If you buy any paper today you are likely to read about factional politics in Zanu PF. You see politicians putting all their energy in tarnishing each other’s images. In fact, President Robert Mugabe once said that he was aware of secret factional meetings being held in dark corners where individuals plot to topple each other from positions of power.

As I see it ladies and gentlemen Zanu PF is at war with own self. Although I cannot exhaust all the fights in the ruling party, it is now common that you have to belong to a faction in order to survive politically. Although people deny leading any factions in the revolutionary party, it’s no longer a secret that we now have two warring political parties within one party. I  remember very well the poorly attended victory celebrations in Mucheke stadium recently where speaker after another castigated those who fuel factionalism in the party. Ironically, it was one faction which attended the so called victory celebrations.

As I see it ladies and gentlemen, it would appear as if my colleagues from the ruling party or should I say parties are aware that they have  to make some kind of roll call in order to find out whether everyone is still in the factional tent. However, they have to perform these rituals under the guise of victory celebrations. It is again at such meetings when those who want promotion in the faction have to memorise some poems of praise so that they would recite such in front of their faction leaders – those who can outdo others in this whole drama are likely to be elevated. As I see it ladies and gentlemen, if we are not careful, the politicians who are supposed to lead us might continue to fight for their selfish interest while our economy continues to bleed. People were hoping that ZANUPF ‘s  most popularised ZIMASSET will  improve their lives but one year down the line, signs of improvement are not anywhere near. What has taken centre stage is backbiting, denouncing each other and calling each other names.

Who shall we blame for our failure?

Zimbabweans are yearning for answers to their problems but unfortunately all they hear from the media is factional politics within Zanu PF. Remember the inclusive government is gone – all we have for our salvation is Zanu PF government. Don’t continue with the sanctions talk because it is almost a tired excuse. It would have been better to blame sanctions while showing your own efforts to improve the lives of Zimbabweans than to blame sanctions and direct all your energy to factional fights. Zimbabwe could have been a better place without these fights.

Is it that Zanu PF as a revolutionary party would want to fight at all cost – to the extent that in the absence of a strong opposition to fight, they would rather fight among themselves?

It’s now a year after the resounding victory against MDC-T and people expected to see a lot of development. Remember it did not take even six months to notice a positive change after the coming in of the  inclusive government.

Those who voted are now confused

When some of us saw brand new vehicles being donated to all people who aspired to be MPs coupled with all the things being dished out to people by Zanu PF during campaign, we thought that a party of the people was geared to lead Zimbabweans to Canaan. However, soon after victory, all the fire went off and people are at each other’s throat. Zimbabweans deserve to be respected gentlemen! Give no chance for people to ever think that inclusive government was far better than what we have today.

As I see it ladies and gentlemen, if you continue to fight like this, even ZIMASSET will not work – in fact if you are not careful the economic blueprint will remain a pipe dream.

Remember your election promises and work towards fulfilling them. We are still  waiting for the promised jobs and our industry needs to be revived. Zimbabwean professionals want their dignity and pride restored.

If this fighting is being done to shift our focus from real problems at hand, then know that the strategy will not last as people yearn for economic solutions from the government of the day.

Let me end here for now lest I be accused of yep yep or speaking too much or yep yepping if you like!!!!

Golden Maunganidze is a journalist and a media trainer. He writes in his own capacity. You can send feedback or comments to goldenmaunganidze37@gmail.com. Politics

 

By Moses Ziyambi

The Movement for Democratic Change’s Renewal Team leadership headed  by former party secretary general Tendai Biti took turns in attacking their former president Morgan Tsvangirai at a meeting held in Masvingo over the weekend.

Addressing people gathered at the Civic Centre, for what was dubbed the ‘Youth-Student Public Meeting’ the renewal team leadership berated Tsvangirai for participating in last year’s elections when agreed conditions for holding credible elections had not been met.

The grouping’s treasurer Elton Mangoma said Tsvangirai had no one to blame for losing elections as he was the one who stampeded the country into elections.

 Mangoma also assured the gathering that Tsvangirai’s political carrier had come to an end.

“There is nowhere else that man (Tsvangirai) will ever go, he is finished. Some say he will resurrect, but the last time I checked, only Jesus resurrected. Tsvangirai will never resurrect”, declared Mangoma.

He also emphasised the need to create quality education for the country’s youth as the solution to the country’s lack of development. He attacked the indigenisation drive being championed by the ruling Zanu PF government, saying the programme has enriched a few and blocked foreign direct investment.

“They deliberately misinterpreted our opposition to indigenisation to mean we are opposed to empowerment of the people. We want broad-based economic empowerment for the benefit of all. There is inherent greed. Indigenisation in its current form will not succeed”, he said.

“There is no nation that has succeeded without educating its people. South Korea was the same as Zimbabwe some fifty to sixty years ago but it is now in the top fifty in the world technologically because they educated their people”, said Mangoma.

Jeffreson Chitando is among top officials in the Renewal Team

Taking to the podium later, Biti lambasted what he called a crises of leadership in both Zanu PF and MDC-T that has led to the rigging of elections and perpetuation of the political and economic crisis.

“I have talked about a crisis of leadership and political crisis in this country. Zanu was always going to rig but some people must take responsibility for letting that happen. President Zuma told Tsvangirai that he was not supposed to go for an election but he was adamant only to cry later saying takarohwa nezveusiku”, said Biti.

He further said the Renewal Team was looking beyond the old ways of dealing with Zanu PF as those had failed.

“When dealing with dictators like Zanu, you have to be strategic in how you remove them. We have spent the last fifteen years playing quantitative politics. The election of 2013 showed us that we need much, much more than quantitative politics. Tsvangirai is still playing draft while we are already playing chess”, said Biti.

The meeting was attended by around 150 people including some former MDC-T legislators for Masvingo Central (Jeffryson Chitando), Gutu Central (Oliver Chirume), Zaka North (Ernest Mudavanhu) and Masvingo Urban (Tongai Matutu).