Opinion / Columnist
That speech by Chiwenga shows discord and desperation within Zanu
25 Nov 2021 at 13:11hrs | Views
By now everyone will have watched a video of Chiwenga at a rally where he was declaring his support for Mnangagwa, by saying that he and others will be willing to break the Constitution to make sure that Mnangagwa stays in power forever.
Why was Chiwenga saying these things in the week of the 4th anniversary of the 2017 coup? Was this his way of showing strong support for Mnangagwa? We know Zanu like to show off the power they have over Zimbabwe, but they rarely show off in public about breaking the Constitution even though their presence in government is a result of breaking the Constitution of the country. Even when they did the coup that removed Mugabe, Chiwenga and others insisted that what they were doing was in accordance with the law even though it wasn't. In public, dictators like to give an impression that they are following the Constitution in order as a legal justification of their rule and also to avoid pressure from international bodies like the UN and of course the West.
So it was really strange to hear Chiwenga say these things in public particularly 4 years after the 2017 coup. On first appearances, it looks like a man singing for his supper, or a VP dragged out to give public support to Mnangagwa who is now openly under pressure from certain sections of Zanu. Imagine, there is even a man from Zanu challenging the legality of Mnangagwa's Zanu presidency at the courts - where does this man find the courage to do such a thing? We all remember the scattering of G40 people and apologies while wearing a sweater that became infamous. How come this man is able to make such a challenge and walk freely in the country? Whenever a small dog is showing off there will bw a bigger dog behind it. If someone from the MDC rose up and tried to challenge the legitimacy of Mnangagwa they will be at Chikurubi before sunset.
Perhaps more revealing was the lukeworm response Chiwenga received from the crowd when he put an image in their heads where ED is still the president. We are now at a point where even Zanu supporters are showing some discord against ED's leadership. In recent days, a video went viral showing ED looking completely drunk as a newt and requiring at least two men to hold his hands like a hospital patient.
Going back to the Chiwenga's speech, ED supporters will want to believe that this was the Vice President showing strong support to their leader. On the other hand, they fail to realise that when Chiwenga said he and others are willing to break the law to keep ED in power, what that means is that Chiwenga and others can also break the law to remove ED or anyone for that matter. Perhaps he was saying these things because he has actually lost that ability to break the Constitution to remove or keep a president in power since he was forced to retire from the army. All these suppositions show discord and cracks within Zanu.
Regardless of any possible hidden meanings behind Chiwenga's speech, there is a clear one which is that Zanu pf do not respect the democratic processes of the country. They are going to rig the 2023 general election and will use violence to stop any protest against the rigging. The MDC Alliance and other genuine people in opposition need to come up with a solid plan in addition to a massive voters turnout. For the sake of Zimbabwe, Chiwenga, ED and Zanu need to go, or else there will be no country left for our children.
Why was Chiwenga saying these things in the week of the 4th anniversary of the 2017 coup? Was this his way of showing strong support for Mnangagwa? We know Zanu like to show off the power they have over Zimbabwe, but they rarely show off in public about breaking the Constitution even though their presence in government is a result of breaking the Constitution of the country. Even when they did the coup that removed Mugabe, Chiwenga and others insisted that what they were doing was in accordance with the law even though it wasn't. In public, dictators like to give an impression that they are following the Constitution in order as a legal justification of their rule and also to avoid pressure from international bodies like the UN and of course the West.
So it was really strange to hear Chiwenga say these things in public particularly 4 years after the 2017 coup. On first appearances, it looks like a man singing for his supper, or a VP dragged out to give public support to Mnangagwa who is now openly under pressure from certain sections of Zanu. Imagine, there is even a man from Zanu challenging the legality of Mnangagwa's Zanu presidency at the courts - where does this man find the courage to do such a thing? We all remember the scattering of G40 people and apologies while wearing a sweater that became infamous. How come this man is able to make such a challenge and walk freely in the country? Whenever a small dog is showing off there will bw a bigger dog behind it. If someone from the MDC rose up and tried to challenge the legitimacy of Mnangagwa they will be at Chikurubi before sunset.
Perhaps more revealing was the lukeworm response Chiwenga received from the crowd when he put an image in their heads where ED is still the president. We are now at a point where even Zanu supporters are showing some discord against ED's leadership. In recent days, a video went viral showing ED looking completely drunk as a newt and requiring at least two men to hold his hands like a hospital patient.
Going back to the Chiwenga's speech, ED supporters will want to believe that this was the Vice President showing strong support to their leader. On the other hand, they fail to realise that when Chiwenga said he and others are willing to break the law to keep ED in power, what that means is that Chiwenga and others can also break the law to remove ED or anyone for that matter. Perhaps he was saying these things because he has actually lost that ability to break the Constitution to remove or keep a president in power since he was forced to retire from the army. All these suppositions show discord and cracks within Zanu.
Regardless of any possible hidden meanings behind Chiwenga's speech, there is a clear one which is that Zanu pf do not respect the democratic processes of the country. They are going to rig the 2023 general election and will use violence to stop any protest against the rigging. The MDC Alliance and other genuine people in opposition need to come up with a solid plan in addition to a massive voters turnout. For the sake of Zimbabwe, Chiwenga, ED and Zanu need to go, or else there will be no country left for our children.
Source - Dudzai Mukondorongwe
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