Theresa Makone and the Chadzimira delusion

Opinion — By on September 25, 2010 12:56 am

By Dewa Mavhinga

Last Wednesday marked the second anniversary of the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) by the three main political parties on 15 September 2008. In the wake of a massive social, economic and political crisis triggered by an extremely violent presidential runoff election whose outcome was rejected many within and outside Zimbabwe, the three principals, set down to craft the GPA with SADC’s assistance.

As they signed the GPA, the principals expressed a determination, as noted in the GPA preamble, ‘to build a society free of violence, fear, intimidation, hatred, patronage, corruption and founded on justice, fairness, openness, transparency, dignity and equality.’

They further declared and agreed to work together to create a genuine, viable, permanent, sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the Zimbabwe situation and to chart a new political direction for the country. After two years of the GPA the question that remains to be answered is: Has the implementation of the GPA achieved these stated objectives?

Reflecting on the GPA brings to mind a phenomenon known in Shona as ‘kubatwa neChadzimira.’ This occurs when travelers through a bush lose their bearings and all sense of direction but remain convinced that they have the correct bearings and sense of direction.

Often, as a result of this disorientation, people travel in circles, without realizing this, until they come to the point where they began their journey. Those who believe that the immense progress has been made in implementing the GPA maybe suffering from such or similar delusions.

Theresa Makone

MDC Co-minister of Home Affairs, Mrs Theresa Makone maybe under the Chadzimira delusion when she pronounces, as she did recently, that Zimbabwe’s police force has turned over a new leaf. Evidence on the ground strongly suggests that key sections of the police force remain highly politicized and partisan.

Clear confirmation that the leopard will not change its spots come from recent comments by senior ZANU-PF official and government minister Didymus Mutasa who has allegedly vowed that Tsvangirai will never be President of Zimbabwe even if he defeats ZANU-PF at the polls.

The GPA dispensation is credited with restoring some stability in the economy, bringing inflation down from quintillions to single digits levels, and putting food back on the tables of ordinary Zimbabweans. Schools and hospitals have re-opened and there is a sense of hope that Zimbabwe may now be on a firm path to recovery.

But the bigger challenge that the three principals face is how to build public confidence that these small gains will last. This point is critical especially considering that the same ZANU-PF that held the reins of power during the birth of the crisis continues to wield pretty much the same powers under the GPA dispensation.

The capacity of those that control the election violence machinery to unleash violence on the scale witnessed in 2008 has not diminished. Our security sector remains pretty much what is was in 2008, with pretty much the same capacity and determination to block democracy.

A key benchmark on the success of the GPA would be in designing a mechanism to address the security sector factor. Without this mechanism, there is no guarantee that the outcome of a fresh election will be respected leading to a transfer of power to whoever would have won elections under free and fair conditions.

Where the security sector poses a significant risk to democratic processes, external intervention is crucial. And SADC, as the guarantor of the GPA, can play the role of facilitating a democratic poll in Zimbabwe. The United Nations has carried out similar missions in Cambodia and East Timor.

If the GPA cannot create a environment free of violence, where there is certainty of hope, then it has failed to meet its objectives. If the GPA cannot facilitate reforms that enable a peaceful transfer of power to whomsoever wins a democratic election, then again, it has failed dismally.

If communities are still gripped with a fear of their own security forces, and cannot freely associate, then again the GPA implementation would have been in vain. If events surrounding the constitutional outreach exercise is anything to go by, then violence is already rearing its ugly head again. We all want to have hope, but reality check cautions us not to be naïve.

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