via Rebels who dared to criticise by Cathy Buckle May 2, 2014
Dear Family and Friends,
Dramatic developments are underway in Zimbabwe. Every day the headlines are screaming, the editorials scathing and the criticism fierce as we watch fifteen years unravel in front of our eyes. We saw this coming, it seemed inevitable but still it is cause for bitter disappointment.
In February 2009 when our dollar had been devalued for the third time in thirty months during which time twenty five zeroes had been removed from the currency, Zimbabwe was at its darkest hour. One ‘new’ dollar in February 2009 was equivalent to ten septillion old dollars. Most of us did not know how we had survived ten years of economic mayhem, not to mention disease, hunger and an epidemic of political violence. By the time we were talking in quadrillions and septillions we had only one hope and that lay with the ten year old opposition MDC party. They had by then already split into two factions and all was not rosy in the party but we knew they were the only people that could pull us out of the hell we were stuck in.
What happened after that is history: a so called Unity Government took over but it was riddled with fighting and inequity which provided a convenient smoke screen for a mammoth orgy of looting which is only now being uncovered. While ordinary people were struggling to recover from a decade of penury and mayhem, officials in state enterprises were awarding themselves salaries ranging from 30 or 40 thousand dollars a month to over 230 thousand dollars a month. We still don’t know what’s really been happening with our country’s gold and diamonds or many of our other assets and resources; those dark secrets are yet to be unlocked.
Four and a half years later, in July 2013, the MDC agreed to an election littered with flaws and in which they didn’t even have a copy of the voters roll. Deep down everyone knew it was dead wrong but were swept up in a tidal wave of excitement, believing that the promised future was really possible. None of us expected the extent of the loss that would follow, and as dramatic as it sounds, we’ve been a country in a state of paralyzed shock since August 2013.
In the last week Tendai Biti, the MDC’s Secretary General, who served as the Minister of Finance during the unity government held a meeting and threw his cards on the table, openly calling for new leadership in the MDC. ‘Dear leader Morgan Tsvangirai has failed as a leader, is now clearly unsuitable,’ he said. Credited with stopping the economic haemorrhage of our economy in February 2009 and smashing inflation from an estimated 200 plus billion percent down to five percent, Mr Biti has now been labelled a ‘rebel’ and been expelled from the MDC along with eight other MP’s and others who attended the meeting. What happens to the MDC now, or to the expelled ‘rebels’ who dared to criticise, to call for new leadership, remains to be seen.
As much as we don’t want to go back to the dark days of 2000 – 2009, ordinary Zimbabweans know only one thing: we don’t want more dictators; we need true leaders who will work tirelessly and selflessly for all of us, regardless of our tribe, our skin colour, our connections or our financial means. Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy
COMMENTS
He ddnt call for new leadership he suspended the leadership.this is the first time you have lied cathy.what baffles me is…..why are you lying??? Whats in it for you?…Biti criticized the manifesto he created, had that funny press conference, excused himself from the comittee that suspende mangoma…but nothing was done to him.tsvangirai is patient but biti took it too far by suspending him.i dont trust you anymore cathy…now you say biti single handedly fixed the economy but on losing elections you say its tsvangirai did you ever advise before the elections and with welshman threatening to participate if you were tsvangirai what were you going to do?????
Cathy isn’t lying, Loveness – that’s your interpretation, after endless decades of living with political lying.
She’s analysing the situation as she sees it. You see it differently. As usual, we don’t know the truth of what happened – only what the different sides in this dispute say happened.
Loveness is right. The problem with Cathy is that she reiterates what she reads from other news sources without validating whether it is true or not. Essentially a spewing machine. It is the most damaging of journalistic efforts as she propagates innacurate content, without generating anything new, resulting in a littany of lies.
Right journalism is investigating to find out the truth. She might then find out that the sensantional headlines are just a political game being played to settle scores, with little truth behind them.
Do your own research for a change. Otherwise, what is the difference between you and any other reader giving their opinion.
I am so sick and tired of reading opinions being touted as analysis, when all one did was spoon of material from other websites.
Get to the bottom of stories by proper journalism.
@Loveness, I wouldn’t say that Cathy is lying but I think she is clearly twisting the truth to suit her agenda or post.
In most political parties around the world there are members who do not want the current leader but then there are others who also want the current leader. This can be locally in Zanu PF, regionally in Frelimo or ANC or elsewhere and there is nothing wrong with that.
This gives rise to the so called factions or wings that we read about from time to time in the press in regards to these political parties.
The good news is that almost all these parties have procedures that are used to challenge those leaders unless they resign by themselves and even then the choice of the new leader is not a prerogative of a few members and hence parties like the MDC have got a Congress.
So Cathy, Mangoma et al. all had to do was to wait for the Congress and put their names in the hat and see what the rest of the party membership thinks. If the party members vote for them so be it and if they don’t then tough that’s democracy.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be 100% behind a party leader, 51% will do, fortunately or unfortunately depending on which side of the fence you sit.
So in a nutshell, let’s not peddle the sentiment that Mangoma et al. dared criticized and were demonized for that but rather that Mangoma et al. wanted leadership outside Congress and when they didn’t get their way they chose other means.
That alone is not a good trait and may not endear them to the generality of the Zimbabwean electorate who I will say it again are not as gullible as the inept Zimbabwean politicians take them to be.
You are spot on. Its laughable when someone credits Biti alone for the reversal of Zims economic meltdown around 2009.
Cathy lied big time, Professor Moyo is green with envy about such ‘heavy’ propaganda. This was an attempted coup yet Cathy calls it criticism.She is entitled to her opinion though.
Procedures for doing what? Keeping people in power beyod their sale by date, came on guys. MT should have done the right thing by resigning immediately after loosing the 2013 election. He has already been in 3 elections which he has lost, how many more do you guys what him to stand in before calling it day? MT is just like the big dictator in Mugabe who is in it for the benefits that comes with the job. I really feel sorry for people like Ndira and other true heros who died for this circus.
@Loveness. You conveniently leave out the truth. Go back and find out the truth. You are talking rubbish. It’s time to dezanufy. Go and see your GP. Your handlers need councelling.
Loveness simply put Tsvangirai and the kitchen cabinet around him allowed their own egos to cloud their judgement and accept a situation where the accord that gave rise to the GNU was never implemented and they allowed ZANU PF to railroad them into an election when there was no voters role. It would have been easy to get SADC to delay elections until there was an audited voters role, but Tsvangirai and his kitchen cabinet thought they would win anyway. They were naïve in the extreme and for this they should have all tendered their resignations. They are fools and it shows, do you think any of the SADC leaders will respect them? They are laughed at by politicians in the rest of SADC. All they see now in Tsvangirai is a corrupted leader more concerned with his position than in the people.
Tsvangirayi is useless. He should be buried alive!
Truth hurts – Cathy is right. Problem is we Zimbos are so used to Zanu’s way of doing things that we even see challenge to leadership as wrong. Its been ingrained into our minds by Mugabe that one doesn’t challenge ‘chef’. Unfortunately the majority, including MDC supporters think like this. Biti and co’s move is not popular – but I remember Mandela making a decision which was not popular BUT wworked for the better. Just imagine how well respected Morgan would have been if he had stepped down after the elections. He would still be influencing the party in a different role – but the momentum to push Bob & co would remain. We never learn.
Truth does hurt that’s why she doesn’t write it.
All Biti achieved was to introduce the US dollar, it was beyond his comprehension to change back to the Zimbabwe dollar so he left it to the next government along with the financial mess – hardly an achievement a junior school student could have achieved more.
What achievements are yours Apo? Aside from being a big fat sellout that is.
@John Thomas -I have never been interested in politics simply truth, fact and the law – the basis for a civilized society. Again unlike Biti I don’t say what a good minister of finance I was.
I also don’t lie like Cathy Buckle stating how great Biti was when a junior school student could have done better.\
I also have a lot more IQ than to choose a name like John Thomas as my pseudonym. I really what kind of person names himself a pr*ck proudly.
@apolitical. How much are you paid to be an MDC-T zanoid drone. Do you not understand the meaning of democracy, freedom of speech and tolerance?
@Nzou Unlike you,it is because I understand the meaning of democracy and freedom that I make comment, it is you that have the problem obviously believing that only lying journalists have the right to comment and we only have the right to cheer.- Unlike you that are paid to cheer blindly every lying paragraph, or too dim to question propaganda.
I am paid by no one to tell the truth I do it naturally, it is lesser beings that think you have to be paid to be truthful and factual.
A political, I beg to differ with you on that. Chinamasa is the one who legislated the use of the USD Biti only carried out a programme that was already in motion.
@furedi-legislation only comes after a decision is made by the Minister of Finance and MDC- T themselves give Biti credit – speak to your party if you don’t agree and get them to adjust their propaganda.
Shame if you take that away from Biti his achievements were -NIL
@Apolitical – the fact of the issue is Biti never introduced the US$, instead it was a mere announcement by Chinamasa. Why a mere announcement – all because the black market was thriving with the US$. Even Gono, the then RBZ Govenor used to raise huge amounts for “his projects” on the black market. It suffices to say given the prevailing economic situation, announcing the US$ as the official currency was the only way to go and that helped in stabilising the economy in some way. However this was a blessing for the ruling elite. And so Biti did not introduce the US$ at all.
@sigasiga It is the Minister OF Finance that promotes financial policy and I mean we could go your route and say the news paper announced it or a journalist.
Do you begin to follow the trail now- bit stupid isn’t it.
If Biti didn’t do it and he was MINISTER of Finance at the time then, what did he actually achieve except get rich and fill the pockets of other MDC Ministers – try to name a poor one if you don’t agree.
@Apolitical – why do you have to call people stupid when all they are putting forward is point worth consideration. It’s pathetic to say the least, and so who looks stupid you or @sigasiga.
Point of correction; The Us$ was introduced by Chinamasa when he was acting Finance Minister before the GNU when he presented his maiden budget. As for Cathy,she’s being economical with the truth either by ommission or by design though I’ll go for the latter. For starters, Biti didn’t throw in his hat to challenge for the Presidency, he chose to play hide and seek games to undemocratically and unconstitutionaly remove the President. If he had done what Cathy wants us to believe, he probably would have had many sympathisers. Unfortunately he chose the rebel route and consequently people are turning against him, hence an embarrassing low turnout at his maiden rally in a province where he is believed to have a majority support.
Well said. Exactly. What is it with leaders who refuse to step down? Whats wrong with giving the right person a try? One cant help but question if Morgan has the best interests of the party at heart. And yes, the voters sorely need an attitude adjustment or education. Stop beating a dead horse for Christs sake.
@C Hallgren – I think we are missing the point here.Read @Wensil – It’s very clear that MDC as an institution has a Constitution which governs the conduct of office bearers and defines the direction and course of action to follow.As articulated in the constitution, Biti et al were suppose to wait for the congress to then decide who was to lead the party.The question that comes to mind is why the RUSH to dislodge the leadership clandestinely instead of waiting for a democratic process to unfold. It’s therefore not a question of just pushing the leadership off the radar. Biti was part to the crafting of the constitution and why would he turn around and want to bulldoze his way. If he is true to the democratic principles then let him face the contestants come congress – simple. It’s not fair to just demonise Tsvangirai for all the failures of the part for 15 years – where have they been and what have they been doing about it?
@Tozvirevakupiko You are 100% on the money. Tsvangirai’s goons are behaving no different to zanu. They know Buckle is right and this is why their bootlicking drones are busy trying to shoot the messenger. The truth brings out their paranoia as they sing for their supper.
I for one have a lot of respect for Cathy Buckle. She is part of what I am, a Zimbabwean that has been short changed. I also respect Roving who has a different opinion to me at times. Another short changed Zimbabwean. Mixed race with whom I am on the same page sometimes and sometimes not. Fallenz who now and again corrects mr when I get emotional(respect to you) Lindy lou who I think is fiery and sometimes just a little bit emotional(sorry Lindy),JT who I think speaks what he feels, NBS and reverend who I think slow us down when we run to fast, I can go on and on but my point is we have to speak our minds and that is Cathy’s mind. A fantastic lady for what she does. Loveness RESPECT TO YOU but lying? No my friend. Different opinion.
Thank you Doc . and thanks to Cathy for saying it as it is.
thanx loveness this buckle is bucking at the wrong tree trying to portray our President in bad lyt nxaaa it sickens to say the least. Biti is a big damn dictator no man wl ever want to associate wth its only that u know him from afar. Lets wait & c,he was nt credited for stabilising thnx was he alone in the gnu. Why on earth do we tolerate lawlessness,calling for the President to quit outsyd appropriate structures is that democracy Cattle.
A nutter in our midst (oliver chikumba)
AS in the Trade Union there has never been democracy in the MDC-T, its always been a dictatorship and so you may only replace one dictator with another – Courts and the constitution mean nothing to MDC-T leaders they run their party like the trade union – do as I say or else! who needs laws and rules, when gas any leader in the MDC-T respected the law?!
If I was Loveness I would apologize. But then I am not Loveness. If I was oliver chikumba I would shut my disrespectful mouth, but I am not oliver chikumba.
Cathy says it like it is. We should grow up and stop hailing insults at each other just for having views that are different from your own. Different views enrich us. If you find them insulting then know you are the problem. Sorry if I insulted you. Not intended.
Please feel free to insult Apo as much as it pleases.
@Sarurawako thank you for the positive. We have to excuse sometimes. I was told by one of those that write that I was taking his space? How dare I? I would like to clear the air, just in case this Gentleman reads this space. This is lovenesses space. Not Cathy’s. Cathy’s space is writing the good articles so that we can debate. If she wrote BREAD IS EXPENSIVE.. we would all say yes. THERE IS NO WATER.. yes.. We keep on getting power cuts..yes. Oh my word. Cathy keep on telling us your opinion because without people like you we would be YES PEOPLE.. even if it was supposed to be NO.
Always remember not to become an appendage of politicians, because you will always be disappointed. No matter how good a professional -turned -politician might have been at his profession politics at best demands duplicity. Only the righteous can resist that demand. Unfortunately, the righteous do not double in politics because the very moment they do they will be corrupted immediately. Thus, no matter how precious and supportive you may be to your political leader always leave room for their fallibility
to play out and be criticised without becoming emotionally attached because if you don’t you will clutter your objectivity
“Rebels Who Dared to Criticise”? Unfortunately they didn’t just criticise, they blew the party apart by suspending the leadership and appointing themselves the new leaders.This is variously known as a coup,a power grab, a rebellion, grabbing power though the back door. I respect Biti and Ms Buckle but to me it seems the clear winner out of this is Zanu. And for Biti to say the issue will be resolved in court is another gift to Zanu. The Zanu courts will keep delaying, making misjudgements and sowing further disunity, keeping the opposition split for many years while Zanu loots and strengthens its position. This is a catastrophe for any chance the country might have had of removing Zanu and rebuilding. If Tsvangirai is guilty of all he’s accused of, why didn’t Mangoma, Biti and crew seek to remove him at Congress? ?? What they’ve done risks destroying the party and handing Zanu a free licence to loot unchecked.Tragic
The idea of renewal is the principle that makes opposition parties exist in the first place – to replace incumbent governments with new leaders. It is not a bad thing but opposition parties wait for elections, under
normal circumstances, and
compete for votes with the
incumbent. If the opposition
wins, there is hope that power
is transferred peacefully to the
country’s new rulers.
What Biti and Mangoma are
doing is subverting the power
and possibly, the desires of the
party by deciding for the rest
what the rest must decide for
themselves at congress. In the
process they are causing deep
divisions within the party and
possibly alienating a good
number of supporters from the
resultant movement, be it
under Biti or Tsvangirai.
Second, through that act, they
have paralyzed the party, until
an amicable resolution, which
gives ZANU room to make
political strides, if they could,
on further entrenching
themselves in their
incumbency.
In true form of
‘live and let die’ the ‘rebels’
seem to have a deep loathing
of their former colleagues, whivh cant be good, and which
begs a lot of questions. It
seems they would rather see
the party die if they do not get
what they want.
As observed by another, earlier,
Zimbabweans are not as
gullible as some politicians
think. They would want to
know, by what right are Biti and
Mangoma et al, usurping their
own right to choose a leader for the. The phenomenon of
leaders who feel they are
ordained to think and choose on behalf of the masses, as ZANU officials have done for 34 years with devastating
results cannot be endearing for
them. The losses made by
govt during Gono’s donations
period would serve as useful
feedback to didcerning people.
If new farmers divert funds
provided for farming activities
to other pursuits it might mean
they aren’t farmers after all or
they have more pressing needs than buying fertilizers.
But who would think for continued to foist the same,
with the same results. Why
wouldn’t they put mechanisms that empowered
people to decide whether they
needed the money, or not and
for what.
The same’fundis think for you’
attitude is what is observed in the rebel group. Do the rest of us have a say or we are seen as just pawns on a chessboard? Are Biti the only ones who would lead in place of Tsvangirai? Are they not shutting off other who would stand alone – not with them and not with Tsvangirai, depriving us of other viable choices by this evident coup?
Rewind a bit,wat a learned lawyer like Welshman did is exactly wat another or rather wat Gono’s lawyer is
trying to do.why are they so desperate or they are being paid using diamonds money.
Cathy has been quite analytical in some of her articles but this one lacks balance. The issue is; as secretary general, Biti should have supported an early congress to decide leadership. But he chose a coup. What pains people like Biti and Cathy is that they know what was going to happen at congress, hence the short cuts. Everyone is desperate for change but to think that the change required is to remove Tsvangirai without congress is misplaced. The donors are looking for a stOoge and they got one in Biti. Unfortunately, the donors don’t vote. This is good opportunity for Tsvangirai to strengthen his party and show that he can manage with the people and not donors
@hutu…apologise to who and for what? Cathy said “who dared to criticize” and i am saying she is lying, they dared to suspend the leadership.maybe some people just comment without reading the article.facts stubborn.i have heard some people saying that people are paid to comment on these platforms, now i believe it.if you want to respect cathy thats your democratic right but i wont respect a liar.
@Loveness… Buckle simply expressed an opinion and your reaction screams out loud that you are not a democrat because if you were, you would respect her opinion even if you disagreed with her. In fact, if you were a democrat you would defend her right to express her opinion. So guess what? You check all the wrong boxes. Sadly you suffer from a well known Zimbabwean disease. It is called zanufucation. No wonder some democrats are standing tall and speaking out for renewal.
Tsvangirai has driven the struggle for democracy into the ditch. And guess what? He keeps his palace because Mugabe says he can keep it. If he was genuine, he would have moved back to his Strathhaven house.
For goodness sake take off your rose tinted glasses!
Like I said I am not you..
No matter how popular he is Tsvangirai has proven himself in all the wrong ways. All the way back in 2000 I witnessed corruption in the MDC at first hand right in front of my eyes. I know some of the people. Many of them are chancers.
Biti is a pain in the behind, over dramatic and always in need of attention, but he was given a job in the gnu and he did it quite well. How many other MDC types can you say the same thing of? Biti’s name has not been associated with corruption as far as I know. The same cannot be said of Tsvangirai.
It is time to move beyond this and push all of our politicians to bury their issues until after ZANU is removed. The moves to form a united opposition are important. I do not think Tsvangirai is capable of uniting anything, even his own brain.
You say that Biti is a star. Fine. But does that give him the right to replace the leadership which was elected at last congress without the input of party structures? Is this democracy? Tsvangirai has erred many times before, if Biti has not erred before then this has to be the first mistake of his political life.
No question about it, you don’t like Morgan, making your contributions so biased as to be irrelevant.
As for Biti being squeaky clean, how about wining and dining with Gono the master architect of Zimbabwe’s economic misery?
How about being in bed with ZANU for some time now whilst pretending to work with the others in a regrouping of the MDC?
ZANU’s survival instincts are well known and its use of seemingly intelligent people in the destruction of the opposition is legendary in scale.
this is a good article for sure people no longer have the intrest of the country at heart . its an each man for himself game going on here that is why someone was being paid 300thousand whilist other people were dying coz the medical aid could not get accepted. it is sorrowful but the perspective that as zimbabweans we now have the mentality of who dares challenge the boss is right and to get it out of our physique yes it would require a mandela like figure someone willing to pass the buck and gracefully acknowlege that the struggle for whatever indepedence people want is not one man but a collective of people and it must go on untill acheived . why cling on to power if you are not just doing it for yourself and family , in terms of other countries look at usa 2 terms in a presidency is enough , most of the time one try at the presidency for a candidate in a party for an election is enough . oh so wrong we africans are, the days of kingship are over lets do the right thing for the generations which are to come .
(Repost) The idea of renewal is the principle that makes opposition parties exist in the first place – to replace incumbent governments with new leaders. It is not a bad thing but opposition parties wait for elections, under normal circumstances, and compete for votes with the incumbent. If the opposition wins, there is hope that power
is transferred peacefully to the country’s new rulers.
What Biti and Mangoma are doing is subverting the power and possibly, the desires of the party by deciding for the rest
what the rest must decide for themselves at congress. In the
process they are causing deep divisions within the party and
possibly alienating a good number of supporters from the
resultant movement, be it under Biti or Tsvangirai.
Second, through that act, they have paralyzed the party, until
an amicable resolution, which gives ZANU room to make political strides, if they could, on further entrenching themselves in their
incumbency.
In the true form of ‘live and let die’ the ‘rebels’ seem to have a deep loathing of their former colleagues, which can’t be a good thing considering they have reached this spot together, and which
begs a lot of questions. It seems they would rather see the party die if they do not get what they want.
As observed by another, earlier, Zimbabweans are not as gullible as some politicians think. They would want to know, by what right are Biti and Mangoma et al, usurping their own right to choose a leader for the party through a vote. The phenomenon of leaders who feel they are ordained to think and choose on behalf of the masses, as ZANU officials have done for over 34 years with devastating results cannot be endearing for them. The losses made by govt during Gono’s donations period would serve as useful
feedback to discerning people. If new farmers divert funds
provided for farming activities to other pursuits it might mean
they aren’t farmers after all or they have more pressing needs other than buying fertilizers and seeds. But those who would think for the rest continued to foist them with the same, with the same results. Why wouldn’t they put mechanisms that empowered people to decide whether they needed the money, or not and for what.
The same ’fundis think for you’ attitude is what is exhibited in the rebel group. Do the rest of us have a say or we are seen just as pawns on a chessboard? Are Biti and Mangoma the only ones who would lead in place of Tsvangirai? Are they not shutting off others who would stand alone – not with them and not with Tsvangirai, depriving us of other viable choices by this evident coup?
Loveness is spot on, Biti never dared to criticize he wants every one else to tow his line. How do we know that the membership support his proposals. The only transparent way for members would have been thru their set rules in this case the congress which Biti and company didnt want to wait for and we begin to wonder why. Two people cant purport to suspend 10 people.
John Thomas let me remind you Biti has been working with Tsvangirai for the past 14 years and only now does he realise he is corrupt, and u claim u noticed in 2000 just doesnt add up. Those allegations are politicians just trying to discredit others by name calling. Biti is as guilty to all the charges they are laying against Tsvangirai.
How capable is Biti in bringing support to the MDC or sustaining support in the MDC or whatever faction he cares to lead? I would imagine it would be the same as Mnangagwa bringing to zanu ie negligible. Until Biti gets the living daylights beaten out of him and has some street cred he will be going nowhere.
Cathy you used to have balanced opinion but on this one you lost it. You seem to be swayed by the renewal agenda peddled by others in the white community without sticking to facts on the ground . Although Biti and company might have support from the donor community , their agenda isn’t appealing to ordinary party supporters. Why advocating for a coup but reluctant to contest for the post at congress? Is that the democracy you advocate for Cathy? For your own informtion, Biti didn’t just dare criticise but they executed a foiled coup. Get your facts in order and stop misleading us for you seem to underestimate our intelligence
Chirandu I tend to agree with though I don’t know who you are referring to when you say ‘our’ intelligence. I wonder why there is no mention of a coup in Cathy’s article?
Did this letter of Mangoma’s just come out of the blue or was there protracted discussions between these leaders before hand on this issue?
I respect Cathy’s opinions and I think mine should be respected also. I think Biti and Co. and misguided rebels who are craving for power more than Zanu-PF leadership. Biti and Co. were Tsvangirai’s strategists and now cry foul simply because they have donor money. Our intelligence is better than this Biti coup. Politics is a game of numbers and not intellectualizing issues on internet forums. Tsvangirai has the numerical advantage. Lets wait and see.
The first and most fundamental is that the Tsvangirai brand or clout is rooted in massive and popular grassroots support. The MDC leader has maintained his command of huge grassroots support that, l have no doubt, he beats any challenge by a wide margin, including Mugabe in a fair contest.That stronghold has remained Tsvangirai’s foundation such that when his rivals would do everything else through control of funds and administration structures, that bedrock for the MDC leader remained intact. To that end, the major undoing for both Ncube and Biti, as well as forces behind them, has been failure to create and offer a tangible alternative or challenge to Tsvangirai’s stronghold.Resultantly, the plotters would trick and dribble in the boardrooms, rock in the media and even entertain their audiences, but then find themselves without legs and steam to go and rock at the grassroots. Tsvangirai, as a trademark, would, upon realising danger, take onto the road, to ‘the people’ and, the rebels’ world start crumbling because, at the end, that is where the real game is played.A very fatal weakness of both camps of Ncube and Biti has remained the fixation with their clandestine boardroom and elitist schemes, leaving Tsvangirai’s base unchallenged. One recalls the pathetic numbers at meetings of Biti’s camp in the grassroots recently, which must have dissuaded them from persisting with their charade and probably even attempting moving out to officially form their own party.They are caught up in a dicey web of confusion and dithering about what exactly to do, move out to form another party or what else. Their posturing about still being in and claiming to have taken over is an act of self deception, which is already making them foolish before the people and shall haunt them all the way.In sharp contrast, Tsvangirai, just at the slightest effort, rocks venues with huge crowds as if ahead of a major election. That is the platform for the final battle and, once again, the Biti camp has already been trounced.Granted, just like Ncube’s time, the Biti camp shall, with the collaboration and manipulation of Zanu PF, buy more time by dragging the technical fights through legal and publicity dramas, but, unavoidably, the political war, in its essence, is already decidedly won by Tsvangirai.The Biti camp, certainly, can’t really move away from the air conditioned buildings and hotel rooms to meaningfully go to ‘the people’ yet that is Tsvangirai’s daily bread. I have said before, that the more the coup plotters just exist in largely contrived and manipulated media reports, the more they get trounced in the public arena.Like Ncube, the Biti camp shall certainly reap thorns when the time to go to the people comes. They will find Tsvangirai’s shadow eclipsing them and relegating them to a paper tiger.Lastly, Tsvangirai seems to have mastered the art of a witty fox, which remains calm and waits for the rival to rant and rave, huff and puff into exhaustion, before grabbing the right opportunity to strike and destroy, decidedly.That way, the Biti camp has been left to jump and dance, shout and cry, all the way to throwing a powerless punch. Then, Tsvangirai rises from his deceiving slumber to finish them off, and, in the arena of ‘the people’.To compound matters for them, the Biti camp have been exposing themselves for a bandwagon of deception, posturing and even self delusion they are – what with their naked farce of Saturday’s meeting made up of imposters and blatant deception. The same applies for the gradual coming out of worms to cloud their mission, such as tacit approval and support by Mugabe and Zanu PF.Time shall come, if not now, later on, when these factors and dynamics return to haunt the Biti camp where the real game of politics matters, within ‘the people’. And, these realities have simply helped Tsvangirai survive yet again, because, as Biti may be preparing to go with the money and other assets, his name and mission are strange things to ‘the people’ where the face of the struggle remains Tsvangirai.
Wow you have definitely got on the wrong website you are only allowed opinion if it supports the journalist – its called freedom of expression for journalists as they are the only ones in society allowed to give opinion – qualified in nothing.
Gondobwe I think people have to be able to have different opinions. I am as you know opposed to what these people done. I think it was downright sneeky. After the Mangoma debacle Biti pretended he was with MT. A sudden you turn again. A lot of people knew that all was not well between TB and MT but you don’t have to like someone to work with them. Apolitical said”Truth does hurt that’s why she doesn’t write it. All Biti achieved was to introduce the US dollar, it was beyond his comprehension to change back to the Zimbabwe dollar so he left it to the next government along with the financial mess – hardly an achievement a junior school student could have achieved more.” SNEEKY FELLOW THIS…SLITHERING IN BETWEEN COMMENTS..WAITING TO BITE.
its too early to judge but lets wait till the dust settles, although I wouldnt advise for leadership change at a crucial time as this.
interesting comments wen people dig the truth accept it and dont look at sides.
No matter what, the best Biti could have done was to call for an earl congress not to attempt a coup. Why are they afraid of a congress? That’s where the party supporters speak
Change is good especially when it benefits the people.
unfortunately MDC is so dismembered with now 4 parties how will they win the vote.
MT should consider the constitution they said we should accept and say PROUDLY “I was president of the Party for all these years, now I stand down and work from the inside and teach what i have learned in the last 14 years.
MDC still have the best chance of changing Government but need to reunite and look at the minifesto they presented us in ’98 2000, 2002 and 2008, lets face it in 2013 there was no plan.
Biti did a good job and for that i respect him however they should resepct eachother and instead of breaking up shouls find away to make the marriage work for the sake of zimbabwe.
Hello again Dr-do -little, mixed race, NBS and my other debating friends, I’m Back and looking forward to debating with you again.
we can solve the problems here on the internet but how do we find a leader or influence the population to see the light and to form a united stand.
We can talk of democracy but frankly, democracy is still an alien animal on our Continent.
To accuse Morgan of lacking in that regard is to be very mischievous indeed.
I would therefore suggest that Cathy changed her title to “Traitors that dared to destroy”.
ZANU has its hand written all over whats happening right now and to think these guys, Biti and Co are people with noble causes is to mislead.
How one goes about dealing with dissatisfaction in the general direction of leadership of a party has been explained already.
There are many things wrong with Morgan but the same could be said of leaders past and present.
What he has however, is love for our Country and its people, unlike ZANU.
A ZANU which is managing to make us take our eyes off the ball.
Truth hurts so Cathy chose not to tell it. She did not lie but chose her facts tactically. Chose to express her feelings than a political analysis. Why leadership change outside party congress? Our politics are based on numbers and who has numerical advantage over the other, Tsvangirai or Biti? Leadership change under normal socio-political arena is welcome but ours is more of a struggle than intellectual debate. This brings the question of political literacy levels in our country. The educational system fools us into believing that we are the most learned in the continent yet we still vote based on propaganda swaying than brand knowledge. We still believe in popularity than capability. For the umpteeth time i say most of our politicians believe in authority than accountability that goes with leadership.
The attempted coup’ detat in the MDC is nowhere near ‘renewal’ agenda in a normal democratic space.
As for the last national plebiscite, allow me to say we bungled together, i mean all opposition groupings by taking part in an election without spelt out reforms being carried out.
The Ivory Coast scenario comes to mind. The then president Gbagbo and opposition leader Outtara both misrepresented to regional bodies and the UN that the country could hold free and fair elections with the incubent pinning his hope on security support while Outtara had the civillian backing. As they say, the rest is history.
Back home we had hoped that our vote will deliver us from evil unknowing that Biti, Gono,Zanu, had secret arrangements.
Lest i forget, Cathy you lied.
@reader thank you my good debater however I have now scaled down involvement in this forum because I do not like rude comments without logical reasoning.I only respond if they have gone too far with misguided claims and counter claims.On this issue I suggest these people who make unsubstantiated comments to read the other website New Zimbabwe.com and follow the question and answer interview of Mr Sipepa Nkomo,then they will see the confusion which existed compounded by simple stupidity and lack of common sense and wisdom in the MDC-T leadership.None of these two groups qualify to lead the country,no wonder why the intelligent donors have refused to waste their money on these unionists and university student leaders playing a hide and seek game.If you go backwards four to five months ago you will notice that I predicted that it was a matter of time before the party breaks down and go bankrupt.Now they have gone further than my prediction,they are fighting over small items like furniture and laptops.This is stupidity beyond description.This forum has some day dreamers stationed somewhere in London and other places who have lost direct contact with our current system here so they make useless uninformed comments.This is why my friend @reader,I have lost interest in these debates.I believe in action thus why I deal with my local councilors and mps to ensure that they accept accountability for the decline in services or they bow down under pressure and resign to open way for the capable individuals.Today I sat on Zesa staff until they sorted out the fault which was affecting our suburb,in some cases I was helping them how to do it effectively which they did with great joy.Time for useless complaints is over we have to be involved to improve our country and forget about cheap politics.
@Mixed Race – It’s good you are one of those who doesn’t want to offend others, surprisingly you call people stupid and think you are smart!!!. An contribution to the forum should be constructively articulated to enlighten those who may be missing the point. However if we view our contributions as supreme and “the” contribution, then we are bound to be emotionally self-destructive as people do not see things from the same perspective. If you are true to your claims, then we should read calm in your contributions which is has to be balanced unless your agenda is to promote one political party.
Keep contributing, chiramwa will never in an way going to build this country. Whether you get criticised from right, left and centre keep fighting to help all around to appreciate the need to collectively take the country forward despite our political affiliations. This is one principle that is missing in our Zim politics. We can’t get along all because we belong to different parties and no-matter how good the ruling or opposition party brings on the table.
New Zim is a ZANUpf site, with its editor heavily subscribed.
@ Mixed race it is sad that you have toned down because some of us value your contribution. I also do not like rude comments but I would beg to differ with you on how some contributions are presented. I learn a lot by what others say here and what you say about contributions that have no value I would say that some do say things that they do not really believe. Is this wrong? No. They might seek enlightenment and if we agree with everything that all of us say there ends the debate. I for one hope I have never said anything to offend anyone personally and I apologize if I do but at the same time I know this forum can grow on you where you argue with someone who won’t acknowledge your contribution when the truth is clear to see. That again just makes the debate even better. At least my friend you have explained you absence because we might not know each other but I do care about others that have disappeared from this debate.
REMEMBER GUYS THE ZIMBABWE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IS A BIT MORE COMPLEX THAN YOU THINK. CATHY REPRESENTS PART OF THE COMPLEX WEB- THE WAY SHE TALKS SHE STANDS FOR THE WHITE FARMERS WHO EXPECTED TSVANGIRAI TO TALK OF REVERSING THE LAND ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY THE TRUTH IS THAT WHETHER YOU ARE WHITE OR ZANU PF OR MDC OR NDU ZIMBABWEANS NEEDED THEIR LAND AND THE CORRECTIONS MADE WERE OK. MAYBE WE MAY SAY THAT THE PERCEIVED MOTIVES, TIMING AND OTHER THINGS TENDED TO FAVOUR ZANU PF AT THE TIME. BITI IS SAID TO REPRESENT THE WHITE LANDOWNERS OF WHICH CATHY MUST BE A SYMPAHISER IF NOT AN INTERESTED MEMBER. LET IT BE KNOWN THAT WHOEVER TALKS OF REVERSING THE LAND ISSUE WILL LOSE…BITI KNOWS IT BUT AS A POLITICIAN HE IS SELLING ASSURANCE TO WHITE FARMERS WHO MAY FALL FOR HIS TEMPORARY TACTIC. AS A POLITICIAN BITI WILL LIE TO GET FUNDING ….AT LEAST INITIALLY. BUT HONESTLY, THE WHITES CANNOT GET BACK THOSE FARMS. HOWEVER THE ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IS ONE OF EQUALITY WHERE WHITES WHO ARE PROVEN CITIZENS MUST BE GIVEN LAND JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE…NO SENSELESSLY LARGE TRACTS AS BEFORE. I AM AN ADVOCATE OF RACIAL EQUALITY. CATHY MUST HAVE HAVE HER OWN PIECE OF LAND ….IF SHE IS A CITIZEN….OK? ALL PROVEN WHITE CITIZENS ARE ZIMBABWEANS LIKE ALL THE OTHER ZIMBOS….WITH FULL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS TO TREAT BLACKS AS EQUALS. THE MACHINATIONS AND PROMISES BEING MADE BY BITI ARE SERREALISTIC AND WILD DREAMS. MUGABE AND TSVANGIRAI KNOW THE SENSITIVITY OF THE LAND ISSUE. THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT TSVANGIRAI IS NOT PLAYING THE RACE CARD. WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL BITI MAKE THERE AND APPEALING TO WHICH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMPLEX WEB. WHITES MUST THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING THE WRONG MOVE. AS IT STANDS TSVANGIRAI SEEMS TO HOLD SWAY OVER BITI AND ALL. THE LOGIC IS THAT AFTER LOSING MANY ELECTIONS ZIMBOS WERE EXPECTING THAT UNITY AND FOCUS WOULD DO THE TRICK……BUT WHAT DO THEY GET……A DIVISIONIST AND TOTALLY SELFISH MOLE. WHY DID HE NOT WAIT FOR THE MDC CONGRESS. WHY THE HURRY AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL ZIMBOS WHO TRUSTED HIM. OF COURSE TSVANGIRAI LACKED HERE AND THERE, BUT WHY NOT WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO CHALLENGE HIM VIA FORMAL AND ACCEPTABLE CHANNELS. ITS A PITY FOR BITI AND UNFORTUNATE FOR MDC AND THE WHITES. HOWEVER IN ZIM POLITICS WE MUST BE FAIR AND TREAT ALL RACES AS EQUAL IN EVERYTHING TAKING INTO ACCOUNT FORMER AND CURRENT IMBALANCES. LOVE ONE ANOTHER GUYS …..DONT PLAY COVERT RACE CARDS!!
Johnson the government is already offering free land to investors. This trend will accelerate, look at Mozambique and Zambia. The land story is in no way over.
My word Mixed race you have gone full circle “this forum has some day dreamers stationed somewhere in London and other places who have lost direct contact with our current system here so they make useless uninformed comments.” Those day dreamers are Zimbabweans like you. You once said when youR children come from overseas? You actually have family in other countries. Are they not allowed to dream? Those station in London and other places have relatives in Zimbabwe who keep them informed. Just like you keep your children informed.
Ngoto Zimbwa that is the case with that site. I do read, to keep on my toes .You are 100% correct about who holds the ropes. Read these websites and comment if you want. Just don’t forget that Zanu is on the ropes.. BAYETE…
Am with you there, Jack the rabbit
It was the suggestion that we should use this site as a reference point for all things bona fide that got me going.
Congress..congress. It is most likely that Biti, Mangoma and others were fully aware that any MDC T congress would / will resoundingly confirm Tsvangirai as leader.
It is as good as trying to challenge Mugabe at a ZANU PF congress. The results are always a foregone conclusion, even though, as Wiki-leaks confirmed, many in the ZANU PF leadership think Mugabe should have stepped down long long ago.
So they tried other methods, perhaps mindful of how Makoni was pushed into treading air by launching a new party. Whatever their personal motives or agendas, they can always say they tried (like the Tekeres, Mataures and Nyarayebanis of ZANU PF’s yesteryear.)
Let Morgan have his party. “Some dey follow follow, dem close dem eyes. Some dey follow follow, dem close dem ear.” So sang Fela, may he RIP
Apologies to Lazarus Nzarayebani for the typo. Yes Mr Biti – some here will ask ‘Nzara – ye – who?”
Poor Zimbabwe. Poor future generations. We continue to let you down and mess up that legacy of a democratic, rich, highly literate, well governed country we could have been leaving for you. Milk and honey flow no more. Our leaders are at each other because they all want the comfort of the gravy train…….not the vision of a free and highly productive Zimbabwe. That’s now hardly on the agenda. Rather, it’s …….is it me or you after Mugabe!
@Hutu its not a full circle its a semi-circle because they cannot debate their country of origin fully being abroad using the information I give them because it will be second hand information which could be half correct due to what we call human repetition errors.Yes they can comment on issues they would have seen themselves during their stay here and they love to watch ZBC to update themselves with local news.When people comment they should have first hand facts not from a second person’s information which could be full of half truths.In realty most people tend to add extra words to an information given to them, thus distorting the original information.
There you go. We are debating.
Only Zanu will want to defranchise people that are not in the country for obvious reasons. I don’t think you are Zanu? Unless you are unaware the Herald is on the Internet. The Standard is on the Internet,even the Chronicle AND THE DAILY NEWS are on the Internet. Come on man we are not stupid. But even if you are Zanu THAT IS YOUR CHOICE and I respect it. But don’t tell people you don’t know that they are uninformed.
I like it. Race is saying he might have been telling us half truths and tending to add extra words to an information given to us by him thus distorting the original information. Love it…
When in 1980 Mugabe came to power we said he as a thug and thief and murderer. Those who knew him left as hard as it was . One doesn’t pay taxes to a band of thugs called zanupf . The opportunists stayed and those that supported him stayed. We all knew then the way of ex terrorist a band of people who used false promises to steal a country. They way is how they worked in the bush during the war – rape murder steal pillage and intimidate. They knew nothing about construction and good governance- how could they their powder came from the barrel of the gun. So now after 34 years of rape loot murder pillage and destruction the country is collapsing and everyone says OMG do something. We had 34 years. It is no surprise this is the near end result.
Cry Zimbabwe because we have failed. But we were told so long ago and never listened.
I presume that Cathy Buckle reads the feedback to her ”letters”? But she never responds to comments. Why? (I have sent direct questions to her email, with my address, but received no reply.) I said not long ago that I love her pictures of ordinary life in our Country. But her observations and knowledge of politics are dubious.
I was informed(by someone in government at that time)that Cathy Buckle used to be PRO-MUGABE back in the 70/80s. Then she changed her tune. Now it seems she is changing it again!
WHO ARE YOU CATHY BUCKLE? Here is my address: [deleted by admin]
Hi Angela…separate email sent with details. Out of respect and to protect you from future spam your email address in last message has been deleted. If you’d prefer it public then just repost.
After all that has been said here lets clear the air a bit and get down to facts:
Fact 1: Morgan promised to stand down from leadership if the MDC did not win the elections.
Fact 2: Morgan is still leader of the MDC
Fact 3: Any talk of replacing Morgan as leader is met with suspension, brutality and now dismissal from the MDC
Fact 4: Biti was part of the negotiations of the GNU and was a senior officer of the MDC and also allowed the MDC to go into an election where all the odds were heavily stacked against it
Fact 5: ZANUPF is enjoying the destruction of the MDC.
Fact 6: The MDC as was known before the election is no more and will never be the same again
Fact 7: Zimbabwe is in mortal danger of self-destruction and which mortal man can save her?
Fact 8: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It has always been so and will always be so untill the new world under Jesus Christ is ushered in.
I think Cathy stated her opinion , we should all remember that opinions are a persons perspective that is influenced by their beliefs. In much the same way die hard MT people are putting the blame for this current split on Zanu PF, the way Biti and co blame MT for losing the elections even if they were also complicit in it. In all this there is an element of truth, however truth is only what we want it to be not what is because no one in this political saga will ever see the whole truth without an amount of bias.
@Jack the rabbit- I do not comment on issues I hear from the streets talk until I am 100% sure after my detailed investigation eg I went to Mpilo Hospital after I heard stories about it to see for myself the current situation there.You can only do that if you are within the country and those who are outside the country do report on issues we do not see from here.Should I then call them names?I fear nobody because I write comments with facts,check what minister J Moyo wrote about the police recently when they stopped a World Media Day meeting,this is what I call progressive statement from an mp from Mat region,whether you accept it or not.LOOK AT ISSUES WITH OBJECTIVE MIND NOT TO CRITICISE A PERSON BECAUSE HE BELONGS TO A PARTY YOU DO NOT LIKE,THAT IS POLITICALLY WRONG.
I lost for words where I criticized you. And just to clear the air I don’t care what Party you support. In fact if it is Zanu the that’s fine with me I will still afford you the respect. As for the honourable Minister I did read the report and have my own views as like you I do know him. I just think you can only debate constructively when different views are shares and argued. If you try to force what you see as the truth down everybody’s throat and tell people they are uninformed that becomes a speech rather than a debate, which would mean the so called uninformed must keep quiet and listen.
Mixed Raced,
J Moyo was behind many of the laws the police are using today to oppress public expression of opinion.
The man just cannot be trusted.
And he is ZANU pf anyway.
Change the name “Zimbabwe”; everything will fall into place!!
@Jack the Rabbit with due respect to you.think you are not reading my comments properly because all I said that I do not like second hand information because in most cases it proves to be incorrect or a bit distorted.What is the problem with that? Does that mean that I have stopped somebody from debating using his/she distorted information?
@Ngoto Zimbwa-I fully agree with you but when an evil person shows signs of little reform we should encourage him and forget the past and move on.He is the only minister who has taken proactive move to deal with salargate saga at his ministry.Should we not reward him for this courageous move against all odds?
ps-forgive me for poor English I sent before checking due to power cut.
@Mixed race the air is clear. Maybe we did prod a little. It is only because I also think your comments are fruitful. We need to talk without having to always agree. Like you and Do little I also hate name calling and bad language on any forum.
@Jack the Rabbit-polite language is always very powerful compared to abusive words because it forces your opponent to listen to what you are trying to convey to him.
Just before the 2013 elections I had to bring my two friends who could not talk to each other because they belonged to different parties.I invited them individually to meet me at my home workshop without telling the other that I have done the same invitation to the other.When they both came I told them that I was an undecided voter who wanted to know what each party has to offer me if I voted for its candidate.I started with the guy from the ZANU-PF to explain to me the ZimAsset principle and how they intended to generate 2 million jobs within 5 years.He start his bl…. at the end I told him that I am not really convinced with his long explanation.
Then I asked the MDC-T guy to explain how they intend to improve the economy with their policies.He started his bl…. but at the end he was confusing the help the donors were pouring during the GNU period.
To cut the long story short I told both of them that they were confused and the just hate each other over trivial differences when the politicians drink tea together.I also told them that if these politicians really did not like each other they would exchange blows in parliament,like we see in other parliaments abroad.These guys still belong to different parties but they are now friends and they both help in all residential matters without cheap party politics involved.At least two people can now talk freely to one another happily.