Opinion / Columnist
Zanu-PF chaos - early Xmas present?
18 Nov 2014 at 11:34hrs | Views
Undoubtedly, post-independence fissures in Zanu-PF have never been as wide or at least as visible as they are today.
A replay of the 1963 split from ZAPU seems imminent. Grace Mugabe's entry into active politics decorated by shocking accusations and revelations, in only two months, has achieved for Zimbabweans what the democratic struggle has failed to deliver in more than a decade. Zanu-PF's iniquity of hegemony that characterised our lives for three decades has finally suffered a terrible blow. It is probably this kind of "unique" talent that the University of Zimbabwe recently rewarded with a supersonic PhD.
Grace Mugabe's insipid and perfidious rumblings have had more effect on Zanu-PF than the 2008 electoral loss. One wonders why this omen didn't happen many years ago. Zimbabwe would probably be in a much better shape by now.
Jonathan Moyo once suggested that Zanu-PF can only be destroyed from within. This is no longer a hollow analysis but prophetic wisdom. One thing Zimbabweans never imagined though, is that the internal destruction or destabilisation would be championed by President Mugabe's own wife. Many were expecting Zanu-PF to split or weaken after the departure of the long-time ruler but things have moved a lot faster. Graciously amazing! The positive thing is that the timing is probably a blessing in disguise. I just can't imagine what would have happened if we got up one day to the news that President Mugabe had died quietly in his sleep.
Beyond the December congress, whichever way one looks at it, Zanu-PF will never be the same again. Whether Joice Mujuru resigns, gets fired or is miraculously voted back, is immaterial. The seeds of hatred, mistrust, suspicion and betrayal have been planted. It is just a matter of time before Zanu-PF starts harvesting bitter fruit. If a whole Vice President were to lose her job because somebody somewhere dislikes the colour or size of her skirts, it would take a person like William Shakespeare to write a meaningful script on this episode. Sadly, this is how low our politics has stooped, baby shower politics, so to speak. As for secret recordings, it's better left to imagination.
Some would argue that Zanu-PF has gone through similar or worse circumstances in the past but still survived. The idiosyncrasy of current events is that President Mugabe is now way into his advanced age. It would be naïve for anybody to think that he still has both the stamina and the time as he did way back in the 70s to effectively manage or manipulate the aftermath of such magnitude of chaos. The horses have bolted, literally.
In retrospect, the GNU was probably one of the worst curses of recent times. This implosion would have happened much earlier. The few days before congress are likely to produce even more stunning drama. Soon, there is likely to be a new version of "bhora musango" by spineless cowards and gross exodus of the brave.
Either way, we must brace up for exciting times ahead. In change management, the euphemism for rubble-rousers is change agents. In this context, Grace Mugabe deserves the highest accolade affordable to a civilian. Will this chaos turn out to be our early Christmas present?
Moses Chamboko is a pro-democracy activist and Interim Secretary General for Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE). You may visit ZUNDE at www.zunde.org or email info@zunde.org
Source - Moses Chamboko
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