THE disastrous attempt by Zanu PF to unilaterally declare July 31 2013 as the election date has proven to be an act of unprecedented suicide by the former ruling party which had to bear the indignity of a colossal diplomatic defeat in Maputo at the hands of the MDC formations.
No Holds Barred with Dumisani Nkomo
While observers have noted that Zanu PF shot itself in the foot, my opinion is that they shot themselves in the head and not the foot.
Sadc diplomatic defeat The Sadc extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe was in itself a huge diplomatic defeat for President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF in that in the first place, the party fought tooth and nail to ensure that the summit did not happen.
They tried to delay the summit as it became clear that they were not ready for the regional body and the subsequent resolutions that emanated from there.
Reports clearly indicate that MDC leader Welshman Ncube floored and mauled Zanu PF with a polished and eloquent presentation focussing on the legal morass brought about by the unilateral declaration by Mugabe.
He was ably assisted by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who made a mature and stately presentation.
Mugabe had clearly identified Ncube as an obstacle and had tried to isolate him from the meetings of the principals.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The summit proved why, as the man was simply on fire. An earlier tag team with Tsvangirai would have long resulted in reforms and results. Tsvangirai on the other hand, found a worthy partner and must be kicking himself as to why he sided with Mugabe in sidelining Ncube who has proved to be a political colossus on the negotiating table.
Regional isolation The Sadc resolutions included the immediate annulling of Mugabe’s fast-tracked “reforms” (or is it “deforms” ?) to the electoral laws through presidential powers and the need to pass the laws through Parliament.
Importantly, Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa was asked to approach the Constitutional Court to seek an extension to the election date and Sadc also demanded reforms to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Order and Security Act. Quite clearly, Sadc is taking a hardline stance to Zanu PF’s chicanery and the ailing ruling party is being increasingly isolated in the region.
International attention The election quagmire has not only attracted the attention of Sadc, but also the African Union which has already dispatched an observer mission. This means it may be very difficult for Zanu PF to engage in open acts of unilateralism or overt violence. They have invited the international community to once again focus on Zimbabwe and in doing so, scored a spectacular own goal.
Uniting enemies The unilateral act by Mugabe has brought the country’s opposition parties together with the MDC-T, MDC, Zapu and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn together to condemn Mugabe’s actions. Much to Zanu PF’s horror, its actions have culminated in the possibility of an electoral pact between the opposition parties.
This would surely seal the party’s electoral pact and dissipate Zanu PF’s chances in the presidential and parliamentary elections. Although most of the parties have concluded their primary elections for Parliament and local government, an electoral pact continues to be an unfolding reality.
All of a sudden, the anti-Zanu PF political parties, which are former opposition parties, have been united because of Zanu PF unilateralism. They have calculated that they can only deal with the former liberation movement by combining their energy and effort. Zanu PF’s actions can thus be described as attempted political suicide, as the key strategy in politics is to ensure that you keep your opposition divided.
Division in Zanu PF It must be borne in mind that Zanu PF, like any political or social entity, is not homogenous, but is composed of various interest groups, factions, differing personalities and so forth. Not everyone in Zanu PF was and is for an early election for various reasons.
Surprisingly, in spite of their bravado and apparent misplaced Dutch courage, Zanu PF is the only party in the inclusive government which still has not held primary elections.Their only known candidate is the 89-year-old Robert Mugabe.
However, primary elections within the party, which are due today, have resulted once more in rampant factionalism and open defiance of party directives.
Allegations of candidate imposition and double standards have marred the Zanu PF primary election process which had to be postponed by the party’s national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo.
All this commotion within the ruling party has been caused by a rushed decision which has intensified factionalism and the battle for succession within the party.
Some argue that Zanu PF played opponents a dummy by getting everybody to focus on the dates of the elections and the legal conundrum surrounding the issue while they would then focus on grassroots mobilisation.
But there is no evidence of this as the proclamation and political panic generated by the election date saga has caused more organised confusion in the Zanu PF camp.
Undoubtedly, Zanu PF is becoming increasingly isolated and is almost entirely dependent on the State security apparatus and control of key State organs for continued political survival. Dumisani Nkomo is an activist and opinion leader
