu-PF’s candidate in 2018.
Let us turn to successionists.
The Zhuwao Brief will borrow from the word Prof Moyo used as he sparred with Cde Goodson Nguni.
The Zhuwao Brief does not wish to be drawn into that particular dispute. The Zhuwao Brief is conflicted.
Cde Nguni was the person that welcomed me to City University in London when I did my first degree there. Prof Moyo is a colleague and friend.
Let them sort out their issues on their own. Nonetheless, I will submit an analysis of the creature known as a successionist, without meaning to point to any particular individual.
It is an intellectual exercise that is aimed at stimulating reflection and discussion. Hopefully, successionists out there will realise they are heading for the precipice.
A successionist is normally an individual member of Zanu-PF who approaches leaders with whispers meant to caress their egos.
Successionists are normally driven by personal and individual agendas that seek to place themselves as some form of king/queen-makers.
The successionists’ whispers normally suggest a particular individual should a succeed President Mugabe. Successionists want to view themselves as visionary and forward-thinking individuals who can see into the future.
Successionists are actually quite dull.
They have no idea how to address present day challenges, let alone envision the future.
The stupidity and idiocy of successionists has unfortunate and unintended contagion effects on the supposed beneficiaries of their inept and incompetent attempts at Machiavellian politics. Such contagion is potentially ruinous, especially in light of the skills of such a political grandmaster as President Mugabe.
The Gamatox cabal is living testimony to this. What kills the machinations and manoeuvrings of successionists is the absence of vision and direction on their part. Successionists focus on attempting to place their supposed principal into a leadership position without articulating why. This little three letter word is the most dangerous weapon against any successionist.
Unfortunately, the inability of the successionists to respond to the question “why” is extrapolated to their supposed principal.
A classic case study of a failed successionist is that of one Morgan Richard Tsvangirai.
The man was placed as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
He was given an opportunity to show what he could offer to Zimbabwe. He focused on getting an official residence and motorcade. How absurd.
Similarly, former VP Mujuru started her term on what we referred to as the Joice Mujuru PPP (poultry and pigs programme). What amazing lack of vision.
The absence of a vision and programme invariably leads to successionists seeking to divert attention.
Successionists then label those that do not subscribe to their inane schemes and intrigues as enemies of some delusional revolutions concocted in the depths of their depraved imaginations.
The stupidity of successionists will go as far as attempting to cast VP Mphoko as a member of the fictional Generation 40 when he is 75-years-old.
On my God!
What makes successionists particularly dangerous within the context of Zimbabwe is their closeness to some in the leadership.
Successionists will abuse access to the leadership to frustrate anything not in keeping with their successionist agenda.
As a result, initiatives that can help develop Zimbabwe do not see the light of day. Successionists are so intellectually inept that they view anyone who disagrees with them as an enemy. There are so stupid and pathetic that they will label those who get along with people that disagree with them as enemies too.
That is why you find successionists at the forefront of attacks on the so-called G40; a dispute with Kasukuwere must be escalated to all those who get along with Kasukuwere.
What stupid idiots; pedzeranayi naye ikoko mega.
Successionists will never understand how I can disagree with Prof Moyo on criminal defamation and still be friends with him. Successionists will be confused that I agree with VP Mnangagwa on criminal defamation but disagree with him on the death penalty as does the Zimbabwean Constitution.
It is vital for Zimbabwe that this insidious infestation of successionists be stopped. Zimbabwe needs to focus on the developmental and transformational aspirations of its people.
Succession politics draws us back. Pasi nema successionists.
Icho!
Patrick Zhuwao is chair of the Zhuwao Institute, an economics, development and research think tank focused on integrating socio-political dimensions into business and economic decision-making, particularly strategic planning. He can be reached at [email protected].
Online Reporter