Reginald Thabani Gola

The levels of desperation to perennially cling onto power have reached unprecedented heights in the world’s oldest Head of State and Government, and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Chancellor of All Universities in the country.

Robert Mugabe, now portrayed as the greatest champion of the revolution who founded Zimbabwe nationalism and soldier number one {1} in the liberation struggle, factually was a man who rose from obscurity in the seventies and wrestled control of ZANU in Mozambique having been assisted to cross the border of foot by the late Chief Rekayi Tangwena in the company of ZANU PF fire-brand, Edgar Tekere. Edgar Tekere’s political career got unceremoniously frozen for his divergent views which pre-eminently despised Mugabe’s undemocratic one-man show. It is a fact that Robert Mugabe was recruited into Zimbabwe politics by the gallant heroes who came before him who murdered no one.

Following former South African President, Thabo Mbeki’s illegitimate child in Harare in the form of the so-called Global Political Agreement {GPA}which later led to the unholy Government of National Unity {GNU} in February 2009. The GNU was to give a breather window to Mugabe orchestrated mayhem and facilitate for the urgent re-shape of the country’s economy and level the political playing field as the key players readied themselves for the next election in two {2} years time.

Interestingly, the 86 year old despot has paid no attention to the above brief and only concerntrated on hanging onto power by hook or crook. Good governance luminary, former South African President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, was quoted as saying that it was not at all, profitable to keep a man of 85 in active political office. Mandela was responding to views within the ruling African National Congress {ANC} of South Africa that he takes a second presidential term after the end of his first. Mugabe’s day one in the GNU marked the acceleration of preparations for rigging the next election in 24 months to come. Fully aware that he {Mugabe} no longer commanded any legitimate clout to win any free and fair election in Zimbabwe in the immediate past twelve years, and the continued irrepairable massive erosion of his reputation within the the citizenry and his party ZANU PF, he has opted to form window-dressing political entities to tout for his terrorist ZANU PF in order for him to borrow more time in office.

In the last election, Kusile/Mavambo Movement of political reject, Dr SimbaMakoni and Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, both former politiburo members of the terrorist ZANU PF was a grand partisan Central Intelligence Organisation {CIO} project designed to paralyse The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai into political oblivion alongside ZANU PF ally, the Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara {AGOM} led smaller faction of the MDC. All in the name of crippling citizenry will. It was ZANU PF belief that both puppets would perform outstandingly well in their respective regions and eat massively on the MDC Tsvangirai support base to elevate ZANU PF mediocrity into a landslide victory. And further, form alliances with its puppet parties to increasingly entrench kangaroo rule over the ailing citizenry in a legitimate way. Very brilliant! However, the desired impact was not achieved. However, the MDC – Tsvangirai had a narrow escape as the grand plan almost worked.

Mugabe did not give up! He has gone on to develop the “Total Strategy” with the creation of Dumiso Dabengwa’s equally frivolous Project Revival of PF-ZAPU to target the vulnerable angry and hungry, atrocity weary Matabele in a more direct and appealing way which saw lots of Injiva falling head-way. Lots of debate too country-wide. Suspicious stuff! Informed sources reveal that the tyrant was incensed by the visible signs that political clown, professor Mutambara, with his little party would not be seeing any light beyond March 29 2008. In this deal Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, inclined to the Retired General Solomon Tapfumaneyi Mujuru ZANU PF faction, was tipped for one of the Vice President positions, while Dr Simba Makoni gets something lucrative too in the period post election. Thenjiwe Lesabe, as former PF-ZAPU respected party elder, was equally deployed to back Dabengwa’s cause in the process of rigging the next election the smart way. Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, since the days of the Mavambo Movement, both publicly and privately, bluntly revealed that the mission was “to stop power going the Zambian Trade Union way. Avoid being governed by people who can’t govern” . This was in direct reference to MDC – Tsvangirai faction which showed all the capacity to win the election.

Dr Dumiso Dabengwa has come out very clear that the project Revival of PF-ZAPU would work for an alliance with ZANU PF {Mujuru} and neither Mnangagwa nor MDC-Tsvangirai. Dabengwa was responding to Project Revival of PF-ZAPU stalwarts who were more inclined to Tsvangirai MDC as an alliance partner. This remained as the major cause of an irrepairable rift within the revived psuedo PF-ZAPU that led to the expulsion of founder members Smile Dube and Alderman Charles Mpofu, among others, from the still-born riot-ridden political entity. While political monkey and now very prominent Presidential Praise Singer {PPS}, professor Arthur Mutambara and entourage are presently hinging on the GPA for hand-outs, but remain very much irretrievably destined for the political dust-bin the Gabriel Chaibva way in the period post GNU.

Inga vaMugabe varikuda kusunga ruzhinji rwe Zimbabwe mbira dzakondo zvachose vakomana!

The citizenry has got to be very cerebral and rise above petty tribal politics in its desire for the fulfillment of its {the citizenry} aspirations for high quality standards of living in the land of its birth. It is a fact that grave moments need a brave citizenry! It is indeed, too late for the atrocity weary citizenry to start engaging in experiments with all political upstarts and all the Mugabe corroded political dead wood after the longest atrocious, brutal, poverty striken, hunger and disease ridden thirty years of ZANU PF terrorism.

Zimbabwe telegraph

Reginald Thabani Gola is a Zimbabwean Political Analyst, Civil Society and Human Rights Activist and Independent Journalist. E-mail: Reggola@yahoo.com; Regtgola@live.com