Fighting over positions in Zanu PF is fight over an HIV positive widow

The fight to fill the second Vice President position left vacant after the death of VP John Nkomo
is heating up amongst former PF Zapu leaders. Meanwhile the factional war between Mujuru and Mnangagwa over Mugabe's successor rages on. What is amazing is the naivety of the candidates on both sides of these succession battles; because Zanu PF is now firmly set on a selfdistract trajectory and whatever will remain after the whole edifice have crashed will not be worth fighting for.

At a national level Zanu PF promised to deliver mass prosperity, "Gutsa ruzhinji!" as President Mugabe used to fondly call it; but after 34 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and 15 years of all-out looting spree all the party has delivered is mass poverty. During the economic meltdown of 2000 to 2008 when inflation soared to 500 billion% and unemployment soar to nauseating heights of 85% plus these caused heart breaking suffering amongst the people. After a short lull during the GNU the economy took a dangerous nose dive soon after the rigged elections of July 2013.

Mugabe thought that he could rig economic recovery but after a year of begging for the $27 billion ZimAsset, plan to kick-start the economic recovery, and getting nothing; even he has grudgingly accepted that it is beyond Zanu PF capability to stop the economic meltdown. This economic meltdown has brought in its wake grinding poverty and despair far worse than that seen before the GNU and no one has been spaced.


In Mugabe's post independent Zimbabwe the nation has been divided into two distinct classes; the ruling elite comprising those in positions of power and influence who have benefited from the Zanu PF patronage system resulting in all the mismanagement, corruption and all-out looting. Then comes the impoverished masses who have borne the brand of the economic failures. There used to be a middle class, composed of the professionals, but by 2008 the class had disappeared. Many of professional left the country to escape the politic turmoil and economic chaos and those who remained had lost all their wealth to merge seamlessly with the suffering povo.

The economic meltdown of this last year has dragged the poor into new depths of economic depravity and despair. It has hit the ruling elite hard too; even Zanu PF grandees like the late Nathan Shamuyarira, he was one of the many party loyalists who allocated a farm seized from the whites but failed to make productive use of it, found himself living in abject poverty. There many others like him, from the inner most circle of the Zanu PF ruling elite, who have been living in abject poverty.

So other than for the handful in what one might call Zanu PF's holy-of-holy circle; Zanu PF has delivered grinding mass poverty to all Zimbabweans. There is evidence that by 2000 the majority of Zimbabweans did not want Zanu PF to rule the country and would have voted the party out if they had been given the chance to do so.

If MDC had implement the democratic reforms so the July 2013 elections were free, fair and credible then President Mugabe and Zanu PF would have lost elections. Given another chance for free and fair elections, again Zanu PF will lose and that chance is coming up.

After a year of staring at the mockingly empty ZimAsset begging bowl Zanu PF, according to its spokesman Rugare Gumba, has now accepted the need for all-stakeholders meeting to map the way to end the crippling economic meltdown. The talks have to lead to free and fair elections if the ultimate objective of economic recovery is to be achieved. Elections Zanu PF will be sure to lose!

Of course there will be those in Zanu PF leadership who would want to resist anything leading to free and fair elections at all cost, they would fight for continued Zanu PF hegemony to hell with the economic meltdown. There are two aspects to be considered here which these Zanu PF hardliners must consider. The first one is the economic reality of the economic meltdown is the economic hardships evident already across the land will only get worse.

Mugabe has already received a CIO report warning of the "high risk" of social instability associated worsening economic hardships.

The second point is that the people of Zimbawe have a right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country, it is sacrosanct, and yet Zanu PF has for the last 34 years denied the people this right with impunity. Further denial of this right are not going to be tolerated and any who think they can continue to rule this nation without the democratic approval of the people is deluding themselves.

Zanu PF faces the grim certainty of either a landslide electoral defeat because there is no way the party is going to avoid free and fair elections this time or hang on to power in the face of the worsening economic situation and be kicked out of office in the ensuing public demonstrations or worse that are certain to happen. Why would anyone want to be in a wild cat fight to inherit a Zanu PF crown of thorns!

One often hears of some men fighting over the inheritance of the widow knowing the dead husband died of HIV Aids! No doubt they will be counting on taking a shower afterwards! In political terms at least, Zanu PF is dying of HIV Aids only a mad person would want such a party for a marriage partner!

It is a mad, mad world!

Still as far as the long suffering people are concerned we should must remain resolute in our demand for an concrete steps to end the economic meltdown and if the price for ending the meltdown is holding free and fair elections then it must be paid!

The people must also remain resolute in their condemnation of actions by Zanu PF delaying the end date of the economic meltdown, to extend the party's own stay in power, which will result in suffering of millions of people and may lead to public disorder or worse.