Tsvangirai must avoid empty-handed political hyenas

By Sibanengi Dube | Opinion |

Why should we believe that Zimbabwe’s opposition parties must unite in order to depose Zanu PF in the forthcoming elections?

Political analysts and leaders of opposition parties always feed us with the above mentioned theory. Some eloquently claim that Mugabe will only be defeated if Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube were to fight the elections as a collective.

Some even suggest that the MDC-99 of Job Sikhala must be brought on board in order to dislodge Mugabe. Others are now beginning to say even Simba Makoni and Authur Mutambara could be key players in bringing the autocratic regime of Robert Mugabe down.

Even Dumiso Dabengwa has all of a sudden become another source of votes that could see Tsvangirai going to the state house.

Aaah!

Such suggestions are warped in the sense that the day dreamers erroneously regard Tsvangirai’s MDC as an opposition party. This is despite glaring evidence that MDC-T is the majority party in parliament.

There are also undisputed recorded facts that the former trade union boss trounced Mugabe in the last presidential elections. MDC-T is not an opposition Party. What is MDC-T opposing if I may ask? Are they opposing the minority?

Only a minority can oppose the majority and not the other way round. MDC-T might not be wholly in power but only adversaries of the truth would contradict that Morgan’s Party is the biggest and most popular political party in Zimbabwe at the moment.

Even Tsvangirai’s foes in Zanu PF acknowledge the fact that Save is the legitimate occupant of the State House. Even Zanu PF’s rigging machinery failed to stop Tsvangirai from snatching victory against all adversity.

Instead those proposing a unity of purpose should be sincere enough to urge members of their smaller political parties to join the biggest political party in Zimbabwe in order to remain relevant and not necessarily to defeat Mugabe.

If their fixed intention is to remove Mugabe why don’t they publicly encourage their few supporters to vote for Tsvangirai in the next elections? Why do they need a formal union with MDC-T? They simply want to secure promises of cabinet positions from Tsvangirai before they can side with him.

So their calls for unity talks might not necessarily be motivated by principles.  Tsvangirai beat Mugabe and Makoni with neither the support of Ncube nor Sikhala nor Dumiso Dabengwa of ZAPU, so what material value could they add now?

Has their support base increased?

The genuine answer is no. Instead their support base dwindled to the lowest ebb. People spewing the unity theory are not genuine. Who doesn’t know that the other guys have nothing to offer? Zimbabwe media is daily abuzz with news of MPs from other political parties queuing to join Tsvangirai’s party.

Some top flying Zanu PF officials frequent Tsvangirai’s residence every night to beg for space in the next cabinet, but some people want us to believe that baba Edwin won’t win elections without Ncube’s backing. What a cargo of debris? Kana vachizvigona ngavaite voga.

Who doesn’t know that councilors and MPs are streaming from sinking political parties to join the political panacea of Zimbabwe? This is public knowledge and there is no opposing debate to this claim.

The people of Zimbabwe are convinced that Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s unbendable determination to redeem Zimbabweans from the heavy yoke of Zanu PF bondage is beyond reservation.

The general masses who are bearing the brunt of Zanu PF monocracy cannot afford the luxury of face book debates or empty political rhetoric of political commentators. They want shakers and movers on the political stage and not dreaming idealists.

Tsvangirai is an unquestionable political shaker whose contribution to the democratization of Zimbabwe can only be quailed by those who are jealous of the political space he is currently occupying in Zimbabwe.

All those with their own myths and hallucinations can continue to deceive themselves. Even Zanu PF Pharisees know that Mugabe will be beaten by Tsvangirai even if elections were to be held tomorrow with or without the new constitution.

Mugabe is aware of this. Tsvangirai is currently the darling of the people of Zimbabwe. This is a proven fact. No amount of denial will obliterate such nude reality. So why should Tsvangirai ignore seductive offers from the electorate and jump into bed with partners who can’t offer even a sheer kiss?

Instead embracing them will create disorder and discord. Morgiza is perfectly fine without the gluttonous crew. Vanoda kuuya nemunyu chete wekuzodya nyama inenge yawiswa naTsvangirai. Loosely translated as:

They only intend to bring salt on the table just to eat the meat brought by Tsvangirai.

Vanoda kugova nyama isi yavo. Kuuya vakabata maoko vachiti hande tinovhima Tsvangirai, tora uta nemiseve neimbwa dzako dzose. Loosely translated as: They aim to remain relevant by basking in Tsvangirai’s popularity during election periods.

If people were genuine about removing Mugabe without necessarily considering their egocentric motivations they would be focusing on how Tsvangirai should eventually take over power after winning elections.

Tsvangirai is not short of votes. Instead he won even though elections were rigged. His chances of out-right victory are now certain after salvaging the people’s lives which were on a free-flow.

Is there any doubt that MDC-T’s coming into GNU brought sanity and relief to the government of Zimbabwe which had totally collapsed? I doubt if the electorate is blind to that fact.

So why would the informed members of the electorate not reward MDC-T for that? Of course people are tired of pungwes, slogans, tribal garbage, face-book oratory and singing.

Zimbabweans want dollars, jobs, bread, butter, education for their children, peace, love, laughter and people in the Diaspora want to return home. Who wants blood, bullets and tribal divisions?

So let the man of the moment, Tsvangirai, go into partnership with the electorate and not political hyenas with nothing to offer except for their canines.

Sibanengi Dube is a former student leader who later became a journalist in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. He has also previously served as MDC-T spokesman in South Africa.