Opinion / Columnist
Msipa warns Mujuru of Mugabe violence - she has ears but neither will nor vision
12 Apr 2016 at 06:47hrs | Views
Former Zanu PF strongman, Cephas Msipa's warns Zimbabwe's opposition parties of President Mugabe and Zanu PF's tendencies to use violence to stay in power.
"They (ZPF) have a mammoth task before them. I know Zanu PF are good at defending themselves and remaining in power. Since 1980, they (Zanu PF) have been using the same tactic," he warned.
"They will do everything possible to destroy their opponents. They use all sorts of dirty tactics, including violence and intimidation. They think to win an election they need to use force."
In giving his warning, Comrade Msipa singled out Comrade Mujuru and her ZimPF followers. Not that she needed the warning because her followers have already been subjected to Zanu PF intimidation and beating. No doubt the level of violence and the numbers of the victims will increase as time goes on and we getting nearer and nearer the elections. The greater the political threat Zanu PF feels the worse the violence its thugs will dish out.
Joice Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and all the other ZimPF member who are also ex-Zanu PF members do not need Comrade Msipa to remind them what a violent party Zanu PF can be since they were part and parcel of the Zanu PF machinery themselves. All three above have been named as key players in the beating or worse of opposition members in the Zanu PF days.
Both ZimPF and MDC have had many chances to end Zanu PF's culture of using violence and other dirty tricks to win elections and which has wasted them. MDC had their best chances during the GNU where all they needed to do was implemented the democratic reforms. They failed to get even one meaningful reform implemented in their five years in the GNU.
As for Mai Mujuru and her ZimPF lot they will now want to put some clear water between themselves and this violent Mugabe culture but they can never deny they benefited from the system and when push came to shove and their position on the gravy train was stake they too used violence.
The first question one has to answer, it is all very well knowing Zanu PF will be using violence to stay in power; the question is, what can the opposition do stop Zanu PF violence?
The opposition can demand the implementation of the democratic reforms, the same reforms MDC should have implemented during the GNU.
There were three main reasons why MDC did not implement even one reform throughout the five years of the GNU:
a) For all their political posturing and grandstanding Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are some of the most corrupt and incompetent politicians in modern history; they never appreciated the critical importance of the democratic reforms in the creation of a democratic and free society.
b) MDC leaders have always viewed the violence as an integral part of the cut and thrust of Zimbabwe politics; they love reading out how many of their own supporters have been beaten, raped and murdered, the more the better. They will always do their uttermost to secure their safety; Tsvangirai is well known for his Usain Bolt dash to Netherlands Embassy or high speed race to Botswana. However if they are ever caught in the mayhem they will wear that like the badge of honour. Tsvangirai has reminded all who care to listen of his brush with Zanu PF thugs just as Mugabe has never tired of reminding the nation of his heroic exploits in the fight for independence.
c) Tsvangirai and his MDC friends knew they are not the cleverest kids on the block and so whilst they want democratic change now to propel them into power they, once in power, they will have to revert to the present undemocratic system if they too are to enjoy absolute power for decades the same as Mugabe and Zanu PF. They have failed to implement any meaningful reforms because they have one foot on the democratic change accelerator and other on the breaks, they are scared stiff of a healthy and functional democracy!
Although everyone in MDC has, since the elections, acknowledged that Mugabe rigged the 2013 elections and vowed not to take part in any future elections "until reforms are implemented to stop vote rigging". It is now over two years ago and all they have done is come up with a list of wishy-washy electoral reforms they say must be implemented. None of the reforms will do anything to stop Zanu PF using violence and other vote rigging dirty tricks.
MDC leaders have since revised their position; they will take part in future elections as they are confident they will get Zanu PF to implement the democratic reforms before the next elections.
MDC will not get even one meaningful democratic reform implemented before the next elections for the same main reasons given above.
Mai Mujuru and her ZimPF friends too not do anything in response to Comrade Cephas Msipa's warning about Zanu PF resorting to violence for the same three main reasons given above.
If Mai Mujuru and her friends are elected back into office their top priority will be to restructure the State Institutions not to make them more democratic, they will not want the system changed in anyway, just their loyalty changed from Mugabe to Mujuru, from Zanu PF to ZimPF! ZimPF will use the same dirty vote rigging tricks and violence to stay in power!
It is within the political powers of Zimbabwe's opposition parties to end Mugabe's culture of political violence; they have never even tried because they neither have the political vision nor will to do so.
"They (ZPF) have a mammoth task before them. I know Zanu PF are good at defending themselves and remaining in power. Since 1980, they (Zanu PF) have been using the same tactic," he warned.
"They will do everything possible to destroy their opponents. They use all sorts of dirty tactics, including violence and intimidation. They think to win an election they need to use force."
In giving his warning, Comrade Msipa singled out Comrade Mujuru and her ZimPF followers. Not that she needed the warning because her followers have already been subjected to Zanu PF intimidation and beating. No doubt the level of violence and the numbers of the victims will increase as time goes on and we getting nearer and nearer the elections. The greater the political threat Zanu PF feels the worse the violence its thugs will dish out.
Joice Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and all the other ZimPF member who are also ex-Zanu PF members do not need Comrade Msipa to remind them what a violent party Zanu PF can be since they were part and parcel of the Zanu PF machinery themselves. All three above have been named as key players in the beating or worse of opposition members in the Zanu PF days.
Both ZimPF and MDC have had many chances to end Zanu PF's culture of using violence and other dirty tricks to win elections and which has wasted them. MDC had their best chances during the GNU where all they needed to do was implemented the democratic reforms. They failed to get even one meaningful reform implemented in their five years in the GNU.
As for Mai Mujuru and her ZimPF lot they will now want to put some clear water between themselves and this violent Mugabe culture but they can never deny they benefited from the system and when push came to shove and their position on the gravy train was stake they too used violence.
The first question one has to answer, it is all very well knowing Zanu PF will be using violence to stay in power; the question is, what can the opposition do stop Zanu PF violence?
The opposition can demand the implementation of the democratic reforms, the same reforms MDC should have implemented during the GNU.
There were three main reasons why MDC did not implement even one reform throughout the five years of the GNU:
a) For all their political posturing and grandstanding Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are some of the most corrupt and incompetent politicians in modern history; they never appreciated the critical importance of the democratic reforms in the creation of a democratic and free society.
b) MDC leaders have always viewed the violence as an integral part of the cut and thrust of Zimbabwe politics; they love reading out how many of their own supporters have been beaten, raped and murdered, the more the better. They will always do their uttermost to secure their safety; Tsvangirai is well known for his Usain Bolt dash to Netherlands Embassy or high speed race to Botswana. However if they are ever caught in the mayhem they will wear that like the badge of honour. Tsvangirai has reminded all who care to listen of his brush with Zanu PF thugs just as Mugabe has never tired of reminding the nation of his heroic exploits in the fight for independence.
Although everyone in MDC has, since the elections, acknowledged that Mugabe rigged the 2013 elections and vowed not to take part in any future elections "until reforms are implemented to stop vote rigging". It is now over two years ago and all they have done is come up with a list of wishy-washy electoral reforms they say must be implemented. None of the reforms will do anything to stop Zanu PF using violence and other vote rigging dirty tricks.
MDC leaders have since revised their position; they will take part in future elections as they are confident they will get Zanu PF to implement the democratic reforms before the next elections.
MDC will not get even one meaningful democratic reform implemented before the next elections for the same main reasons given above.
Mai Mujuru and her ZimPF friends too not do anything in response to Comrade Cephas Msipa's warning about Zanu PF resorting to violence for the same three main reasons given above.
If Mai Mujuru and her friends are elected back into office their top priority will be to restructure the State Institutions not to make them more democratic, they will not want the system changed in anyway, just their loyalty changed from Mugabe to Mujuru, from Zanu PF to ZimPF! ZimPF will use the same dirty vote rigging tricks and violence to stay in power!
It is within the political powers of Zimbabwe's opposition parties to end Mugabe's culture of political violence; they have never even tried because they neither have the political vision nor will to do so.
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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