Do not kill a dead snake!

This is what former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma said in reference to Thabo Mbeki who was voted out of the party and government as party leader and president of South Africa in Polokwane. This short headline is an adage; do not criticize Chamisa who has lost 2018 presidential elections. To continuously critique his political leadership acumen or lack of it is not fair; Chamisa is politically dead. As a woman, it compels me to once again revisit his footsteps: from the time he grabbed party leadership from Thokozani Khuphe unconstitutionally right up to the loss of presidential plebiscite at the constitutional court of Justice on the 24th of August.  

I still need to do some post-mortem before we put closure to Chamisa's rise and fall of his MDC-Alliance leadership. Chamisa has no party to fall on right now; he is a leader without a party. He has lost even a parliamentary seat. This post-mortem will assist and inform Zimbabwean future public leaders and politicians about their pure and ultimate desire to be top public servants on one hand and political maturity, leadership qualities and political astuteness on the other hand. My personal analysis or post-mortem will be full of if, if, if, if he did not do this and that!! Let's take it block by block: the rise and fall of Advocate Nelson Chamisa in the eyes of a Zimbabwean woman: who is Chamisa and what would his presidency have meant to women in this country?  

Who are the beneficiaries of the 2018 election in MDC-Alliance?

It is none either than Advocate Biti and his five other winners of the parliamentary seats in his party. Biti et al realized early that they did not have a chance in hell to win a parliamentary seat as PDP; the best logic was to surrender to the mother MDC-Alliance. To say the least, that was a stroke of genius. The PDP won five seats. Biti endured everything with Chamisa, was constantly humiliated by Chamisa because he could not communicate in isiNdebele, a language that Chamisa did not know too. I shudder to think how much humiliation Biti took from Chamisa behind the scenes if the body language informed us so much verbal beatings and whipping from afar.

One question will linger in our minds: why did Tendai Biti decide to make such a public relations stint: absconding his homeland Zimbabwe and to try to seek asylum in Zambia Lusaka? After that embarrassing stint to Lusaka, it appears Biti's life is not threatened anyhow; instead we lost seven lives in the street of Harare because of the carelessness of MDC-Alliance miscalculations in their demonstrations. Whatever political score Biti tried to harvest was not visible and still is not to this date. Nevertheless, Biti deserved a seat in parliament after those humiliating moments in the 82 rallies MDC-Alliance carried out country-wide and diligently. In those bumper rallies, the MDC-Alliance forgot or was it oversight, they still needed a majority in parliament, the focus was on the presidency. The rallies bordered on one person: Chamisa the future president.  

They even forgot there were 2010 constituencies that needed to be fielded to win majority seats. There are 96 council seats that were not contested by MDC-Alliance.  Zanu PF just harvested the votes without a fight. When they cry foul about election loss, it escapes them that there could be two to three candidate constituencies from the MDC-Alliance that literally were contesting against each other!!! Those were indeed organizational skills that were lacking in the Fuehrer Chamisa. Somehow he still and sincerely thought and believed he was going to bulldoze through and win presidential elections notwithstanding the fact that he had one third seats in August House. These are some of the stupidities of Nelson Chamisa.

Who are the losers of the 2018 harmonized elections?

The reason why there was a massive parliamentary loss in MDC-Alliance was that of the chaotic organizational ability to effectively prepare for the harmonised elections.  Julius Malema said you cannot put your money on the size of the mob that attends your rallies. There is a lot of diligent organization to be done to win an election.  Parliamentary candidates never had time to campaign on their own without Chamisa. Those crowds did not replicate his win.  

A good example can be taken from the crowd that attended President Mnangagwa's inauguration on Sunday. The stadium was packed yesterday. If Mnangagwa was stupid, he was going to think and believe all those who attended the inaugural event were his supporters, which is not the case, Zanu PF lost dismally in Harare City. But the povo was there in large numbers just to be part of it. Most people attended Chamisa rallies just to be part of it, it would be stupidity of the highest order if he thought all those people who attended his rallies were genuine MDC-Alliance supports. Most of the people enjoyed Chamisa's Shona language use that was impressive to listen to.  

Chamisa lost these elections desperately. Apparently, it has not sunk in his mind that he has lost these harmonized elections. As a lawyer and leader a formidable opposition party he should know just how futile it is to seek assistance from the ACHPR also known as Banjul Commission: his petition in this continental body is as good as dead. My slender understanding of this AU court is that it will still consult the Chairperson of the AU together with other Heads of States from the SADC countries. But we know those were the leaders at the invitation of the inauguration of ED on Sunday 24th of August. All the processes leading to some court hearing will take about 12 to 15 months. It is wholly un-presidential if one does not concede defeat and move on.  

Other loser in the harmonized elections was Zapu. Zapu lost elections once more from several other losses in the past. It did not assist Zapu Party anyhow by joining the MDC-Alliance so late in the running up to the harmonized elections. They did not get a single seat to be it in the parliament of council elections. Zapu should make serious retrospection as to why they continue to lose elections in their own yards and territories because this is embarrassing to all of us in the region. Despite the fact that Chamisa's Alliance took the Zapu on board and made an electoral pact with them, still, Zapu lost. It is an unsettling development to some of us from the Matabeleland region. We saw this coming; the people of this region of Mathebeleland are deeply unforgiving!!! However, when we warned about such an alliance with an immature and juvenile Chamisa, we got attacked right left and center. A burnt child dreads fire!!!! No further comment!   

MDC-Alliance campaigned mainly on false promises! The neo-liberal economy is not the answer to Zimbabwe problems!

The entire campaign was based on falsehood and unrealistic promises. For an economy that is so shuttered like our own, it is inconceivable for a mature politician to tell the people that you will build the fastest trains that will travel at the speed of light; even the most developed countries in the world have never invented them. Now the good question is, who is going to access and make use of those high-flier infrastructure developments: the people of Zimbabwe live on less than a dollar a day and cannot afford such a bullet train from Bulawayo to Harare. Where will such funding come from, are these object our priorities?   

For what purpose will be those high flier infrastructure developments meant to achieve in a dilapidated economy?  Are these high flier infrastructure developments Chamisa's UNIQUE SELLING POINT? The spaghetti highways in developed countries were meant to meet the needs their forever demanding market economies that are developing at an exponential rate, certainly not a neo-liberal Zimbabwe economy that is looking to beg financial assistance to lift the population out of poverty.  

Both parties MDC-Alliance and Zanu PF do not realize that a neo-liberal economy is not in the interest of the common woman/man in Zimbabwe. Politicians should not reduce Zimbabwe to international cheap labor destination. An economy characterized by its belief that economic growth will be made possible when the economy is transferred to the private sector from the public sector whereby the role of the government interference is limited, and depend mostly on tax base is surely not a genuine prescription for Zimbabwe's economy. The government should compete in wealth creation, and spending all the time.

Introducing neo-liberal economy is to package the country's human- and its vast amount of natural resources to mere beneficiaries of minimum wages. (This is the case for the South African economy: $280 US dollars is the minimum wage approved by parliament, is that the definition of people's freedom?) An example is a promised Las-Vegas in Victoria Falls by Chamisa, will be foreign owned and the Zimbabwe population will be onlookers and manual workers of imposed so-called civilized projects to "create jobs." Zimbabwean citizens will be reduced to "carriers of water and collectors of wood" as it was the case in the colonial times, a development in reverse. There will not be any schools and hospitals to resuscitate because neo-liberalism has stringent policies that will dictate fiscal austerity measures by reducing government spending. (AND TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE; WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO KEEP US FIRST WORLD PEOPLE RICH)

This "Zimbabwe is open for business" has serious connotations and permutations and our politicians do not appear to grasp the consequences of it. Zimbabwe belongs to Low or Middle-Income Countries in the Sub-Sahara continent. We do need, admittedly, structural economic and social transformation for sustainable economic development. Road, rail (BUT not bullet trains and spaghetti roads) and air connectivity communication are required to link products to global markets. This will create job possibilities at the same time enabling tax and tariff collection capacities for the much needed domestic revenues.   

Nkosana Moyo appears to have had the best policies in his manifesto that would have uplifted the lives of the general populace and could have been the best suitable candidate to win these past July 2018 elections notwithstanding his adamant and twisted attitude regarding the Gugurahundi atrocities in Matabeleland. His methods of campaigning did not appeal to the povo that want instant gratification:  

If Nkosana Moyo, for argument sake, made a mistake and he promised to get $30 billion US dollars from wherever; the povo would have been enticed to vote for him. In our Zimbabwe the culture of donor-dependence is pandemic. We need to understand the public relations stunt that Tendai Biti did to attract the international community to intervene in Zimbabwe impasse following the elections: He to his feet to Zambia to claim asylum.   

President Chamisa's misogynistic and has tribalistic traits!

Now that Chamisa has lost elections to Mnangagwa, he will have to give up his 18-year-old sister to some 76-year oldie: President Mnangagwa. His public nauseating demonstrations, panting, making press-ups to showcase his bedroom abilities and capabilities leaves most of us feminists cold. His claim that he can sexually do any woman to her best satisfaction is misogyny at its best.  

Chamisa thinks women are children of lesser God. He has LESS regards for a woman generally. "Women belong to the kitchen", says Chamisa, while men out there do the politics, do we wonder still if his rallies were accompanied by his boy-scouts association in the rostrums, hardly a single woman was good enough to be seen in the podium together with boy scouts doing the talking, telling the women what to do, it's men's entitlement to be leaders of political organisation and holders of public offices.  

Chamisa violated his own MDC-T constitution but goes on to denounce the verdict of the constitutional court ruling of the 24th of August 2018. The time and moment Chamisa was told of the passing on of President Tsvangirai, he acted swiftly, called a few top National Council leaders of his party to endorse him as acting president until a caucus was called in the form of a congress to choose the leader of the party in December 2018. There were elections down the line; it meant Chamisa was at the same vein, to be the MDC-T presidential candidate for the harmonized elections comes 2018.

The purging of the Vice President Khuphe from presidency had rather two distinct dimensions: one she was a woman: a woman has no chance to lead MDC-T party to victory. Two, she came from the wrong tribe and therefore unfit to be the rightful heir to the Tsvangirai. On the whole Sis Thoko does not appear to be a presidential material, I am sorry for this personal judgement. Chamisa was Tsvangirai's choice, we were told this time and again. For Tsvangirai to choose two more vice presidents, a backup plan in case of any eventualities, gave us this confirmation that to be a legitimate president of MDC-T you have to come from Mashonaland and be a man. Notwithstanding, It is the democratic and constitutional formality through Congress that we wanted to see as a genuine transfer of MDC-T leadership.  

Chamisa purged Advocate Jessie Majome rudely and without shame; she was demonized and denigrated to a mere donkey-herder in rural villages. Is Jessie Majome too old? Is she not a woman who is six years older than Chamisa himself? In retrospect, he feared this woman's ability and capabilities. Jessie Majome has vast legal experience that nobody can fool around with. Advocate Majome is a powerhouse to talk about, national and internationally. On the other hand, Chamisa needed men and women who were loyal to him, those who will never question his lack of leadership abilities and capabilities. He successfully purged those he suspected would be an impediment to his ascendency to become an elected MDC president at Congress, come December 2018.   

The insults such as "Hure" the whore are those insults used to baptize Justice Priscilla Chigumba, Thokozani Khuphe, and Priscilla Mishihaurabwi-Mushonga and many others who dared the public offices. To be precise, a woman who dared the public office and was not married is a "hure" a whore by some Zimbabweans: men and women. To try to purge Justice Chigumba out of office by digging into her private life was just the final straw: this is how low our menfolk can go with women in public offices: just below the belt. It irks so many men that that ZEC position is held by a woman.  

Curiously the "boy scouts" in the MDC-Alliance are not ashamed of it. Just before the elections, Chamisa and his cabal bludgeoned into ZEC offices without the prior appointment and demanded an audience with Justice Chigumba, something he could never envisage, behaving in that manner of absolute rudeness towards Mnangagwa or any other man in public office by any stretch of his imagination. It's high time some Zimbabwean men were told in no uncertain terms to behave themselves towards their womenfolk; one of them is Nelson Chamisa.   

Chamisa did not keep up to his promises in Mathebeleland!

Even before Chamisa got the presidential election results, he quickly appointed a Bulawayo mayor and his deputy from Mashonaland without prior consultation. In a packed rally in White City Stadium, Chamisa promised the residents of Bulawayo some change: he talked about teachers and nurses who spoke the Ndebele language to be the ones to serve the people with the language the communication understand.  He reiterated this promise on many occasions. We sincerely thought Chamisa was going to be sensitive towards tribal diversities in the region. By what mandate gave Chamisa to hand-pick a mayor and his deputy? I am sure the residents feel short-changed by this young man called Chamisa. But since they are the ones who voted for him, they will come to terms with that arrangement!

I will be excused if I say today Chamisa lied about giving a go-ahead to restoring the kingship of Nguni nation in Mathebeleland when he is voted president. But because he wanted the vote in Mathebeleland so desperately, he promised anything and the naïve population believed him. He could promise anything in this region and the gullible peoples of Mathebeleland believed him and voted for him as such. Now its water under the bridge, Chamisa lost the elections he desperately wanted to win. In many articles published, I wrote passionately warning this region never to give their vote to a clown Chamisa. If Chamisa can dupe stalwarts like Dr. Dumiso Dabengwa, then it's even easier to cheat simpletons like tribal chiefs who are desperate for the restoration of their Nguni kingdoms. I should rest my case, I can't say much. A burnt child dreads fire!!!

Chamisa loss of the plebiscite is the best thing that has happened to us women of Zimbabwe

We women could not imagine a Chamisa government by any stretch of our imagination. What was going to happen to us women and our girl-children? When Chamisa passed his exams in law not so long ago, he loudly boasted to his male-friends in parliament, he taunted them, they can go on and rape women, he was going to defend them in the courts of law. I painfully and vividly remember that day: my soul felt bayoneted by Chamisa's act of arrogance and misogyny. I wish I had written an article about it as my reference point today. Chamisa is not fit for high public office. He is not fit to be a top civil servant in this country.  

We are really happy and pleased about the constitutional court ruling. Chamisa's ascendancy to power was going to disadvantage women and girl-children in this nation adversely, a development in reverse. When Chamisa prayed and fasted, we prayed and fasted equally and asked God never to put Chamisa near any form of absolute power because he was going to abuse it absolutely. If he can use his secret Vanguards to purge his opponents, what if he had all the army and secret service CIOs at his disposal? His religious devotion is as empty as a gong. Who knows it could be that God is punishing him for abusing the bible and hiding behind it to meet his selfish ends.

Chamisa be warned about the demonstrations you want to stage again

It is as if the death of seven people hardly four weeks ago is not enough. Chamisa lost the elections and now he wants to put other people's lives on the line to polish his ego. We warn you Chamisa never to use our growing up children as pawns to get political mileage. Lives were lost on the 1st of August in Harare for nothing. You never bothered to attend those funerals in any of the seven deaths: a seasoned politician would have done that. But because you thought you were too smart to go to humble-homes to pay your condolences, deaths partly caused by your Harvest House Thugs.

Young people were given bottles and bottles of the strong stuff, alcohol together with weed to prepare them for a violent demonstration. Shops were destroyed, valuables from vendors were looted, a bus was set on fire, billboards were torn down, people were threatened to join the demo, AND lives were lost. You sincerely say you want a repeat of that? It's not normal at all by any standard to still dream of demonstrations after losing a life because of your thought through and selfish demonstrations. This is the danger in you we mean, it is so evident in your selfish decisions and self-ego, your losing of elections is the best thing that could happen to all those who genuinely love this country dearly.  

 MDC-Alliance and Zanu PF must account for the cold-blooded murder of those innocent lives lost on the 1st of August this month. It leaves us cold to think you want to demonstrate again after that loss of life and not so long ago. Those lives lost in the demonstrations are still fresh in our minds, how people were razed down by water cannons as if they are children of lesser Gods.  

 Chamisa we love our children in as much as you love your son who is safe in the leafy suburbs of Harare, so please do not use our children for your selfish ends. You must stop it, we warn you to stop that neurosis and madness about staging yet other demonstrations. Please, can you go and demonstrate as MDC-Alliance presidium, with your families and leave our children alone, please? The loss of one life so carelessly is one too much and what about seven of them that perished because someone wants to be president. It's neurotic to still think of demonstrations to put this country to a standstill because you want to be president.

Go and do your petitions at the AU court of law but never incite demonstrations that you will not attend yourself. Your cabal Tendai Biti took to his heels and surrendered himself to the Zambian authorities because he could not stand the heat that had developed after those violent demonstrations in Harare. You can afford to run away to any country and claim asylum but not any Jack and Jill can run away to Zambia for asylum-seeking: you have the means but the povo do not have the resources.   

MDC-Alliance and Zanu PF must be held accountable for the loss of seven lives on the 1st of August 2018. We demand a full account of who was responsible for the loss of life. Povo lives matter too in as much as your son's life matters too!  

Chamisa was too boastful to hold the high office of president

We were told by Chamisa himself that every morning he would inspect a guard of honour in preparations for the presidency. The rallies gave him such false hopes to the extent of practicing inspection of Guard of Honour every day by Vanguard: his secret army, thuggish in their nature. Journalist Stephan Sucker told Chamisa that he dreams like Alice in Wonderland. But that little girl Alice persistently asked pertinent questions because Wonderland made no sense to her. Rules of the games kept changing at every turn; she was relieved when she woke up from a terrible dream: her journey to Wonderland was a dream indeed. On the other hand, Chamisa wanted to make his dreams in Wonderland a reality, but God spoke.

In education, we can best describe Nelson Chamisa as a dyslexia. He is clumsy; he is hurtful to other people near and far. He can say anything and can get away with it. He reads too much into Donald Trump script. He does not realize that to act Trump is futile because Trump is rich and Chamisa has no much money to boast about. He may not match Trump's billion-dollar riches he uses to gloat about in the White House. Boastfulness is worrisome for a young man of his age not a healthy trait of a future leader.  

He is arrogant and this is the trait that made him lose an election because he was above all advice. The late Ambassador Kofi Annan and Mrs. Mary Robison tried to advise him but Chamisa saw himself higher than them, was above them Elders. In Shona we say "akabva dzichakakamwa"  in Ndebele we say "Hamba juba bazakudobha phambili!"  It appears as if ama guerrilla sebemdhobile!

His ascendency to power could only be that short-lived but was too long enough to have caused a lot of irreparable damage to most members in his party. The carnage, the havoc will be felt for some time especially by women who were victims of his misogyny: Thokozani Khuphe, Jessie Majome even his wife Thokozile just to mention those few. It is disturbing to think that Chamisa is a pastor and an advocate and a father to a son.  

Chamisa is not a dead snake as the Zuma adage goes; he is young, only 40 years old. He needs advice, genuine one from wise people who will sit down with him and impart the wisdom he needs most. 2023 is just around the corner, there is great chance he will bounce back make it in the next election, he will be wiser then, if he can sincerely accept genuine advice and words of wisdom, a true leader, a true politician will seek that, no less. King Solomon akarida zano, akarikumbira neminamato  akaripihwa na Tenzi we Nyika ne Denga.