Tsvangirai faces another Baba Jukwa fiasco

Every human being is bound for mistakes but the truth should be told as it is, Morgan Tsvangirai is falling in the same traps if he is not very careful. There is too much noise on the ground about the coalition, BVR, Tsvangirai dress code, his security team and so many other things, and this is a political gimmick to divert him from the real issues affecting ordinary people and at the same time the main issue of electoral reforms. As a political leader he should be sober and level headed, he must accept advise even if it's hard hitting but for the sake of growth and constructive criticism which builds him.

Trap 1 - MDC-T is heavily infiltrated

My observation is that Tsvangirai is seriously infiltrated and this could even endanger his life if he is not careful. Tsvangirai has a big challenge when selecting top officials who are meant to work with him closely. He should have noted the 2013 fiasco and he should have handled his appointments with care before 2018 elections. Right from the top Tsvangirai is in big mess and for him to come out clean he has to make a thorough cleansing on his top brass. Whatever discussions that his top supreme body is making, he is wasting his time because his party has enemies within and it will be very difficult for him to come up with a good working plan for 2018.

Trap 2 - Coalition issue

What Zanu Pf has done is to keep MDC busy till 2018 with coalition talks whilst they are in rural areas campaigning for 2018 watershed elections. If you remember very well my previous articles on election matters you will discover that I emphasized that whoever takes the cup in 2018 must focus on rural areas. So if you critically analyse it you will find that Mujuru is a project meant on destroying the hopes of 2018 elections, and they are playing games and by the time Tsvangirai and MDC wakes up it will be too late. Whilst coalition discussions are critical for 2018 elections it was good for the party and other like-minded opposition parties to concentrate with grass roots connectivity. Morgan Tsvangirai should have assigned intellectuals to deal with the matter whilst he focus on rural campaigns and electoral reforms.

Trap 3 - Lack of resources

MDC has been dented in the past because of financial irregularities. This is a very serious trap considering that most of these guys are going into an election without resources and this is very dramatic. This is a trap because most of these MDC guys are going to be bought by the system to sell the struggle in their own constituencies. You can't risk going into an election without money and resources and still believe you will win an election, this won't happen. Tsvangirai messed up when he went into 2013 election without proper resources and even if you look at the regalia MDC was using in 2013 it was one of the worst. One then will question what happened to the funds that were given to MDC during the run up to 2013 campaigns?

Trap 4 - Failure to give guidance on checks and balance policy coordination

Whilst we appreciate what MDC has done before to bring Zimbabwe out of the confined vacuum, there is need for slight improvement on the issue of who should give guidance to the party on policy matters and at the same time the issue of providing checks and balances. I've been monitoring closely the issue of coordination and it seems there is a serious gap which needs to be filled quickly. What MDC officials are doing is to use emotions when addressing the media on national matters. You don't need to be emotional but you should be sober and give valid points on each and every step on national matters.

Trap 5 - Another Baba Jukwa fiasco is coming

If you look at MDC and other social commentators is that most of them throw insults on Facebook, twitter and what's app groups instead of getting to the ground to work tirelessly for the party towards 2018 elections. People are busy on social media whilst Zanu Pf is on the ground. Zanu PF live with reality and they know how to do things you give them the ball they strike. Never cry foul in 2018 when you lose elections because opposition is big headed and they don't take anyone's advice seriously. You must listen to academics and political analysts. As we speak 70% of MDC supporters are not registered and this is mostly in urban areas. Suppose the BVR has failed and ZEC insists on the previous voter's roll what are you going to do when your supporters are not registered?

Trap 6 - Media bizarre

MDC was trapped thinking they were going to win election through the media. Election are not won in court, media or huge rallies but elections are won in the ballot. You don't win elections in the SADC region but right in the ballot. Yes it's good that we should have democracy, SADC, Media to help us to sensitise issues but don't get excited with the media. This was a serious trap for Tsvangirai and MDC in 2013, they were fooled by media to think that they had won elections in fact when results were announced people were shocked with the outcome and this is most likely to happen in 2018 again if you are not careful. Today Majongwe says this, tomorrow this one says that, stop loosing focus, get to the ground and do the work. Yes it is very important to take the Africa barometer and Zim-barometer reports seriously. Go through the reports and study them very carefully and avoid repeating mistakes.

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Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes in his personal capacity as a writer, academic and development analyst. He heads Mentorship Institute of National Development and Sustainability (MINDS which is responsible for policy research and analysis. He holds a M.A in Development studies from University of Lusaka Zambia. He can be contacted at tinamuzala@gmail.com or greatorminds@gmail.com