1 Milliom march, a G40 March

ZANU PF has intensified its preparations for the milliom march pencilled to take place on the 25th of May. Reasons for the event are to reaffirm and confirm the youth's support to His Excellency, the first secretary of Zanu PF and the Executive President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde RG Mugabe as a sole presidential candidate for 2018.

The 25th of May is Africa day, an important day for Africans. A day we are compelled to tabulate the success stories of Africa, a day for Africans to introspect, ruminate, engage in 360 degree performance appraisal of our leaders and robustly diagnose possible threats to the African being.

It's worth-noting that this is not a ZANU PF march as is being projected. Its a G40 March. It is thus a misnomer to call it a ZANU PF march. Suffice to say on the 25th of May these youths will be expressing unflinching loyalty to President Mugabe's gerontocratic rule. Something not worthy celebrating on Africa day.

The timing of the march raises eyebrows considering that MDC-T recently marched in Harare protesting against poverty and corruption. One wonders if ZANU PF is now being reactive instead of being proactive.If that is the case one is tempted to applaud the MDC-T for dictating the pace to the revolutionary party ZANU PF.

One can also note that ZANU PF felt psychologically defeated by the MDC-T march hence the need to prove a point.The march is thus a product of inferiority complex syndrome. In a nutshell the march is intended to counter the perceived numerical prowess of MDC-T and Morgan Tsvangirai.

There are a number of reasons which might have precipitated this so called million march. This march can be likened to the biblical Mount Carmel Contest between the Baal prophets and Prophet Elijah. A battle for supremacy. On Mount Carmel prophet Elijah and the Baal prophets locked horns to prove who the real God was. So the G40 faction wants to prove who really calls the shots in ZANU PF. A matter of proving a point through numerical superiority.

Given the political mudslinging that took centre stage in ZANU PF years ago which resulted in the ouster of Mai Mujuru the march can be useful to ZANU PF to paper over the cracks and conceal the dishevelled state of the party.

It is also possible that the President wants to use the march to shoot two birds with one stone.To prove a point to MDC-T and his internal rivals.The march is therefore a G40 derby whose ulterior motive is to demoralise The Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who happen to be a presidential aspirant, clip his fragile wings and remind him that there is one centre of power in ZANU PF. The political star of Cde Mnangangwa must be stagnant for sure,for he was recently sabotaged by his rivals and addressed an empty stadium on Workers Day.

One wonders why the President needs solidarity when the 2013 electiom ''resoundingly'' expressed solidarity with him and the ruling ZANU PF. This is more than meets the eye. Conventional wisdom has it that one can only seek solidarity when he or she is under siege. The siege can be real or imaginery, coming from internal and external elements. One can sense and smell an aura of insecurity from this intended march.

Its retrogressive to note that this march is about the President and the President alone. Its mearnt to massage the ego of the supreme leader. Glorify and magnify him as a cultic demigod and political benefactor whereas the MDC-T march was about the masses,the issues bedevilling the nation. Such is the paradox of demanding loyalty from hungry, unemployed and psychologically truamatissed citizenry.Loyalty is not demanded Mr President. Loyalty is earned by our deeds.

ZANU PF faction march is about power and the MDC-T march was about people. It is about one person whereas the MDC-T march was about 13 million people in Zimbabwe. What a stark contrast? One would have expected the youths to march for jobs promised by their supreme leader, express revulsion at the lack of action from leaders in the face of an avalanche of ailments in the name of economic haemorrhage and liquidity crunch just to mention a few.

As if it's not enough the march has further widened the fissures and ructions within ZANU PF as other disgruntled youths and War Veterans have expressed annoyance and dismay at the party propensity for misplaced priorities. ZANU PF and misplaced priorities are indeed Siamese twins.

To those who happen to be disciples of politics, the milliom march comes as a deja vu. In 2007 the jingoistic War Veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda organsed a million march in solidarity with the President. On the contrary, the elections that followed the other year didn't show an iorta of solidarity with the President as millions marched against him via the ballot box. As we speak Jabulani Sibanda is confronted with a herculean task battling for political relevance which doesn't come on a silver plate in this unforgiving and hardly impregnable political terrain of Zimbabwe. He is still nursing the wounds of political redudancy.

History will judge harshly the political eunachs in ZANU PF for misleading the Emperor. The Emperor will be misinformed that the march is a litmus test for his popularity. Its reminscent of the biblical Ahab who was promised military victory over Syrians by palace prophets which never materialised.The result of that false assurance was a catastrophe of serious magnitude.

Wilton Nyasha Machimbira, a Political Scientist.For feedback and comments can be contacted on wiltonnyash@gmail.com