Opinion / Columnist
David Coltart vs Thabitha Khumalo: The key issues
17 Jul 2013 at 06:49hrs | Views
Last week I wrote my article entitled "Crunch time: David Coltart versus Thabitha Khumalo in Bulawayo East". It generated a lot of interest especially on Senator Coltart's Facebook page. Today I decide to look at the key issues likely to play a decisive role in this seat.
Let me start by reminding readers that I am not a politician and I have never studied political science. I grew up in the village of Ngamo in Tsholotsho and lived in Bulawayo between 1993 and 1994 where I did my then ZJC at Inyanda Secondary School. I then went to Sawmills Secondary in Mguza to do my "O" Levels between 1995 and 1996, and then returned to Bulawayo in 1997 to do my "A" Levels at Luveve High School. I left Bulawayo in 1999 to go to the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). I permanently lived in Harare even after UZ until 2007 when I left for the UK and ultimately the USA in 2011 where I am now permanently resident. My analysis of Bulawayo is a bit sketchy because I honestly know Harare more than Bulawayo. But I still love Bulawayo and more importantly Tsholotsho where I look forward to my folks reelecting Professor Jonathan Moyo for his role in developing sleepy dusty Tsholotsho into a somewhat habitable place today. In the US people say "stay in your lane" if they think you are not knowledgeable about something and I can hear people telling me to "stay in my lane" and leave Bulawayo to Bulawayonians!!
Now let's look at the factors that I think will play a key role in Bulawayo East:
1. The political parties: As certain as the fact that the sun will rise from the east tomorrow, Bulawayo will not vote for ZANU PF at all. This leaves the two MDCs battling it out. At first, it appeared as if Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his team had an upper hand and his candidates were assured of a victory, but Professor Welshman Ncube has rejuvenated his party and suddenly the field has been leveled. However, Tsvangirai still has a formidable army of grassroot supporters and these may tilt the scale towards MaKhu's favour. Coltart therefore needs to embark on a massive door to door campaign and make sure the turnout of his supporters is overwhelming to neutralise the MaKhu/Tsvangirai grassroot team.
2. Issues and accomplishments: This, I wish, would be the main turf where these two candidates will battle it out. Coltart appears to have an upper hand because of his work as education minister. Let me add that Coltart was the main force behind Bulawayo winning the bid to host the Africa Under 20 Zone VI Youths games scheduled for 2014. To use a quote from the Newsday newspaper, "I am pleased to announce that Cabinet on 21st May 2013 unanimously agreed to accept my proposal that the 2014 Zone VI Under-20 games be held in Bulawayo", Coltart said. The key phrase is "…accept my proposal…" and Coltart can trumpet his role in securing the vote to have Bulawayo as the host. Just like the tourism extravaganza set for Victoria Falls next month, the games will result in the improvement of stadiums, the refurbishment of Mpilo Hospital, colleges and schools in Bulawayo. Roads leading to Luveve and White City Stadiums (both in high density suburbs) are likely to be improved. The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport may finally be completed as a lot of teams will likely prefer to fly to Bulawayo than to go via Harare especially in the wake of the Togo tragedy in Angola in 2010 where team buses were shot. This, in my view, is a massive achievement for Coltart and can secure him votes. MaKhu can also trumpet her fight for the rights of women and some gender activists may see the need to send a woman who is a fighter to the parliament. Yes MaKhu has fought for the rights of women as an MP and her voice is necessary.
3. Race: Yes that word we shudder to mention. Coltart is white and as white as they can ever be. He is rumoured to have been part of the Selous Scout, the notorious Rhodesians who committed untold sufferings among some blacks. (By the way, there were black Selous Scouts too). Bulawayo East is located in the former whites only suburbs, "emayadini". Although the white population has plummeted, Coltart will definitely get a huge slice of those who are supporting "one of their own". However, Tsvangirai is popular among whites too therefore some may vote for MaKhu in support of Tsvangirai. The likely scenario though is that a lot of whites will vote for Coltart and Tsvangirai meaning MaKhu and Ncube may lose the white vote.
4. Tribes and tribalism: Bulawayo is one city where both Ndebeles and Shonas are almost balanced meaning there are likely 45% Shonas and 49% Ndebeles leaving 6% for "Others". The interesting part is that a section of extremely tribalistic Shonas, the "hatitongwe nemaNdewere" type will likely vote for Coltart and Tsvangirai leaving MaKhu and Ncube in the cold! You never become more Ndebele than being a Khumalo and MaKhu will likely lose this vote. Extremely tribalistic Ndebeles on the other hand, the "UTshwangilayi liTshona" type are likely to vote for Ncube and Coltart leaving MaKhu again in the cold. MaKhu will suffer from being perceived as an instrument of Shonas by this group! The advantage with Coltart at this point is that he is neither Shona nor Ndebele thus tribal voters will not target him at all. Furthermore, Coltart is also likely to benefit from being a so-called minority in another so-called minority part of the country. A section of Ndebeles see themselves as victims of the Shona domination and
white Zimbabweans are also perceived from that perspective at the moment so it makes sense for the "oppressed" to bond together and vote for Coltart/Ncube ticket and leave the MaKhu/Tsvangirai to the Shonas. (This of course is a basic analysis of tribal issues, but remember in 1980 the Nkomo and Mugabe rivalry?)
5. The image: Bulawayo East, as already mentioned, is predominantly richer than most parts of the city. Anyone aspiring to represent this gang in parliament must at least "speak their language". Coltart's websites mentions that he enjoys cricket, golf, rugby, squash and other "classy" sports. He has been trying to appear ordinary too by posting statements in support of Highlanders. In case you are wondering why sports are a big issue, Tsvangirai has been seen playing golf too so as to appear "not too ordinary". I am not sure about MaKhu but from her images, she appears like an "everyday woman". This may win her the votes of the "everyday people", while Coltart may reap the "upmarket" vote.
I look forward to a healthy and emotionally honest debate on this article especially among the candidates themselves. I wish we had people who conducted exit interviews after voting to show us how Zimbabweans vote in terms of ethnicity, income status, race and such issues. Good luck to these two amazing candidates Coltart and MaKhu, let Bulawayo East decide!
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Phithizela Ngcobo, a product of rural Tsholotsho, is a high school teacher in Washington DC. He holds a BA from the University of Zimbabwe, an MA in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University (UK) and another MA in Education and Human Development from the George Washington University (USA).
Let me start by reminding readers that I am not a politician and I have never studied political science. I grew up in the village of Ngamo in Tsholotsho and lived in Bulawayo between 1993 and 1994 where I did my then ZJC at Inyanda Secondary School. I then went to Sawmills Secondary in Mguza to do my "O" Levels between 1995 and 1996, and then returned to Bulawayo in 1997 to do my "A" Levels at Luveve High School. I left Bulawayo in 1999 to go to the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). I permanently lived in Harare even after UZ until 2007 when I left for the UK and ultimately the USA in 2011 where I am now permanently resident. My analysis of Bulawayo is a bit sketchy because I honestly know Harare more than Bulawayo. But I still love Bulawayo and more importantly Tsholotsho where I look forward to my folks reelecting Professor Jonathan Moyo for his role in developing sleepy dusty Tsholotsho into a somewhat habitable place today. In the US people say "stay in your lane" if they think you are not knowledgeable about something and I can hear people telling me to "stay in my lane" and leave Bulawayo to Bulawayonians!!
Now let's look at the factors that I think will play a key role in Bulawayo East:
1. The political parties: As certain as the fact that the sun will rise from the east tomorrow, Bulawayo will not vote for ZANU PF at all. This leaves the two MDCs battling it out. At first, it appeared as if Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his team had an upper hand and his candidates were assured of a victory, but Professor Welshman Ncube has rejuvenated his party and suddenly the field has been leveled. However, Tsvangirai still has a formidable army of grassroot supporters and these may tilt the scale towards MaKhu's favour. Coltart therefore needs to embark on a massive door to door campaign and make sure the turnout of his supporters is overwhelming to neutralise the MaKhu/Tsvangirai grassroot team.
2. Issues and accomplishments: This, I wish, would be the main turf where these two candidates will battle it out. Coltart appears to have an upper hand because of his work as education minister. Let me add that Coltart was the main force behind Bulawayo winning the bid to host the Africa Under 20 Zone VI Youths games scheduled for 2014. To use a quote from the Newsday newspaper, "I am pleased to announce that Cabinet on 21st May 2013 unanimously agreed to accept my proposal that the 2014 Zone VI Under-20 games be held in Bulawayo", Coltart said. The key phrase is "…accept my proposal…" and Coltart can trumpet his role in securing the vote to have Bulawayo as the host. Just like the tourism extravaganza set for Victoria Falls next month, the games will result in the improvement of stadiums, the refurbishment of Mpilo Hospital, colleges and schools in Bulawayo. Roads leading to Luveve and White City Stadiums (both in high density suburbs) are likely to be improved. The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport may finally be completed as a lot of teams will likely prefer to fly to Bulawayo than to go via Harare especially in the wake of the Togo tragedy in Angola in 2010 where team buses were shot. This, in my view, is a massive achievement for Coltart and can secure him votes. MaKhu can also trumpet her fight for the rights of women and some gender activists may see the need to send a woman who is a fighter to the parliament. Yes MaKhu has fought for the rights of women as an MP and her voice is necessary.
4. Tribes and tribalism: Bulawayo is one city where both Ndebeles and Shonas are almost balanced meaning there are likely 45% Shonas and 49% Ndebeles leaving 6% for "Others". The interesting part is that a section of extremely tribalistic Shonas, the "hatitongwe nemaNdewere" type will likely vote for Coltart and Tsvangirai leaving MaKhu and Ncube in the cold! You never become more Ndebele than being a Khumalo and MaKhu will likely lose this vote. Extremely tribalistic Ndebeles on the other hand, the "UTshwangilayi liTshona" type are likely to vote for Ncube and Coltart leaving MaKhu again in the cold. MaKhu will suffer from being perceived as an instrument of Shonas by this group! The advantage with Coltart at this point is that he is neither Shona nor Ndebele thus tribal voters will not target him at all. Furthermore, Coltart is also likely to benefit from being a so-called minority in another so-called minority part of the country. A section of Ndebeles see themselves as victims of the Shona domination and
white Zimbabweans are also perceived from that perspective at the moment so it makes sense for the "oppressed" to bond together and vote for Coltart/Ncube ticket and leave the MaKhu/Tsvangirai to the Shonas. (This of course is a basic analysis of tribal issues, but remember in 1980 the Nkomo and Mugabe rivalry?)
5. The image: Bulawayo East, as already mentioned, is predominantly richer than most parts of the city. Anyone aspiring to represent this gang in parliament must at least "speak their language". Coltart's websites mentions that he enjoys cricket, golf, rugby, squash and other "classy" sports. He has been trying to appear ordinary too by posting statements in support of Highlanders. In case you are wondering why sports are a big issue, Tsvangirai has been seen playing golf too so as to appear "not too ordinary". I am not sure about MaKhu but from her images, she appears like an "everyday woman". This may win her the votes of the "everyday people", while Coltart may reap the "upmarket" vote.
I look forward to a healthy and emotionally honest debate on this article especially among the candidates themselves. I wish we had people who conducted exit interviews after voting to show us how Zimbabweans vote in terms of ethnicity, income status, race and such issues. Good luck to these two amazing candidates Coltart and MaKhu, let Bulawayo East decide!
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Phithizela Ngcobo, a product of rural Tsholotsho, is a high school teacher in Washington DC. He holds a BA from the University of Zimbabwe, an MA in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University (UK) and another MA in Education and Human Development from the George Washington University (USA).
Source - Phithizela Ngcobo
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