via ‘Mujuru blueprint may provide answers’ – DailyNews Live 15 September 2015
HARARE – Analysts have hailed former vice president Joice Mujuru’s Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage Development (Build) manifesto as a pro-poor policy document that may provide answers to the many socio-economic challenges that the is country facing.
Mining activist Farai Maguwu said Mujuru is standing where MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in 1999 with millions of disgruntled voters (both from Zanu PF and the opposition) at her disposal.
“The unfortunate death of her husband and the unfair treatment she received from Mugabe and his wife are sufficient enough to give Joice a sympathy vote, come 2018.
“However, the major question Zimbabweans home and away will want clarified is how the Mujuru outfit is different from Zanu PF.”
Mujuru’s husband Solomon, whose nom de guerre was Rex Nhongo, died in an inferno in 2011 and his family, says he was murdered by his political opponents.
Maguwu said excerpts from Mujuru’s economic revival blueprint show the document was well thought-out and now she must touch base with the grassroots and also shake off the dreaded State secret police who will obviously put her under the radar.
“Does she have a strategy to deal with Zanu PF violence and electoral fraud, which has been Morgan’s Achilles heel?”
On his part Tsvangirai says he will not take part in any future elections before the requisite electoral reforms are implemented.
And Maguwu said the former vice president should seriously consider working with Tsvangirai with whom she bonded well during the government of national unity era between 2009 and 2013.
“Mujuru working with Morgan will certainly strengthen her chances, but will Morgan lay down his personal ambition of becoming president and submit to Joice?”
Political commentator McDonald Lewanika said it is well and good that Mujuru has come out with a plan, as it will allow people to appreciate her ideas.
“This is just step one, in this year of ‘lessons’ blueprints with nice sounding acronyms are a dime to a dozen, the real test for Mujuru and People First will be whether they are able to develop a movement on the ground that believes in their ideas enough to risk life and limb in a fight against a Mugabe, whose brutality when dealing with opponents is not a matter for conjecture as Mujuru herself can attest.”
Lewanika said the country’s political contests are not just won on good ideas; they are won also on political organisation and the ability of the opposition to not just expose but counter Zanu PF’s electoral chicanery.
“At this stage, I think talk of mergers is premature, the Mujuru team has to build a real base on the ground, which becomes the basis on which they engage and or merge with others — so far we have Mujuru, a decent manifesto and a few henchmen, who, granted, are talented rubble rousers but whose ability to build a formidable political movement is yet to be tested at a national level.”
Some of Mujuru’s allies include former State security minister Didymus Mutasa, war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda and former Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo.
And Lewanika admitted that the “best chances of defeating Zanu PF will be as a united front, but let this be a united front of political forces with supporters on the ground not just leaders who may or may not have followers”.
Misa-Zimbabwe director Nhlanhla Ngwenya said Mujuru’s recognition of the need to liberate and democratise the media space as spelt in BUILD is encouraging.
“I hope that this is not only an attempt to placate the media but an expression of serious intent in addressing what has been corroding Zimbabweans’ right to freedom of expression and access to information as well as plaguing the media sector.
“We therefore await detailed policy positions on these matters, which we will juxtapose against all parties documents to see who, of all political actors, best cherishes freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom,” said Ngwenya.
Centre for Communinty Develop in Zimbabwe (CCDZ) director Phillip Pasirayi said BUILD was pro-poor. “Cluster 5 titled ‘Social’ is all about addressing the all-important livelihoods question and making sure that the majority poor have access to basic social services such as food, water and healthcare.
“Instead of empty slogans and the rhetoric of sovereignty that we have been fed all these years by Zanu PF we now need a new politics that is policy, developmental and programmatic based,” said Pasirayi.
He urged Mujuru and Tsvangirai to find common ground and form a coalition.
“They should agree on a formula to work together for purposes of dismantling the Zanu PF hegemony. They both have grassroots support and in addition Mujuru has struggle credentials and a track record of public service.”
Former MDC legislator Elliot Pfembve said all evidence is pointing to a coalition between Tsvangirai and Mujuru.
“I will be very surprised if it will not be the case from what I now know.”
COMMENTS
She has to try harder!
Her grade right now is not even a U+. She might have been popular within the Zanu beauty contests but when it came to matters of State she did not achieve anything as minister and as vice president. Neither did Zanu as a party. Except, to accumulate. She has been on a roller coaster since independence and to fail in anything one has to try to do something and she did not try anything at all. She has been a passenger on this train of madness. Even as a comatose driver when the dear leader was on his never ending trips abroad she couldn’t think for herself. She has given a half-hearted apology for the chaos and madness the country has gone through during the past 35 years. One sentence. Less than two years ago when the honey was still flowing she declared, and I am paraphrasing, ‘Mugabe was anointed by God and anyone who is thinking of taking power from him is mad. Mugabe was send by God and so I would not think of taking over while he is still alive’. She definitely has got to try harder.
Her apology has got to be a full page instead of a one liner. In it she could include among other things who was organising the violence against unarmed civilians. The fate of those who disappeared including the man in the current news, Itai Dzamara. We know she had already been shown the door at the time of his disappearance but Zanu has always had the same modus operandi. Some will say, typical criminals! And the rigging of the elections? Surely she couldn’t have been in coma as well? She has now declared she won’t take up her pensions which she is entitled to as a former vice president and this has hoodwinked some writers and commentators. They say, she has turned to a new page but I want pages of explanation. How many farms has she got? Zanu constitution says, ‘one man one farm’. Overall, what are her assets and how much is she worth and how did she accumulate it while she was busy running the affairs of the State? And she is registered as seriously disabled since the end of the war, we are told. After her husband’s mysterious death she was refused an independent autopsy on his remains. She was the vice president. What hope for us mere mortals? No doubt she can do better and should have done better.
The MDC say they are a big tent and will accommodate anyone willing to fight for a just cause. There are few reasons to accommodate this toxic woman but please don’t divulge family secrets until she is completely clean. There are some who are wondering whether Tsvangirai, the so called dim wit, will accept to play second fiddle to her. What’s wrong with us? Someone steps on your toes and you are expected to apologise? What next? Ask Tsvangirai to apologise to the nation on her behalf? MDC should keep her at arm’s length and never ever hug her. She is covered all over with blood. Her own, from a bloody nose from Zanu and the nation’s state executed and the disappeared. Besides, given her record it won’t surprise anyone if she runs back to ‘mummy’, Mugabe, if she feels she has been forgiven. The bottom line is she can’t run a tuck shop, let alone a country like Zimbabwe. If this is our last hope, the whole nation needs a thorough head examination. What price appeasement? Some clever clog actually believes she can ‘provide answers’. God help us! Still, she got to try harder!
Simon M Tozvireva.