Zanu PF’s days are numbered
By Tatenda Kunaka
If there is one thing that’s becoming increasingly clear each passing day-it is that Zanu (PF)’s days are numbered. Their time is up. The panic level is unbelievable and yes, the once invincible organization is slowly but surely easing out of power.
Events of the past few weeks have exposed a badly fractured organization that is teetering on the brink of collapse.
Never before has national and regional sentiment being so much against the erstwhile ruling party. Regional leaders are fed-up with Mugabe’s intransigence and the temperatures are rising within his own party.
Mr. Mugabe is slowly but surely losing the firm grip he once had on the party and indeed government. The party is in total disarray that it hasn’t come up with a formula for selecting primary election candidates with weeks to go to an election.
Forget all the posturing by the nutty professor Moyo.Things are not well in the party. To an extent that you have their partisan Chief Justice Chidyausiku declaring ‘due-by’ date for elections, a date that’s now clearly at odds with his party superiors.
There is no way the Concourt (or whatever it’s called) would have come up with that July 31st date without first ‘consulting’ with the securocrats behind the scenes.
And that very same judgment has put the goons in a corner, a very tight one in that other factions within the party have no appetite for an early election-they know defeat is coming come rain or sunshine.
Which betrays the level of factionalism that is now obtaining in the party? It’s no longer Mugabe only calling the shots but a few other players behind the scenes.
Whilst it is now an open secret that Zanu (PF) is bluffing about an early election (since the birth of the GNU)-considering the aforementioned reasons, it will be a disaster for the MDC camp to take their threats/declarations lightly.
The horse is badly injured and limping but it is at this moment that it’s very dangerous and ruthless too. It’s highly unpredictable and as evidenced by the unrepentant Moyo’s tone in the state media they are willing to fight the masses of Zimbabwe to the wire.
It is against this background that background that I wish to encourage PM Tsvangirai and the people of Zimbabwe to remain vigilant and focused for victory is at hand and we just need to keep eyes on the ball.
As our leader in fighting this tyranny, PM Tsvangirai should be clear and inspiring-unwavering in his communication to the people of Zimbabwe.
Premature calls for a boycott do not particularly help inspire the long suffering people currently participating in the voter registration exercise. That threat could have been reserved for that phone call to regional leaders. We cannot afford to go back to 2008.
The people have suffered enough and only a large voter turnout will erase those memories of 2008 and condemn Zanu (PF) to the history books where it belongs.
Kudos to the party of excellence for conducting an almost flawless primary election exercise. You do not need to have dined with ‘Baba Jukwa’ to tell which party is ready for elections now. It’s as clear as the difference between day and night.
The party needs to remain vigilant at this point and continue inspiring the young voters- especially 1st time voters to go out and register in their numbers. This will make rigging particularly difficult for the thugs currently running ZEC disguised as impartial officials.
Boycotting the election on the basis of a skewed media, biased and partisan security sector will be naïve and suicidal in my opinion. ZANU (PF) is waiting for this.
It has maintained its grip on these critical areas since the 2008 GPA talks and I do not see them willingly relenting and giving equal space to all parties within weeks to a watershed election. Let’s be realistic here.
Undoing an archaic system that’s been in place since 1980 will require more than regional pressure. It requires an election victory with a huge voter turnout!
They are not stupid and the longer the bickering over such reforms takes the better it serves them. They are in no hurry to have elections as I said earlier. Meanwhile, they will continue to loot at Chiadzwa and loot what else is left of our beloved Zimbabwe’s resources.
The long suffering people unfortunately do not have such a luxury-they continue to lose loved ones due to otherwise treatable ailments, they continue to struggle daily to put food on their tables.
The writer wishes to be clear in that he is all in support of media reforms, a non-partisan security sector that is subordinate to civilian leadership as is expected of any modern democracy. I am not underestimating this in any shape or form but we are dealing with goons here with a known track record.
This is the hand we have been dealt, let’s play it!
Moreso, the Zimbabwe population is mostly decided-we do not have undecided voters here sitting on the fence-who would benefit immensely from the MDC having equal space with Zanu (PF) in the State Media. We crossed that stage a few years ago.
People now know the lies about ‘sanctions’, about Britain and Western powers’ so –called interference in our internal affairs. Even threats of a coup orchestrated by the hardline generals after a Tsvangirai victory are a bit far-fetched the writer thinks. All eyes are on Zimbabwe this time and the region will not acquiesce to such a situation.
It is against this background that energies should be mainly directed towards a Grand Coalition and not risk splitting the vote this time.
A Tsvangirai-Dabengwa-Makoni alliance will bolster chances of a 1st round victory and even soften the junta’s stance towards Tsvangirai (Dabengwa is more senior than most if not all the military guys around and knows the security apparatus well).
Welshman Ncube can go back to the Law Faculty at UZ as he suffers from serious delusions of grandeur. He is not worth the effort.
After all is said-one thing remains clear-ZANU(PF)’s days are numbered-it is how PM Tsvangirai’s party will respond to its scare tactics that will determine if Zimbabwe will remain trapped in the 20th century or join the community of nations surging ahead into the future.
God Bless Zimbabwe!
Tatenda Kunaka, is a Zimbabwean student based in Dallas, Texas. He can be contacted on [email protected]
