ZANU-PF IS MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE ON CHAMISA AS IT DID ON TSVANGIRAI

The year was 1997 and I had left my temporary teaching job in Murewa and started working in Harare. Towards the end of 1997, Robert Mugabe’s hand was forced by war veterans and he awarded them un-budgeted gratuities of R50 000 each. For comparison this was my two year’s salary as a temporary teacher.

That act caused the Zimbabwean dollar to fall sharply around November 1997 a day that economists in Zimbabwe remembers as Black Friday. In order to plug the fiscal gap Robert Mugabe’s government proposed an additional income tax against workers and it was up to ZCTU to stand up to the bully Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union then was led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda who were Secretary General and President respectively.

I remember the day of the strike. I had just started working at Eagle Insurance Company at corner Jason Moyo Avenue and 4th Street, ZCTU offices were at 3rd Street. We came to the office as per normal and around 10am there was tear gas everywhere in town and police were beating everyone indiscriminately. I left the office and there was no taxis back home. I walked towards 4th street bus terminus towards Breaside past Makro. We later learnt some regime supporters tried to throw Tsvangirai from his upstairs office windows😡

I passed through Arcadia and avoided Seke road and moved in the bushes to avoid the police. I was staying with my aunt and uncle in Sunningdale 2. I am told some workers walked as far as Chitungwiza. In early 1998 ZCTU organized a few more stay aways. I had always said I would not participate in politics such that I had bothered not to vote in the 1995 Parliamentary elections and the 1996 Presidential Elections.

I realised that politics affected every aspect of  my life. I started attending political discussions held by the late Lupi Mushayakarara at Oasis Hotel. The first day I walked in Lupi starred at me, was she suspecting that I was a member of the feared CIO🤷🏿‍♂️ One Saturday in mid 1998 civil society organised a meeting at Great Hall at University of Zimbabwe for the official launch of National Constitutional Assembly. We were ferried from Harare city center to Mount Pleasant by Zimbabwe Council of Churches minibuses.

Many prominent civil society members spoke that day of the need to have a new constitution in Zimbabwe. I saw Morgan Tsvangirai in person for the first time. We even expected Edison Zvobgo then Zanu-PF legal secretary to come and give us his thought about the constitution but he never pitched up. Morgan Tsvangirai was elected as the first leader of NCA. Robert Mugabe being the fox he was formed the Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku led constitutional commission and coopted some civil society members such as Lupi Mushayakarara and Jonathan Moyo and all the members of parliament who were mainly Zanu-PF.

On 1 May 1999, I went to the ZCTU May Day rally at Rufaro Stadium and we were entertained by Mechanic Manyeruke. In September 1999, I went again to Rufaro Stadium for the launch of MDC. Tsvangirai as the leader of NCA campaigned for the No vote. In early April 2000, I went to Avondale Primary School to vote NO when the draft constitution was put out for a vote.

I then went to the Registrar General’s office in Harare and registered to vote, I then voted for Morgan Tsvangirai in each and every election. Morgan Tsvangirai went through many trials and tribulations. We were very anxious when he went through the Treason Trial, one imprisonment after another. Anything the system did to him raised his stature in our eyes. We all knew Morgan Tsvangirai’s short comings eg his lack of education and his lack of judgement. I have voted in each and every election except the 2005 Senate election that our leader Morgan Tsvangirai told us not to participate in.

One thing Zimbabweans learnt, anyone who got a positive review from the state media you knew straight away that he or she had sold out. Anyone who was attacked by the system you knew he or she could be trusted. I have been very critical of Nelson Chamisa however with what the system did yesterday with this court judgement, I know he is the only person I can trust. Why does the system fear him so much🤷🏿‍♂️

Chamisa might have been wrong the way he took the MDC presidency but at the end of the day politics is about power. The persecution that Chamisa is getting from Zanu-PF will only help to increase his appeal from the majority of Zimbabweans who are suffering from Zanu-PF misrule. The end result is that Chamisa now has more appeal than the movement. In 2005 when MDC split, the majority of us followed Tsvangirai although procedurally he was wrong not to abide by the majority decision of his executive.

I doubt that Thokozani Khupe will get much in assets as my understanding is that assets such as Harvest House are in the name companies whose directors are pro-Chamisa. Even if Chamisa forms a party with the name Chimuti the majority will vote for him. Instead of all of us talking about COVID-19, thanks to Zanu-PF we are talking about Chamisa. Like they say all publicity is good publicity. Zanu-PF has scored another own goal.