By Maynard Manyowa
The Zimbabwean political landscape is dominated, punctuated, and centred on two pantomime personalities. Namely, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, and Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The institutions they preside over, Zanu PF, and MDC-T are founded in the image of these men, they are constructed on the foundation of their preferences, and reflect the will, goals, and interests of the two kinsmen.
Within the realms of their influence, Mugabe and Tsvangirayi are even worshiped like ‘God’. They are revered likewise, and their word is beyond contestation. Joice Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Temba Mliswa, Elias Mudzuri, Elton Mangoma, Tendai Biti, and many others have learnt this the hard way. In Zanu PF, it is Mugabe or the proverbial grave, in the MDC-T it is Morgan or the highway!
The hero worship has created a simple but devastating status quo.
Over the last two decades and beyond, many incomparable but equally upsetting atrocities have been committed in the name of these ‘great men’. These to please them, to protect them, to defend them, or all.
Many despicables have dawned on the Zimbabwean folk at the instruction of these two rivals. One called for sanctions, while another guaranteed them through blatant violation of constitutionally endowed rights to property, life, health, education and freedom of expression.
Many absurdities have been motioned forward under the pretext of national agenda, when in truth they serve the sole purpose of pleasuring the egos of these two front-runners.
Sanctions (called for by MDC-T) were never going to promote the country, but rather make things so difficult to the point that President Mugabe would not be an option at the polls.
Land Grabs (with the blessing of Zanu PF) were never going to create wealth for ordinary Zimbabweans, but rather paint the President as a no nonsense defender of false Pan African renaissance.
That is the way it goes in Zimbabwe’s political landscape. It is dominated by two men, two egos, two principles, two institutions, two rivals. Cult of personalities.
On the surface it might appear as though nothing is wrong with this lay of the land, after all, the USA has an almost similar set-up with the Republicans and The Democrats, while Britain has Labour and Conservatives.
However, there is everything wrong with the Zimbabwean status in quo. Whilst in America, the politics there does not offer a varied menu with regards to which party controls the state, the two parties in chief do offer extremely contrasting domestic and foreign policy. It is the same for the United Kingdom.
When it comes to Zimbabwe, voters do not really have a choice. Zanu PF and MDC-T are the exact same thing.
Both parties are extremely violent and intolerant to dissent. Joice Mujuru was fittingly terrified stiff of the violence that might befall on her, she subsequently and with good warrant missed her party’s congress. Elton Mangoma was assaulted by his own youths for airing concerns about Tsvangirai’s ability to take the MDC-T forward.
Primary elections for both parties are always marred by voter intimidation, vote buying, and wicked gamesmanship. In the run up to the 2013 Elections, violence blemished the MDC-T primary elections in Gutu North, in Chikanga-Dangamvura constituency and several other places around the country.
It is the very same for Zanu PF. During the same period, there were widespread and ridiculously dramatic attempts at rigging and flashes of violence.
For example in Midlands, Zanu PF Provincial Chairman, Cde Jaison Machaya’s son Raffy, Freedom Moyo and Tichaona Chacha grabbed ballot boxes at Chana Primary School and attempted to flee with them through the window.
Several members of the parties demonstrated against imposition of alien party candidates to represent them, thereby removing any and all connection between the representatives and the people whose mandate they are meant to carry forward in parliament.
More recently, Presidential Spokesperson, Cde George Charamba threatened journalists with new repressive legislature. He warned us, “Freedom of Speech is not an absolute right”. This he said, round about the same time, the MDC-T accused NewsDay of bias, and an unnecessary occupation with the mischief of Morgan Tsvangirai.
While Joice Mujuru is famous for claiming that Newspapers that reported about grand corruption were evil forces hell bent on taking the country to the cleaners.
It is suffice to say, to all the main principles in Zimbabwe, the media should be a lapdog, and not a watchdog. And such a worldview is indicative of tyranny, despotism, and authoritarian propensities. They all want a society where the media is an instrument of hero worship and propaganda. As I said before, the cult of personality.
Even more worrying for the future of the common and down trodden man is the preoccupation of both Zanu PF and MDC-T with fancy words and policies, herein referred to as ‘paper tigers’.
Each of the cults has its own paper tiger. In all earnest, Zanu PF’s ‘ZIMASSET’ (Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation) and MDC-T’s ‘JUICE’ (Jobs, Upliftment Investment Capital and the Environment) are the same thing: fancy words put together by corrupt politicians who are extremely out of touch with reality, and the people.
You could effortlessly throw in Joice Mujuru’s ‘BUILD’ (Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development) for good measure.
Robert Mugabe has presided over Zimbabwe for 35 years. He is 91 years old, and in that time he has overseen the destruction of the ‘jewel of Africa’. Under his watch, our country has been raped. There are no indications he will leave office anytime soon or in the distant future either.
One does not need to a rocket scientist to know that President Mugabe will leave office one way – headed for the grave. (He wants to die in power, end of story, mystery solved)
Morgan Tsvangirayi has been sitting at the helm of the MDC since its formation near 20 years ago (Yes it has been that long). He has overseen the spit of the party into no less than half a dozen factions of sorts.
He has granted Zanu PF an escape route by calling for sanctions. He is often in the papers for all the wrong reasons – corruption, impregnating girls younger than his grandchildren, among a plethora of other incongruities.
There are also no indications he will leave the office anytime soon, and like Robert Mugabe, the constitution of his institution has been tempered with several times to make sure he stays there.
Factionalism has since ceased to be the elephant in the room. Zanu PF had two factions last year. After expelling one entire faction and an excess of 150 loyalists, the party now has 3 more factions. All indications are that it will continue to break. Meanwhile, the MDC refuses to be outdone, and has at least 6 different flavors as well.
As with so many things, this could go on and on. But the bottom line is, Zanu PF and MDC have become each other. They influence each other in the manner of rotten tomatoes. To ask Zimbabweans to choose between the two is to ask them to choose between a rock, and a very hard place, between the conspicuous devil and the evil deep blue sea.
As for who is the devil and who is the deep blue sea, that is up to you to decide.
Maynard Manyowa is a political & social analyst. You can reach him for feedback via his website www.maynardmanyowa.com , on Twitter – @iAmKudaMaynard or by liking his Facebook page – Maynard Kudakwashe Manyowa
