Conspiracy theories surrounding Mujuru’s death

By Robert Gonouya

That conspiracies occur the world over is undeniable but is important to question the rationale, if any, behind conspiracy theories. What purpose do they serve and should anyone take them seriously or dismiss them only as the stuff of fantasy and make believe?

Of conspiracy theorists, an American commentator, Mencken once wrote, rather disparagingly, that; “The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts. He ascribes all his failure to get on in the world, all of his congenital incapacity and dam foolishness, to the machinations of werewolves assembled in Wall Street, or some other such den of infamy”.

The recent death of retired General Solomon Mujuru, a prominent and eminent freedom fighter, has led to the mushrooming of conspiracy theories about the circumstances surrounding his death.

In the case of the gallant Rex Nhongo (Mujuru’s Chimurenga name), these conspiracies range from a belief that he was killed because he was a moderate and could have played a crucial role in negotiating a change scenario with army generals when the MDC took power.

Others talk of him actually wanting to run for presidency himself and there are many other permutations of the two theories in between. None of these are based on any fact or evidence. Can people not accept that this was just an unfortunate incident? This conjecture is not novel and is typical when public figures or even celebrities die the world over.

What though is conspiracy?

Although it is not within the scope of this article to discuss the subject of conspiracy theories more intimately, I will briefly examine some key attributes of this social phenomenon. To conspire means “to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or to use such means to accomplish a lawful end.”

A conspiracy theory is a belief which explains an event as the result of a secret plot by exceptionally powerful and cunning conspirators to achieve a pernicious end. Generally, conspiracy theories range from being a valid possible interpretation of events to the truly bizarre beliefs in an alternative reality.

The political scientist Michael Barkun has explored the geography of conspiracies in the United States of America (USA) and has identified 3 types of conspiracy theories. The first is that of event conspiracy theories. In this case, the conspiracy is held to be responsible for a limited, discrete event or set of events. The conspiratorial forces focus their energies on a limited, well-defined objective. A good example is that of John F. Kennedy’s assassination conspiracy.

Systemic conspiracy theories on the other hand are believed to have broad goals, usually conceived as securing dominance or control of a country, region, or indeed the entire world. While the goals are all-embracing, the conspiratorial machinery is generally simple- a single, evil organization initiates a plan to infiltrate and subvert institutions. This is a characteristic of conspiracy theories that focus on ideologies such as communism or the work of international capitalists.

Super conspiracy is the highest in the hierarchy of conspiracy theories. Essentially, event and systemic theories are joined in complex ways, so that conspiracies come to be nested together at the summit of the conspiratorial hierarchy to form a powerful evil force which manipulates lesser conspiratorial actors. A common thread is that conspiracies are often based on little or no evidence; sometimes on misinterpretation of evidence.

History is replete with examples of events and or occurrences, including the 9/11 conspiracy, the Watergate scandal, Willowgate and of the origins and spread of Aids in Africa, which have been exploited by conspiracy proponents. Others even speculate that Elvis Presley is still alive! Growing up, I often heard many theories about how Tongogara died in Mozambique in 1979 and there have been many more deaths which had the markings of the invisible hands. The deaths of Chris Ushewokunze, Morris Nyagumbo, Moven Mahachi or Learnmore Jongwe -the list is endless.

Another prominent example is that of Diana, the Princess of Wales, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997. Many have hypothesised that the British establishment was somehow involved in her premature death.

Others believed it was because she was pregnant with a Muslim child, despite forensic evidence ruling to the contrary. Despite incontrovertible evidence in many of these cases, conspiracies still abound about the circumstances of their deaths.

No doubt sensitive to the swell of rumours and speculation surrounding Mujurus horrific death, President Mugabe, during Nhongo’s burial ceremony on the 20th of August 2011, said; “It is hard to imagine that such a glorious soldier died in such an inglorious way, so uneventfully. But this is how God willed it and we cannot do anything about it, except to grieve, to ask so many questions and finally accept his demise even though it will always hurt”.

These comments, made by President Robert Mugabe at the burial of the legendary Solomon Mujuru, are among some of the most sensible he has made in his long life. The implication of course is that he has also made many wayward ones too. But I digress.

President Mugabe’s poignant statement comes at a time of intense speculation and propagations of numerous conspiracy theories regarding the Generals death. Could the conspiracy theorists even imagine or entertain the idea that intense smoke can overcome even the fit of individuals and kill them?

Some newspapers, like the Zimbabwe Standard reported that “those doubting that the fire was an accident argue that Mujuru must have been able to escape from the fire since windows at the house do not have burglar proof bars. The big question is what drives seemingly intelligent people to take up irrational beliefs in the face of conflicting evidence?

Ironically, those who hide behind convoluted conspiracy theories actually believe they are right and everyone else is either bonkers or simply not clever enough. Surely, there cannot be any smoke without fire? Psychologists believe that the search for meaning is common in conspiracism and the development of conspiracy theories. In my view, this is about fear and opportunism, desperation to explain conveniently.

Admittedly, conspiracy theories are popular, not least because of their dramatic potential but this is precisely why it is important to inject a dose of realism into the fever pitch speculation surrounding the decorated general’s demise. The zeal with which many a newspaper, both in and outside of Zimbabwe, have fuelled the conspiracies about the fire and events surrounding it, either actively or unwittingly, gives a possible answer as to who benefits from peddling such controversial theories.

There is money to be made from reporting such dramatic stories. Secondly, those with hidden agendas such as playing on any divisions within ZANU-PF see an opportunity to ‘throw a match into the tinderbox’. It’s all about political manipulation.

Unsurprisingly, according to reports (George) Charamba (Mugabe’s spokesman) has urged the Media and Information Commission to take action against newspapers propagating the conspiracy theories. In the words of the infamous government swordsmith; “The ‘cub-doctors’ in the newsroom are ingeniously trying to tell us why the General should not have been consumed by fire”.

For once, I concur with the typically belligerent and acerbic scribe.

It is simply wrong and irresponsible to seek to distort and explain on the basis of a pre determined ‘truth’, compatible only with opportunistic views of events. By their unwillingness to clarify through robust ‘scientific’ investigation, Zimbabwean conspiracy theorists are akin to religious fundamentalists, deciding on a preordained truth. My support for a genuine quest to extol responsible and accurate reporting should not be taken as an endorsement for a carte blanche strategy aimed at muzzling the media in Zimbabwe.

In Shona they say, ‘chii chariuraya zizi hairife nemhepo? (What has killed the owl? It can’t be the wind?) This statement is often made when someone dies and there is a refusal to accept it as just a ‘natural death’. Whilst I appreciate the wisdom of our forefathers in initiating enquiry, perhaps to learn from any unfamiliar aspects leading to a loved one’s demise, the mindset betrays a weakness, a propensity for conspiracy theory. It seems to be a truth that during testing times, episodes of insecurity or discontent or death, some people often feel the need to look for a tangible enemy to blame – a scapegoat to be sacrificed, in a vain attempt to appease themselves or to score political points.

I do not wish to imply that conspiracies never happen. I am not naive about the wickedness of men. Conspiracy theories are inextricably linked with human existence and are therefore typical social phenomena. Conspiracies occur in many walks of life such as politics, organised crime, cartels; insider dealing, scams; etcetera.

Another pertinent example is of a conspiracy is that associated with the Berlin Conference convened by Otto Von Bismarck in 1884 which discussed the partitioning of Africa by Western Powers. The subsequent Scramble for Africa led to a process of invasion, occupation, colonization of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914.

This conspiracy to partition Africa had dramatic and irreversible ramifications on the African Continent and the relationships between its people and the Western World. In many ways, the ownership controversy surrounding the very farm on which this tragic event occurred demonstrates the pernicious legacy of the scramble for Africa. Indeed there have been suggestions that the heroic general’s death was his comeuppance for ‘illegally’ taking over the farm.

Absolute drivel!

If people are not careful about propagating and the management of the conspiracy theories surrounding Mujurus death, there is potential for very real and tragic consequences. Indeed many people have been deliberately and wrongfully killed across the globe as a result of malevolent conspiracies being played out.

For instance, the massacres of thousands of innocent men women and children such as those at Srebrenitsa during the Kosovo conflict, the butchering of multitudes in Rwanda and the individual assassinations like those of Martin Luther King and Steve Biko. All the more reason why, in the Zimbabwean case, caution should not be thrown to the wind.

Like the president and many others, I do not see credence in any conspiracy theories with respect to Rex Nhongo’s death. Whatever the truth or fiction involved, we need to come to terms with our own mortality and the fact that we all have our time. It is a time and manner which no one can choose nor foresee. Nobody goes on forever.

Those giving eulogies today will themselves have theirs read of them in the future. It is just but the cycle of life. We live and we die. An ugly and inconvenient truth when it happens to people who still had much to give or contribute. No doubt, some will condemn me to the pit of the politically naive.

Perhaps, this article is part of the conspiracy too? The fact is, once critical thinking is applied and a search for real evidence is sought, many extreme conspiracy theories are found to lack any credibility.

Robert Gonouya writes from the UK. The article expresses his personal views. He can be contacted on [email protected]