When Joice Mujuru faced an ignominious exit from the party of her political umbilical cord, Zanu PF, she obviously attracted sympathy from across the political divide in Zimbabwe, especially from those within opposition ranks and indeed those peripheral political “animals” who have no roots or allegiance to any political formation but have the willpower to vote on election day for anyone who would have excited them.
By Jack Zaba
Again when she issued her subsequent Press statements stating her position following the expulsion, the liberation war stalwart endeared herself closer to a larger group of those who are anti-Zanu PF.
By the time she released her economic blueprint and indicative national vision, BUILD, there was evident frenzy as significant numbers of Zimbabweans got titillated by the entry of a new political voice and the anticipated decimation of the ruling oligarchy by their erstwhile darlings.
Immediately political discourse changed, some people’s waning hope for a better Zimbabwe was revived and political “prophets” started imagining a grand coalition which would also rope in various political parties including the MDC parties in their multifaceted construction. However, a good number of Zimbabweans remained sceptical about her seriousness and her potential game-changing capacity.
Slowly the bubble that was premised on BUILD is becoming weaker and at least some people who celebrated Mujuru’s re-entry into politics are beginning to doubt their judgment. Is she going to unleash the potential that so many observers claim exists in her political capital?
As the nation remains spellbound on the political destiny of Mujuru, it remains critical to accept that sooner or later her political journey shall be revealed. While Mujuru ponders her next political sojourn which remains largely unclear, this writer wants to take a position that, perhaps she will gather herself and declare her roadmap to State House, outside the Zanu PF framework.
However, in so doing she faces a treacherous road ahead, one which requires delicate planning, courage and minimised mistakes.
- 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
Mujuru is a veteran politician who knows the creature she intends to deal with, she knows the character of a Zimbabwean voter. The following hurdles might indeed partially explain her strategic hibernation from the political gravy train.
Clearly, one of Mujuru’s major hurdles is to guarantee would-be suitors that she is here to stay as one of the alternative opposition leaders. Alternatively, if indeed she manages to unshackle herself from the Zanu PF label and starts fighting them, is she prepared to absorb the expected backlash from a party that believes that its members owe their very existence to it?
Secondly, it is evident that political formations in Zimbabwe have for long thrived around big personalities who have strong socio-political bases.
While Mujuru’s re-entry into politics remains exciting to a significant number of the population, her major challenge is to establish a sound social and political base of her own which is independent from that of MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe.
History has shown that it is one’s social base or core support base which sustains political protagonists even during their moments of weakness.
The challenge is to identify a rallying issue, a new narrative or maybe ideology to bamboozle a new group of supporters. Such a group might be extracted from either the ruling Zanu PF party or from the existing opposition parties.
As we continue to “Wait for Godot” for the decorated liberation war icon to announce her arrival in opposition politics, it remains critical for her to rebrand herself effectively by openly jettisoning the Zanu PF blood she was used to before crafting a new message, a narrative of hope that galvanises her targeted supporters and solidifies into a durable social base.
