Opinion / Columnist
Regime change is coming, hope it is peaceful but are helpless to ensure it is
13 Nov 2015 at 21:50hrs | Views
Until a year ago, Zimbabwe was a one-party state dominated by one man - Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Last year Mugabe surprised everyone but much more so Mai Mujuru and over 150 senior party members behind her bid to be elected VP. Mugabe shifted gears from the de facto one-party state, which everyone until then assume was the overdrive, into the super overdrive of one-man dictatorship!
Yes Mai Mujuru is corrupt, incompetent and lazy but then in Zanu PF who is not corrupt and incompetent. Someone should have reminded all those, led by none other than the First Lady, Grace Mugabe herself, baying to "baby dumping" Joice Mujuru last year of Jesus' words:
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone!"
As regards the upcoming party elections, at least, Joice Mujuru had not been lazy; on the contrary, it was probably the first honest day's work she has ever done in the last 34 years of leisure and doing fcuk-all. She had industriously garnered the vote of 8 out of 10 provinces to secure her electoral victory for the second secretary position in the party and with it first VP post in government. It was her pending electoral victory that aroused Mugabe's anger and spelt her demise!
If Zimbabwe had been a one-party state – in other words Zanu PF could rig national elections to stop regime change – then Joice Mujuru's election victory in the party's elective congress in December 2014 would have been fine. In the past Mugabe had always managed to manipulate the process so that he, not congress, appointed whoever he pleased. If he had allowed the elections to go ahead it would have been the first time congress, not him, elected anyone.
Forget all outward appearance, Zimbabwe is a one-man dictatorship and as such he, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, alone decides who is to be VP. Hence the reason Mugabe stepped in and unconstitutional changed the party's constitution to take away congress' power to elect anyone in the party.
Mugabe went on to appoint the two VPs and abolished the position of party chairman. Mugabe already had power to appoint all the members in the party's politburo, appoints cabinet members, appoints all the Judges, appoints all senior civil servants, appoints all the top brass in the Police, Army and CIO (he is Commander in Chief), appoints all the University Vice Chancellor (he is the Chancellor of all Universities), etc.
Oh yes Zimbabwe is a one-man dictatorship, his name Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Zeus had 11 other Gods on Mount Olympus; Mugabe rules alone!
"Clearly we are at the end of the Mugabe era," lamented one mortal, MDC-T MP Eddie Cross, "– this is obvious to all and we need a succession plan – one which will identify a successor who has the support and the capacity to run our affairs.
"The plan must keep the country peaceful and stable while the plan is implemented and must be acceptable to all Zimbabweans. MDC would like that plan to be democratic in character but that is clearly not in the minds of either the Zanu PF or the Military Junta in the form of the JOC who actually control the country."
MP Cross is right; Mugabe's era is drawing to any end. The tyrant is not as sure footed as he has been known to stumble and fall. His days of giving long winded speeches "full of sound and fury signifying nothing" are gone; his speeches now are still long winded but brief and the sound and fury are all gone. He is so confused, he is known to reading the wrong speech.
Yes the country is paining for democratic change because the nation is in serious economic trouble millions are out of work and millions are so poor they cannot afford even one decent meal a day. Where there is poverty and hunger, disease and death are never far behind. The people are desperate for a peaceful way out of this hell-on-earth.
People cannot place their hopes on Mugabe leading them out of this hell, putting aside his promises that he can although he is the one who landed us in the mess in the first place, because he is old and sickly. In the past Mugabe was corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical but at least he was awake.
Mugabe has ruled the nation and his own party, Zanu PF, with an iron fist with him alone making ALL the decision. In 35 years since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 there has never been one cabinet meeting unless Mugabe was there to chair it!
Still with Mugabe fast asleep in the chairman's seat could his cabinet take over the running of government? As long as he is still president he is paranoid about letting anyone else exercise any meaningful power. He is even more paranoid about giving up the presidency.
Some people are now resigned to having Mugabe as life-president the question then is will the post-Mugabe Zanu PF lead the nation out of the hell? The honest answer to that has to be a resounding no.
Zanu PF is imploding and it was none other than Mugabe himself who lit the fuse causing the first big explosion that split the party down the middle with is unlawful purge of Joice Mujuru. Mugabe has since fired 150 senior party leaders considered loyal to Mujuru many of them were or would have been members of the party's 300 Central Committee. These are still many Mujuru supporters still in the party.
The Mnangagwa faction, the mob, backing Grace Mugabe's "baby dumping" campaign has since split into two factions, one backing Grace to take over from Mugabe and the other backing Mnangagwa. The fighting between these two factions has been as bitter and ruthless as that against Mujuru.
So whatever Zanu PF faction that emerges out of the ruins of the implosion, it will be a very weak. If it somehow still manages to retain a firm hand on the levers of power its gut instinct will be reinstitute the same autocracy that has kept Mugabe in power. It the faction has a foothold in government, for example have some seats in parliament but not enough to form the next government, it will play the spoiler hoping it will bounce back.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cabal have rigged elections because they could not stomach being kicked out of power, they could not abide regime change. They wanted to rule "Zanu PF will until the donkeys have horns" boosted Simon Khaya-Moyo early last year.
The only thing certain in this world is change; change is nature.
By rigging elections Mugabe was resisting orderly evolutionary change and choosing violent revolutionary change. The implosion in Zanu PF is part of the violent change in the party because he had never allowed free and fair elections. Party members are at each other's throat they now sleep with a dagga under the pillow and yet not even one donkey has horn-buds one would find on a calf!
By refusing to implement the GPA reforms so the country can finally hold free, fair and democratic, the pre-requisite the nation needs to start the climb out of this hell-on-earth, Mugabe and his cabal are closing the door for orderly change. The infighting tiring Zanu PF apart could soon tire the nation apart!
I curse Eddie Cross, Morgan Tsvangirai and the rest of MDC leaders for getting us into this mess; they had the opportunity to implement the GPA reforms during the GNU which would have end Mugabe's reign of terror with free, fair and credible elections in July 2013. They sold-out and Mugabe was able to rig the elections and resume his reign of terror. There is going to be regime change, Mugabe and his cabal will decide whether it is going to be peaceful and orderly; we hope it is but a totally helpless to ensure it is!
Yes Mai Mujuru is corrupt, incompetent and lazy but then in Zanu PF who is not corrupt and incompetent. Someone should have reminded all those, led by none other than the First Lady, Grace Mugabe herself, baying to "baby dumping" Joice Mujuru last year of Jesus' words:
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone!"
As regards the upcoming party elections, at least, Joice Mujuru had not been lazy; on the contrary, it was probably the first honest day's work she has ever done in the last 34 years of leisure and doing fcuk-all. She had industriously garnered the vote of 8 out of 10 provinces to secure her electoral victory for the second secretary position in the party and with it first VP post in government. It was her pending electoral victory that aroused Mugabe's anger and spelt her demise!
If Zimbabwe had been a one-party state – in other words Zanu PF could rig national elections to stop regime change – then Joice Mujuru's election victory in the party's elective congress in December 2014 would have been fine. In the past Mugabe had always managed to manipulate the process so that he, not congress, appointed whoever he pleased. If he had allowed the elections to go ahead it would have been the first time congress, not him, elected anyone.
Forget all outward appearance, Zimbabwe is a one-man dictatorship and as such he, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, alone decides who is to be VP. Hence the reason Mugabe stepped in and unconstitutional changed the party's constitution to take away congress' power to elect anyone in the party.
Mugabe went on to appoint the two VPs and abolished the position of party chairman. Mugabe already had power to appoint all the members in the party's politburo, appoints cabinet members, appoints all the Judges, appoints all senior civil servants, appoints all the top brass in the Police, Army and CIO (he is Commander in Chief), appoints all the University Vice Chancellor (he is the Chancellor of all Universities), etc.
Oh yes Zimbabwe is a one-man dictatorship, his name Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Zeus had 11 other Gods on Mount Olympus; Mugabe rules alone!
"Clearly we are at the end of the Mugabe era," lamented one mortal, MDC-T MP Eddie Cross, "– this is obvious to all and we need a succession plan – one which will identify a successor who has the support and the capacity to run our affairs.
"The plan must keep the country peaceful and stable while the plan is implemented and must be acceptable to all Zimbabweans. MDC would like that plan to be democratic in character but that is clearly not in the minds of either the Zanu PF or the Military Junta in the form of the JOC who actually control the country."
MP Cross is right; Mugabe's era is drawing to any end. The tyrant is not as sure footed as he has been known to stumble and fall. His days of giving long winded speeches "full of sound and fury signifying nothing" are gone; his speeches now are still long winded but brief and the sound and fury are all gone. He is so confused, he is known to reading the wrong speech.
Yes the country is paining for democratic change because the nation is in serious economic trouble millions are out of work and millions are so poor they cannot afford even one decent meal a day. Where there is poverty and hunger, disease and death are never far behind. The people are desperate for a peaceful way out of this hell-on-earth.
Mugabe has ruled the nation and his own party, Zanu PF, with an iron fist with him alone making ALL the decision. In 35 years since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 there has never been one cabinet meeting unless Mugabe was there to chair it!
Still with Mugabe fast asleep in the chairman's seat could his cabinet take over the running of government? As long as he is still president he is paranoid about letting anyone else exercise any meaningful power. He is even more paranoid about giving up the presidency.
Some people are now resigned to having Mugabe as life-president the question then is will the post-Mugabe Zanu PF lead the nation out of the hell? The honest answer to that has to be a resounding no.
Zanu PF is imploding and it was none other than Mugabe himself who lit the fuse causing the first big explosion that split the party down the middle with is unlawful purge of Joice Mujuru. Mugabe has since fired 150 senior party leaders considered loyal to Mujuru many of them were or would have been members of the party's 300 Central Committee. These are still many Mujuru supporters still in the party.
The Mnangagwa faction, the mob, backing Grace Mugabe's "baby dumping" campaign has since split into two factions, one backing Grace to take over from Mugabe and the other backing Mnangagwa. The fighting between these two factions has been as bitter and ruthless as that against Mujuru.
So whatever Zanu PF faction that emerges out of the ruins of the implosion, it will be a very weak. If it somehow still manages to retain a firm hand on the levers of power its gut instinct will be reinstitute the same autocracy that has kept Mugabe in power. It the faction has a foothold in government, for example have some seats in parliament but not enough to form the next government, it will play the spoiler hoping it will bounce back.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cabal have rigged elections because they could not stomach being kicked out of power, they could not abide regime change. They wanted to rule "Zanu PF will until the donkeys have horns" boosted Simon Khaya-Moyo early last year.
The only thing certain in this world is change; change is nature.
By rigging elections Mugabe was resisting orderly evolutionary change and choosing violent revolutionary change. The implosion in Zanu PF is part of the violent change in the party because he had never allowed free and fair elections. Party members are at each other's throat they now sleep with a dagga under the pillow and yet not even one donkey has horn-buds one would find on a calf!
By refusing to implement the GPA reforms so the country can finally hold free, fair and democratic, the pre-requisite the nation needs to start the climb out of this hell-on-earth, Mugabe and his cabal are closing the door for orderly change. The infighting tiring Zanu PF apart could soon tire the nation apart!
I curse Eddie Cross, Morgan Tsvangirai and the rest of MDC leaders for getting us into this mess; they had the opportunity to implement the GPA reforms during the GNU which would have end Mugabe's reign of terror with free, fair and credible elections in July 2013. They sold-out and Mugabe was able to rig the elections and resume his reign of terror. There is going to be regime change, Mugabe and his cabal will decide whether it is going to be peaceful and orderly; we hope it is but a totally helpless to ensure it is!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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