Growing calls for intervention after new round of crackdowns
The false dawn was over and Zimbabwe returned to the familiar autocratic rule that has continued since. Mnangagwa has squandered the opportunity to make a name for himself as a good statesman who brought hope to his country, writes Senzangakhona Mzila
The political turmoil unravelling in Zimbabwe has resulted in growing calls for action internally and across the globe.
UN secretary-general António Guterres has reportedly noted the developments in that country with concern, SA has said it will be dispatching envoys soon to engage with their Zimbabwean counterparts, and the ANC — a friend of the ruling Zanu-PF — has also added its voice via secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Opposition parties in SA, diplomats, the media and civil organisations have been united in their concern over repression going on in that country and have called for meaningful dialogue to resolve the impasse.
In recent times opposition politicians have been hunted like criminals, journalists have been arrested for pointing out the pervasive corruption that entangles the ruling elite, any voice of dissent has been ruthlessly crushed, and the movement of people has been severely curtailed, ostensibly to control the coronavirus.
Trying to defend itself, Zanu-PF has resorted to bluster and attacking anyone who dares question its rule.
Addressing the nation on Monday, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa equated those who organised the ill-fated July 31 protests to “dark forces” that must be “flushed out” to make his mandate possible.
The protests were organised to voice concerns over corruption, poor governance and repression and had support from across the borders through the Zimbabwean Lives Matter campaign.
The Zimbabwean High Commissioner to SA had harsh words for the EFF after the opposition party questioned Mnangagwa’s strategies. On Friday Zanu-PF expressed its anger over what it called Magashule’s megaphone diplomacy.
Mnangagwa’s statement is a complete digression from his famous “the voice of people is the voice of God” phrase popularised during the countdown to his ascendancy to the highest office in the land.
He called on his predecessor and long-time dictator Robert Mugabe to listen and obey the will of people when calls for him to step down intensified.
So what has happened to the voice of God? Has it suddenly turned out to be the voice of the devil?
Most of those who differ from Mnangagwa are not calling for him to step down but rather to respect and open the democratic space as well as address the country’s economic woes.
Why is it difficult for him to embrace these calls and instead label his detractors and critics “terrorists”? Was the voice of God only supposed to be heard by Mugabe and not Mnangagwa and his lieutenants?
Zanu-PF has labelled former comrades who are said to have met with ANC cadres recently, as criminals running away from justice. While we may not be privy to some of the internal matters of Zanu-PF, one can legitimately ask if Mnangagwa was a criminal when he sought brief refuge in SA before he was thrust into office following a military putsch in November 2017.
In hindsight, would it have been proper for SA to hand him over to Mugabe? Just like him, persecution has driven most Zimbabweans out of the country, resulting in some professionals having to take up menial jobs all over the world.
When Mugabe resigned on November 21 2017 as the military continued to tighten the noose and his party threatened impeachment, there were wild scenes of jubilation.
Citizens and the military marched side-byside on the streets as everyone felt that at long last “freedom” had arrived in Zimbabwe.
There was a breath of fresh air across the country when Mnangagwa took over.
Suddenly there was a resurgence hope for many Zimbabweans.
Thousands of people who had fled the country due to the Mugabe kakistocracy packed their belongings and returned home. Indeed for all Zimbabweans, a new dawn had arrived.
Zimbabwe had reached rock bottom under Mugabe and the only way was up.
Zimbabweans literally gave Mnangagwa a blank cheque, a clean slate to rebuild the country.
Unfortunately that was a miscalculation as the incumbent has gone out of his way to outdo his predecessor in making the lives of the masses miserable.
It was like people expecting the chief striker of a team to suddenly lose his scoring prowess when he takes over the club. Mnangagwa has surely lived up to the proverbial teaching “the leopard never changes its spots”. He was Mugabe’s enforcer and those characteristics have resurfaced.
Zimbabweans soon learnt a lesson the hard way when he deployed the army after the 2018 national elections. People who had marched side-by-side with army a few months earlier were shot dead on the streets.
The false dawn was over and Zimbabwe returned to the familiar autocratic rule which has continued ever since.
Mnangagwa has squandered an opportunity to make a name for himself as a good statesman who brought hope to his country.
But did Zimbabwe need an election after the toppling of Mugabe? The answer is no.
It was only politicians who pushed the country into an unnecessary election to suit their selfish egos.
Zimbabweans missed a big opportunity to form a unity government, similar to one brokered by former SA president Thabo Mbeki, to rebuild the shattered economy.
Unfortunately hardliners from both ZanuPF and opposition MDC wanted the winnertake-all pathway.
That was a grave mistake.
What the Zanu-PF hardliners did not realise is that they could rig the election, as has been alleged since Mugabe days, but they could not rig the economy.
Conversely, MDC leaders did not realise that they could make the economy work but they could not rig the elections.
The winner-take-all mentality has thrust the country into a chasm. The dreams and hopes of the ordinary men have been dashed.
The repression clearly demonstrates the failure of liberation movements to turn themselves into governing parties.
Whatever the leadership says is right, must not be questioned. Surely democracy does not work that way, because such an approach is a travesty of justice.
As the situation becomes more dire every day, the calls for an intervention in Zimbabwe must also grow louder.
Megaphone diplomacy or not, it is time liberation movements such as the ANC choose to be with the people of Zimbabwe.
Support for the unrepentant Zanu-PF will not take the region anywhere. Zimbabwe’s problems inevitably spill into the region, hence the SADC and AU must quickly find a solution for the impasse in that country.
The region can’t afford any other problems for now, as the coronavirus is already wreaking havoc.
Zimbabweans gave Mnangagwa a clean slate to rebuild the country. Unfortunately that was a miscalculation as the incumbent has gone out of his way to outdo his predecessor in making the lives of the masses miserable