IN THE PRESS

THERE is a nauseating obsession in the private Press of always framing any development in both government and the revolutionary ZANU-PF party through the prism of factionalism.

It is indeed sad that such a deliberate distorted framing is coming from the Press which ideally must be the one more informed in giving a well-balanced account of events happening in or outside government.

One would have hoped that as the Fourth Estate, the Press would play a leading role in transitioning from the old ways of the First Republic to the Second Republic whose hallmark operational dictum is based on transparency, deepening democracy, unity, and peace and servant leadership.

Take the story which was in the weekly Zimbabwe Independent newspaper recently titled “Mnangagwa consolidates power.” The basis of the story was the endorsement of President Mn an gagwa as the sole candidate for 2023 by some organs of the party. In their stretched imagination, the endorsement is indicative of President Mnangagwa’s attempt to consolidate his power. Sadly, since the advent of the Second Republic, the private Press has been running with several stories that seek to paint a picture of a “house at odds with itself.” This is a disingenuous framing that de contextual is es the fact that President Mnangagwa is the constitutionally elected Head of State and Government who was legally and overwhelmingly elected as leader of ZANU-PF by the revolutionary party.

Having been endorsed as the new leader of the revolutionary party at the Extra-Ordinary Congress held in December 2017 and also as the party President for 2018, President Mn an gagwa is already a consolidated leader

He, therefore, does not need to consolidate anything when he already holds the executive levers of power in both the revolutionary Z AN U-PF party and Government.

Everyone familiar with the revolutionary party’ s operational dictum would never read the endorsement of President Mnangagwa ahead and during the ZANU-PF Annual National People’s Conference as some kind of shenanigans meant to show up power. The endorsements, confirmations and affirmations are meant to galvanise the party’s base and revivify their unquestionable support and loyalty to their leader- now and in future.