We learnt with shock and consternation of a violent public brawl between two top officials of the Joice Mujuru-led National People’s Party (NPP) during a meeting in Harare yesterday.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
The public spat, which was believed to have been inspired by policy inconsistencies in the fledgling political party, was so bad that Mujuru’s spokesperson and incoming secretary-general Gift Nyandoro was reportedly left limping with a fractured leg following an alleged thorough beating at the hands of party spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire.
Zimbabweans would remember Mawarire as having dragged the country to the 2013 elections, effectively cutting short the life of the Government of National Unity between President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T and Welshman Ncube’s MDC parties – which had brought economic stability.
Whatever the disagreements between Mujuru’s two top officials, the development is regrettable for many reasons. Whether he had been offended by his party colleague, Mawarire clearly showed his gaucheness for someone who aspires to become a presidential spokesperson in the unlikely event that Mujuru wins next year’s election.
After many people have been disappointed by the failures of Zanu PF and/or the opposition MDC-T, they were now looking up to NPP as a beacon of hope that would usher in a new political dispensation.
But when we have a political party whose senior officials can resort to brute violence, one is left wondering about their capability to govern – let alone this great nation. Such conduct, especially in public, is not acceptable.
Clearly, people can begin to see the kind of leadership that they can expect from Mujuru’s NPP officials.
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Perhaps, Mujuru and her party may have to stamp her authority and discipline the culprits as a statement to the public demonstrating that such kind of behaviour will not be accepted or tolerated within the NPP that she is building.
We are aware that Mujuru is eager for Zimbabweans to embrace her political formation as the country approaches the defining presidential poll in 2018, and, hence, it is critical to build public confidence during this teething process.
If no action is taken, then many are likely to turn their back on the party which has promised so much hope. NPP had brought a breath of fresh air after so many years of Zanu PF’s misrule and corruption as well as the MDCs’ failure to work together as a united front and eject Mugabe from power through the ballot box.
Opposition officials have always blamed Zanu PF for fomenting violence, and people can make their own conclusions regarding what can happen if such individuals acquire State power.
Clearly, what Mawarire and Nyandoro, a lawyer by profession, have done shows they can be worse than Zanu PF terror groups causing sleepless nights for the majority.
