by Innocent Mujeri
In few weeks’ time, we will all be saying good bye to the year 2020, a year that was pregnant with lots of political dramas that left the citizens in awe.
It is the year that the over confident Nelson Chamisa lost the MDC T presidency to Thokozani Khupe. It is the year that the MDC Alliance appointed a “mafikizolo,” Fadzayi Mahere to the influential position of spokesperson of that political outfit. It is in 2020 that the expelled MDC Alliance Bulawayo Provincial chairlady Tendayi Masotsha told the world that there were plans by some societal malcontents like Tawanda Muchehiwa to bomb and destroy Government buildings
It is the year that the trio of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marowa faked their own abduction only to be exposed by Close Circuit Television System. The political dramas were just too much and I can’t exhaust them all. However, it is prudent to highlight some of the major foolish political dramas that took place this year.
From a president to a card carrying member.
The major political drama of 2020 was when Nelson Chamisa lost the presidency of the MDC T. Chamisa entered 2020 full of confidence that everything in the country will not move unless he was consulted. He shunned the olive branch extended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to join the Political Leaders Actors Dialogue (Polad) and opted to be a lone ranger in the world of opposition politics. It only took the Supreme Court judgment in March for Chamisa to fall from being the president of a political party to a mere card carrying member.
The Supreme Court upheld the earlier High Court ruling that Chamisa was an illegitimate leader of the MDC T and that party was ordered to return to its 2014 structures and conduct an extra-ordinary congress within three months to elect a party leadership in accordance with its constitution.
The ruling effectively reduced Chamisa from that party’s president to a mere Secretary for Policy and Research. However, because of arrogance and ignorance of the party’s constitution, Chamisa continued to claim that he was still the president of the MDC Alliance.
Chamisa’s political life then took another knock in August this year when High Court judge, Justice Pisirayi Kwenda ruled that the MDC Alliance, which Chamisa purported to be the president of, was just an electoral bloc formed in August 2017 by seven political parties to contest the 2018 harmonized elections and not a political party. This left Chamisa with no political party to lead.
As if that was not enough drama, Chamisa lost control of Harvest House to Khupe and was left with no political office. Although his political formation continued to use Number 44 Nelson Mandela as their official address, the truth is that they had no party offices and there are reports that they are now conducting their business in private homes and offices of the senior members. As it stands, Chamisa is just a leader of a group of arrogant people who are refusing to abide by the Supreme Court ruling to hold an Extra Ordinary congress to choose the replacement for the late Morgan Tsvangirai.
Fake abductions exposed
This year, continuous baseless claims by the opposition that its members are routinely abducted by suspected State Security agents were exposed as nothing but sheer fabrications meant to tarnish the good image of the Government and country. Few months ago, the media was awash with news that the MDC Alliance trio of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marowa were abducted and tortured by suspected State Security agents. The world was almost hoodwinked into believing such lies until the truth started to come out.
Thanks to the modern technology, the MDC Alliance trio was exposed as mere drama queens who were never abducted as CCTV footages showed them at a food outlet during the hours they claimed to have been abducted. The more they try to push the narrative that they were indeed abducted, the more their statements conflicted. Mamombe ended up feigning madness because she saw that their abduction drama was poorly choreographed and acted.
Another alleged abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa, nephew to Zimlive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu further exposed the MDC Alliance’s knack for faking abductions just to besmirch the Second Republic. Muchehiwa’s abductions left MDC Alliance members accusing each other as either ZANU PF spies or G40 elements. In short, 2020 helped us to know that the so called abductions by the opposition are not real abductions at all but political gimmicks meant to tarnish the Government as well as courting external sympathy.
Demos ignored
In 2020, the opposition learnt the hard way that the people of Zimbabwe are not pawns that can be used for some foolish political games. The people of Zimbabwe totally ignored the highly anticipated 31 July demonstrations that were called by the opposition. Little known politician, Jacob Ngarivhume, and other political novices like Godfrey Tsenengamu, Job Sikhala and Hopewell Chin’ono tried to rally people to support their cause of protesting against the Government but their call for demos found no takers. At the end, 31 July passed just like any other day with no notable political activity happening. I hope the opposition will not try in future to incite people to demonstrate as they have learnt that the people of Zimbabwe cannot be used for some foolish political dramas meant to prop up the image of fading politicians.
And the band played on
My favorite movie is the Titanic. In the movie, I am surprised by the conduct of the band in that ship which continues to play its instrument despite the knowledge that the ship was sinking and they were all going to perish. Titanic’s eight member band was led by Wallace Hartley who encouraged his fellow band members to continue tuning melodies until the time they found themselves at the foot of the ocean. Hartley’s behavior can be likened to that of Nelson Chamisa. This year, the MDC Alliance hit turbulent waters but Chamisa was not amused by this.
That party lost its party offices and some of the members were recalled from Parliament, but Chamisa continued to tell his colleagues that all is well. Chamisa continued to tell his colleagues that he has a political strategy that would see the MDC Alliance resurrect and become a powerhouse in the Zimbabwean politics. But those who know Chamisa are saying that the man has reached the end of his thinking capacity. He can’t think of anything that can revive the opposition. He is only putting a brave face although the MDC Alliance is sinking deeper and deeper. Chamisa will soon find himself in Zimbabwe’s political dustbin and he will be remembered as an eloquent opposition leader who had no political strategy.
I will not mention how Job Sikhala was retrieved from the ceiling of Sarah Mahoka’s house while trying to evade arrest. I will also not talk of how Joanna Mamombe and his two colleagues visited Madzimai Maria’s shrine to have their fake abduction case be struck off the roll at the High Court. I will also not mention how Chamisa was outwitted by Khupe in the game of politics. If anything, the year 2020 will be remembered as the year the opposition showed their confusion to the world.
