Is Jonathan Moyo eligible for Zanu-PF primary elections?
By Dr. Clifford Chitupa Mashiri
While it is subject to confirmation, Jonathan Moyo seems not eligible to contest all forthcoming Zanu-PF primary elections based on guidelines published Friday 14th June 2013.
The rules and regulations were released by Zanu-PF Chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo who is also the chairperson of the National Electoral Directorate at the party’s headquarters on Friday.
Khaya Moyo is quoted by the state owned and major contender as the Zanu-PF ‘mouthpiece’ The Herald newspaper as saying that people wishing to contest Senatorial elections on the party’s ticket should be registered voters, be at least 40 years old and must have contributed to the country’s liberation struggle or the development of Zimbabwe consistently and persistently.
A prospective candidate must have been a member of the party for more than five years at district level with a clear and undisputed record. The primary elections will be on June 24 (see The Herald, ‘Zanu PF releases primary election guidelines’, 14 June 2013).
As if to plug all loopholes for any ‘undesirables’ from using the party platform as a launching pad for their political careers, Khaya Moyo also spelt out guidelines for those wishing to stand for House of Assembly seats and local government (councilors) elections.
To be an MP candidate one must be a fully paid up member of the party, have adequate economic, cultural, political understanding of the country to debate effectively if elected, must have served as an office bearer in a district for at least five years and have a deep understanding of the objectives of the Zanu-PF.
Those wishing to stand in local government elections should have the above mentioned attributes of being 40 years and should also have held office at branch or cell level of Zanu-PF.
People have already started to speculate whether Jonathan Moyo is eligible to stand in Zanu-PF’s primary elections due on Monday 24 June 2013.
For instance, commentators on the Herald website were keen to know with Porongi asking: “Jona Moyo haana kunyura here ? !!!!!!!!! zvingatyisa vehama.” (Did Jona Moyo ‘drown’? that would be scary).
Chiwororo asked: “Jonathan ****Moyo ari kukwikwidza here apa?????? Ndibatsireiwo ne information.” (Is Jonathan Moyo contesting [in primary elections ]? Help me with information).
The answer appears to be NO because as regards senatorial elections, although he is 56 years old – well above the 40 years minimum allowed, since he was born on 12 January 1957, Jonathan Moyo did not contribute to the country’s liberation struggle.
Contrary to his posturing as a “freedom fighter using a laptop” and his longwinded hallucinating articles, Jonathan Moyo made two escape attempts from Mgagao liberation war training camp in Tanzania of which the second one was successful and took him back to Rhodesia where he made his way to the United States in 1976-77, according to Wilfred Mhanda’s book , ‘The Making of a Freedom Fighter’ (See Jonathan Moyo made 2 escape attempts’, The Zimbabwean, 10/10/11).
The five year party membership requirement also bars Jonathan Moyo from standing in the primaries because he has been a member of Zanu-PF since 2011 to present according to his Wikipedia profile, which if it is wrong he should have corrected by now.
He is also known more for his ‘three wars’ which appear on the same profile – his “War with the Media”, “War at Home”, and “War with Foreigners”. The obnoxious laws AIPPA and POSA are arguably Jonathan’s Moyo’s babies and nobody would envisage free and fair elections as long as they survive.
As far as contributing to the development of Zimbabwe consistently and persistently, Jonathan Moyo’s record is a mixed bag.
His profile talks about ‘much philanthropy including scholarship programs and support for sport over many years’, which probably helped him win elections in Tsholotsho, his family area over 5 years ago as an independent before applying to rejoin Zanu-PF in 2011.
Jonathan Moyo is generally seen as a supposedly learned serial flip-flopper or political turncourt who seems perpetually capable of abusing and throwing unspeakable insults at all and sundry – from the Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai among others.
As a result Jonathan Moyo hates his past and has attempted to gag the Daily News and the Zimbabwe Independent from republishing articles attacking Robert Mugabe.
It is the author’s strongest belief that the latest guidelines for Zanu-PF primary elections were influenced by the party’s ‘love-hate’ relationship with Jonathan Moyo having taken him back after accusing him of plotting a coup and making him cry.
“We asked him whether he wanted to stage a coup…and tears started flowing down his cheeks,” Mugabe said in Jonathan Moyo’s districts (see BBC, Mugabe ‘made spin-doctor cry’, 24/03/05).
Despite helping the party produce its jingles which some say are irritating by being broadcast repeatedly on ZBC’s radio and TV channels more than commercials, I think Zanu-PF has not forgiven Jonathan Moyo for some of those WikiLeaks disclosures.
According to a cable written by Eric Bost, the former US ambassador to South Africa on 11 July 2007 and leaked by WikiLeaks Jonathan Moyo turned to British businessman Virgin Group chairman, Sir Richard Branson for help in unseating Mugabe.
Sir Branson reportedly agreed to a plan put forward by Jonathan Moyo to offer Robert Mugabe US$10 million to step down (see The Telegraph, Sir Richard Branson ‘discussed plan to remove Robert Mugabe from power’, 11 October 2011).
In short, WikiLeaks might have claimed its first scalp in Zanu-PF. Need we say more?
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri is a London based political analyst. He was recently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations degree by the Commonwealth Open Universit. He can be contacted at [email protected]
