Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold

via Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold | The Zimbabwean 27 August 2014 by Vince Musewe

I am told that when Eskimos hunt, they get a long knife with a sharp edge on both sides. They then drench the knife in animal blood and freeze it. They repeat this until the knife has a thick layer of frozen blood. They then leave the knife in the snow facing upwards and wait.

Soon the beast smells the blood and starts licking it off the knife. Slowly as it licks the frozen blood it starts to get warmer and more delicious. The beast feasts itself unaware that it is now cutting its own tongue and feasting on its own warm blood. Soon it collapses and dies.

This is an apt description of what is happening in Zimbabwe as the chickens are coming home to roost for Zanu (PF). It has been 34 years of utter incompetence and intrigue as the economy collapses and millions of us become poorer each day.

We now hear of endless meetings at State House as factions try to get an audience with Mugabe and convince him that they are not the one who wants to replace him – such cowards. Zimbabwe’s sangomas are also doing brisk business as aspiring politicians visit them in the dead of night to try and secure their political future. Witchcraft, plotting and endless back stabbing are now the norm.

The rise of Grace Mugabe should worry all of us. I really wonder how ZANU (PF) members think and what basis they can appoint Grace Mugabe to lead them. Added to that, some provinces are already endorsing Mugabe for the Presidency in 2018. He will be 94. A Mugabe political dynasty is in the making.

In the meantime, nobody is paying attention to the pressing socio-economic conditions. They have no solution and can only comment and hope that things better.

Our main worry is the Chinese bail out – which of course will be at our disadvantage. The Chinese are not stupid. We hear of a USD4 billion bailout loan secured by mining assets. That will only postpone the inevitable and I doubt whether those funds will be used productively at all.

The MDC-T has offered an olive branch to those who left the party. That’s interesting – but it must be on the basis of leadership renewal within the MDC-T and the establishment of inclusive structures so that all can play a part. Unfortunately, politics has never been about the competent getting into leadership but more about scheming and intrigue. Anyway, I am glad MDC-T has come out clear that they will never participate in an election until we see reforms and constitutionalism. That is what all opposition parties should agree on otherwise we will have another sham election in 2018.

My advice to MDC-T is: create new participative structures that are inclusive to all. Shun this issue of hierarchical positions and also expand the presidential team so that no one man makes decisions. The issue of personal ambition will always be a problem that needs to be addressed. This can only be done through new innovative structuring otherwise we will get the same results.

We should expect no help from the SADC where Mugabe is now the chair. Africans have failed dismally to extricate themselves from dictatorships and liberation struggle mentality. Poor South Africans are now going through exactly what happened in Zimbabwe and yet they seem oblivious to the reality that liberation struggle political parties are cut from the same cloth! History is repeating itself.

I plead with Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to become more politically active. Dictatorships must be confronted with numbers, not logic. Let us no longer spend time analysing or complaining, it’s time for action!

Let us not for one minute imagine that Zanu (PF) will negotiate with anyone. In fact they have threatened to use the army to quell peaceful protests. Our brothers and sisters in the army will be used to protect a dictatorship and yet they too are suffering. I pray that they refuse to kill their brothers and sisters to protect a rogue regime the cares little for its citizens.

I have no doubt that we are seeing the beginning of the end of Zanu (PF) domination in our politics. It will be a happy day when we see new leaders and a new vision for our beloved country that is endowed with so much.

Zimbabwe belongs to all of us black or white! – Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com