A lot has happened in the weeks and months since I last wrote on this blog. Zimbabwean politics moves at hurricane pace in terms of events but sadly this is not the case with regard to progress in solving the perennial problems bedevilling our country.
We have seen the restart, suspension, and restart of the doomed talks between MDC, ZANU PF and Arthur Mutambara. We have also seen the start of Senator Roy Bennett’s trial which has provided some lighter moments especially the reported exchanges between the ‘Zanunised’ Attorney General Tomana and Mr Hitschmann. Then we learned that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s properties had been attached for failure to service debts even though the ‘impeccable’ Gideon Gono is still the governor there. ZANU PF has been throwing the toys around because they have failed to fool and/or blackmail the West into lifting the targeted sanctions.
In the midst of all this drama we seem to have lost the plot a bit. By ‘we’ I mean all Zimbabweans outside of ZANU PF. In this theatre of absurdity we have allowed ZANU PF to regain initiative by moving the debate away from the real issues to sanctions and now the idea of holding the elections under the current constitutional dispensation. ZANU PF has been milking every opportunity to stall the progress towards a new Zimbabwe. In a clear sign that they are preparing for war we now hear that Andrew Langa and Joyce Mujuru were launching a parallel outreach process for the constitution. Everyone knows what ZANU PF’s idea of outreach is – broken bones, dead bodies, burnt homes, the list goes on. The farm invasions have intensified with Judges and Magistrates bribed into bending the law through farm offers. There are too many red flags to ignore.
While I never thought the MDC could get concessions from ZANU PF on all outstanding issues I still believed that there would be progress on some issues. Things are not looking good at the negotiations so we may have to start planning for an alternative ending. ZANU PF is trying to push MDC into leaving the GNU so that they can call elections without having to negotiate. If at all possible, the MDC should hang in there so as to frustrate ZANU PF’s plan to cheat the people of Zimbabwe of the future they deserve. The noises coming from Jacob Zuma and his SADC do not inspire confidence. Now he wants Zimbabwe to hold elections without sorting out the outstanding GPA issues. It would appear that Zimbabweans were used by the South African government as pawns in the politics of the World Cup. Now that the World Cup is in the bag South Africa does not care a hoot about the welfare of the Zimbabwean people. If ZANU PF chooses to kill thousands of Zimbabweans as part of an election campaign that takes place after the World Cup then it won’t matter.
The recent appeal to SADC and AU concerning the talks by the MDC should be viewed in the light of recent events. There is little or no chance that these two ‘esteemed’ African organizations will do anything about Mugabe’s wayward behaviour. The MDC must begin planning for a post GNU scenario. Everyone acknowledges that the MDC has done all it can to return Zimbabwe to the community of nations and to improve the economics of the country but it is likely that their position in the GNU will soon become untenable. They, therefore, must have a clear plan of action to counter ZANU PF strategy. The strategists in the party should come up with a comprehensive plan that covers all the things that could go wrong. As the cliché goes ‘Failure to plan is planning to fail’. The MDC appears to have been lulled into a false sense of security. I may be wrong but I think MDC is not planning for the worst. It would be tragic if when the GNU collapses or outlives its usefulness the MDC find themselves without a plan for countering ZANU PF. In 2008 we were caught off guard but once beaten twice shy. We should never allow ZANU PF to catch us napping again. Like always I do not expect the MDC to share their plans with us lesser mortals but those in the driving seat of the organisation should have a clear idea of what the organisation will do in the event of a premature end to the GNU. I am just worried that the MDC may be left without a chair when the music stops...
