Open letter to Dr Joice Mujuru

16 March 2017

Open letter to Dr Joice Mujuru - President of National Peoples Party (NPP).

Dear Dr Mujuru.

Revolutionary greetings to you.

I hope by the time you read this letter, you will be back from your London trip where you gave an interesting interview on BBC Hard Talk. It is quite interesting that you are now able to visit London ,following the lifting of travel restrictions imposed on you and your political friends  since 2002 ,following the disputed Presidential election in Zimbabwe.
At the time, you and your former party ,through your former leader, President Mugabe , openly told the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002 at a UN summit in Johannesburg to keep his Britain and you keep your Zimbabwe.

Your former party went all out to define London as the capital of imperialist forces and blamed her for mobilising the world to effect what you called ,"regime change ". It appears to me that, you now view London as a key player in bringing about political and economic change in Zimbabwe.

When you were in ZANU (PF), any opposition leader who visited London, you defined him/her as an agent of imperialist forces. I see you have undergone some transformation where you begin to view the world from a different perspective. Or should l say, you appear to me to have been captured by the imperialist forces who believe that, you might be the right person to end the ZANU (PF) rule and thereby protect the British economic interests in our country. 

This  will not be a new thing for you and some of your colleagues in your new party. When you became the youngest Minister in 1980, your party ZANU (PF) was the darling of the West. You seem to be following on the footsteps of President Mugabe who sought the assistance of the Conservative Party in 1980 to win elections. Your trip to London is meant to appeal to the international markets that, you are the right person to lead the proposed opposition coalition. 

I must admit Dr Mujuru that, when the Zimbabwean First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe started attacking  you, l developed keen interest in you and the political developments that were happening to you at the time. I could not understand why junior party members ,the likes of Cde Oppah Muchinguri and others ,would join the First Lady in her public attacks directed at yourself. What was confusing was the silence of President Mugabe in the early days of your attacks by the First Lady. 

Of interest to me and my comrades in the opposition was whether the attacks on your person in 2014 would have led to the split within ZANU (PF). The split in 2014 would have worked in our favour as the opposition to deal with a split ZANU (PF) that has over the years, used State apparatus to cling to power. 

Unfortunately, the split did not happen,it was yourself and other few individuals that got kicked out in 2014. Your expulsion in ZANU (PF) did not affect its grassroots support as demonstrated by the by -elections held since your expulsion.

While in London, you made an interesting comment with regards to the outcome of the 2008 elections. You are  quoted in the media as saying that, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai won 74% of the vote in 2008. You are further quoted as saying that, yourself and the entire leadership of ZANU (PF) asked the electoral body to play with the  numbers and deny Dr Tsvangirai victory.

For the record Dr Mujuru ,am not a member of Dr Tsvangirai's party, but as a socialist democrat , l respect the views of the  majority. I never campaigned for Dr Tsvangirai in 2008, but as democracy demands, all of us are meant to respect the majority view. According to you, the 6 weeks delay in the announcement of the 2008 election results was meant to deny Dr Tsvangirai victory.

You will know Dr Mujuru that, your refusal to hand over power to Dr Tsvangirai in 2008 led to the killing of over 200 opposition supporters, thousands of opposition supporters were displaced from their homes, with  homes burnt, thousands injured , women raped during the State sponsored violence. This Dr Mujuru is a serious crime, its a crime against humanity.

You have always said you knew nothing about the Gukurahundi atrocities ,something you repeated in London, calling it the "Executive order" without giving details. 

I will not ask you at this stage to account on Gukurahundi but l do ask you to account on the death of the over 200 opposition supporters killed by your former party in 2008. Surely Dr Mujuru, you can not expect us as the citizens of Zimbabwe to reward you by electing you as the First Citizen of our country without you coming clean on the following; 1. Details on the rigging of the elections in 2008 and 2. On who gave orders for the killing spree of opposition supporters in 2008. 

As revolutionaries, we would be failing in our revolutionary duty if we do not ask you to come clean. Your personal ambition of wanting to be President of the Republic of Zimbabwe should not stop you from coming out clean on the political violence in 2008. We are ready to take you to every home of the victims of the political violence to explain how their loved ones died in your hands and explain why the very same families should elect you President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. 

I find it very opportunistic of you to rush to want to visit mass graves of Gukurahundi victims , something which you deny knowledge of, but lack appetite of visiting the families of the victims of the 2008 political violence. 
I restrict myself to the 2008 election violence because you have acknowledged your involvement and you have apologised. I will not ask you to come clean on Gukurahundi and the political violence from February 2000. Let us focus on the violence that you were directly involved, that is , violence from 1 April 2008 - 25 June 2008. 

As a citizen , l ask you to furnish  me with details of that violence, who planned it, who executed it, who gave orders. Please also give me more details on the following;

* Please provide me with details on what was happening in the 6 weeks when all of us waited for the official announcement of the results.
* Was there any consultation with other foreign governments before the announcement of the results - please provide me with details.
What am asking you is inline with accountability. Any person who seeks to be our first citizen must be able to account. I hope this will never be difficult for you Dr Mujuru. I trust you will make all this information available to me as soon as possible. 
Your insight in what really happened will put to rest the accusations levelled against other opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, who are blamed for splitting the vote by not supporting Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai's supporters have gone on to blame former South African President, Cde Thabo Mbeki for protecting President Mugabe and his party. 

Let me deal with other political questions Dr Mujuru. Before your Meikles hotel press conference, l followed closely interviews by your former colleagues, the likes of Rugare Gumpo , Mutasa and others where they sought to define your then political formation ZimPF, as guided by what they called National Democratic principles as your ideology. 
I was not able though to follow your Meikles press conference other than what l read from the media. As a student of Marxism - Leninism, l was keen to understand what you meant by National Democracy as your ideology in class terms.
I then had an opportunity to listen to your SABC radio interview where you sought to unpack your ideology and your political project. With all due respect Dr Mujuru, that interview was a disaster to say the least. 
Here was a Party President who was  failing to articulate her party ideology ,values and principles. I concluded that, ZimPF was just ZANU (PF) Lite which did not need some of us to seek to associate with particularly in a coalition of the opposition.
My comrades persuaded me arguing that, in the 3rd World, elections are not won on ideological clarity but rather on populism and charisma. Well l accepted their argument and saw you as a key player in the opposition, even though you are not charismatic. We understood your role as that of an individual who would split the military and war vets , key institutions that have kept ZANU (PF) in power over the years. Unfortunately, this appears again to be a mirage as the military is solidly behind Mugabe.

In your BBC interview, you kept on referring to some projects that you did when you were a government Minister. You argue that, we must vote for you based on the projects that you implemented. 
To be honest, the only thing l remember you doing was when you insulted the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo over the awarding of a cellular phone licence in the late 90s.
The other thing that l remember you doing in your capacity as Vice President, was your attempt to stop corruption investigation into salary gate in 2014, just few months before you were pushed out of the gravy train. 
Let me remind you of the media report which appeared on the online publication , Zimbabwe situation.com , that reported on what you said in Chinhoyi in February 2014, before Dr Grace Mugabe's nationwide tour to kick you out of ZANU (PF);

"Lay off Salarygate, Mujuru orders media
By ZimSitRep_J | February 10, 2014via Lay off Salarygate, Mujuru orders media 10 February 2014 NewZimbabwe
IN SHOCK remarks, Vice President Joice Mujuru has claimed that public exposure of the pay rot at nearly dysfunctional State enterprises was the work of subversive elements trying to destroy Zanu PF and its government from within.
According to the State-run and Zanu PF-leaning Herald newspaper, Mujuru made the stunning intervention while addressing the party's Mashonaland West provincial women's conference in Chinhoyi on Saturday.
President Robert Mugabe's deputy reportedly claimed that media exposure of the scandal was part of a campaign by enemies to bring the country down.
She said: "Nditeererei madzimai … Iyi nyaya yatiri kutaura iyi yehuori hwemaparastatals muchenjere kuti ndeimwe nzira yaunzwa nevanhu vari kuda kupwanya nyika ino iyi (Please listen to me ladies, regarding reports about corruption in parastatals – be careful – it's another tactic being used by those keen to destroy the country)."

The campaign against graft in parastatals has been fronted by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo but Cabinet colleagues have largely remained quite despite Moyo insisting that the scandal was "allegedly rampant among the 78 parastatals and State enterprises and the 92 local authorities in the country".
Exposed so far have been executives at the insolvent Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and PSMAS, the State-run health insurer for civil servants, who pocketed tens of thousands of dollars in salaries per month while ordinary workers went without pay (in the case of the ZBC).
Doubts however emerged over the possible lack of Cabinet consensus over the scandal after the suspiciously wealthy Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo re-instated Harare Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi who had been suspended over reports he and top city executives earned about $37,000 while ordinary workers also went without pay.
On Sunday, Moyo told state media that President Robert Mugabe was dismayed by the alleged looting. But the veteran leader has not commented on the issue despite returning to work this month from his annual holiday.
Mugabe travelled to Malawi for a regional conference at the weekend, taking with him top aide, George Charamba, who last week offered to resign after conceding culpability for problems at PSMAS where he is a board member and earned a reported $100,000 in sitting allowances last year.Meanwhile, Mujuru – developing her conspiracy claim – said the media expose had deliberately targeted parastatals in a bid to destabilise them because they were seen to be critical to the country's economy and Zanu PF's agenda in government.
She reportedly opined: "Vari kuziva kuti chii chakabata nyika yeZimbabwe. They know what is done by our parastatals. They will go and talk to some of our people and do what is happening. Vanotaura kuti kana tabva kuZBC, toenda kuZESA, toenda kuZINWA."
More tellingly, Mujuru claimed subversive elements behind the conspiracy joined Zanu PF to destroy it from within, having failed to do so from outside the party.
"Regai kuzoti vanhu vacho havasi veZanu-PF, aiwa, zvinonzi kana usingagone kumukurira unomujoina, worova uchibva mukati make, saka mochenjera (Do not say these people are not Zanu PF … it is said that if you cannot defeat them join them and attack from within; so be careful)."
The identity of her alleged internal saboteurs remains unclear, but it can be recalled that Moyo was forced out of Zanu PF and government in 2005 after being linked to an alleged attempt to block Mujuru's ascendency to the vice presidency which was, then, thought to make her unassailable in the succession stakes.
After his exit from the party and government, Moyo later wrote that the Zanu PF constitution had been "unprocedurally and unconstitutionally amended … to guarantee the imposition and ascendancy of Joice Mujuru to the vice-presidency".
He was also quoted as saying he hoped "the general (Mujuru's late husband) was happy" over his exit from government and the party.
Moyo would be readmitted to Zanu PF in 2009 with Mugabe handing him the information portfolio after the July 2013 elections.
Last week Moyo commended the media for exposing the pay scandal saying: "It is indeed refreshing that the media is speaking with one voice … against the scourge of corruption highlighted by some obscenely corrupt salaries paid by some parastatals and local authorities."
But Mujuru, now seen as leading the race to replace the 90 year-old Mugabe, appeared to think otherwise on Saturday, and said the scandal was not a matter for the media.
"Nyaya idzi hadzitongwe mumanewspaper; inyaya dzinonyatsogadzirwa magadzirirwo adzo," she said adding that the way the scandal as being reported suggested other motives beyond fighting corruption.
"Unozoona mamhanyisirwo adzinoitwa mumapaper wozvibvunza futi kuti haa saka vanotaura kuti inyaya dzekuda kupwanya hurumende nekupwanya musangano weZanu-PF zvechokwadi vari pamwe chete nevanhu vari kuita izvi."
Opposition parties have claimed that Mugabe and the top Zanu PF leadership were aware of the pay scandal at State enterprises.
Ministers were said to have passed off the pay deals with a wink after being bribed with luxury vehicles, houses and pretty much whatever else they asked of management at the State enterprises." - end of the article.

Dr Mujuru, by February 2014, you thought you would take over from President Mugabe as President of our country when ever there was the vacancy. To satisfy your personal ambition, you found it proper to support corruption ,a cancer that has destroyed our society. 
In your bid today to become President, you then seek to fool all of us saying you worked for the people when you were in government ,yet it is clear that you have been part of the National bourgeoisie that continues to loot from the working class and the poor. 
Your then colleague in ZANU (PF) Prof Jonathan Moyo came out strongly against salary gate, but you chose to support corruption because you were the biggest beneficiary. Surely, what are the solutions that you have for us when you clearly looted the State coffers just some weeks before your expulsion?

We can not be naive to expect you to be our special cadre. A special cadre, we should deploy in our fight against the parasitic bourgeoisie that feeds on the blood of the working class and the poor. I feel pity for those comrades from the opposition who have jumped to defend you and your political friends who have caused misery to all of us through corruption and the killing of the innocent people in our country , from Gukurahundi to 2008 political violence.
My advice to you, is that , you should find forgiveness from the victims of political violence in which you participated. When your late colleague Enos Nkala was fired in 1988, he never sought to mobilise society to vote for him as President of our nation. He knew the pain he caused us. 
He spent his entire life trying to explain his involvement in Gukurahundi even though some of us did not believe him. The positive thing about the late Enos Nkala is that, he never attempted to parade himself as a Saint by asking us to vote for him. Am told he even went to a Bible school to find forgiveness and closure. Why not follow on the footsteps of the late Enos Nkala by coming out clean on your involvement in political violence than asking us to vote for you? Leadership is not about asking the citizens to elect you, it is about doing good for society and you can do good outside politics.
My apologies for a long open letter to you. I hope you will find time in your busy schedule to respond to this open letter.
Yours in struggle
Cde Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena(Student of Marxism - Leninism)Contacts - +27 83 340 1000Email -        ngqabuthomabhena@gmail.com