Chiwenga speaks on ‘Bhora Musango’
Speaking on the first day of a healing and reconciliation workshop in Harare, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, urged peace and unity among the 8 000 party candidates who contested in the disputed primary elections.
He also pleaded with party structures not to throw away the baby with the bath water; saying doing so would open the door for an opposition victory.
The two-day workshop, which continues at Zanu PF headquarters today, is being held against the backdrop of fears within the party of the reincarnation of the “bhora musango” phenomenon fomented by losing candidates.
As if to confirm these fears, a host of the losing candidates did not attend the first day of the workshop.
“Dumping your children into a cave because hunger has struck will not end your struggle, if anything it will amplify them. It’s a bad spirit that should be done away with),” Chiwenga said.
He was quick to describe the chaotic Zanu PF primary elections as a “learning curve” emblematic of the baby steps of a fledgling new dispensation.
“I would like to bring to your attention the fact that it was the first time that the party has committed itself to such an important and demanding exercise which was aimed at achieving the following major issues. a) To select candidates from a cross-section of the society ranging from youths, war veterans, ex-detainees among other such that all members of the party are represented in all electoral categories. b) To enhance democracy within the party by having as many candidates as possible participating in the process,” he said, before pleading for tolerance from losing candidates.
“From the onset, we knew the whole process was going to be a mammoth task considering that this was the first time we had embarked on such a process. However, the commissariat department did its best under the circumstances to ensure that the process was a success,” he said.
He urged free, fair, credible and nonviolent elections which should be an example to other African countries that Zimbabwe has come of age.
“Fighting and violence will not help us. We were doing that when we were heading cattle as young boys. But now we are grown up. So let us all remember that famous slogan by our late vice president, ‘peace begins with me, peace begins with you, peace begins with all of us,” said Chiwenga.
In its literal translation, bhora musango, means to “kick the ball into the bushes, instead of scoring into the net”.
It refers to a campaign strategy adopted in the March 2008 elections by Zanu PF members who were fed up with former president Robert Mugabe’s continued rule.
In that election, some of the party officials and supporters conspired to vote against Mugabe while still giving their support to Zanu PF prospective Members of Parliament and councillors.
The campaign was allegedly masterminded by former vice president Joice Mujuru’s husband, Solomon, a retired army general who died under mysterious circumstances in September 2011.
The campaign resulted in Mugabe’s defeat to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential elections.
Mugabe was, however, able to recover from the loss by “winning” a second round of elections that Tsvangirai boycotted due to widespread violence targeting MDC members. DailyNews
