via We must reject a Mugabe dynasty | The Zimbabwean 13 August 2014
I am amazed, intrigued and certainly disappointed that we are letting President Robert Mugabe treat Zimbabwe like his backyard. We face a very likely possibility that Zimbabwe will belong to the Mugabes – while we stand aside and look.
The exuberant support by Zanu (PF) provinces for the pending appointment of Grace Mugabe as the head of the women’s league certainly poses a huge risk to democracy in our country. It would be utterly unacceptable in a normal democracy. Having said that, I guess members of Zanu (PF), like any other political party, have the choice who becomes their leader. I am still to understand their thinking and motives – but impoverished and information-starved masses hardly make informed decisions. We who are outside Zanu(PF) can only stare at the impending self-manufactured leadership disaster, which will have a huge negative impact on us all.
Our responsibility is therefore be to ensure that Zanu (PF) ceases to be a majority political party. In fact, it would be preferable for them to be completely out of the political picture, because this organisation has destroyed livelihoods and continues to pursue destructive policies that condemn so many of us to poverty and suffering.
In order to achieve that there is no doubt that we must have fresh elections after electoral reforms. These reforms must take away sole control of the voters roll from Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede, recalibrate the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The chairperson Rita Makarau should go. We also cannot have a partisan police force which means that Commission General Augustine Chihuri must go too.
We must also see a totally free media. These are the tools of oppression that Zanu (PF) continues to use and as long as they control them, we are wasting our time and building unachievable expectations for those Zimbabweans who want change.
No dictatorship has ever been negotiated out of power. What is critical is for a broad base of democratic forces to emerge and force political change. I expect that a convention of democratic movements and civil society bodies will happen soon. We must ensure that such a body achieves its objectives and is led by credible people with no vested interest in achieving personal political ambitions. That will remain our challenge. I continue to point out to many Zimbabweans that unless we each take the responsibility to change our country, nobody else will. What we will get instead is the entrenchment of the Mugabes – which is utterly disheartening because they have nothing good to offer to this country.
As the economy collapses we have seen that Mugabe does not really care nor has he the capability to turn around our economy. We must also realise that Morgan Tsvangirai does not have a plan besides entrenching himself as the President of the MDC-T in September. The renewal team is certainly promising, but again they cannot have the sole responsibility for the task ahead.
Opposition parties have no resources to speak of. Most do not have a vibrant membership base and can only fight through press conferences. We cannot fight a dictatorship through press conferences, what we need is decisive action on the ground.
Our answer can only lie in us uniting and taking rolling mass action for change. We can only build a sustainable inclusive democracy through a fundamental change in our political institutions; this will then lead to the emergence of an inclusive economy in the future. Those who created the exclusive political institutions are not about to go away. Personally I do not accept that Mugabe represents my future anymore, I also do not accept that Grace Mugabe represents the future and can lead progressive women in Zimbabwe. In fact I do not accept that Zanu (PF) in its totality, or anyone associated with it for that matter, can create the Zimbabwe we all want.
I know many of you out there agree with this – but without unity, action, purpose and courage we will not prevail in saving our country. There is really nothing is stopping us except our imagined fear. – Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com
COMMENTS
Its so simple. Throw zpf into the snakepit. Then there will never be this evil muggers dynasty you voted for in 1980
Those who are not ZANUPF cannot tell us what to do. Have you finished with your parties
Vince is finally maybe beginning to see the light but is naively confused as are most armchair academics. Whilst correctly saying you can’t negotiate the devil out of power muse we unbelievably dreams of nikuv erections and so called bogus democratic institutions. It needs a quick street revolution. A few martyrs. Mob justice. Then we rebuild from scratch. Stuff zunde gullibility
Agreed , mugs won’t step down do the only solution his to force him
There will be no Mugabe dynasty. Grace is too thick. She will not outlast her hubby. This goes for the delinquent juniors too.
I hope you are right John Thomas. Because if she manages to weevil her way through the best way she knows how, God help us all :-#
Disgrace has a vicious evil way of dealing with things
ZANU party came to power through the barrel of the gun & it will take the barrel of the gun to kick it out. So yes you are absolutely right. Enough is enough! We cannot continue to sit down continously writing, discussing & analysing our demise. We need to stand up & take action. Its time we get rid of our hiding under the umbrella of wanting to identified as peace-loving people, while these crooked crooks make us all live in squalor. Its time we rise up past our fear of the machinations of this evil regime. We just cannot sit idle any longer & expect things to turn around on their own. Its like we are all on board a bus being driven by a mad drunk old man who is steering it towards a cliff & all we just sitting there scared stiff, but not doing anything about it other than just debating & analysing the dire situation & pending doom. Come on people we can do better than that. How long shall we let this downfall continue. How long shall we will taken advantage of & degraded like this. I say not anymore. We can & should all come together & help ourselves by stopping this drunk mad old man. It is time. His time is up. If we cannot do it for ourselves we at least should do it for our children & the future generations. We owe them that. We bred & allowed this monster to flourish & as such, it is our responsibility to put an end to it. God help us.
“The MDCRenewal is promising” are you sure about that Vince Musewe.
All very well said Vince but the majority of Zimbabweans have neither the will or guts to confront the Mugabites and their military hierarchy.Bob read these suckers right-he creates a utopian welfare state from dishing out whites farms and company enterprises namely to his cronies and his party supporters with the effect that the majority in Zims now stand with open palms expecting wealth to be doled out as per his promise,only problem now being there is no more “white manna”.Yes Bob is well on his way to enslaving the population that deserve just that and creating this Cult Dynasty.Nikuv:why blame them=a quick buck from a corrupt govt!I wonder how the Palestinian Authority rep in Zims sees all this Yiddish involvement with Bob and his gang
But Vince is right. A political (read political parties) process will never change the situation here. Civil society action is the only way. So, if we keep believing that we, as civil society, cannot rise up and take rolling action to bring about, then we must accept our fate and not complain any more.
anti white remarks for 34 years, you ignorant people loved the Mugabe racism now suffer .
Until we can learn love, nothing will happen any tym soon. The love that makes you think and act for the welfare of the next person even though zvako zviri kufaya. Which would bring us all to the same mind. Mugabe can be outed by a mass stayaway especially now that his government needs every tax penny to survive.
Vince how can a confused people like the North Koreans are fight a regime like this. Even if we pick up arms the UN and co will support Mugabe. The only way is for these parties to go to the UN and others to plead the case. MUGABE did this during the war and the same can be done again. The problem Vince is the opposition have no courage and are afraid of Zanu. They now want the people to do their work but the people have given the opposition the mandate to fight Zanu . So what is the oppositiön holding back on. One begins to see the opposition are not on the peoples side. Where is is Job and co. They are quiet. No the people need a ströng party not afraid to tackle Zanu. And this party must consist of ordinary Zimbabweans of all races etc. The time has come to resist these thugs once and for all.
Negotiations with ZANU PF by church leaders, civil group leaders and political parties has been happening before even some of us were born. In response, ZANU has been persecuting and murdering these negotiators in return. Our country cannot be held ransom by the Mugabes or Matibilis. Lets take arms and go and fight for the future of our motherland. Our children are born in other countries and growing up as refugees. They dont even know what is national pride. Lets do it for the future of our children and grandchildren
“There is really nothing is stopping us except our imagined fear.”…and the results of the elections rigged by israelians
Vince Musewe, we will break the bons of all those who agitate for violence in our peace loving country, starting with yours. We will chase the snivelling cowards right to their masters’ doorstep, break in and break the bons of those who sponsor violence in our country. We will persue, right to the gates of Hell, all those whose pockets are being lined up with imperialists’ cash to cause civil war in our beloved country.
Vince Musewe, I do not want to shock you or your ardent followers, but you seem to forget that you have loved ones in the country that you want to set on fire!!!!! The fire will devour your loved ones first, even before you light it as you will soon realise. It is funny though that the hordes of illiterates calling for war in our country want other people’s children to rampage in the streets but not themselves or their own children. They want the blood of our children to flow like rivers so that imperialists can drink it like vampires!!!!! We know all those in our midst who are involved in this plot. We will strike them, head first!!!! We will break their bodies into multiple portions and use their blood to put out the fire they will have lit in our country. They talk of revolt????? They do not tell the truth, and that is they are urging people to indulge in the game of killing. These fools have no idea how many will die in the process or when the killing will end once started. I think we should kill all those calling for war in our country before they succeed!!!!! Anyone who kills a person who urges war in our country should be rewarded handsomely!!!!!
Vengeance will be mine sayith Dube. You think you watch others? You are an educated fool who will be thrown into Revenger-Avengers snake pit.
What a ZANU -PF boot-licker we see here.
I call for an uprising and very soon.
Burn the people that support this monster
Mugabe and his devil worshippers.
I say rise and curt off this tyrant’s head!
A patriotic duty to every Zimbabwean!!!!! One of you somewhere out there knows the identity of some of these people calling for war in our country. Remember, those people, if you let them live, will one day kill or cause the death of your own child or loved one. As they increase the tempo of beating the drums of war, it is your duty to defend your own child. It is your very own son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter or loved ones that they are hunting to kill. are you going to sit idle and let that happen???? They say those who do nothing are cowards. What they actually mean is that those who do not kill your children are cowards!!!!! These people are urging the killing of your children daily and you do nothing about it????? And guess what????? They want your children killed so that they can get your diamonds for free. They want all your minerals for free. You know them, you have seen them, some going on national or overseas television to call for war against our country and yet come back to mix and mingle with us. What can be done???? Just what are you doing about it????? Get them before they get your children!!!!!!
It’s going to be fun when you are dug up hiding in a hole looking like a rat like Saddam Hussein.
Oh, Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Where you gonna run to?
All along that day
Well you run to the rock, please hide me
you run to the Rock, please hide me
you run to the Rock, please hide me, Lord
All along that day
But the rock cried out, I can’t hide you
The Rock cried out, I can’t hide you
The Rock cried out, I ain’t gonna hide you guy
All along that day
you said, “Rock, what’s a matter with you, Rock?”
“Don’t you see I need you, Rock?”
Lord, Lord, Lord
All along that day
So you run to the river, it was bleeding
you run to the sea, it was bleedind
you run to the sea, it was bleeding
All along that day
So you run to the river, it was boiling you run to the sea, it was boiling
you run to the sea, it was boiling
Along that day
So you run to the Lord, please hide me Lord
Don’t you see me praying’?
Don’t you see me down here prayin’g?
But the Lord said, “Go to the devil”
The Lord said, “Go to the devil”
He said, “Go to the devil”
All along that day
So you ran to the devil, he was waiting
you ran to the devil, he was waiting
Ran to the devil, he was waiting
All on that day
Diamonds, what diamonds, Mugarbage
dis-Grace and Robber jnr and their
cronies have sold them all. There
is nothing in the Treasury from these
diamonds and now they have run out.
Mugarbage made dozens of cataract (diamond)
flights to Singapore, that where they are!
Albert, why an English name anyway. get your
Mugarbage facts right!
to Sui
Tsvangirai apinda papi apaa??
That country is completely finished. I have sadly left South Africa my own country because I hate to say it that it is following the same route as Zim. Africa unfortunately is a basketcase unless the mindsets of its people change there is no hope for the African continent.
Since 1980, we long told you to stop mobilising on tribe/language; you never listened.
You believed the ZANU PF propaganda, that some Zimbabweans had to go back to South Africa, were they belonged; where, because of laziness they flock to after “O” levels.
You unofficially decreed that these Zimbabweans, should they be considered for any senior positions – the President position was beyond them. The furthest they could go was to be deputies.
Whilst pursuing your MWANAWEKUSHA objectives in employment and language use right across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe, you went out of your ways to help ZANU PF implement the 1979 Grand Plan, under the guise of exercising your rights to live and work and speak your language in any part of the country; as if this was never the case during the Rhodesian days.
Need I remind you that people deed indeed lived, worked and spoke their languages in any part of Rhodesia; but the difference was in their attitudes towards their hosts. The current majoritarian attitudes are informed by the dominant ZANU PF gukurahundi political environment of intolerance; hence the now so “all-pervasive andinzwi Chindevere mantras”, even after someone has been living in Mthwakazi for the past 10-15 years.
The consequences of these policies are all there to be seen in Mthwakazi today – total failure of children – with teachers teaching grade one pupils in Shona, instead of introducing them to English through their mother tongue – a double blow/disadvantage for the little ones.
You are now crying out loud, because all your gukurahundi plans have gone up in smoke; after those you trusted betrayed you. Seeing that the head of state position in Zimbabwe is for Shonas, the only qualification; yes indeed Grace Mugabe will be your President. She is Shona after all, so she qualifies – whats the big deal? You made your bed, now sleep on it.
People like Welshman Ncube and Dumiso Dabengwa have borne this gukurahundism with dignity – after being unofficially told to never dare try their luck on the tribally reserved highest office in the land. They are branded “tribalists” on the basis of their language, names and surnames; accusations that are never directed at people like Simba Makoni and Tswangirayi.
Mind you, no evidence of this tribalism has ever been proffered and none is required. Just a ZANU PF inherited tactic of neutralisng political opposition/opponents from Matebeleland. Lessons well learnt, for it worked well in destroying Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF ZAPU!!
Mseyamwa yes you are right we need to support each other. In the comments above I just see anger and hatred and most importantly major division even between people that are looking for or hoping for the same thing. Forget the differences we have to unite if want to defeat ZPF. Albert your entitled to your thoughts, but you would be best advised to analyse the current situation. This is not a race thing, it is about ordinary citizens saying that they have had enough of a corrupt government that has left them in dire poverty. Only the privileged having something are you one of them?. This is also not about returning Zimbabwe to Rhodesia. That has gone. We are talking about the need to create a modern democratic state where all can live a good quality and standard of life without any prejudice, nepotism and corruption. So don’t blame Vince he is just saying what many millions of us agree with
Mandevu
Some of us will never forget the differences we have as long as the ZANU PF Gkurahundi political culture persists, worse still in the opposition.
I still want to now whether we in Mthwakazi would be well within in our rights to punish Bona, Robert jnr and Chatunga for Gukurahundi; seeing we are also being punished for the sins of our ancestors.
Having South African ancestry is not a sin; and besides, very few Matebeleland people’s ancestry can be traced to South Africa. Many Zezurus are in power today, but are of Malawian ancestry this includes Mugabe and in the past people like Chidzero, Ariston Chambati and Dr Dzingayi Mutumbuka – nobody hounds or hounded them; nobody decrees that certain positions or jobs are beyond them or are not for them. Nobody spits at their languages and cultures!
You have to prove Welshman and Dabengwa’s tribalism; before we can forget the differences – prove, you are the accusers – stop sweeping issues under the carpet simply because you are now desperate to get rid of the Mugabes.
You cannot just hurt innocent people with unproven accusations, and then turn around to say lets move on. Hell no, you started it – prove!!!
Three streams of people entered Great
Zimbabwe, the Mzilikazi Zulus from the
South, forming the Lobegula Matabele
Kingdom.
The larger, older Karanga, having slain
the true Zimbabwean, the Khoisan, migrated
south and east to Manicaland.
The final stream, a’Wemba, came from
Mozambique and settled in Mashonaland.
So,people, Mugarbage is a new comer
from Malawi – a Nyasa, not a Zimbabean.
Straight shooter. Nowhere did I suggest that you forget the injustices of the past nor have I personalised my argument. I am talking about getting rid of a GOVERNMENT (not Mugabi’s) that is causing all of us a lot of pain. You are suggesting that these injustices and consequences of history need to be brought to a conclusion before we move to get rid of a fatally flawed government. I am suggesting that we need to unite to get rid of this fatally flawed government and then lets put all the injustices on the table. We could be here for decades trying to unravel history, whilst ZPF carry on plundering us
Mandevu
If the politics of Zim is defined by gukurahundi ZANU PF’s tribalistically exclusionary policies, which as we all know plays itself out so very often in the so-called majority opposition MDC-T; how do we unite and behind who?
In the 2013 elections, parties formed alliances in an effort at uniting to dislodge ZANU PF. The MDC-T aligned with Mavambo/Kusile Simba Makoni – it was called NATIONAL. Ncube led MDC aligned with Dabengwa ZAPU and it was called REGIONAL.
Now if an alliance that is led by people from one region Manicaland (Makoni and Tswangirayi) is defined as NATIONAL; and one led by people from different regions/provinces (Welshman/Midlands and Dabengwa Matebeleland South)is defined as REGIONAL, how do you explain this?
Unity in Zm politics will remain impossible and a pipe dream until the generality of the Shona populace gets over their anti-Ndebele gukurahundi tribalistic upbringing.
PERIOD!!
This has been his succession plan all along:
Prime Minister 1980 : Robert Mugabe
President, First Sec, Commander in chief forever, …Robert
Members of Parliament : Sabina Mugabe (sister)
: Zhuwawu “Mugabe” (nephew)
: Leo Mugabe (nephew)
: Walter “Mugabe” Chidhakwa (nephew)(Minister)
Women’s League boss : Sally Mugabe (Ex wife)
: Oppah “Mugabe” Muchinguri(Ex …)
: Grace “Emelda Marcos” Mugabe (current wife)
Youth league boss : Chatunga (designate) (“son”)
This family must be a dynamo of intellectuals. No one else in Zim has the abilities of “Mugabe” dynasty
Straight shooter. Thanks for the response, it is a good debate. I have been arguing for some time in the comments sections of the various reports, that the future of Zimbabwe cannot be determined by political process – ZPF will never allow that and they have total control over that system. So, in my opinion the only way in which we can get rid if this government is for civil society at large, who surely share a common desire to get rid of ZPF wherever we come from, to rise up and effect this change. Then all interest groups can sit to determine what we want for our new country, but as a minimum we would strive for a country goverened democratically, a safe and secure environment for all its people, equal opportunity, good and rising standard of living etc.
The truth is that the model we come up with for a future Zimbabae might look very different to todays Zimbabawe – we might opt for a federation of states for example, although it is hard to see that for such a small country.
So, yes I understand your grievances but that should not stop all of us, with one purpose, getting rid of this disastrous government
Now come come, fellow citizens, no need to fret. A Mugabe dynasty will never materialize. There will be murders galore before that happens if our beloved ZANU PF has anything to do with it. Just watch what happens when the old timer goes. And be warned- watch from afar, very far!