Didymus Mutasa and co now opposition, de facto

Reports over the weekend that former Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa has called for the mediation of South African President Jacob Zuma relating to the way he and others, including former Vice President Joice Mujuru, lost their positions can only mean one thing.

Mutasa, who has been fancying himself a king-maker of the faction seeking to unconstitutionally unseat President Mugabe, and his cohorts, are now officially part of the opposition.

That is, whether or not they choose to join the rank and file of the MDC, which they have been working with since 2006, at least, or create their own party.

The bottom line is that by seeking the services of foreigners to subvert or undermine or overturn the internal process which was duly held by Zanu-PF in the run up to, and during the just-ended 6th National People's Congress, Mutasa, who is quoted as speaking on behalf of an unspecified group, should now be treated as a rebel and enemy of Zanu-PF.

There are compelling grounds for treating Mutasa and those for whom he speaks as rebels and enemy.

First, Mutasa is showing himself to be an ill-disciplined member of the body of Zanu-PF.

Having failed to attend the congress, on the ostensibly compassionate grounds that he and his wife were ill, Mutasa chose to register his displeasure with the process from a far removed hilltop, in India, showing himself to be a spineless, cowardly treacherous fellow.

That is not how comrades behave.

The very act itself has the hallmarks of the opposition MDC which has been engaging in the very, self-same tactics and dragging Zimbabwe into all sorts of regional parleys with the express intent of not only humiliating the revolutionary Zanu-PF party but also weaken it diplomatically and organically.

With this development, Zanu-PF should brace itself for a hybrid enemy of the opposition MDC and disaffected elements from Zanu-PF.

And could there be any connection between Mutasa's flight to India and a similar flight to South Africa by Ray Kaukonde, who was also fingered to be another cog in the internal rebellion in Zanu-PF?

It would be interesting, as should indeed be probed, to find out what the diminutive Kaukonde has been up to in South Africa.

There could be dots to be connected in this, surely?

Secondly, and connected to the above, Zanu-PF must now focus a considerable quantum of energy to the diplomatic front to not only make itself clear on its internal processes as just completed but also assess the mood of its friends and foes.

In the past week or so, there have been reports that diplomatic missions have expressed mixed feelings over developments in Zanu-PF and the country.

It is said some countries, including regional allies, expressed disquiet over the sacking of the rebellious Dr Mujuru. The motivations for this disquiet can be varied, including personal considerations and tastes, but it will be very curious if such sentiments were allowed to impinge on the sovereignty of the people of Zimbabwe. Can the Government and ruling Zanu-PF party be expected to allow foreigners to hatch another hostile political outfit from within Zimbabwe's borders?

The MDC was formed from the labour movement that gained currency at the turn of the century.

Is it a coincidence that the disaffected members of ZANU-PF have been working with the opposition from at least 2006, through 2008 and the inclusive Government era?

Now, with the fallout within Zanu-PF common ground and grief has been observed in the opposition.

Critically, there have been revelations of foreign spies working with, and co-ordinating politicians from Zanu-PF and the opposition.

Is Zimbabwe on the cusp of a new, hybrid opposition?

These are things that need to be watched and monitored closely.

By the way, there was also that constitutional challenge by the vexatious Lovemore Madhuku; in essence seeking to nullify the process that the ruling Zanu-PF came up with to bear on Government.

Is it so improbable now to imagine that Mutasa is seeking diplomatically and politically what Madhuku failed legally at home?

It may have been a little too hard to swallow to lump Mutasa, who claims to have belonged to Zanu-PF for (a questionable, improbable) 57 years, and Madhuku a reactionary quisling academic-turned-politician, together, but that's how far Mutasa has sunk.

The third compelling reason why Mutasa and his ilk must be treated as the opposition is that their hunger for power has not been tempered by the events of the past few months.

Rather than accept censure and trammel, the rebels have neither shown contrition nor restraint.

That is why the Dr Mujuru cabal did not apologise and make peace with the revolution and its leader, which demonstrates that they not only seek to continue with their rebellious designs but are emboldened by something substantial. What could this be?

Is it safety in their numbers?

Is it money?

Is it foreign backing?

All these aspects must now be interrogated with the view to cutting the treacherous supports and pillars that are holding this rebellion.

It will be interesting to observe how these rebels interact and with whom, where they get their money and who else they are meeting nocturnally, as Dr Mujuru did with the Americans during a blackout at her farm while President Mugabe was away.

A quick note to make on the above is, that these rebels singly or as a collective, and to varying degrees make criminals who by now should be locked safely away, not least for their role in the treacherous and treasonous act of planning to kill President Mugabe. Most of them are corrupt, which corruption has given them ill-gotten monies to, in part and most regrettably, seek a nefarious and unconstitutional change of Government which they look set to see through, apparently, despite exposure and various party sanctions.

It will be instructive and prudent to rein in on these dangerous elements.

The fourth and last point on why Mutasa and co should be treated as rebels - dangerous rebels - relates to the now all too fishy attempts on the lives of the recently chosen leaders who have been involved in uncanny accidents.

While it may be difficult to forensically trace the fingerprints of the rebels in the biological attack on Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa (he also had a car accident a couple months ago) or the accident involving VP Phelekezela Mphoko, the twin incidents bear the hallmarks of an orchestrated mission which may yet profit the rebels - all carried by dangerous and trained hitmen loyal to the same.

If all these happenings have been mere coincidences, which proposition is improbable, the rebels stand to reap from them all the same!

All this leaves Zanu-PF and President Mugabe to be not only vigilant but also bring the rebellion and its residual elements to the safe end.