President Robert Mugabe’s address to hundreds of Zanu PF supporters attending the 21st February Movement bash to commemorate his 88th birthday at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare at the weekend was a landmark in sycophancy.
By the time he had finished, one would have thought Zimbabwe was the greatest nation in the history of the world and that Zanu PF was the greatest political party which it frequently claims to be.
He lavished compliment after compliment upon himself, laying it on thick, and the former ruling party youths, being stroked so deliciously, rose to their feet and gave him ovation after ovation.
Zanu PF Manicaland central committee member Esau Mupfumi equated the reportedly borrowed gathering to the Independence Day celebrations in 1980. That can be understood especially from a party that has lost so many parliamentary seats to the MDC-T.
Mugabe told the crowd he was still energetic and strong enough to rule Zimbabwe for the foreseeable future. These celebrations and your coming here have lifted our spirits . . . I am still strong, Mugabe said I still have the energy to lead you, but always remember the future belongs to the youths, they are the ones that will inherit the country, he said while addressing mostly Zanu PF apparatchiks.
This kind of duplicity is nauseating. Mugabe claims the youths are the future leaders, yet at the same time he continues to hang onto power, clearly telling them hes not yet ready to relinquish power.
This explains why the leader of Zanu PF youths Absalom Sikhosana is over 50 years of age. Other political parties globally have clear constitutions where a youth leader must not be over 40 years.
This explains why Zanu PF has no succession plan, and it would not surprise Zimbabweans when, in the unlikely event that Mugabe leaves power, Zanu PF simply disappears into oblivion.
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Mugabe has no idea what balanced diplomacy means. He also took the occasion to attack fellow African statesmen.
This is wrong. We should not put all our eggs in one basket. We should be friends with everyone and fiercely independent. Thats just common sense! This is surprising because Mugabe is literally biting the hand that feeds him.
What future is there for Mugabe, Zanu PF and Zimbabwe without its neighbours immense sacrifice for us? For instance, without South Africa and the GPA that Jacob Zuma has kept together at great cost to him personally and his country, Mugabe would not be President anyway.
Nevertheless, Mugabe is wasting time because Sadc is sick and tired of his machinations. He wants to trick Africa into believing that Zuma is biased, but its far from it.
With regard to political violence, there is no question about the intentional deprivation, beatings, torture and murder that Zanu PFs opponents have been subjected to during Zanu PFs rule since 1980.
Many of the torturers are easily found today. They are still running the Zanu PF arm of government. So it is crystal clear Mugabe spoke for some misguided, brain-dead Zanu PF supporters, but not for Zimbabweans who can plainly see what the former ruling party is about and deplore it. Now the speech is made, the damage done.
But Zanu PF needs to be told the truth. The party supporters were treated to brown-nosing on a majestic scale.
Zimbabweans must not turn a blind eye to the ongoing human rights abuses and political violence in the country, or risk being complicit.
