Lumumba took it too late now seeking political relevance

Listening to Acie Lumumba, the former Chairman of  a Steering Committee on the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment's video, which he posted on his Facebook account recently makes one believe him as someone who is genuine in his assessment of the situations in the country. People may take him as someone talking sense and trying to make things happen but close assessments of his rantings reveal otherwise.

For those who might not have come across that video, Lumumba made quite a number of some issues directed to President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his ruling party ZANU PF in which he wanted to know when the electoral promises of the 2013 harmonised elections would be fulfilled. Lumumba asks President Mugabe why it has taken long for the two million jobs to be created which he promised the electorate that they would be availed to the unemployed youths. He further asks the President why he is not acting against those people who are destroying the country through corrupt tendencies.

Lumumba further asks the President when the economic hardships which the Zimbabweans are facing would come to an end. In his an uninterrupted video he goes on to claim that he is a full member of ZANU PF and he is not going anywhere but needs ZANU PF to reform itself before it is forced to reform.

For those who managed to listen to what Lumumba said, they could be tempted to welcome him as their hero because to them he has managed to say out what has been viewed as taboo in ZANU PF. Lumumba could now be viewed by his audiences as someone who is not afraid to say out what he wants without fear of reprisals from the ZANU PF leadership in which he is a member and former 2013 harmonized elections ZANU PF candidate for Hatfield constituency in Harare.

Since the time in which Lumumba lost his bid to be ZANU PF Member of Parliament for Hatfield Constituency to Tapiwa Mashakada of the opposition MDC-T, he did not see anything wrong from President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and ZANU PF. He kept on serving the revolutionary party in various portfolios without problems. Lumumba devoted his time in making sure that ZANU PF is protected in whatever it did. To him ZANU PF was the party of his choice and he did not see anything amiss coming from it.

Himself being appointed a Chairman of a Steering Committee on the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment by Minister of Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Cde Patrick Zhuwao. He was given instructions by the Minister to steer that committee with problem and that committee worked well under the Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC).

Instead of Lumumba running professionally that steering committee, he got himself fired by Minister Zhuwao on allegations of misappropriations of the funds meant for ZYC operations and then all hell broke loose. He started attacking Minister Zhuwao as someone who is corrupt and not fit to be a cabinet minister. Lumumba claimed that he did nothing wrong that deserved him to be fired but was only fired by Minister Zhuwao from being  Chairman of that Steering Committee because he refused orders from Minister Zhuwao who wanted to get three percent of money from Old Mutual meant for ZYC. Whether those allegations against Minister Zhuwao by Lumumba were true or not but the question that wants to be answered by him is why did he kept quiet all along about such alleged illicit dealings by the Minister only to say that after being fired.

While those who care to take Lumumba seriously about what he said in the video that he posted on his Facebook account as well as what he said against Minister Zhuwao, but those with a deep understanding of politics in the country would still ask the same Lumumba why he has taken long to see what he said in both incidences. Lumumba now asks the President about how elections promises would be fulfilled as if he is talking sense, what led him to take so long to say that.

It is clear that Lumumba is talking such with sour grapes as he failed to say that when he was enjoying himself as Chairman of that steering committee and money from the ZYC. If he is serious with what he said in that video and the attack on Minister Zhuwao, he could have said that before he was chucked out from being the Chairman of that Steering Committee on Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment. The fact that he saw nothing wrong on  President Mugabe and his ZANU PF's 2013 electoral promises when he was still working closely with Minister Zhuwao only to raise dust now that he was fired from that position shows that he has nothing of substance to convince the nation. Actually Zimbabweans should dismiss him as an empty vessel which always makes noise disturbing the peace of those who would be resting.

In fact Lumumba can be equated with those who sold out during the armed struggle. Those people who when others were busy fighting the colonial injustices that were meted against Zimbabweans, they were busy selling out the struggle. Today ZANU PF is busy trying to make sure that Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) is fully implemented, people like Lumumba is derailing the process through his unfounded allegations against the same ZANU PF and its leadership which brought peace in which Lumumba and his associates are enjoying.

Lumumba should not buy friends and associates by attacking the only political party which gave him political limelight but he should appreciate that Zimbabwe is under such economic problems because of some sanctions which he knows quite well. He knows quite well that Zimbabwe has been under attack right, left and centre from the western countries because the government came up with empowerment programs for the indigenous people that the western countries were not prepared to see them being implemented.

The Land reform program which was initiated and implemented by the ZANU PF government in the turn of the twenty-first century was a thorn on the flesh of our former colonisers hence they responded by imposing sanctions on the country. The indigenisation law which seeks to make Zimbabweans own 51% of shares in foreign owned companies against 41% by investors is meant to make the indigenous people become employers instead of being employees. It is surprising that someone educated like Lumumba fails to see that and only blindly attacks ZANU PF and its leadership just because he was fired from being a chairperson of that steering committee.

Lumumba has shown his lack of gratitude to the party which exalted him politically but only interested in self-aggrandisements. His attacks on President Mugabe and ZANU PF are just null and void as he failed to do the same when things were going according to his satisfaction during his time as Chairperson of a Steering Committee on the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment.