The sex scandals of VP Mohali and the anger

The Women's Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE) has joined one Masimba Mavaza in calling for the resignation of Vice President Kembo Mohadi following the embarrassing exposure of his sex scandals with subordinates in his office who also happen to be married individuals.

Indeed VP Mohadi, according to the released voice recordings made public, if true, has a lot of explaining to do and a lot to be embarrassed about. The nation does wonder how the VP can continue to expect to be respected as a moral beacon for the young and future generations.

There are however fundamental issues that come to light when we look at how the seeming anger at the VP's misdeeds is panning out. Nomazulu Thata, in her article "Cowardice is when you pounce on the weak and then shout Courage," does raise the fundamental issues that must be addressed. It is very telling that both Masimba Mavaza and WALPE have conveniently and totally ignored the same (if not more serious and criminal) scandals of VP Constantine Chiwenga and indeed of the President and former president. It is difficult to think that the critics of VP Mohadi had forgotten or were not aware of the other scandals. Not even a single reference was made to those. The enthusiasm of especially WALPE is difficult to explain in the circumstances.

While I do not condone what VP Mohadi is doing (or has done), I do note that it is clear from the recordings that there was total adult consent and that the women (or woman) concerned actually enjoyed the relationship immoral though it is. The same cannot be true for the other VP who got his aides to abduct a woman (someone else's wife), imposed himself on her against her will and eventually destroyed her marriage. As if that was not enough, VP Chiwenga tormented the husband of his victim until he fled the country and still lives in fear for his life wherever his present hiding place is. It is not the first time VP Chiwenga seems to have used his position/ office to grab another man's wife. The former and late president RG Mugabe abused his office and grabbed a secretary in his office from her husband for himself.

The current President was reported to have sired a child with a student on attachment on his farm drawing the fury of first Lady who had to chase her husband through the fields when she got to know of the affair. There are many more cases of high profile public officials abusing women that have been reported but which all have not attracted the excitement that VP Mohadi has. The manner in which VP Mohadi has been exposed is also suspect. It is obvious that the VP was trapped and probably targeted. We need to know what the motive was in trapping him. In this regard it is possible that the husband (s), who also work in intelligence could have trapped him as a hit back, but then the excitement and enthusiasm that is clearly blinkered to one side complicates the matrix. Where have Mavaza and WALPE been when the other scandals were on the public domain? Are there calls for the whole presidium to step down? We don't hear those calls. How could Mavaza and WALPE despite their academic credentials manage to overlook such basic rules of fair and unbiased analysis? Given our political sensitivities, it is difficult to forgive Mavaza and WALPE for such reckless negligence and this allows for one explanation that VP Mohadi was targeted as the weakest link in the presidium as madam Nomazulu Thata has suggested. Such targeting is careless, reckless and dangerous to nation building. But there again who says Mavaza and WALPE have any intention of nation building!

We should not allow the attention of the nation to be diverted by what seems to be tribalists and divisionists from the real issues of political reforms and economic recovery as well as the present important fight against covid 19 and the resuscitation of the health sector.

I end with a national call to our political leaders from both the government side and opposition to focus efforts towards solving the nation's pressing and urgent problems so as to bring about the restoration of the dignity of life in our motherland. Factional wars in both divides will not take us anywhere near our aspired goals.

Nicholas Mlamuli Ndebele (22 February '21)