Prof Moyo fast losing political flavour

By George Makoni

The fly by night ZANU PF spin doctor Prof Jonathan Moyo is fast losing his political flavour in the current political dispensation due to many blunders inter alia, double standards and creation of too many enemies around him from 2000 and its aftermath.

Prof Moyo was wooed into joining ZANU PF after a job well done to protecting the ZANU PF position in the proposed constitution which was subsequently rejected in the February 2000 referendum.

His efforts in achieving the mentioned task landed him the position of Information and Publicity Minister and the deputy information secretary of ZANU PF. He also became a politburo and central committee member, which are both powerful decision making bodies in the party.

This was a platform to rubbish the then main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). At the slightest of chances he described it as a ‘British sponsored party with an American orientation, bent on reversing the gains of the liberation struggle’.

He pushed through draconian pieces of legislations which are still a thorn in the flesh of democracy starved Zimbabweans.

These include Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and Access to Information Protection and Privacy Act (AIPPA) which both take away fundamental freedoms of association and expression. The Media and Information Commission was also a creation of this politically evil scheme.

The MIC, then chaired by Dr Tafataona Mahoso, a diehard ZANU PF zealot, banned the Daily News for the reason that it was not registered and in connivance with the judiciary, also largely under the tutelage of ZANU PF, refused to grant  the paper a license.

All state media channels increased the pro-ZANU PF rhetoric and mantra directed at all dissenting voices. This is the time when jingles became prominent and they generally praised President Mugabe and his ZANU PF party. At this time the 75% local content was introduced on all radio stations and ZTV. Songs which vilified the opposing voices obtained more time for the sole purpose of churning out propaganda in favour of ZANU PF.

After such a ‘splendid’ job, he allegedly spearheaded the Tsholotsho Declaration whose overall goal was to dethrone President Mugabe. He had the support of six provincial chairpersons and some senior officials within the ranks and files of ZANU PF.

The scheme was however quickly unearthed hence it became an abortive attempt. From this juncture, there was bad blood between the professor and President Mugabe. The climax of this grudge manifested itself towards the 2005 parliamentary election when prof thought of going it alone in the Tsholotsho parliamentary seat.

He successfully managed to win given the anti-ZANU PF mantra he was unleashing, let alone the resources he had amassed whilst still in the high office. To the people in Tsholotsho it was good news to celebrate that, stray son, Jonathan had repented, in the context unpopularity of the ship Jonah was riding on, hence the welcome equivalent to the prodigal son’s welcome.

Even on a national scale he had been welcomed by the generality of former rivals. Despite fathering AIPPA he had space in independent newspapers and platforms at civic society foras. He, at this time started to castigate President Mugabe, at one time describing his speeches as useful for entertainment value only.

At this time he appeared to be totally against ZANU PF, he successfully dragged the then chairperson of ZANU PF, John Lander Nkomo to court on allegations of defamation, a lawsuit which he has since won. He also, in his writings, credited his uncle Rev Ndabaningi Sithole of being the real founder of ZANU PF, describing President Mugabe as someone who just hijacked the party.

He had also started motions to do with Gukurahundi victims in parliament, frequently reminding Zimbabweans about the atrocities which were committed in Matabeleland and Midlands by the ZANU PF government.

Suddenly the learned colleague started praising ZANU PF and attacking all elements opposed to it and there was no serious amazement when he was officially welcomed back to ZANU PF. There after it did not take him a week to be appointed politburo and central committee member, there he is shouting, at the top of his voice against ‘British and American puppets’.

Besides these double standards and a crusade of creating enemies, left, right and centre he is misfiring to his own political detriment for example the lambasting of Southern African Development Committee and the person of South African President Mr. Jacob Zuma, the SADC appointed facilitator to the Global Political Agreement.

One will be forgiven to think that Julius Malema contributed in coining the vitriol therein. The de facto spokesperson role he has appointed himself jeopardizes the positions of Minister of Information and Publicity, Honourable Webster Shamu and the ZANU PF party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo.

His writings on the wall against President Mugabe and ZANU PF are still wet and this writer wonders who is going to rub them and delete the emotions and feelings it created. The bond between the late Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole and the sky rocket scientist professor cannot be underestimated given that the reverend was his uncle (mothers brother),who catered for all his needs till his tertiary education.

One wonders how this professor managed to forgive the President for reducing his uncle to a political novice.

George Makoni is an independent political analyst and Youth Alliance for Democracy’s Public Education Program manager. He can be contacted on [email protected]