By Elijah Chihota
The fall of the old dispensation in November 2017 also claimed the scalps of the G40 kingpin, Professor Jonathan Moyo and his acolytes Saviour Kasukuwere and Patrick Zhuwao, among others. Some people thought the trio were being victimised for their association with the Mugabes, but far from it as these counter revolutionaries had sinister motives of grabbing power.
Prof Moyo as unforgiving as he is went on to draw up a paper entitled “Concept Note on Grand National Union-GNU” dated May 2018. This was nothing, but a bid to bring back former president Robert Mugabe through the back door as well as buying his way into power using the MDC as a conduit ahead of the 2018 elections.
The disgraced G40 cabal members wanted to fight one more time. Their battle ground was the 2018 elections. This saw the formation of the National Patriotic Front (NPF) as an election or GNU bargaining vehicle. This NPF vehicle is the one that Prof Moyo used to carry Mugabe in and use him as his pawn.
There are certain facts that Prof Moyo wanted the MDC to know that there was no political outfit in Zimbabwe which could defeat ZANU PF at the polls. He admittedly wrote, “Whilst there is clear evidence of popular support against the coup and its regime, there is however no organised political framework or structure to harness that support into an electorally cohesive political formation capable of winning the election”.
Prof Moyo’s admission that neither the MDC nor any other political party had enough support to win the election against ZANU PF might also help to explain that indeed Chamisa lost the election to President Mnangagwa after failing to produce V11 forms which were required to prove to the Constitutional Court that Chamisa won the 2018 presidential election.
Prof Moyo who is as cunning as a fox sought to find a soft landing for his counterparts in the G40. He then went on to propose a pre-election pact between opposition parties with the NPF included. This was cleverly couched so that they would portray to MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa that they would bring hordes of ZANU PF supporters to the MDC. This was an expectation which was proved wrong when former ZANU PF members, Simba Makoni and Joice Mujuru, left the revolutionary party and was expelled in 2008 and 2015 respectively.
It should be remembered that the MDC was still nursing the wounds of rejection by ZANU PF after Operation Restore Legacy which the opposition party participated in hoping to be invited for an interim inclusive government. When President Mnangagwa took over, the MDC thought he was going to cancel the 2018 election and opt for a Transitional Authority (TA) with the MDC as partners.
Prof Moyo wanted a soft landing for the G40 through getting elected into Parliament and possibly a Cabinet position since they claimed they had experience in Government.
“This pre-election arrangement would be unique and popular with supporters of both ZANU PF and MDC. As already indicated, the arrangement would have two phases: a pre-election Grand National Union (GNU) and a post-election Government of National Unity (GNU),” wrote the Prof.
In order to buy the trust of the MDC, Prof Moyo claimed to complete the realigning of the existing enabling Acts to the 2013 Constitution. Why he chose this is because the MDC had been complaining that the process was taking too long. To get full support of Mugabe through his wife Grace, he chose to promise the old man a walk in the park by pledging that “Mugabe will be restored, protected and his status and that of his family secured”.
Never at one time was Mugabe under threat from anyone. In January 2018 President Mnangagwa assured the African Union (AU) Summit that his administration was taking care of the former president.
In 2005 when Prof Moyo was expelled from ZANU PF he went straight to the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and told him that he “knew all ZANU PF election strategies”. Tsvangirai in his lack of wisdom while addressing a rally at Orange Grove Motel in Chinhoyi in 2005 disclosed that “Jonathan Moyo akatiudza chitsotsi chese cheZANU PF. Ndichakuudzai” that was all he could say. He had not been told anything by the nutty Professor.
To make sure that Chamisa fell for the plan hook, line and sinker, Prof Moyo claimed that Mugabe still had support of electoral strongholds of Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East Provinces. He went on to show that the three Mashonaland provinces were key for any Presidential candidate to win the Presidency in Zimbabwe. He thus sold him that only Mugabe could bring him that vote.
Prof Moyo’s next step was to try and bring traditional leaders, war veterans and the country’s security apparatus on board, but alas he dismally failed. He had tried to convince Chamisa that once he got support of these strategic groups he was assured of a straight win at polls. For those who closely followed Chamisa’s rallies, he started to warm up to war veterans, chiefs and security sector. This also explains why he chose to address campaign rallies deep in rural areas.
The crux of Prof Moyo’s scheming was how to smuggle Mugabe back onto the levers of power. He then suggested a post-election power sharing model where Chamisa would be the President with deputies drawn from the pre-election GNU. In this regard he stated that “One deputy president with political and government experience, capable of discharging the responsibility of gate keeping in the GNUs will be nominated by President Mugabe as a representative of the National Patriotic Front (NPF) in accordance with that party’s constitution.” Prof Moyo intended Grace Mugabe to be the Vice President representing Mugabe’s interests.
The gate keeping aspect is where Prof Moyo wanted to smuggle himself so that he would make sure no one would talk about his corruption scandal at ZIMDEF. Talk of scandals, the Prof cannot stay away from the smell of money. During his days at Ford Foundation in Kenya he ran away to South Africa after putting his hand in the cookie jar. While in South Africa at Witwatersrand University he stole funds again and returned to Zimbabwe.
His planned role as a gatekeeper was also meant to ensure that no one would have easy access to the Mugabes whom he hoped to use as a stepping stone to eventually land the presidency of the country.
Prof Moyo’s scheme was dealt a deadly blow as the talks between the MDC and NPF crumbled. The Mugabes had pledged to pour in US$24 million into Chamisa’s campaigns in return for 82 National Assembly seats and Grace Mugabe’s VP post.
