Editorial Comment: Comrades, the job is not yet done Mmusi Maimane
Mmusi Maimane

Mmusi Maimane

OUR Constitution guarantees freedom of association and assembly, at the same it safeguards our territorial independence and democracy.

To this end anyone is free to form a political party in Zimbabwe. They do not even have to register the party except for the purposes of contesting elections where they have to approach the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and meet the requirements of the Electoral Act to be on the ballot.

As such political parties in Zimbabwe are free to associate, and we have seen — over the past few weeks — all fringe opposition parties trying to shore up numbers in a bid to present a united front against the trailblazing Zanu-PF ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections.

We wish them all the best in their endeavour.

Our attention was, however, drawn to comments made by the man believed to be the ceremonial leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, Mr Mmusi Maimane who said his party was forging links with the Zimbabwean opposition principally the MDC-T of Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and the People’s Democratic Party led by Mr Tendai Biti.

We say Maimane is believed to be the ceremonial leader because the real power behind the DA are the remnants of apartheid interests who hope to one day encircle and quash the ruling ANC out of power.

Fresh from being booted out of Zambia where he sought to not only interfere in the country’s domestic politics, but also subvert the judiciary by galvanising opposition parties to press for the release of opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema who faces treason charges, Maimane said he was establishing contact with the MDC-T and PDP here, pursuant to working together.

‘‘I will be making contact with African leaders, including Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti, in order to establish a plan of action on the way forward in entrenching democratic values and the rule of law in Africa.

“We must not cease in our efforts to liberate Africa from the stranglehold of ‘big man politics’. Indeed, opposition parties have a role in realising this through co-operation,” Maimane said.

On their part, the MDC-T and PDP said they were only eager to forge alliances with the DA.

Well it is within the DA and MDC-T’s rights to work together, but there is need to emphasise that any co-operation has to be within the confines of the law.

The alliance by reactionary opposition parties in the region is a greater call to the liberation parties still in power that they need to up their game, heighten co-operation and vigilance.

To this end we hail the meeting of former liberation movements that was held in Luanda, Angola last week and which brought together secretaries general of Zanu-PF, the ANC, Frelimo, Swapo, MPLA and Chama Cha Mapinduzi.

The parties, we are told, identified factionalism as their biggest enemy in the region, but we beg to differ. Their biggest threat is the alliance of white capital sponsoring quisling opposition parties for what they have openly called southern Africa’s ‘‘second liberation’’.

This is what brought Maimane to Zambia, and lies behind his overtures to the MDC-T and PDP here and the party’s alliance with the EFF against the ANC in South Africa.

In fact, it is a misnomer to call the indaba in Luanda a meeting of former liberation movements because Africa is still to gain economic independence.

What many African countries got at independence was the crown minus the crown jewels, as such there is need to economically liberate the region so that the resources benefit the majority.

Zimbabwe has shown the lead in this regard through land reform and the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive, South Africa is waking up to the reality through the discourse of radical economic transformation; and the fight will get even more intense hence the need to close ranks and increase vigilance against detractors at home and abroad.

Factionalism is a threat only to the extent that it detracts from the business at hand and makes the governing parties vulnerable to the reactionary opposition.

We hope southern Africa stands put on notice.

The job is not yet done.

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