Zimbabwe opposition plans to disrupt upcoming Sadc meeting

DESPERATION can drive one to extremes and often than not, it results in an undesirable outcome, chief among them embarrassment.

The opposition elements in this country have become irrelevant and have thus turned to some desperate and questionable actions to try and gain some form of attention with the hopes of perhaps salvaging their sinking political careers and their dwindling appeal among the masses.

Since the dawn of the Second Republic, Zimbabwe has become Zanu-PF territory once more, with the colossal people's party being able to attract people from all walks of life, including some former high-ranking opposition officials who have seen the light and recognised that they were going nowhere slowly.

Zanu-PF now even has quite a heavy presence in constituencies that were previously dominated by the opposition. It is such successes that have resulted in the opposition elements coming up with all sorts of theatrics in an attempt to save their buried political careers.

Their next planned move is to target the upcoming Sadc meeting in August. It has become abundantly clear that there are those working tirelessly behind the scenes to try and spoil the Sadc meeting pencilled for this August, wherein His Excellency President Dr E D Mnangagwa is set to assume the Sadc Chairmanship. So many in the opposition circles have pinned their naïve hopes on disrupting this crucial meeting, but their chances of success are next to nothing.

The disintegration of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and the demise of its infamous leader has been a public spectacle witnessed by all. So, whatever drama that they are trying to conjure up on the eve of the Sadc meeting reeks of desperation.

It is evident that the opposition is heavily fragmented and there are no prospects of them achieving anything with whatever they have planned. All planned demonstrations will likely not see the light of day. What the Sadc Heads of States will witness upon their arrival in Harare is a tranquil environment, the booming new city in Mt Hampden and the hive of economic activity that has been ushered in by the Zanu-PF Government. The time for petty shows and distractions is gone. Zimbabwe has entered a new era and so much work has been put towards the development of this country that any side shows will not be of any effect.

Failure lies at the doors of those who are unpatriotic and are under some false illusion that last year's elections in which the colossal Zanu-PF Party emerged victorious will become a topic for discussion. The Sadc leaders are well aware of the opposition shenanigans and will not have a moment to waste focusing on irrelevant issues.

The election season is over, and my Party Zanu-PF emerged triumphant. The election issue will not form part of the agenda of the Sadc meeting. As far as everyone is concerned, that ship has sailed and that matter has been laid to rest.

It is almost one year now since my Party's victory and we as Zanu-PF managed to ensure that our Government achieves massive gains since being re-elected into office. We will continue doing so until the next election, where our works will serve as our manifesto and this again will be key to our victory in 2028.

We have not moved away from our belief that; great works speak for themselves and our people will always choose their beloved party because it delivers. We have no time for tomfoolery and messing around. We do take the business of politicking and governance with the utmost seriousness it deserves and this mindset has been key to ensuring that our people choose Zanu-PF at every election.

There can be no denying that the opposition circles are made-up of those who are unable to accept the truth and are so bent on flogging a dead horse back to life. Such a disposition is not only misplaced but is unwise as well. Conjuring up protests over some illusory crisis in Zimbabwe just shows how the opposition does not have a single iota of nationalism within their DNA.

It is abundantly clear that their mission is one to discredit Zimbabwe's Government and try by all means to disrupt our developmental trajectory. As they scheme and make efforts to spoil the party for the Zanu-PF-led Government, they are at the same time exposing themselves as the architects of Zimbabwe's economic hurdles in recent years.

The attempts by the fragmented opposition elements or whatever is left of them are quite pitiful. The tragedy we have suffered over the past two decades has been the lack of a patriotic opposition.

The opposition is well-known for relying on dirty tricks that they often deploy to soil the country's image whenever the world's eyes are focused on Zimbabwe. This is a method they have deployed countless times before and it seems it may not be any different come this August. Such unpatriotic behaviour is pitiful and exposes the opposition elements for their lack of patriotism and ideology.

Let the evident failures by the opposition over the past decades serve as a reminder that there can be no benefit derived from unpatriotic behaviour. As we make preparations for the upcoming Sadc meeting, let us all enjoy and marvel at the great works that have been achieved by the Zanu-PF-led Government under President Mnangagwa.

Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.