By Sibusiso Dlodlo
This article is a synoptical analogy of ZAPU as a new entrant into the political fray in Zimbabwe. On the one hand, the revival of ZAPU is a welcome development as it gives the people of Zimbabwe a range of political parties to support and sympathise with in our quest to achieve multi-party democracy.
On the other hand, the revival of ZAPU is as ill-fated as it is inconsequential. It is a desperate attempt by a few individuals that seek to revive their dead political fortunes.
For starters, ZAPU wants to pretend it is a popular political party that has the overwhelming support of the people of Matabeleland. Save for Dumiso Dabengwa and Methuseli Moyo, the president and the spokesperson respectively, one cannot identify any other serious comrades in the ZAPU gravy train.
It appears ZAPU is a personal project for Dabengwa and his hangers-on. They seem to regard in high esteem the principle of megaphone politics that seeks to hoodwink the public that they are acting on behalf of the masses yet they have no electoral mandate whatever.
The party has shown that it is not as progressive as it wants to portray itself to the general public. We have it on good authority that the Dabengwa-led executive cowed people into voting them into power during their elective congress in August this year by scuttling any form of opposition before and during the congress.
For some of us that was to be expected from people like Dabengwa and Thenjiwe Lesabe who spent the greater part of their post-independence political careers in ZANU-PF, a party renowned for its dirty tricks and callousness. It is therefore not surprising to hear that disgruntled elements in the revived ZAPU are pushing for a special congress early next year. We will keep watching from the sidelines.
ZAPU is in serious need of leadership renewal. Dabengwa is no stranger to politics being the war veteran that he is. But I am of the strong opinion that Dabengwa is past his prime and is more of a liability to the party than anything else. The man is old and tired and will offer nothing to brand ZAPU as a modern party that appeals to the young and old alike. No wonder ZAPU congregations appear as if they are a network of old people short of past time activities.
Their gatherings are like a forum for old people interested in sharing ancient folklore. What we have in ZAPU is a group of angry people who have a tribal agenda and are driven by anger and vengeance. I submit that there is no development under the sun that a bunch of emotional people, equally led by a frustrated leadership, will ever bring to the people of Matabeleland.
The strategy that ZAPU wants to employ of capitalising on the frustrations of the people of Matabeleland will not yield any significant results. MDC-M is a classic example of a party that got a rude awakening when they thought Ndebele votes were all but theirs during the 2008 general elections.
A tribal agenda, worse still of a minority, will not steer development. Let people be aware of the real nature of ZAPU, that it is a small retrogressive clique of angry reactionaries who will never test the echelons of power.
Sibusiso Dlodlo is a political commentator based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted on [email protected].
This article was originally published in the Zimbabwe Standard.
