Jonathan Moyo's Praise-Singing to Return: It's Cold Outside the ZANU PF Bubble

I strongly advise Jonathan Moyo never to make the mistake of thinking he can return to Zimbabwe. Makuruwane is still alive and kicking. Dr. Walter Mzembi's incarceration is a clear warning of what awaits Jonathan should he come back. Years ago, he admitted it was "cold outside the ZANU PF bubble," and indeed, Mugabe admired Jonathan's political prowess. He is a political animal—unparalleled among Zimbabwe's political stalwarts. But Mugabe and Makuruwane are not the same.

While Mugabe occasionally showed a human element and could be forgiving - if he saw strategic advantage - Makuruwane is different. He is openly unforgiving. That means Jonathan's life would not be spared. Dr. Mzembi is languishing in prison; Jonathan's fate would likely be worse. Strangely, he seems blind to the danger he's inviting upon himself and his family.

Jonathan's recent article on BYO24 was blatant praise-singing for Makuruwane, celebrating his trips to the Vatican and his presence at China's national celebrations. Knowing Jonathan well, his attempt to flatter was so exaggerated it reeked of desperation. He believes that by singing louder this time, he might be granted safe passage back home. It won't work. Hokoyo mfanekhaya! Ziza lala ngawe!
Despite Jonathan Moyo's eloquence and intelligence, his actions are painfully short-sighted and self-destructive - even to his own family. What's disturbing is his repeated mistakes. He once plotted a coup against Mugabe alongside Makuruwane, known as the Tsholotsho Declaration. Makuruwane bolted prematurely, leaving Jonathan exposed and vulnerable.

One would expect him to have learned from that betrayal. Instead, he formed the G40 faction, this time with Grace Mugabe, aiming to seize power through her before Mugabe's death. The 2017 coup revealed that G40 had done no proper risk analysis - no SWOT assessment. What was the fallback if Plan A failed?

Jonathan and George Charamba are known adversaries. Reading Jonathan's praise for Charamba left me cold. His writing rambled, and the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to an all-time low. Makuruwane has achieved nothing in seven years as President. He is busy looting alongside Chinese nationals, who are also destroying the environment. Resources are being plundered at the expense of poor Zimbabweans.

We had hoped Jonathan would use his position in exile to highlight the plight of the voiceless and powerless. Instead, he praises Makuruwane's maladministration and his international engagements, which bring nothing to the tables of ordinary citizens. Watching the China celebrations on TV, Makuruwane was embarrassingly sidelined—and returned home empty-handed.

Zimbabwe is behind on debt repayments. The government seems to hope China will cancel the debt. African governments often prefer to admit poverty rather than repay what they owe. But China will demand every last cent - or Zimbabwe will be forced to surrender strategic infrastructure as repayment. It happened in Zambia. It will happen in Zimbabwe too.

I am deeply incensed by Jonathan's article. He knows how desperate Zimbabweans are for change. He has served in government before. To call Makuruwane's leadership "progressive" is an insult to the nation. Jonathan is thinking only of his stomach - not the common man. The pressure to return home must be mounting. Exile is not for the faint-hearted. Perhaps his resources are dwindling. But his intelligence, though formidable, is not enviable - it carries the hallmarks of someone deeply short-sighted and self-harming.

I may be reading Jonathan incorrectly. Like many of us who were in exile, he may be traumatized by personal experiences in Mgagau or Morogoro in Tanzania during the liberation struggle. He survived the brutal ZANU-ZAPU conflicts of the 1970s, which claimed many lives. The Morogoro conflict arose when frontline states forced ZANU and ZAPU fighters into a single training camp-igniting tribal tensions. The rest is history. I wasn't there, but Jonathan could tell you more.

Another side of Jonathan I struggle to understand is how he copes with the loss of his father, uBaba uMlevu. To mourn him within ZANU PF - rubbing shoulders with perpetrators of the Gukurahundi genocide, the very people who murdered his father - is surely a manifestation of trauma. We judge him quickly, but we cannot comprehend the weight of the shadows he carries.