Some lost conscience, others lost focus

After Joshua Nkomo (aka Father Zimbabwe), the only other political leader who has effectively and fearlessly  challenged and opposed ZANU PF and President Mugabe in recent times is none other than Morgan Tsvangirai. For this, history shall fittingly record him as one of the greatest fighters for democracy in Zimbabwe. There is no doubt in my mind that he deserves the accolade.

Nevertheless, it is also heroic to know when to say goodbye.  "Sometimes one can salvage their career by the way they end it", so goes the saying. This simple wisdom has constantly evaded many African leaders, both in government and opposition. Madiba is one of the few who left on their own terms, at their own time.

Recently, while delivering what was called "State of the nation address", the MDC founding president surprisingly proposed dialogue with ZANU PF as the only way to extricate the country from the economic morass. I'm not sure which ZANU PF he was referring to.

What is it that the MDC leader hopes to achieve through dialogue with ZANU PF which he could not achieve as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in a unity government where he had some semblance of psychological upper hand? If a limping lamb goes into a closed door negotiation with a hungry and aggressive hyena, will both come out alive? With ZANU PF now enjoying well over 2/3 majority in parliament (no matter how they got it), what guarantee is there that any dialogue will be of benefit to anybody other than ZANU PF? This is as dangerous as feeding cubs of a dying lioness. You can only do so at your own peril. Inonzi tamba wakachenjera!

Weren't four years of dining with the devil in the GNU long enough to provide useful lessons to the MDC leader and his closest advisors? This, to me, represents nothing but sheer loss of focus as well as poor quality of advice from those forming a watertight parapet around the leader for none other than personal gain.

On the other end of the political spectrum, men and women we once entrusted with our lives literally lost their collective conscience and started running our country like a tuckshop. In that type of subsistence business, daily takings are confused with profit while close associates and relatives especially "varamu" can get anything for free. All it takes is "Ba'mukuru mhani". In the process, they destroyed everything from manufacturing, agriculture, mining, schools, hospitals and roads. Even dip tanks were not spared! Hapana chakasara, true to their slogan "ZANU chiwororo".

ZANU PF has run our national affairs in this mode for three decades. The disgusting and criminal perks that have flooded the media in recent times are just a tip of the iceberg. Thanks Jonathan Moyo for playing Geoff Nyarota. On this one, I salute you! If there is any sincerity in all this, we now wait for another Sandura Commission in order to get to the very bottom of this sordid rot. When Zimbabwe finally gets an accountable government as it will, the whole truth shall be known. Any man or woman who unashamedly takes home US$230,000 per month in a comatose economy where most parents struggle to raise as little as US20 for school fees per term and local authorities no longer have the capacity to collect rubbish bins and provide clean water, is either insane or extremely insidious. Either way, it represents nothing but serious loss of conscience on the part of ZANU PF. They used executives to siphon millions of dollars from parastatals. Firing these corrupt mercenaries is just a smokescreen given that it was a Zanu PF minister and/or board that approved these packages at times with the full knowledge of the president's spokesperson! This is an organised mafia!

And to imagine that MDC was responsible for parastatals for four long years but could not expose the rot that is now all over the media, makes us doubt the competency of some of our leaders. Fervent calls for leadership renewal may not be misplaced. After all, organisations that don't embrace self-renewal simply die.

Moses Chamboko is the Interim Secretary General for Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE). Visit us at www.zunde.org or contact info@zunde.org.