Obert Gutu's hypocrisy is second to none!

MDC-T national spokesperson, Obert Gutu whose love for high sounding words is second to none, is indeed proving a master in the perfection of the art of hypocrisy and blame game as he seeks the seemingly illusive political relevance that his party desperately craves for to survive.

Gutu has grown into a gigantic dictionary clutching infantile politician bereft of the democratic tendencies he pretends to be an embodiment of, and one who is quick to rant and whine against those opposed to his political worldview. Recent political events in the opposition circles point to this. On 14 January 2015, as a follow up to his god father, Morgan Tsvangirai's big tent rhetoric, Gutu boisterously  posted on his Facebook page that "Let us put our hands together and celebrate the disintegration of Zanu-PF.!"

Hardly, two weeks - on 2 March 2015 to be precise - 'democratic forces' that Gutu and like-minded people thought would join the 'big tent' announced the official launch of the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC). On that day, Tendai Biti's MDC-Renewal joined hands with Welshman Ncube's MDC. While, those who witnessed the event live at Stanley Square in Bulawayo were agreed that, this development marked the growth of the democratic space in Zimbabwe as envisioned by those who took up arms to fight for the one man one vote principle during the liberation struggle, the democrat in Gutu saw things differently.

Instead, Gutu responded to UMDC's launch by a scathing attack, describing its proponents as "expired and tired political Lilliputians who are morbidly jealous of the immense popularity of Tsvangirai and the MDC that he leads." If hypocrisy leads a learned man like Gutu to see "immense popularity" in a man who was beaten hands down in the July 31, 2013 general election, it is left to the imagination to visualise what their leader without former school mates could be seeing in his dreams. What comes out of such a combination is anyone's guess. How could 17 former honourable members of parliament some of whom have been in the august house since 2000 be said to be unpopular than Tsvangirai who has never won any election. Remember how he lost the Buhera parliamentary seat in 2000.

Whereas Gutu wants to pitch himself and his MDC-T as the embodiment of what the Zimbabwean people want or an alternative to Zanu-PF, a closer look at the man Gutu does not draw that inspiration. His confessions on who he wants to be known or remembered as in his previous life as Minister does not give confidence at all. In his own words Gutu's profile on the Gutu and Chikowero Attorneys-At-Law official website says, "On June 24, 2010, he was sworn in as the new Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs in Zimbabwe. His core responsibility was to assist the Minister in formulating and implementing policies for the justice delivery system of Zimbabwe. As the Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, he attended numerous workshops, seminars and conferences locally regionally and internationally." The reader might want to be reminded that these so called 'local', 'regional' and 'international' trips that Gutu attended, did not come cheap, minus the possibilities of double dipping.

For a man so full of himself one would have wanted to hear what he did during his tenure to improve the justice service delivery system. If anything, the conditions deteriorated during his tenure at the same Ministry. He has no excuse. His colleague, Nelson Chamisa working under the same conditions excelled at the ICT Ministry earning himself the title "super" Minister from His Excellency President Mugabe. But those at the Justice Ministry would want to remember him as a gallivanting Minister.

Indeed Gutu's hypocrisy is second to none!

In the wake of the much publicised Chikurubi Maximum food riots, Gutu raises the following pertinent issues on his Facebook page;

•    Questions why ZPS despite owning a number of commercial farms he goes on to name its failing to adequately provide food for 19,000 inmates? Where are we getting it wrong? Is it not time that the entire ZPCS top administration be dismantled and a new, focused administration team put in place?

And solicits
•    Suggestions concerning the proposed reforms to the correctional services system in Zimbabwe?

Surely, are these questions expected of a man whose CV boasts of having served diligently at the Ministry of Justice in both "formulating and implementing policies" until just a year ago. Why ask for suggestions on the proposed correctional services reforms without sharing with the Zimbabweans at large similar reforms he introduced during his tenure.

Whereas Gutu is engulfed in the so called Zanu-PF disintegration politics and his infinity disdain for "the expired and tired political Lilliputians" in the UMDC, the man can't even name the fauna and flora outside Harvest House. He is not aware that it is the MDC-T that is fast disintegrating not Zanu-PF.

In Bulawayo - its declared zone of autonomy - that party's internal fights have turned nasty to the extent of hiring services of sorcerers. An MDC-T provincial executive member Tsepiso Mpofu told a Bulawayo daily paper that her nemesis had "left strange things wrapped with a party head scarf and message that they would bewitch me if I do not step down. I do not feel safe anymore where I stay after they stoned my lodgings."

Could it be that  Gutu is trying hard to impress the multitudes in the MDC-T in a hope to exorcise the early 2000s ghost that saw his law firm lose most if not all alleged Zanu-PF electoral fraud cases. The MDC-T case fell like a deck of cards and fingers were pointed to the law firm they had engaged. Gutu can expect to hear more from me, for there is a lot to say about the man. This is not an empty threat.

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Dalubuhle Khumalo's e-mail address is dalkhumalo@gmail.com