Emmerson Mnangagwa 'Ngwena': The incoming call

The year was 2005, the month was April and the weather was slightly chilled and sunny. As the clock struck towards 12 midday; a calm, dejected but undeterred gentlemen walked into a bare and completely empty complex which was supposed to be the new ministry of Rural Housing and Social Amenities. The complex was so empty that one would even confuse it for some secondary school football ground in Tsholotsho and let alone to imagine that indeed this was an office space for a government ministry was not only a joke but it was an insult to the man who was to be the minister of that humiliating ministry. Only a few weeks before, the same man had suffered a humiliating parliamentary election loss in Kwekwe to one Blessing Chebundo and only a few months before the same man had to stand and watch as a little Joyce Mujuru, came from nowhere to be the Vice President and Second Secretary of the ruling party despite the fact that this man I am talking about had been overwhelmingly endorsed to that post by more than eight provinces. This man is Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and no matter which path he takes in life, his destination always catches up with him at the end.

Now the year is 2017, the month is January; the same man is now the First Vice President of Zimbabwe and Second Secretary of Zanu PF and he operates in two different offices as he is also the minister of Justice. This was a man who in 2005 had no office at all and had to buy everything from pencils to calendars. This is the man who was relegated to deal with the rural communities and reduced to drafting growth point policies.  Emmerson Mnangagwa is no ordinary man and is not a new comer to the struggle. He was sentenced to death, not once but twice during the liberation struggle and he knows what it feels to be dead because he "died" so many times in the quest of liberating Zimbabwe. For a man who everyday would wake up to the idea that life might end today while on death row, nothing can ever deter nor scare him than the actual death itself. Today he stands accused of leading a faction in Zanu PF. He is regarded as the leader and commander of "Team Lacoste" which is believed to be fighting a grouping of some young politicians by the name "G40". While Team Lacoste is said to be campaigning for a Mnangagwa Presidency, G40 is largely understood to be advocating for a Zezuru President in the form of Grace Mugabe, Saviour Kasukuwere or Sydney Sekeramai. The past two years have seen a massive attack on the personality and office of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He was publicly roasted by Her Excellency the First Lady, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe in Chiweshe, he was defamed by Sarah Mahoka at the Zanu PF HQ and he was embarrassed left, right and centre by Mandi Chimene at the same venue. Three times his office has been broken into by some unknown burglars and almost every week he is insulted on twitter by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development, Professor Jonathan Moyo

Centripetal to VP Mnangagwa's war against G40 is the idea that he aspires to succeed President Mugabe, which I find somehow very interesting. I don't see why someone should be stopped from aspiring to be something or someone in future. Whilst it's treasonous to conspire to be president, it should never be a crime to aspire to be a President one day. Every teacher should aspire to be a headmaster just like every soccer player aspires to be in the starting eleven. Why should it be a crime for Neymar to aspire to be the World's best footballer simply because Lionel Messi is still alive? If Mnangagwa is aspiring to be President one day then let it be, only the people should have the right when the time comes to vote for him or against him not some tribal group which believes that only Zezuru people should aspire to lead Zimbabwe. Let it be said here now that whoever aspires to lead this country has a constitutional right to do so and to be supported by those who believe in him. There is absolutely nothing factional about aspiring to be better. Secondly Mnangagwa has never said that he wants to be President. This whole confusion and drama is a creation of the media based on some hallucinations by one Jonathan Moyo. It is Jonathan Moyo who gave Mnangagwa a faction, Its Jonathan Moyo who said Mnangagwa wants to remove Mugabe, It's the same Jonathan Moyo who started the succession agenda and yet it is Mnangagwa who is getting crucified. If truth be told, Mnangagwa has been very loyal to President Mugabe to such an extent that it is very disappointing that the President can actually believe nak*d lies that Mnangagwa wants to overthrow him now after more than 50years together. Maybe Godfrey Tsenengamu was right after all when he said, "It is Mugabe who is directing the factional wars and it is Mugabe who doesn't want Mnangagwa to succeed him." but what G40 should know is that, if you put a crocodile into a corner, you leave it with one option which is to bite you. I fear that these persistent attacks and accusations against the Vice President will result in a much unpredicted ending for them. Let it be recorded that Joyce Mujuru in all her career attacked Mnangagwa left, right and centre through her husband the late Gen Solomon Mujuru but now she is part of the unemployed statistics of this country.  I see the same happening to some comrades very soon but the difference being that they will be part of the Zimbabwe Prison Services inmate statistics. Grace Mugabe has opened her eyes and she is now protecting the interest of her family's future. She can no longer continue making enemies especially when the sun is about to set. Saviour Kasukuwere, the self proclaimed biggest politically thug will soon learn that the greatest fighters are not those who speak about winning an imaginary fight and giving themselves self praising titles  but those who fight actual battles and win.  Jonathan Moyo started a game which he can no longer contain, he has been left exposed in the dying minutes and time is no longer on his side but still he has to continue playing because pride is at stake. Without the Support of Grace Mugabe, Jonathan Moyo is just some ordinary citizen with two bodyguards and a company car.  

Now that the clock is ticking at a minute to twelve midnight, a new day is coming and there is no stopping it. One way or the other Zanu PF has to choose a successor and the greatest question of the three decades and seven years is who is it going to be? Certainly no one in the current Zanu PF after President Mugabe can match Mnangagwa's track record from the ministry of State Security where he was very instrumental in overseeing a peaceful transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe, chairing the High Command and also setting up the current security structures in Zimbabwe, to the ministry of Justice where he did a great job in aligning laws, creating a fair and non-racial justice system as well as insuring the respect of the rule of law and setting up the judicial college, moving past parliament, where as speaker of the house he insured mature debate and respect for opposition politics, towards the Ministry of Rural Housing and Social Amenities where he built houses and bought cars  for chiefs, led the rural electrification programme and brought dignity to the rural areas, then finally to the Ministry of Defence where he constructed the defence college in less than two years amongst other notable achievements. Many will also remember Mnangagwa as the person who protected productive white farmers during the land reform programme and also many will never forget how Mnangagwa played a pivotal role in the fight against corruption in the year 2016. Economically Mnangagwa is a leading contender not only in Zanu PF but in Africa. The VP acted as Minister of finance for more than fifteen months from 1995 to 1996. He is largely regarded as one of the most intelligent African leaders, who has a great potential to revive the economy once given the opportunity. He has shown some tremendous zeal to reform Zanu PF and this is evidenced by his speech in china during an interview where he remarked, "Zimbabwe has fallen far behind other countries in development. The government needs to swallow its pride and literally "bite the bullet" by reviewing some controversial economic policies to attract foreign investment. There is need for reforms to bring Zimbabwe back to the table of nations. We have to see how we can create an investment environment which will attract the flow of capital. These are the tasks we face and we have to look at even legislation and our social systems need to be reformed in order to catch up with current global trends. So we are looking at the reform measures that China has gone through to help us move forward. You cannot say there are areas of our economy which we are happy with, infrastructure we are behind by 15-16 years, agricultural development the same, manufacturing; in fact capacity utilization  in some areas of our industry is down to 20%, so again, we have to retool by acquiring new machinery, technology and machinery so that we are competitive."  This is the sort of attitude that is expected from anyone who aspires to lead Zimbabwe.

Not much can be said about other contenders within the Zanu PF circle as they lack both political charisma and business intelligence. Even though the succession drama includes the names of Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Patrick Zhuwao and Phelekezele Mphoko, none of them is worth discussing as presidential material. Whilst Grace Mugabe has some political clout and seems to enjoy the support of the women's league and the youth league, she should always remember that the support is hinged on President Mugabe's presents, once he is gone makasi anochinja, uye kumagumo kune nyaya uko (It's a different ball game and there will be serious panic when the end comes) even the youth league and women's league will have no say in who is going to be the first citizen of Zimbabwe after President Mugabe. Apparently, Kudzai Chipanga the Zanu PF secretary for youth suggests that President Mugabe's birth certificate should be changed to accommodate the name "President" because he is going to be rule forever, I don't know whether he can also arrange to change the President's date of birth. At least Christopher Mutsvangwa warned us that when the time comes, there shall come men and women from whose blood and pain this country was born and these men and women will call for the next President of Zimbabwe. As it stands this incoming call is pointing towards Emmerson Mnangagwa, the great lion of Chirumanzi and the crocodile of the mighty Zambezi. It's rare to come across a cross breed of a Lion and a crocodile but when you come across the "Crocolion", you should always ask yourself kuti imhuka rudzii iyi? (What kind of animal is this?).

The sort of maturity that Emmerson Mnangagwa has exhibited in the political landscape is second to none. Even the Americans, Chinese and the British have come to terms with a Mnangagwa Presidency. Majority of Zimbabweans from the political divide have also come to an appreciation of Emmerson Mnangagwa as a great diplomat and smart strategist who can be trusted with initiating development. What Zimbabwe needs now is a person who can maintain peace, accept dialogue, initiate systematic change, rejuvenate the people and command authority in both the government and the security sector because very soon heavy political clouds will start gathering, a huge storm is about to pour down on us but after that storm, a beautiful sun will rise, accompanied by a colourful rainbow and from the rainbow a bright light will emerge to give hope to the people of Zimbabwe that indeed our country shall rise.  Let me end by stating that, "Vanoziva kuti Mudhara Achauya"

Charles Munganasa is a former student leader. He writes in his personal capacity without fear or favour. He can be reached on munganasacharles@gmail.com