Implication of the past weeks’s events on Zimbabwe

Implication of the past weeks’s events on Zimbabwe

Weekend Reflections with Sabhuku Nhopi

09 July 2022

Introduction

This week has been packed with events which are all pregnant with implications to the Zimbabwean situation. From two main Twitter wars to two main deaths of former leaders and a resignation as well as the appointment of Zanu pf Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s daughter Abigail to be a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) commissioner. Just as news worthy as this has been, these events have massive implications to the Zimbabwean people especially as we are inching towards the 2023 harmonised elections.

Fadzai Edmund saga

These events are not in the order with which they occurred but their impact to the Zimbabwean situation deserve an inclusion in this short read. Edmund Kudzayi of the Baba Jukwa fame with a very close link to self-exiled former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo used his Twitter to post that “There is nothing honourable about having sex with married men and wrecking marriages” in reference to Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) National Spokesperson. His supposed threat to release nudes was met with ridicule as it turned out that the nudes story was just a side story to dent the CCC as a party especially its leaders. Edmund Kudzayi has a close relationship with Professor Jonathan Moyo and he considers him (Moyo) as his mentor. Professor Moyo last year offered to train the CCC’s election agents in a move to fight against the regime which caused him to be in this condition (exiled). The wisdom of the CCC not to take up the offer is only bearing fruits now when the learned Professor has gone back to his default mode of attacking the opposition. Zanu pf seem to have a hand in this because they have managed to jail Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole key members of the CCC. They try every day to get to Chamisa but he is well ahead and his party CCC seem as if they have no structure and constitution but truth be told if you do not have a DSTV decoder that does not mean there are no DSTV signals around. So the frustration of the refusal by the CCC to take the bait of election agents being trained by serial flip flopper Professor Moyo has led to all these dirty tricks on Fadzai and many others. Fadzai Mahere is a single woman of marriageable age. What happens to her love affair, does not affect her role and position as the National Spokesperson. Whenever one resorts to personal attacks just know that they have lost the argument. This trick is off Zanu pf’s play book of silencing individuals as Arch Bishop Pius Ncube was once sent into early retirement after cameras were set up in his bedroom to catch him red handed. A lawsuit was instituted against Edmund Kudzayi. Although it is expected that the courts may take sides, for history’s sake it was very important to sue him. He thought the ‘compromat’ (As late Bishop Magaisa would term it) he had on Mahere would silence her and dent her political effectiveness. How wrong Kudzayi and all his funders and backers are.

Boris Johnson Resignation

After many months of pressure for him to resign after he broke COVID 19 protocols he set up himself, Boris Johnson resigned from the position of British Prime Minister. This is a very hot seat as PM after PM have been forced to resign due to one factor or another. For Boris, the hand writing was on the wall already as his Ministers resigned enmasse in protest to his lost credibility. Although the relationship between Zimbabwe and Britain never really recovered to pre-2000 levels, Britain remains a steadfast economic partner of Zimbabwe as some of Zimbabwean produce is spotted in British shelves. In any case an unstable Britain will lead to an unstable Anglo-Zimbo relationship as well. Boris was in the process of enacting immigration laws that would see immigrants who use unconventional means to come to the UK being sent to Rwanda as a way of making the choice unattractive to the would-be migrants to the UK. Zimbabwe also received the first batch of immigrants from the UK in another arrangement which will see most offenders being deported back to their home countries. Whether the deportation arrangement will still continue or not now that there is going to be a new PM remains to be seen.

Shinzo Abe Assassination

Japan’s longest former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a campaign rally in Nara, Japan. Although Japan has lost an honorable man who was twice gracious enough to resign citing health challenges, Africa is infested with leaders who will choose to die on the job like a wrist watch. His security detail was heavily compromised and to show that Africa is still miles behind, the killer used a homemade shot gun. Zimbabwe will do well if they have people who will resign citing health problems. We all know there was one government official who was in hospital for long periods in Asia yet they never relinquished their position, if at all they doubled their positions. This is what takes the country backwards as a nation because the whole country will be held at ransom by a sick individual who could have done well to his country by allowing healthier people to carry on with the enormous government work.

Dos Santos Death

Elsewhere in Barcelona Spain, the second longest serving African dictator Jose Eduardo Dos Santos was also breathing his last. This led to widespread celebrations across his native Angola. One wonders why people would rejoice when one dies instead of mourning. When Nelson Mandela died, South Africa was plunged into national mourning as he was a beloved leader who served his country with dignity and honor. Dos Santos only managed to make her daughter the richest woman in Africa some of which riches have since been seized by the current government in an anti corruption blitz. From this death, Zimbabweans can learn that nothing lasts forever and there is no better legacy than the legacy of economic development, fair governance and collective prosperity as a country.

Appointment of Regime’s Children to ZEC

At the back of Boris Johnson resignation was the Zimbabwean Government appointing Abigail Mohadi the daughter of Zanu pf Vice President Kembo Mohadi. Her appointment was not based on merit as her interview was a disaster. Her only trump card was that she is patriotic. If patriotism is anything to go by, then we have many patriotic non-partisan Zimbabweans who can equally fit into that position. The fact that she is chosen to be part of an institution which her father and his colleagues will depend on for political mandate next year remains one of the most mind boggling things Zimbabweans have ever seen. It is like putting Malia Obama in the Federal Election Commision and expect her to raise red flags should his father gets campaign funding illegally. The level of conflict of interest and nepotism is legendary. It is not the first time Zanu pf has done this, during Mugabe era, people close to the President would get strategic posts to ensure the perpetuation of the regime. Her appointment casts major doubts on the credibility of next year’s plebiscite because she joins an already compromised ZEC which was staffed with former regime apologists some taken from the Army. Whether ZEC will be able to declare any other candidate in next year’s election the winner if they are not from Zanu pf remains to be seen but highly doubtful.

Zambia's Economic Growth

Across the Zambezi river it is fast becoming clear that putting the right leadership at the helm of the country has a long lasting impact on the country’s economic performance. Just last week, we saw Bloomberg declaring the Zambian Kwacha, Africa’s best performing currency. This comes at the back of country’s inflation coming to a single digit – a thing it last did during then President Levy Mwanawasa back in 2006. While Zambia’s inflation was going south, Zimbabwe’s was going north earning the country top spot for the highest inflation rate in the world. This is not the first time that a Zanu pf led government has won the top prize for the highest inflation in the world as it happened in 2008. The response of the government is that the country is under sanctions that is why. We have countries which are at war like Ukraine, Somalia, Chad and many others yet Zimbabwean inflation has taken the prize ahead of those countries despite the recent re-dollarization by Finance Minister. If the regime had shame, they would resign enmasse, but because power was grabbed illegally in 2017, relinquishing it will take more than what nature can provide.

Baba Harare-Kudzai Mutisi saga

Baba Harare whose birth name is Braveman Chizvino who recently joined microblogging site Twitter didn't waste time in encouraging his fast growing legion of Twitter followers to register to vote. This is proving problematic with the regime as encouraging people to register to vote is misconstrued as if saying Vote for CCC. How the regime has reached this conclusion leaves people wondering as some regime enablers like exiled Kudzai Mutisi found this problematic. Baba Harare then further went on to ask ZEC through his Twitter handle if it is a crime to encourage the youths to register to vote. He goes on to say that if its a crime then he is "not sorry." The regime enablers are quick to trash Baba Harare's rising popularity by calling his music as boring to which Baba Harare quickly posted a video of his song Stumbo being played at a Zanu pf rally. From this it is clear that just as many other influencers like Sani Makalima, Memory Mucherahohwa and Winky D have come out to show their support for the suffering masses, it is imortant for celebrities to be on the right side of history than enjoy the spoils from the regime only to turn back and apologise looking for sympathy when the regime is now out of power.

Conclusion

This discussion tackled on the happenings of this week which include the death of two former leaders on the opposite sides of the dictatorship spectrum. It also covered the aspect of the appointment Kembo Mohadi’s daughter to the ZEC commissariat which further compromises the already compromised ZEC casting doubts as to whether the supposedly independent commission will deliver its constitutional mandate to hold free and fair elections next year and beyond. The discussion also touched on the implications of Boris Johnson’s resignation to Zimbabwean politics as well as the Zambian economic growth on the back of world number 1 inflation rate in Zimbabwe.

Sabhuku Nhopi is a political commentator you can find him on sabhukunhopi@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Sabhuku Nhopi or like or Subscribe to his music on his Youtube channel @Sabhuku Nhopi or his Facebook Sabhuku Nhopi.