The making of a Mugabe Dynasty

By David Mlambo

In recent years Robert Mugabe’s children have crept into the public domain, at political rallies and national events, led by matriarch Grace Mugabe, as if to enforce ageing Robert Mugabe’s virility.

This sudden involvement into public life from a sheltered, privileged childhood, could be interpreted as birth of a Mugabe dynasty, clearly none have plans to live privately as citizens after demise of Robert Mugabe.

The introduction of Grace Mugabe into Zanu and Zimbabwean politics is not a coincidence but a greater strategy by the first family to launch a Zimbabwean political dynasty whose structures have already been set. The Mugabe family has alliances strategically placed operating incognito within corridors of influence.

This is a Robert Mugabe political architecture that began soon after independence closely resemble North Korean’s Kim Dynasty, security sector (Police, Military, Intelligence) a state ran on mafia principles.

The CIO, a state organisation has become a ruthless tool used to establish and maintain a status quo, answerable only to Robert Mugabe, known as the “President’s Office”. This is a serious hijack by Robert Mugabe of a state institution that should operate at national level, advancing and securing national interests as its key mandate, 

Robert Mugabe has become the centre of power in Zimbabwe by organising state institutions (Media, Police, Military, Intelligence), the Judiciary and Parliament as defacto entities of ZANU, the line dividing political party and state institutions is non existent and ignored for too long.

To understand  the dynasty and its strength we have to understand its formation and events that characterised the formative years of Robert Mugabe with emphasis on his prison years, there he began organising a political party with a military front instilling principles of strict discipline, fear and intimidation, turning the party into a ruthless organisation of Robert Mugabe loyalists unleashing extreme brutality on fellow members of varied opinions who question the leadership.

Mugabe assumed leadership of ZANU in what can only be described as a coup, details have been hidden from Zimbabweans and history was rewritten to cover this unpleasant fact of ZANU history.

However, like a true revolutionary he ruthlessly, steadfastly articulated a revolution that ushered Zimbabwe independence by winning a war, then an election, attaining power is a skill not to be underestimated. The greatest deception ever played on colonial Africans was European education equate to intelligence, and those who acquired university education have a right to prescribe policy, often European policy according to an individual’s interpretation.

It is a well known fact while in prison through frustrations of the struggle other Zimbabwe revolutionaries would often argue, disagree, fight among themselves, at times quit to form optional political parties, all within the prison walls (though non would ever materialise beyond the prison walls) it’s known those leading these new formations would always include Robert Mugabe as party secretary of those formations in prison.

After being freed from prison, escaping into diaspora Robert Mugabe surrounded himself with loyalists from prison years whose strength and weakness he understood. These would remain by his side into current Zimbabwe. These men have been awarded key roles in state institutions.

Working for the Zimbabwe intelligence CIO has become the most rewarding career in the country providing a steady income unquestionably ridiculous benefits that include residential stand allocations, farm allocations, opportunities to purchase government property such as vehicles at knockdown prices but above all a president’s office ID card that is a law unto itself.

Removing MUGABE dynasty

The government of Zimbabwe has become bent on deliberately, repeatedly, illegally sanctioning the state to mug its own citizens. The numerous police roadblocks, the high road toll fares on all major roads, rampant misuse of public funds by government.

Few arrogant examples of this government’s unashamedly theft of public funds are; medical treated abroad for all senior serving and retired officials, the PSMAS a public sector health fund director Cuthbert Dube who paid himself a monthly salary of US$250 000 and his PA earning US$30 000 monthly salary, multiple allocations of farms, state resources, the list is endless, Zimbabwean justice system has failed to bring all those involved to justice, maybe itself a victim of infiltration by Robert Mugabe corrupt leadership, to deliberately not prosecute cases relating to those in high office.

Zimbabwe is currently rated in top 5 most corrupt countries in the world, its worth taking note none of Mugabe’s former/current service ministers and public sector executives has ever been fired, prosecuted for crimes relating to corruption, on few occasions these men of power with mostly over 30years experience in public office have ever lost their jobs was due to political manoeuvring, or when they undermine Mugabe’s rule.

What needs is new breed of politicians who value constructive criticism and willingness to lead a revolution in Zimbabwean politics.

The country is ripe for a revolution and crying out for organised rave revolutionaries.

Like all revolutions, external support and external base is required to be a success, working for political change within the confines of Zimbabwe is not an option, due to constant frustrations and threats form the establishment. 

Zanu PF is all too familiar and experienced at launching a revolution,the Rhodesian government of Ian Smith as is Robert Mugabe’s government is a formidable force that has state institutions at its disposal, it’s impossible to fight and pressure them successfully to handover power within the confines of Zimbabwe.

The revolution that will see Mugabe and ZANU unseated will have to strategically operate away from Zimbabwe with meaningful international organised diplomatic links. Zimbabwe’s diaspora community is the key, has been a constant thorn for Zanu government, Mugabe and ZANU know too well if there is to be meaningful opposition it will be from the diaspora community, they outlawed dual citizenship to to help thwart this threat.

Organised diasporas conscious of a revolution need to organise the unconscious within Zimbabwe to become conscious while building solid organisations to front political, economic revolution based on transparency and rule of law before launching a revolution to unseat Robert Mugabe, a dynasty in the making. If there is ever going to be a positive change in Zimbabwean politics it will come from the diaspora.

David Mlambo can be reached on: [email protected]