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Cde Mutasa’s eureka moment timely

Opinion & Analysis
The surprise sudden realisation by dismissed Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa that President Robert Mugabe has despotic tendencies is rather timely and worthy.

The surprise sudden realisation by dismissed Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa that President Robert Mugabe has despotic tendencies is rather timely and worthy.

NewsDay Editorial

It is, however, unfortunate that Mutasa, ex-Vice President Joice Mujuru and fired party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo, among others, have decided to confront Mugabe this late after they have already been kicked out of the Zanu PF gravy train.

Nevertheless the former ruling party top officials now referred to as the Zanu PF dissidents’ eureka moment came at an opportune time when the country is in a political transition.

It is unfortunate though that the Zanu PF dissidents had all along pretended that everything was fine, and had taken part in suppressing the people, the country’s values and aspirations while propping up a despotic regime.

Fortunately, they have had their Damascene moment, which is commendable, hoping that once the dust settles they will not go back to their old ways.

No doubt they have been bitten by the monster they created. When late national hero Edgar Tekere fought against Mugabe’s one-party state desires in the 1990s, none in Zanu PF, including Mutasa or Mujuru, supported him. If anything, they all subscribed to Mugabe’s idea.

But it is laudable and a good start for Mutasa to tell all that has been happening within Zanu PF vis-à-vis stealing the people’s vote.

The sad events of the past months, according to Mutasa, reflect a deep-seated historical failure by Mugabe and Zanu PF to correctly handle internal contradictions. We totally agree with him, as each time Zanu PF faces challenges, it resorts to brute force.

Yet, Zimbabweans, the opposition and the international world have always complained about all this, without being heard.

Mutasa as party administrator and his cohorts have denied Zimbabweans one-man-one-vote for the past 35 years.

Welcome to the real world of Mugabe politics, Cde Mutasa! At least he’s now aware that the Zanu PF leadership has been hurting Zimbabweans’ feeling all these years.

Is it not Mutasa, who said he would not care if millions of Zimbabweans died because of food shortages, as the country would be better off with Zanu PF members only? Was Mutasa not among the Zanu PF leadership that launched the infamous Operation Murambatsvina in May 2005 in which all structures deemed illegal were destroyed rendering over 700 000 families homeless?

For decades, Mutasa was implicated in bloody Zanu PF campaigns which saw Mugabe’s controversial re-elections.

We doubt if Zimbabweans will cry if Zanu PF splits. In fact, they would love to see Mugabe’s back and the demise of Zanu PF sooner rather than later. This is why Zimbabweans will applaud the party dissidents for a job well-done for checkmating the Zanu PF rule. We can only be confident that with the Zanu PF split, a New Zimbabwe is beckoning — at least from within Zanu PF and other progressive forces.

It is not far-fetched to say while the Zanu PF dissidents’ hands are full of blood, they will likely have some traction within the disillusioned population keen to test a new life after Mugabe. Suffice to say what Mutasa is saying today is what thousands of disenfranchised Zimbabweans have been complaining about all along while he refused to listen.

Once again, Mutasa and his allies must be prepared for a Mugabe backlash.

But please spare us the purring and show Zimbabweans what you are made of.