via Muckracker: Ideological fossils can’t be re-invented – The Zimbabwe Independent September 18, 2015
Zanu PF has dismissed Joice Mujuru’s economic manifesto, called BUILD, because it dwells on foreign best practice we are told.
MUCKRACKER
Isn’t this absolutely typical of the ruling party? They reject a programme that is exactly what the country needs in terms of growth and governance.
Instead for guidance, they look to the ideological fossils at UZ. These have been taken off the shelf, dusted down and reinvented as something new.
They are at best the failed shibboleths of yesteryear which no intelligent commentator will accept as fit for purpose.
Hogwash
No serious academic is going to take them seriously. Where did UZ find Charity Manyeruke and Godwine Mureriwa? Can you imagine them teaching at a first-class university.
But then again we must remember this is the same institution that awarded a doctorate to First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Zimbabwe is slowly but surely sinking into an academic morass. When Zanu PF adopts your opinions you know something is seriously wrong. When the state media tells you ZanuPF has scoffed at your manifesto, you must be doing something right!
“Best practice” they say in their inner conclave as they brush it aside. They have the same problem with the constitution. They don’t like it and don’t want it. But they find it expedient to nod in that direction.
Imaginary?
“True there are a lot of Zanu PF members who are not happy there because they are continuously intimidated, harassed, humiliated and being called names like Gamatox … We are getting calls everyday from senior Zanu PF officials, who are pleading with us to form a party.”
NewsDay reported on Monday that People First spokesperson Rugare Gumbo had said Zanu PF chefs were ready to jump ship. It appears Gumbo is confident there are more politicians still pretending to be on President Robert Mugabe’s side when in fact they are clamouring for his demise.
“True, there are a lot of Zanu PF members who are not happy there because they are continuously intimidated, harassed, humiliated and being called names like Gamatox,” Gumbo said, adding: “We are interested in working with them and with people who will assist us end poverty, and provide service delivery and mend the economy in a voluntary organisation like People First … We are getting calls everyday from senior Zanu PF officials, who are pleading with us to form a party. They are saying they want to join us; they are pushing us to get the party up and running because they want to join.”
Doesn’t this remind you of 2008 when Simba Makoni left Zanu PF to form Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn?
With Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa, they made us believe their project would see many ruling party stalwarts joining them ahead of the general elections in an endeavour to dislodge Zanu PF from power through the ballot.
That didn’t happen, even rumours that General Solomon Mujuru was behind the project remained imaginary since he didn’t openly declare his allegiance to them.
Come out
We are faced with the same problem whereby the electorate is left to guess as to whether it’s really true that former vice-president Joice Mujuru and her colleagues have other partners who are still dining with the “devil”.
Muckraker strongly believes it is imperative that the real Gamatox politicians should come out and fight Mugabe’s dictatorship head on.
If they know what they are doing is derailing Zimbabwe’s socio-economic fortunes, why can’t they proclaim it in public instead of keeping on looting while they are on Zanu PF’s gravy train? Aren’t the so-called chefs opportunists bent on looting state resources, thus can’t live outside Zanu PF for self-benefit?
Will the same politicians cross the floor if the People First project fails to materialise?
Such politicians are fake and deceitful — they’d rather sink with Zanu PF than pretend to be on the side of the masses. If they are truthful why can’t they ensure a government which presides over company closures and job losses does not pass legislation that promotes slavery and poverty passes in parliament?
It’s saddening they still hero-worship Mugabe even if they know he is the first and only obstacle to national development. Only if People First is telling us they are destroying the ruling regime from within.
Smiling
Meanwhile, Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo twitted last week that people had not forgotten that Mujuru had gratuitously insulted late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo by calling him senile.
And in response to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s interview with New African magazine, Moyo had earlier opposed Mnangagwa’s sentiment (which sparked national uproar) that Nkomo was a liberation war sellout.
It seems Moyo is publicly attacking both Mujuru and Mnangagwa at once, leaving us with a feeling there could be blood on the floor with Mnangagwa. While Mnangagwa misfires, Moyo must be smiling all the way home.
Insensitive
The Herald reported that more than 3 700 families were left homeless after their houses were razed at Caledonia farm last week.
The farm is reportedly owned by Agriculture minister Paddy Zhanda and one Rina Loonie Du Toit. Could this war against the ordinary people be a return of Operation Murambatsvina which left thousands homeless in 2005, prompting UN representative Anna Tibaijuka to label it a gross violation of human rights?
Why should residents be allocated land and left to erect houses which in turn get destroyed? If any land is not meant for residential housing, why should government let the process begin and only react afterwards? That shows there are a lot of loopholes in government.
After all, some of the stands are only allocated during political campaigns, so whose problem is it? Maybe its the only way Zanu PF supporters realise the party is not concerned about their welfare.
By the way what happened to Operation Garikai/Hlahlani Kuhle? Who was responsible for those bamboozled folk while the police told them to go back to where they came from?
Sounds like apartheid.
Wrong parly speech: Alarm bells ring for Mugabe to quit
Give Mugabe an MDC-T speech and he will read it confidently to the last paragraph without noticing it was prepared for the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
He proved that on Tuesday when he read the state of the nation address at the opening of parliament, which he first delivered last month.
MDC Renewal spokesperson Jacob Mafume, reportedly poked fun at Mugabe saying probably he had forgotten that he had done other cabinet reshuffles before the latest one last week. Muckraker wonders if this could be a result of old age or something worse than that. Without bills mentioned in the report, why would Mugabe fail to realise he was losing the plot.
Has the entrance of People First created such jitters to an extent of rendering Mugabe confused. Can such a President be trusted to lead Zimbabwe? Didn’t he also say pasi neZanu PF (down with Zanu PF) at his party’s December 2014 congress? What a pity!
COMMENTS
“… Jonathan Moyo twitted last week that people had not forgotten that Mujuru had gratuitously insulted late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo by calling him senile.”
In the same vein, Jonathan Moyo, should also have reminded his admirers that “even Mugabe & his true admirers have also not forgotten that Moyo, himself, had gratuitously insulted President Mugabe by calling him worse than a donkey.”
I wonder what is better, a senile 90 year old or one who is worse than a donkey?
Having watched Zim politics for the better part of 30 years I have often wondered what would happen to Zanupf members when the time for change came. Would they merely swap sides to again be on the winning team or would they remain true to Zanupf? In light of current events I fear the former. Does this not show their ideological bankruptcy and the politics of self interest?
Why do Zimbabweans think that the very people who have caused or have been willing participants in the collapse of Zimbabwe (Mujuru et al) will be able to rescue Zimbabwe? These people have been part of the problem surely they cannot be the solution or like Paul on the road to Damascus have they seen the light. The difference being in Paul there was a radical change in his life from being the persecutor to the persecuted. Even still believers initially distrusted Paul until they saw the validity of his conversion.
In my humble opinion it is time for all the old guard to be confined to the dustbin of history where they should meditate on what might have been! At the same time however, there should be some accountability and accounting for their misdeeds with confiscation of their ill gotten gains. This includes all the corrupt hangers on, whoever and wherever they maybe, who have benefitted from their association with Mugabe and Zanupf.
I think it is time for a radical change with a new team of leaders who have the moral and ethical courage to put Zimbabwe first and their own interests last. I am not naive enough to believe that this is achievable as it seems politics these days, not only in Zimbabwe, is all about self interest and being the one in charge!
Would they merely swap sides to again be on the winning team or would they remain true to Zanu pf? Then again if only the president was left in the old party would the new party with new members (old ZANU PF) Be called NEW ZANU PF OR have a NEW name like PEOPLE FIRST or (PF) ie leaving the ZANU part behind The mind boggles at the stupidity!!!