Zimbabwe’s yellow sea

AFTER a nervy period of unsureness and deliberation, the political midwives eventually attended to the arrival of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) on January 24, 2022. That date earned a place in the history of party politics in Zimbabwe when the MDC Alliance underwent a metamorphosis into the CCC.

Those who live through moments of history do not usually grasp their significance. It is those who look back and therefore have the advantage of hindsight, who can appreciate the weight of such moments. The events of this week carry some historical significance, and it’s not just because something big was born, but because a little bit of us also died in the same moment.

Hours before the arrival, Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the CCC had posted an image of a pregnant woman on his social media accounts. The expecting woman was dressed in bright yellow. Accompanying the image were the words “Behold the New”, a clear indication that something momentous in the life of Zimbabwe’s main opposition political party was afoot. There had already been much chatter among Zimbabweans concerning the issue of the party’s name given the murkiness that had developed around the old one, the MDC.

But if what was to come was a new baby, it was more wildebeest birth than human, for politics in Zimbabwe mimics politics of the jungle. The moment a wildebeest calf is born during the Great Migration in the Serengeti, it must learn quickly to both walk and run at the same time. It is a cruel and unforgiving world filled with predators with a voracious appetite, always eyeing the weakest members of the herd. It is into this tough world that the CCC arrived, one in which hungry political predators lurked, ready to pounce at the slightest sign of error, weakness, or opportunity. The CCC has had to hit the ground running.

The decision to change the party’s name had long been overdue. The MDC brand had become so toxic that retaining it was just unproductive stubbornness. This much was plain to everyone. It had not only become a source of confusion, but it also reflected the conflicts and confusion in opposition ranks. But as always, change is a hard proposition. Older hands found it hard to drop something that they had lived with for two decades. The idea of leaving was like betraying a longstanding love. It required a big mental leap to let go of a brand that had become a part of their lives. The history, the emotions, the experiences — for many dropping the name was sacrilege.

But a closer look reveals that many of those around Douglas Mwonzora is the older generation of the MDC, some of them gallant fighters of the past. But 20 years of fighting a dictatorship had taken its toll. Many gave up. It is not surprising that the approach of the Mwonzora has not been to fight the regime but to seek accommodation in the gravy train. The younger generation, on the other hand, many of them born just before or after the MDC gravitate toward Chamisa and the CCC. The older generation is retiring, while the new generation is up for a fight.

The brand had been dragged through the mud that retaining it was now counter-productive. For example, the fact that there would be a dogfight over the MDC brand was almost certain. Mwonzora had already staked his claim to the MDC Alliance brand, never mind the fact that he had fired elected representatives based on the accusation that they had joined the MDC Alliance. But was it a necessary fight? Even if Mwonzora’s claim was absurd, a legal fight placed the fate of the MDC Alliance in the hands of a judiciary whose decisions have often gone against it.

It was not necessary when there was a cleaner alternative. Solomonic wisdom dictated that it was better to let the aggressors have the baby than fight to have it cut in half. Unfortunately, in this case, there was no King Solomon to deliver judgment. That judgment lies in the hands of the citizens. The prognosis is that the baby is destined for a future of political malnutrition and probable expiration in the hands of Mwonzora and his allies. After all, it is Chamisa and his allies who appear to have the most important asset in politics: the people.

Chamisa and his allies may have given up the name, but they gained the favour of the people. Mwonzora and his allies may have the name, the buildings, and the public funding, but they are likely to struggle to retain the hearts and minds of the people. It is not too early for scribes to start writing the political obituary of the MDC – The Rise and Fall of a Movement that Dared to Dream. Few are not without blemish in that sorry saga, but it is Mwonzora who will carry the dubious distinction of having carried it into the grave.

One of the ironies of the past two years of the political onslaught against Chamisa and the MDC Alliance is that far from draining and exhausting them, it motivated them to unite and defend themselves. They became stronger, benefiting from the empathy of supporters and neutrals alike who were appalled by the abuse of power and clear favouritism by the regime. The arrogance with which Mwonzora and his allies carried themselves did little to endear them to the political market. Instead of eclipsing Chamisa as he had hoped, Mwonzora became the archetypical villain in the sordid political drama.

But hard as it might have been to drop the MDC brand and walk away, it was the only politically rational choice for Chamisa. As the weeks went on, the question was no longer if the MDC Alliance would change its name but when. The proclamation setting the dates for the by-elections and the nomination day made the decision more urgent. But even then, there was a reluctance to make a declaration. Some thought it was too soon and that there would be time during the year to launch the new name and brand. There was a mistaken view that the only thing that mattered was the 2023 election and that the by-elections were just a sideshow. But others rightly observed that further delays would not only frustrate supporters but also cause confusion. Far from being a sideshow, the byelections were the beginning of the show.

Already, candidates for the byelections were announcing their candidates under the MDC Alliance label while Mwonzora’s candidates were also telling the world that they were MDC Alliance candidates. This was an unpleasant situation that caused misery among supporters. It was causing needless confusion. The risk of losing the legal battle in courts that have consistently favoured Mwonzora’s side meant that it was foolhardy to continue insisting.

As it happened, the launch of the new name was overwhelmingly endorsed by the political marketplace. The MDC Alliance was history and so was the colour red, by which the main opposition party had been associated for more than two decades. By the end of the day, the CCC brand and the colour yellow were trending on social media. Supporters shared pictures in yellow apparel or with yellow backgrounds. What was even more remarkable were the numerous pictures of individuals who would not normally declare their political allegiances. They silently joined the bandwagon, making loud political statements with their images. The new baby was receiving a glorious welcome both within and outside Zimbabwe. The sense of excitement has been palpable. If anyone in the leadership had doubted the wisdom of the bold step, the reception must have been a hugely pleasant surprise.

A vicious response

As might be expected, the response from the authoritarian state has been vicious. The announcement of the new name appears to have taken the regime by surprise, which was a rare achievement for the opposition which is heavily infiltrated by regime spies and informants. The initial reaction of most of the regime’s propaganda machinery was to pretend that nothing had happened. The day the CCC was announced, among the traditional newspapers, only one private daily, NewsDay, headlined the news on its front page. The rest blanked the CCC.

But this strategy was soon abandoned because it did nothing to stop the yellow tide. Subsequently, the propaganda machinery began to concoct conspiracies against the CCC. The worst of the lot was a disgusting piece in The

Herald which sought to link the CCC’s symbolism to Islamic terrorist groups. But it was so beyond the pale that even the political editor whose title appeared on the by-line could not associate his name with it. Other regime apparatchiks are trying hard on social media to dilute the yellow concentrate, but they are hollow voices. The regime thought announcing the allocation of public funds to the Zanu PF and Mwonzora’s party in the same week would deflate the buoyant mood among CCC supporters and demoralize them, but this only served to highlight the absurdity of the political shenanigans.