Presidential guard commander is a fool – Mbudzi

By Retired Colonel Kudzai Mbudzi

Your instalment last week was unmitigated vintage crap against Mai Mujuru. I am reminded of a Nigerian old adage that; “a fool at 40 is a fool indeed”.

When you barked, Cde Sanyatwe, and thundered your decree that, “We will stop Mujuru,” I am not sure whether you were representing the ZNA, the Defence Forces of Zimbabwe in general or the Presidential Guard Unit in particular.

You know as much as I do that at one time we worked in the same most powerful Army HQ General Branch in the Zimbabwean military, I was, among other functions, responsible for the organizational redesign of Army Units and Brigades which included the Presidential Guards of which you are today proudly the Formation Commander.

The present format and organizational design of the Presidential Guards which I proudly participated in designing, and which was fine tuned and perfected by the current CIO Director General, Hapton Bonyongwe, clearly spells out the objectives, roles and functions of the Presidential Guard Unit.

Nowhere in this organizational design is its commander listed as the commissar and mouthpiece of the political party of the sitting President, whom he would have been appointed to provide guard.

Never ever in any standing Zimbabwean statute, is there, provision express or implied for a professional soldier, officer, let alone those who occupy the strategic apex of the defense forces in general and the Presidential Guards in particular, to openly throw their weight around and declare one’s partisan, political orientation and intention.

But in the past few years the Army has evolved while you personally seem to have devolved; degenerated into a more “primitive form “. Yet things have since changed a lot and moved forward but you seem to continue to be stuck in the vestiges of the past hero seeking mode.

“Kare hagari ari kare” therefore don’t allow your imaginations run away with you by entertaining the idea that what was fashionable yesterday will continue glittering today and tomorrow.

You don’t therefore use the same tactics and strategies in all the battles you fight. While in the past some were promoted for the “Straight Jacket” and the “we will not salute a puppet mantra”, you can’t present yourself today for promotion on the same tired tactics.

You need to be reminded that when Rex and Teurai started on the protracted journey of prosecuting the armed struggle in the mid 60s and early 70s respectively, you should have been in preparatory school then and by your nature and scrappy outlook, in a poor, downtrodden but all the same less than average performer.

Mai Mujuru was persecuted, vakanzi uri muroyi, une usimbe without a shred of evidence. She was cruelly defenestrated and politically decapitated, all to appease those political sycophants.

In our culture the worst cardinal sin you can commit is to call a person muroyi. Her sin; perception by the powers that be that as a revolutionary icon who fought for freedom, she could also possibly take over the leadership from the captain of a sinking ship.

Political power is by its very nature is a contested domain, so who are you to stifle and suffocate the democratic contestation and constitutional rights of others to seek political power legitimately? Mai Mujuru like any other citizen of Zimbabwe has equally every right to contest for the presidency of this country.

Your decision to stand up and spew outmoded fascist dogma, contrary to the provisions of the Adjudant General Standing Orders (AGSOs) and the Defence Act, is daft enough.

But your perception that Teurai, for merely presenting herself to Zimbabweans as the alternative political leader becomes a legitimate military target worthy to be descended upon with arms of war negates the whole essence of what a military commander ought to be. Just how does Joice’s political intent become a military threat?

As a former military officer, I know that very few commanders share the warped philosophies of the Sanyatwes of this world, but it is the few military perverts of this ilk, that need to be exposed before they impose their weird ideas on the people of Zimbabwe.

But why, Cde Nhamo Sanyatwe did you not join my ‘O’ level classes during those years at Army H Q because it was a fabulous opportunity for you to make some improvements on your extremely primitive deficient intellect. I hear some of your compatriots now have PhDs. When I left the Army you were still struggling with your ‘O’ levels.

I am not sure whether you have equally fast tracked your qualifications in the manner of, and with the pleasure of some of your senior colleagues. If you were sharp enough, you would have realized that, Mai Mujuru fits very well into the ” straight jacket”, she is a revolutionary icon which you are not and is not a “puppet” whatever that means.

In South Africa, Bantubonke Harrington Holomisa left the ANC and established his own United Democratic Movement party opposed to the ANC and in the rainbow South African society, this is not being viewed as being taboo.

Equally Julius Malema left with a group of his own comrades and formed the EFF party, which today is quite vocally opposed to the ANC. So did the other former ANC guys who went on to form COPE.

In all these cases I never heard Lt General Vusumuzi Masondo head of the South Africa Defence Forces issuing a statement attacking orders against these ‘rebels” to the ANC. Whether you like it or not Brigadier Nhamo Sanyatwe, yours is like a sky and alas, a sky without stars because that whom you are trying to impress is now in the departure lounge and soon, the plane will be gone.

As Marx remarked, ‘the replacement of the old by the new is a universal uninterrupted process, quite independent of anybody’s will including your own little and callow mind. Brigadier Sanyatwe, whether you are fighting from your psychotic G40’s corner or you are simply a reflective puppet of the cannibal hidden agenda, your own decision is downright idiotic, a blight to the otherwise noble military profession.

But what we can promise you as Zimbabweans, is that we certainly will not have a place for you in the scheme of things. From my innocent but enriched years as a toddler, I never imagined that people could bare their foolishness and stupidity at such an age in such circumstances. From a Brigadier General to a mere district political commissar– did you have to fall this low Comrade Nhamo Sanyatwe?

Tell us Brigadier, what did your superiors say after your speech – did they say “good speech my intelligent Brigadier?” Tell us Brigadier what did General Sibanda say to you? I know him as one of the best trained senior officers in the Defence Forces today.

But as an officer and inside your own self what do you feel now. Do you feel much enriched and satisified because you have successfully threatened poor, innocent, unarmed democracy?

Tell us Brigadier Sanyatwe, how does your Master, I mean this one in the political departure lounge, react to your political undo nose, political out bursts and moments of professional madness and stupidity; does he with a clear conscience say “well done my Brigadier Sanyatwe”.

Do you know Brigadier that unfortunately, and we do not know how the Almighty God had it that people of poor mental construction such as yourself are a double tragedy to themselves because their loose tongues appear to be completely disjointed from, and independently of their brains.

Your appetite for cheap publicity then endlessly surprises many and reflects on the level of your primitive arrogance. Yesterday it was vendors who deserved all the armour and artilery, today its Mai Mujuru – what is your job description?

Go to Army HQ and get appraised of your correct job description by Brigadier. Munosvodesa and munonyadzisa Brigadier. Today as all in your subordinates and indeed, the whole security service read this article in their private and dark corners for fear of detection, they will indeed suddenly realize that you are not as intelligent nor as powerful as you have been desperately trying to project yourself.

How a well trained professional senior officer can suddenly degenerate into a confused, haggard and sullen faced district political commissar of a political party is quite perplexing.
But you need to be reminded that when Ceausescu finally disappeared, underlings like you brutally and suddenly discovered that their familial and societal lives were in a helter skelter.

Maybe in your case, you could do well to borrow some notes on the Mandarin language from your newly found “town mother”, because for obvious reasons that in your naivety cannot see, you obviously would not have room in any of the democratic capitals outside Beijin. Maybe Pyongyang as an alternative!.

It’s simple, if in 2017/2018 some soldiers and officers are deployed to campaign for ZANU PF, an equal number should and must also be deployed to campaign for People First, and I think JOC too will approve of that arrangement now that you have openly thundered that the Army shall be deployed for campaign duties.

Otherwise the election battle should be best left an open contest between the nationalist leaders Mugabe/Mnangagwa on the one hand, and Teural Ropa, the Che-Guevara of the Zimbabwean struggle for independence on the other.

In the circumstances, the good image of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces can only be salvaged, and this situation atoned by the immediate re-posting of Brigadier Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe to the AGs Poor while his fate is being decided.

Its true kuti Zimbabwe ndeyeropa comrade but this time it shall be clearly knocked unto your shallow and callow mind, and indeed you would tattoo it on your mind, that hausiri iwe wega wakaigwira. As a piece of advice though to a rather lapdog fellow Brigadier Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, never ever try to hunt what you are not certain to kill.

Mujuru has a very large following of war veterans and equally former senior military officers and 85% of the pre December Congress ZANU PF membership, who are therefore prepared to reciprocate your brutality at the same level you will unleash it on her innocent followers. Because for the many of them too, sleeves are certainly rolled up in a clear manifestation and sign of a nasty and brutal fight to follow.

Be advised accordingly.