Opinion / Columnist
FEEL its, it's here: The Tsvangi-exit moment
16 Jul 2016 at 07:59hrs | Views
Ailing MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai announces his additional deputies in Harare yesterday
On a lazy Friday where nothing seemed exciting enough after events of the past couple of days especially around the Evan Mawarire character, Morgan Tsvangirai gave us something to talk about yesterday.
He announced that he was appointing two more deputies — Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri — to assist him.
In his words, "The two will join Hon Khupe in assisting me in the execution of my responsibilities and preparing for the next election."
The move is fraught with meaning.
The first and biggest one is that, Tsvangexit, the exit of Tsvangirai is here.
After 17 years at the helm of the party, the former trade unionist is fast seeing the end of his road.
He has led the party through successive elections, all for a losing cause.
The best that he achieved was that stint in the inclusive Government where he held the almost ceremonial post of Prime Minister.
It is such a high point in his career that his minions and sympathisers often refer to him as former PM, something that oozes nostalgia.
Perhaps he has been unlucky too.
He faced a better opponent in President Mugabe and he has continuously been outvoted, outfoxed and will most likely be outlived by the veteran nationalist.
It has been predicted that Tsvangirai will not run for 2018.
That is a very safe bet.
Apart from the unfortunate health condition as he is suffering from colon cancer, dynamics have changed within the opposition and national politics.
He has belatedly accepted to become "a Mandela of the party" which none other than Elias Mudzuri himself suggested three years ago as he mapped the scenario for Tsvangirai and the opposition party.
We are pretty close to seeing that happen.
The second thing, tied to this, is the rise of Nelson Chamisa.
You would be forgiven to think that his was the only promotion, given all the attention that Chamisa is now getting.
Chamisa has been plucked from the cold to the presidium.
There was little doubt that this could happen.
In fact, Chamisa could even wrestle his way to the top.
Now the Kuwadzana East legislator looks set to go all the way to the top.
The third important thing is that for all pretences at political correctness that the opposition may entertain, there is just no place for Thokozani Khupe at the top — and this could be a result of a number of factors at play: gender and tribe included.
Now in light of all this we wait to see how Tsvangirai's succession will pan out.
It's not going to be any nice.
Epitaph
And you cannot fail to see how Tsvangirai sounds like he is writing his own epitaph.
There is a hint or touch of pathos in it.
He said: "I want to say today that I am recovering well and once again, I want to thank everyone, especially the people of this country from across the political, religious and tribal divide, for standing by me.
"Indeed, we are all mortal beings and sometimes our bodies get shaken by the vagaries of nature but as you can see, God is always on our side and I am on the path to full recovery."
He is the man who did all he could politically but health is marking him out.
The time is now and as we wake up this morning life beyond Morgan is what many people would be thinking.
And an inevitable thought is likely people starting to think in terms of "president Nelson Chamisa".
No doubt chamisa will be looking in the mirror to see how presidential he looks.
Ditto Mudzuri
We also hazard to guess that he may not quite like the idea of young Chamisa getting all the attention.
It may yet give us a good subplot in some time to come.
Just watch the space.
Irony
The irony in what Tsvangirai said at the presser is writ large.
He proposed that there be a "National Transitional Authority" to administer Zimbabwe.
That is of course nonsense because Zimbabwe has a legitimate government that issued from the elections of July 2013, where Tsvangirai and his party were soundly beaten.
We can't have losers seeking power through the back door, no matter how unhappy they could be.
But we are not lost to the irony that while Tsvangirai is calling for a national Transitional Authority, it is actually his party that needs such an arrangement in view of the sun setting on his career.
In fact, the Chamisa-Mudzuri appointment issue is acknowledgement of just that.
On a lazy Friday where nothing seemed exciting enough after events of the past couple of days especially around the Evan Mawarire character, Morgan Tsvangirai gave us something to talk about yesterday.
He announced that he was appointing two more deputies — Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri — to assist him.
In his words, "The two will join Hon Khupe in assisting me in the execution of my responsibilities and preparing for the next election."
The move is fraught with meaning.
The first and biggest one is that, Tsvangexit, the exit of Tsvangirai is here.
After 17 years at the helm of the party, the former trade unionist is fast seeing the end of his road.
He has led the party through successive elections, all for a losing cause.
The best that he achieved was that stint in the inclusive Government where he held the almost ceremonial post of Prime Minister.
It is such a high point in his career that his minions and sympathisers often refer to him as former PM, something that oozes nostalgia.
Perhaps he has been unlucky too.
He faced a better opponent in President Mugabe and he has continuously been outvoted, outfoxed and will most likely be outlived by the veteran nationalist.
It has been predicted that Tsvangirai will not run for 2018.
That is a very safe bet.
Apart from the unfortunate health condition as he is suffering from colon cancer, dynamics have changed within the opposition and national politics.
He has belatedly accepted to become "a Mandela of the party" which none other than Elias Mudzuri himself suggested three years ago as he mapped the scenario for Tsvangirai and the opposition party.
We are pretty close to seeing that happen.
The second thing, tied to this, is the rise of Nelson Chamisa.
You would be forgiven to think that his was the only promotion, given all the attention that Chamisa is now getting.
Chamisa has been plucked from the cold to the presidium.
There was little doubt that this could happen.
In fact, Chamisa could even wrestle his way to the top.
Now the Kuwadzana East legislator looks set to go all the way to the top.
Now in light of all this we wait to see how Tsvangirai's succession will pan out.
It's not going to be any nice.
Epitaph
And you cannot fail to see how Tsvangirai sounds like he is writing his own epitaph.
There is a hint or touch of pathos in it.
He said: "I want to say today that I am recovering well and once again, I want to thank everyone, especially the people of this country from across the political, religious and tribal divide, for standing by me.
"Indeed, we are all mortal beings and sometimes our bodies get shaken by the vagaries of nature but as you can see, God is always on our side and I am on the path to full recovery."
He is the man who did all he could politically but health is marking him out.
The time is now and as we wake up this morning life beyond Morgan is what many people would be thinking.
And an inevitable thought is likely people starting to think in terms of "president Nelson Chamisa".
No doubt chamisa will be looking in the mirror to see how presidential he looks.
Ditto Mudzuri
We also hazard to guess that he may not quite like the idea of young Chamisa getting all the attention.
It may yet give us a good subplot in some time to come.
Just watch the space.
Irony
The irony in what Tsvangirai said at the presser is writ large.
He proposed that there be a "National Transitional Authority" to administer Zimbabwe.
That is of course nonsense because Zimbabwe has a legitimate government that issued from the elections of July 2013, where Tsvangirai and his party were soundly beaten.
We can't have losers seeking power through the back door, no matter how unhappy they could be.
But we are not lost to the irony that while Tsvangirai is calling for a national Transitional Authority, it is actually his party that needs such an arrangement in view of the sun setting on his career.
In fact, the Chamisa-Mudzuri appointment issue is acknowledgement of just that.
Source - the ehrald
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