Morgan Tsvangirai should learn from Jose Mourinho

The MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai should learn from Jose Mourinho the coach of Chelsea United, who after Newcastle United had ended his Chelsea side's nine game unbeaten run, at St. James Park, did not hold back admitting that his team had performed badly.

The Chelsea manager said, "I feel I made 11 mistakes. ........ but the overall feeling is I made 11 bad choices." In short Jose Mourinho admitted that his team sheet contained "11 mistakes."

He further went on to say, "I am angry and frustrated with the team but I'm part of the team and I will look at myself as well." Admittedly Mourinho has never won a Premier League game at St. James Park.

Jose Mourinho did not blame the referees nor the turf. He did not blame the tactics employed by the other team. Rather he focussed on the performance of his team on a day he thought he would win. He also took responsibility of the choices which he had made on his team sheet. This makes up the qualities of a good leader.

The response by Jose Mourinho to the defeat of his Chelsea side by Newcastle United presents an interesting and contrasting analogy to the defeat of Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC-T by President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the revolutionary party Zanu-PF respectively.

Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC-T have refused to accept defeat at the hands of Zanu-PF and take responsibility for the performance of their team sheet. Instead of admitting and taking responsibility of the defeat MDC-T has been blaming everyone except themselves. This is the height of madness and poor leadership being shown by Morgan and his coterie of henchmen.

The Zimbabwe Election Committee, the police and the media has come under scathing attack from the MDC-T as the reason for their imminent demise. Like a football coach who sees his team loosing at the hands of a well prepared team, Morgan Tsvangirai started blaming Zanu-PF, ZEC, the security and even the election monitors before the results were announced. What a shame of a leader?

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T, if ever they need respect from Zimbabweans and the international community, they should accept the fact that they slept on the wheel. Once they found themselves in the inclusive government, they concentrated on strengthening their hold on power without thinking of the general public.

Notwithstanding, it was common knowledge, which became more apparent during their tenure in the inclusive government, that MDC-T was group of power hungry and corrupt people who were masquerading as a movement.  They lack clarity on the vision of their party as evidenced by their election manifesto which had to be put together by some hired expects whose interest in Zimbabwe is questionable.

The number of non-governmental organisations which supported MDC-T did so for the purpose of enriching themselves. Such was/is the mercenary attitude that permeated the majority of Zimbabweans who supported MDC-T, at the expense of the peace and unity built over the years by Zanu-PF. MDC-T and Morgan Tsvangirai did not realise that Zimbabweans cannot be beaten or cheated twice. They allowed Tsvangirai and MDC-T to run the last mile to real transformation in reverse gear. Unfortunately, they cannot swallow the truth of the defeat at the hands of the people's party Zanu-PF.

Tsvangirai should emulate Mourinho and humbly, though late, accept defeat and take full responsibility for what has befallen him and his party. He needs to look at himself and his team sheet. His relevance in the Zimbabwean politics is dependent on him and his party being true to themselves. They need to understand that elections are not only free, fair and credible when they win and when they have been endorsed by their western friends. They need to understand that their service is for Zimbabweans and should thus seek to deliver in the eyes of the Zimbabwean people. Jose Mourinho understands this better than Morgan Tsvangirai.

Morgan's insatiable propensity to please his western masters saw him calling the diamonds in Zimbabwe a curse. Whichever context he called them a curse, such a comment is a case of sour grapes. A man seeking to lead Zimbabwe calls resources in the country a curse, defies any logic.

His spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora, has gone on overdrive too, in creating unwarranted alarm among Zimbabweans by saying Zimbabwe's economy was sliding back to pre-2009 era. Mwonzora and company now feel their absence and irrelevance in determining the course which the country should take. What Mwonzora and MDC-T should concentrate on is guarding themselves so that they do not get off-course as they themselves slide back to where they belong, the dustbin of oblivion.

Zanu-PF is the hope to the future of Zimbabwe based on its tried and tested policies and programmes which have won the hearts of many people world over. Structures and policies to counter problems that have been besetting the country are being put in place. The Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation blue print is set to be launched soon, to drive the promises made by Zanu-PF in the election manifesto.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of MDC-T should take a leaf from the one of the best football coaches the world has ever had, Jose Mourinho, and do the honourable. Globe-trotting regurgitating rhetorical comments will not solve his woes.

Tsvangirai should say, "I feel I made too many monumental mistakes ........... but the overall feeling is I made too many mistakes. I am angry, dejected and frustrated by the party but I am part of the party and I will into myself as well." I hope Tsvangirai will learn from this great coach.