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Cuthbert Mavheko

It is a view expressed by astute political observers, this scribe included, that unless the MDC-Alliance denounces violence and joins President E.D. Mnangagwa and other political parties in the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad), the party will soon fall and disintegrate to nothing.

Indeed, it presents a painful paradox to note that the MDC-Alliance has refused to participate in dialogue under the auspices of Polad and has stubbornly insisted on talking exclusively to Zanu-PF, claiming the other political parties are not necessary.

One pertinent observation I have made about the political clowns and charlatans who lead the MDC-Alliance is that they seem to have a narcissist mentality. They tend to bathe in self-esteem and enjoy an elusive popularity as proven by their dismal performance in the 2018 harmonised elections.

Instead of joining other political parties in constructive dialogue aimed at lifting the country out of its economic challenges, they seek to drag the nation back into election mode by stubbornly refusing to recognise President E.D. Mnangagwa as the legitimate Head of State and Government. And yet the entire world recognises him as the legitimate leader of the nation.

Of more concern, if not altogether alarming, is that the war-mongers who lead the MDC-Alliance continue to stick to their guns by threatening to use violence as a vehicle of societal disruption to topple the Government. Surely, these blood-thirsty hoodlums ought to awaken to the fact that there is more to gain from co-operation with the Government than from vindictiveness.

While it is within the parameters of an individual’s democratic right to express personal opinion, inciting ordinary citizens to revolt against a constitutionally-elected Government is a serious crime which, in some countries like Iran, merits the death penalty.

Being a master of the art of deception, MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa has managed to hoodwink the legions of praise-singers and bootlickers, particularly the ‘Chamisa Chete Chete’ brigade, who mindlessly follow him like sheep to the slaughter, into believing that he is the ordained one, a political messiah and a beacon of hope for a better tomorrow. 

They revere him as the biblical Moses, sent by Almighty God to lead Zimbabweans into the political Canaan-a land flowing with milk and honey.

This is scandalous and displays shocking political naivety and short-sightedness. It is public knowledge that Chamisa is a dyed-in-the-wool puppet of the West and leads a counter-revolutionary movement, created and nurtured by the same imperialists who enslaved and oppressed Zimbabweans for donkey years.

History will always record that it is the MDC which invited sanctions against Zimbabwe, and continues to support the retention and extension of these punitive sanctions, vainly hoping the misery and suffering caused by the economic embargo will effect regime change.

Alas, these sanctions have wreaked havoc in the country, forcing company closures and driving multitudes of once-gainfully employed Zimbabweans into the chilly wilderness of joblessness, where they are languishing in abject poverty.

While political movements everywhere should be driven by sound political ideologies that unite people from diverse socio-economic and political backgrounds in order to achieve a common good, this is certainly not the case with the MDC-Alliance.

Truth be told, the MDC-Alliance is a loose coalition of different interest groups, which conveniently came together for one grand purpose- the removal of Zanu-PF from power, by hook or by crook, at the West’s behest.

For those not in the know, the seven parties that form the MDC-Alliance were created solely to do the bidding of the West. They preach the loudest about the rule of law and human rights yet they are the worst offenders of these priceless norms and values of democracy.

If what well-placed sources in the MDC-Alliance say is anything to go by it appears the chickens have finally come home to roost for Chamisa. 

MDC-Alliance supporters are openly expressing disgruntlement with the current leadership of the party and have reportedly formed a clique, which is pushing for the ouster of Chamisa and replacing him with the party’s ex-secretary general Douglas Mwonzora.

Insiders aver that in plotting to oust Chamisa, the clique pitched its offensive on his dismal failure to adhere to the democratic principles of the party by being intolerant of dissenting voices and unleashing violence on those who oppose him.

“It is really saddening to note that our party (the MDC-T) was split on the very day our late former president, Morgan Tsvangirai was laid to rest, all because of this power-hungry youngster (Chamisa), who threw the party’s constitution into the dustbin and assumed the leadership of the party. 

“This caused a lot of friction and confusion among party supporters, finally culminating in the loss to Zanu-PF in the 2018 harmonised elections.

“Chamisa’s days as president of the party are numbered as plans are being mooted to remove him ahead of the 2023 elections and replace him with Douglas Mwonzora-a politically mature, stable and well- disciplined individual,” said a spokesperson for the clique, who declined to be named.

I have no brief with Chamisa. However, if indeed the truth be told without fear or favor, the way he assumed the leadership of the MDC-T following the death of Tsvangirai proved to all and sundry that he is not only obsessed with power for its own sake, but that he has all the dangerous traits of a megalomaniac and dictator.

In an article titled :’Chamisa- a tin pot dictator’ (Herald, August 28, 2018) Fungai Chiposi, who was an independent National Assembly candidate for Southerton Constituency  in the July 30, 2018 harmonised elections, said:” The manner in which Nelson Chamisa took over the leadership of the MDC-T rang alarm bells in me.

“I engaged with him and highlighted that this was not the correct way to assume leadership. As a lawyer, he understood the MDC-T constitution and was duty-bound to uphold it. As a responsible citizen, I could not bring myself to support a leader who could not stand with his constitution. What guarantee would I have that he would uphold the constitution of the country if elected president?”

Let me say in conclusion that Chamisa’s public image projects a gory picture of a self-centred, power-hungry individual who does not have the interests of the nation at heart, but is only after personal glory and self-aggrandisement. 

*Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist living in Bulawayo. Contact details: Mobile- 0773 963 448.