What the independent press should ask expelled Zanu PF chefs

By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri

Seeing that Zanu-PF officials who were deposed and/ or expelled from the ruling party for allegedly being aligned with former vice president Joice Mujuru are forming a beeline to the privately owned and independent press they used to despise, is it not right for them to be asked the following questions:

What do these former Zanu-PF politburo and central committee people think about corruption in Zimbabwe and its magnitude? How can it be solved? Where is diamond cash from Chiadzwa going? Do they agree to an immediate diamonds cash audit?

What does Gumbo mean when he says “we will bounce back”? Does he mean the same resistance to reforms of the security sector, the media, and elections? Do they agree that they are part of the problem and not the solution to the challenges facing the country?

Does Didymus Mutasa believe a land audit is necessary in Zimbabwe since he is the one who was issuing the controversial letters for occupying farms? How many farms does he and his family as well as relatives own which were briefly occupied by rival Zanu-PF youths last week? How many farms do Robert Mugabe and Grace own? Is multi farm ownership fair after the fast track land programme?

When will the long overdue Land Audit be carried out? What will be the implications? Why have previous reports by Flora Buka and Charles Utete remained embargoed? Do these expelled chefs agree that the reports must be published as a matter of urgency in the national interest?

Why is government holding on to Zapu properties despite claiming national unity since 1987? Do these deposed officials agree that Robert Mugabe should release Zipra farms/properties without delay?

Given that Zanu-PF rigged its own elections including the recent central committee elections, why should the party be trusted to run credible national elections?

What convincing evidence is there that ZEC will allow Diaspora Vote in 2018 when it has no money to run even two by-elections only? Would they support UN supervised elections in 2018?

What is Nikuv still doing in Zimbabwe since 2002 which Zimbabweans cannot do for themselves as far as computerised registration of births, deaths and voters and issuing ID cards? When is their contract due to expire?

Having been implicated in serious rights abuses including Gukurahundi and other tragic political violence in previous elections, do the deposed Zanu-PF officials support a Truth and Reconciliation Commission like that of South Africa to help the country heal? Will they participate in it?

Do these deposed Zanu-PF officials agree to the immediate release of the Dumbutshena and Chihambakwe Commission of Inquiry reports into Gukurahundi which Mugabe’s regime is still sitting on?

What do the deposed Zanu-PF officials e.g. Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa think about the forced evictions of 200 villagers from a farm in Manzou, Mazowe to make way for Grace’s animal farm? Do they support a UN probe similar to the one for Murambatsvina?

If the deposed politburo and central committee leaders of Zanu-PF give negative answers to more than five of the foregoing set of questions, then, there is no hope that they will be worth accommodating in any new dispensation. They will not be better than those who remained or replaced them after the disputed Zanupf 2014 national congress. That’s my opinion.

Clifford is a London-based political analyst and former diplomat. Email [email protected].