In defense of Welshman Ncube and Professors, a response to Tino Chinyoka

By Shephard Dube

This article is a response to an article written by one clueless and evidently half inebriated ZANU PF apologist that goes by the name Tinomudaishe Chinyoka.

In an article published on Nehanda Radio titled ‘The trouble with our politics’ on the 13th of November 2015, Chinyoka who is unmistakably trying hard to angle and position himself as a Mnangagwa person in the ongoing succession debate, takes it upon himself to attack and demean the MDC President Professor Welshman Ncube for being in opposition.

He introduces his article with a theatrical and melodramatic character named ‘The War Lord’ in stateliness, splendor, grandeur and Victorian style. After reading the first paragraph you are left yearning, craving and longing for more. Only to find out there is nothing more but unwarranted attacks on Professor Welshman Ncube, Professor Jonathan Moyo and to a minor extent Morgan Tsvangirai.

He argues that Professor Welshman Ncube stands for nothing, accuses him for deserting Learnmore Jongwe, praises him for wanting to overthrow Morgan Tsvangirai and insults him for being a professor. Firstly, it is only an aloof and detached person with no appreciation of Zimbabwean politics who can believe that Professor Welshman Ncube stands for nothing, MDC would still be united under the semi-literate person of dictatorial Morgan Tsvangirai if he did not stand for democracy and social equality.

What Mr Chinyoka might not know is that Professor Ncube was on one occasion faced with a difficult decision which tested what he stands for; he had to choose between enduring the principles of democracy or allowing the then popular and fashionable Morgan Tsvangirai and his cronies to gang rape the MDC constitution. However he chose the former because that’s what he stands for ‘Democracy’.

As Chinyoka subconsciously accepts the fact that Ncube is intelligent, he should know that the most intelligent thing to do at the MDC split would have been to invite the then fashionable Morgan Tsvangirai back into the MDC, so that they could easily romp to victory replacing Mugabe with Morgan Tsvangirai – which is also not so obvious.

But Ncube understood that the struggle was not about Tsvangirai but about democracy. Replacing an older dictator with a younger dictator who is less educated would have been like replacing Stalin with Idi Amin. Over the years Tsvangirai has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is an extreme version of Robert Mugabe.

Chinyoka’s ignorance is yet celebratable, who doesn’t know that the relationship between Learnmore Jongwe and Professor Ncube was one to marvel upon? Who doesn’t know that Professor Ncube spent countless days and nights conjuring legal representation for Jongwe and concurrently mounting political pressure to the ZANU PF government, all in the hope to secure his release?

I hope Chinyoka is not a squeeler of our times wanting to rewrite history and eliminating individuals he does not like from the records. It will nonetheless not be shocking if he is such a character, having recently joined ZANU PF.

He is catching on very fast with the likes of Christopher Mutsvangwa who are now preaching an anti- Joyce Mujuru gospel claiming she never shot down a helicopter, a historical fact or myth that has been taught and told to every Zimbabwean that cares to listen or read.

As he concludes his article he blames Professor Ncube and Professor Jonathan Moyo for employing Machiavellian strategies in their politics. This surely exposes Mr Chinyoka’s hatred for the Ndebele people or maybe it will be better off to say Ndebele Professors.

Machiavellian politics is considered world over as the most advanced form of political thinking, how then does it become wrong when used by the two Ndebele Professors? Is Mr Chinyoka suggesting that Machiavellian politics is reserved for a certain special people or it is a clear matter of tribalism.

The most puzzling, bamboozling, shocking and deplorable part of Chinyoka’s article is his belief that Zimbabwe’s problems are ‘Professors’. He says “Those that seek to lead our country should stop to think about these things before those they lead start thinking that the trouble with our politics is that we have too many professors.”

Such a statement coming from a lawyer is not only perplexing but it is bewildering. For a moment I almost changed my perception about lawyers; I believe there is no mind better than a legal mind. How on earth does an adult with hairy armpits and a law degree believe that Professors are the trouble in our politics. What is wrong with being a Professor, is it not every student’s dream?

I therefore ask, who does Chinyoka speak for? Is he one of those bogus political analysts in the mold of Bright Matonga or he is just an unemployed and unemployable Lawyer trying to please Mnangagwa with hope of getting a morsel of bread?

May the real Tino Chinyoka stand up!!!

Shephard Dube is the National Organizing Secretary of the MDC Youth Assembly writing in his personal capacity.