Biti, Mangoma and the apartheid mentality

By Ngoni Chimbalu

The unjustifiable justification of the apartheid mentality is the cruel assumption by a minority that the majority lacks mental prowess to make reasonable choices hence the minority assumes the responsibility of thinking on behalf of the majority.

This minority, usually an elite clique then regards its inferences as the ideals which the majority should have come up with had it been that the majority raises its thinking bar.

Regardless of how antiquated the apartheid ideology might sound, its manifesting itself heavily as the guiding star of those few who are calling for the removal of Morgan Tsvangirai without due processes.

The” leadership renewal team”, as they have come to call themselves, have unilaterally declared themselves the brainbox of the eight million plus MDC supporters whom they deem to be mentally deranged hence the failure to see that Tsvangirai has failed.

These self-styled “messiahs” fronted by Biti and Mangoma sipped from a poisoned chalice and become so drunk that to them democracy means penning a letter to Tsvangirai, instructing him to resign regardless of the wishes of those who elected him to their leader, and equally true in their mind framework, consulting the electorate which elected him is retrogressing into uncivilisation since the electorate is of inferior mental capabilities.

It is this fear of numbers and the electorate which made Biti fume, democratic indignation maybe, when the Mangoma case was to be brought before the National Council, a broader all-encompassing structure. Biti would have had the matter finalised in the Executive Council, a leaner structure, probably according to him with better thinkers.

The good Friday Mangoma met his fate, the renewal  team led by Biti was fighting ferociously to have the National Executive retreat from the people, and hibernate in an expensive hotel to discuss Mangoma’s fate. What fallacy.

Of cause it does not surprise because the renewal team has got a profound phobia of the people.  Is it not a brutal assault on democracy and hypocrisy of the highest order  for the National Executive to commit itself on a money wasting retreat when the party is bleeding financially?

Members of the National Council had to sacrifice their hard earned dollar to come to Harare from Tsholotsho, Binga, Chipinge and Madicheche because the party does not have money to fund them, yet another whole National Executive member pushes for a wasteful retreat.

Clearly these bourgeois tendencies reflect a total disregard of the common person’s feelings.

It was so painful for Biti to witness the ordinary men and women from Chiendambuya and Matopos, most of them who do not even understand what a lecture theatre is, deciding the fate of an elite Mangoma in the National Council.

This fuelled him with a strong impetus to see to it that this democracy of the poor does not succeed. He then quickly called for a press conference far away from the madding crowd in the comfort of his legal chambers, where no Mbuya Ezra or Chibadura can enter and slammed the Council resolution, to him a product of less thinkers.

No wonder he labelled the bonafide party youth, torch bearers of the movement as belligerent thugs, but we all know that their sin is that they do not subscribe to the undemocratic agenda of unseating Morgan Tsvangirai.

Let’s take it step by step, before writing the infamous letter, did Steers Mangoma consult, his branch, ward, district or province. If not whose interests was he serving? Whose sentiments was he echoing? Was Obert Gutu spot on when he said “the puppet is gone, we are now after the puppeteer”.

Obviously the puppeteer is not the grassroots. Is it that these structure lack the capabilities to make a decision on their own. Do structures lack analytical skills to appraise Tsvangirai’s performance? Of cause in the brain of these superior beings, the grassroots lacks skills.  This leaves Mangoma’ letter as a voice crying in the void, with no backing, grassroots backing.

Promise Mukwananzi a cheer leader of the renewal team, unequivocally admitted that Morgan Tsvangirai has got the grassroots support.  Then if the contents of their group effort, the Mangoma letter are anything to go by, how then does Morgan Tsvangirai retain the grassroots support?

Are the leadership renewals implying the grassroots support which is loyal to Tsvangirai is not a factor? So for Biti, Mangoma, Mukwananzi and associates to preach democracy is as good as allowing the devil to preach about receiving Jesus as your personal saviour. This kind of cyber PowerPoint democracy will never yield results on the ground.

These elitists do not believe in ordinary people who are lavishly endowed with intelligence and supreme leadership qualities like Morgan Tsvangirai. Surprised and shocked, they are witnessing their game plan of undemocratically dethroning Morgan Tsvangirai crumbling in front of them.

They are in denial. They can’t accept it is the simple Morgan powered by the grassroots who has stopped them. Promise Mkwananzi is now pointing at Chamisa, Mwonzora and Komichi. No Promise it the hoe cracked hands of the grassroots which hiroshimared the elites.

In Shona they say “ makabopa nekumuswe” meaning you started with the wrong end. You were supposed to consult the grass roots before you assumed the brain function of the grassroots.

Ngoni Chimbalu is an MDC-T activist writing in his own capacity