Of ‘Chinhu chedu’ and political economy . . . unpacking Operation Restore Legacy
It is the supposition of the political economy theory that those who own and control “a thing”, be it the means of production as supposed by Marx and Engels, or a political party, as I do hereby confirm; ultimately and unproblematically determine what to do with it, and not outsiders.
THE political economy theory is highly promiscuous! Its applicability is wide and universal, exposing its promiscuity. Its supposition is so simple even a layman needs no tutor. How the G40 cabal failed to grasp this with Jonathan Moyo — long paraded as a monopoly of intellect by some in this country — only the devil knows.
It is the supposition of the political economy theory that those who own and control “a thing” be it the means of production as supposed by Marx and Engels, or a political party, as I do hereby confirm; ultimately and unproblematically determine what to do with it, and not outsiders. The theory wholly rests on the philosophy that him “who pays the piper calls the tune”.
Developments in Zanu-PF, which happened at the speed of the Russian Zircon cruise missile, left important lessons for politicians in that party especially the younger generation.
The lessons are bare like a witch in a moonlit night! Of all the schooling, one stood stubbornly erect only a dangerous nincompoop would not notice it. The lesson is, Zanu-PF has owners and it is the owners that make key decisions when they have to be made. The question that immediately pops up is who owns the animal Zanu-PF? The veterans of the struggle, who today cut across the various arms of the State including the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, as epitomised by General Constantino Chiwenga and his lieutenants, were routinely clear that Zanu-PF had roots and they were its roots.
But the G40 cabal would also play their part by routinely ignoring the free lectures as hunger for the throne blinded them. They would indeed hear and ignore the free lectures from the war veterans led by Christopher Mutsvangwa, Victor Matemadanda and Douglas Mahiya that were anchored in the Chinhu Chedu (our thing) discourse. The war veterans as did others, who supported the silent ascendance of the crocodile (then Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa) to the throne as a major shareholder by virtue of seniority in Zanu-PF, saw the revolutionary party as Chinhu Chedu. So did the ZDF whose hierarchy is manned by veterans of the nation’s struggle. Naturally, it came as no surprise when the ZDF repeated the Chinhu Chedu mantra albeit in another terminology. The ZDF Commander Gen Chiwenga used the words “we are stockholders of the country. Some are stakeholders. Stakeholders come and go, but stockholders have nowhere to go, so we are stockholders, we came with it (Zimbabwe).”
He made the remarks in an interview with The Herald on April 18, 2016. Note the words “we came with it” and its relationship to Zanu-PF and the liberation struggle. Gen Chiwenga’s annotations earned him a good laugh from Jonathan Moyo, who failed to read the political economy of Zanu-PF or chose to ignore its weight. Moyo posted a reaction to Gen Chiwenga on his Twitter account saying: “To the extent that stockholders are stakeholders, the people are the only stockholders in and of Zimbabwe in terms of the Constitution. Individuals come and go, but the people remain.
“That’s why Zimbabwe’s Constitution recognises only the people as the only stockholders of power!” What Moyo missed was the fact that Gen Chiwenga spoke to the political economy of Zanu-PF insofar as it is the party that brought independence that the ZDF has taken oath to defend with its blood.
In came then Vice President, Cde Mnangagwa, now Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, with yet another intimation that once again raised the political economy red flag.
Addressing a gathering of Zanu-PF supporters, then VP Mnangagwa said: “Zanu-PF ihomwe inokwana everybody. Everybody can go into Zanu-PF pocket, but no one can put Zanu-PF in his or her pocket. Zanu-PF is a huge homwe, tose tokwana togorarama tirimo. Asi ukaita mweya wekuti Zanu-PF ndeyangu inokupisa ugotsva, ugotsva ugozoibudisa. Zanu-PF haikwani muhomwe.”
The message spoke to political economy of the revolutionary party in as much as it was a clarion warning to the criminal elements that had surrounded the then President, Robert Mugabe, and put the party in their pocket as a cabal. Once again, the message fell on deaf ears.
In fact, the “stockholders” (ZDF) and “Chinu Chedus” (war veterans) were told off because not only war veterans fought for independence, but it was a collective effort of all and sundry. If anything, Moyo arm-twisted the Chinhu Chedu discourse to impress upon the then President that these were successionists threatening his reign. This led to the purging of the veterans of the struggle from Zanu-PF — a party they formed and therefore owned.
The political economy of Zanu-PF had to be safeguarded hence the timely intervention by the ZDF through Operation Restore Legacy.
As the name of the operation, expertly executed by the ZDF suggests, this was a moment of ridding Zanu-PF of the hijacking mafikizolos as personified by the G40 cabal.
Evidence that Zanu-PF had been stolen in a daylight robbery fashion manifested in the resolutions that were passed by the ruling party’s provinces demanding the reinstatement of all cadres dismissed from Zanu-PF when the G40 was in charge. For at the height of Zanu-PF infighting, control of the party became a pendulum — today war veterans were in charge and tomorrow the G40 would steal power and institute serious purging in the party while also firing threats at men manning key State institutions. What is it I am arriving at? Everything on earth has an owner — be it a burial society. What is important when one joins a people’s thing is always to remember that the thing has its owners. The owners would rather die than let it slip through their fingers.
As was said in Gutu by then VP Mnangagwa at a memorial service for Cde Shuvai Mahofa or “Chikoforo” as we used to call her in Masvingo — may her dear soul rest in eternal peace — kumagumo kunenyaya!
Two years ago, someone in the corridors of power whispered to me when factionalism was ravaging Zanu-PF that, “vamwe vachamutiza muno”. It made little sense then. Indeed, the G40 has fled in all directions. They handed back the loot (Zanu-PF) to its shareholders and in the process confirmed the veracity of the political economy theory — ownership and control calls the shots.