“ZANU PF is a conference of lily-livered opportunists united by money and greed”

By Rawlings Magede

The new political dimensions that we witnessed in the past weeks have been full of drama full swing.

On the political front, cabinet ministers chose to abandon their duties to follow the first lady “meet the people” rallies where some ZANU PF cronies, drunk with partisan idiocy, paralysed with hero worship sought to revamp their waning uncertain political careers in the face of smearing retribution by the first lady on those she alleged were causing factionalism that were threatening the continued grip on power by her husband.

In all this hocus pocus, the public media notably; The Herald and ZBC led a full coverage of these rallies. I felt sorry for those paying licences to the “state” broadcaster who were “tortured” everyday by these rallies.

Of course the state media must be commended for an “excellent” but lamentable propensity to make people of shallow intellect famous because of their proximity to the corridors of power.

The functions of the whole government grounded to a halt as responsible authorities who were supposed to be running ministries were busy making slogans meant to gain Machiavellian mileage at their expense of government business. This is the orbit around which the country has been oscillating in the past weeks.

During one of these rallies the First Lady “Amai” Mugabe with an avenging sword single handedly chose to make shocking revelations in Mashonaland Central Province that there was “someone” not only trying to topple her husband but also engaged in a vast extortion enterprises.

Said Grace: “… that same person who goes around demanding 10 per cent shareholding in companies. If you go to any company now, the name of that person is mentioned.

“You lead factions, you extort companies and you are involved in illicit diamond deals, so you cannot say you are not corrupt.”

These accusations many believe were targeted to vice president Joyce Mujuru. The gist of the matter is not so much who it was meant for, but how and why that person was still in government. Why that person has been given free course to do such unfair practices remains a scandal that will live to be told another day.

Despite the call by individuals, civic society and other pressure groups to call for an audit into how our diamonds from Chiadzwa were being appropriated, the ZANU PF government continued to nicodemously unaccounted for the vast revenue from diamonds.

When the diamonds were discovered the government demagogically said that the proceeds from the diamonds were going to revamp our comatose economy but far from that, this individual whom Grace Mugabe meant was/is busy involved in illicit diamond dealings enriching her at the expense of the whole nation.

Many people from Chiadzwa who were displaced when diamonds were discovered had to eke out an existence when promises made to them were never actualised.

This confession by Grace brings many things to mind. ZANU PF is a conference of lily livered opportunists united by money and greed, for you to remain on top you have to remain loyal to the vision of plunder of Zimbabwe’s natural resources and self-centeredness.

Deviating from this set way, will result in expulsion. The economic haemorrhage and meltdown we have witnessed have not only been caused by sanctions as they say.

This looting and plunder of resources and grabbing of other peoples businesses, has led to the collapse of our economy. The reality within ZANU PF at the moment is sickening; no drive to revive the ailing economy, no backbone to deal with corruption but just an expired swan song on sanctions.

Why President Mugabe doesn’t act on his cronies to stamp out corruption and greed, remains a secret best known to him. His talk on sovereignty has proved a fiction used to limit humanitarian assistance to those who have been left on the peripheries of lack and poverty.

He has used it so much to legitimise his power and coerce the weak into believing his fake gospel on the need to be sovereign as a nation.

How can we talk of sovereignty when one person and his accomplices extort minerals meant to benefit the country? Why does he continue to allow these corrupt individuals serve in his government?

Has that proverbial statement that says birds of the same feathers flock together found its root within ZANU PF?

Has ZANU PF factional fighting reduced him from being a national leader to something like a village head presiding over mundane unproductive cases?

Time will not tell because he has failed to reign on those fingered in corrupt activities.

Rawlings Magede is rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North. You can contact him on [email protected]