Thokozani Khupe was from the wrong region

It has happened across the continent so many times, sometimes successfully, and sometimes it is thwarted.

When the founding President of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta was dying, his Kikuyi clansmen mafia tried to block his Vice President, Daniel Arap Moi from ascending to power.

Moi was constantly humiliated by the Kikuyu mafia that sought to block him.

Like Khupe, he came from a smaller tribe, the Kalenjin, but unlike Khupe, he endured the humiliation whilst waiting for his big day.

By chance and against all odds, Moi became president when Kenyatta died.

The Kikuyu mafia called him a passing cloud who would be replaced soon , he became the passing cloud that ruled Kenya for 24 years.

African politics is intertwined with ethnic hegemony and conflicts in political parties and in government.

For instance Khupe's gripe was not only that she had two men appointed outside congress in her position, but that the two men were from the same ethnic group as the president.

She complained that the top three positions were from one ethnic group deliberately to sideline her.

She was fighting three wars, constitutional violation, gender abuse and ethnic hegemony against her coming from the smaller ethnic group that was always given the VP position on a token basis.

But Zimbabweans haven't matured yet to having open debates about these issues and seeking to address them, they pretend that they don't exist.

They defend illegalities in democratic spaces when it suits them in public and private spaces.

ZANUPF had an elective congress in 1984 at the Borrowdale Racecourse, Maurice Nyagumbo from Manicaland beat Simon Muzenda from Masvingo to the position of Vice President.

Robert Mugabe intervened and reversed the election result and imposed Muzenda.

The highest position the Manyikas have ever had in Government was senior minister until Prof Arhur Mutambara became a GNU Deputy Prime Minister.

They have never occupied the top position in the army although the bulk of the liberation fighters came from there due to proximity to Mozambique.

The two dominant ethnic groups have been the Zezuru and Karanga with the Ndebele or those from Matebeleland getting the token position of VP which carries no power at all.

So the majority of the comments on this tweet confirm my accurate assertion that Zimbabweans are not constitutionalists, they only use the constitution when it favours them.

Some argue that Thokozani Khupe was incompetent, had no support and that she went AWOL.

But if you didn't want her because she was incompetent, why did you elect her as Vice President of the party for the second time?

If she didn't have support, does it confirm that elections in the opposition were rigged just like ZANUPF does?

Otherwise how did she become Vice President twice through congressional elections if she had no support, she even became Deputy Prime Minister of the country through a party ticket.

If she was incompetent and had no support, why wasn't she removed through constitutional means if indeed the opposition is fighting for constitutional democracy?

These are inconvenient questions that usually don't get the responses they deserve.

The some said she went AWOL that is why Tsvangirai appointed Mudzuri and Chamisa.

That is a pathetic lie, she disconnected after the appointments and after she has been undermined.

I have never been her fan, but the truth matters if we are going to learn anything from past experiences!

I conclude by saying Zanu-PF behavior mirrors our society's behaviour, that is why we are ready to defend anything if it benefits us regardless of its appropriateness.

That is why anyone who differs with us becomes "mutengesi," it is straight out of the ZANUPF playbook.