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Christopher Mutsvangwa

Bevan Musoko Correspondent
WE live in interesting times. Very interesting indeed. The political temperature is rising, war veterans are spitting venom against their “creation”, that is President Mugabe as they claim. Farmers who participated in the 2016-17 Command Agriculture scheme are smiling all the way to banks, threatening to repeat the bumper harvest of the yester-season. Apostolic churches are coalescing around the revolutionary party Zanu-PF, while poor Morgan Tsvangirai, we are told by Eddie Cross, is in excruciating pain and probably battling for his life while Tamborinyoka claims that Tsvangirai is “winding up his health issues”, whatever what that is supposed to mean.

On a serious note, of interest though is that our esteemed war veterans have turned against their patron, President Mugabe, claiming, through Victor Matemadanda that he has overstayed in power, that they will not campaign for him if he is nominated as the Zanu-PF presidential candidate for the 2018 elections, that public infrastructure has deteriorated under his stewardship, that there is tolerance of corruption blah blah blah . . .

For those not in the know, Victor Matemadanda is the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, the grouping of Zimbabwe’s liberation war combatants. The ZNLWVA is an affiliate of Zanu-PF, and according to President Mugabe these military or former military men do not direct the civilian affairs of the revolutionary party. Instead, it is the party that directs its affairs, with possible support from affiliates like the ZNLWVA.

Once upon a time, Matemadanda and his chairperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa, were strong Zanu-PF members who participated actively in the affairs of the party. They even attended the Zanu-PF 2014 Congress which nominated President Mugabe as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2014 elections. The slogan was “VaMugabe chete-chete”. The two mobilised the war veterans’ constituents to support the President’s candidature, which they dutifully did. Those were beautiful times. Mutsvangwa and his wife, Monica were both deputy ministers. How the good times were rolling. “Vaidya”, as the political street jargon would have it.

Come 2016, Mutsvangwa, Matemadanda and their ilk got expelled from Zanu-PF for indiscipline. That may have marked the turning point in their relationship with Zanu-PF. Since then, they have used every opportunity to rubbish and besmirch the Zanu-PF leadership. They now refer to the Head of State and Government as “iye Mugabe”

It is, therefore, not surprising that Matemadanda claims that war veterans will not campaign for President Mugabe. Just a reminder. War veterans were active participants at the 2014 Congress that nominated President Mugabe. In fact, war veterans held their own congress that same year where Mutsvangwa “won” the association’s chairmanship.

Victor Matemadanda

One of the resolutions at that Congress held in Masvingo was the endorsement of President Mugabe as the party’s candidate. War veterans pledged that they would support and mobilise support for his candidature. Things have turned around. Matemadanda just announced that if President Mugabe is the Zanu-PF candidate, which he already is by virtue of the 2014 resolutions, war veterans will not mobilise support for Zanu-PF. He cited President Mugabe’s age as a factor. It should have been clear to everyone that the President would be 94 years in 2018.

Mutsvangwa, the war veteran, is on record calling on Rhodesians to return to rebuild Zimbabwe. “We want them (Rhodesians) to be part of the next governance in Zimbabwe because this country has been run on a scorched earth policy”, said Mutsvangwa at a recent press conference in Harare. Surely, for a war veteran to call for the return of Rhodesians to govern Zimbabwe, knowing and supposedly having witnessed the horrific killings and inhumane treatment they inflicted on indigenous Zimbabweans defies logic. Their new-found hatred of Zanu-PF and its leadership runs deep.

At the centre of the about turn by the war veterans could their perception that the appointment of younger politicians in the mould of the Kusukuweres, Mzembis and Zhuwao’s of our politics was a renunciation of the nationalist liberation war ethos for which they (war veterans) sacrificed their lives for. To them, the progression of the President’s appointment to include younger politicians without liberation war experience is a direct snub to their nationalist egos, as such, they see no good in all those appointments.

It is a painful truth to war veterans that, despite their cherished contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe, the country will not forever be trapped in the model of nationalist politics solely based on the 1970s liberation war. It is inevitable that the liberation fighters’ generation will disappear from the political scene, a reality which began the day the country achieved its independence. This is natural attrition. No one can stop this. The National Heroes Acre in Harare is slowly, but surely filling up as hero after hero succumbs to mortality.

It would be a political masterstroke for Mutsvangwa and company to provide political direction through linking the 1970s nationalist liberation ethos with the future economic, political, social and other strategic interests of Zimbabwe, in a way that moves the country away from perceived stagnation. The world is evolving in a tremendous fashion, so should be our political systems.

In a video widely circulated on social media, Mutsvangwa castigated President Mugabe for allegedly tolerating corruption and factionalism in Zanu-PF. The twin evil of corruption and factionalism. I was reminded of recent media reports of Mutsvangwa’s name cropping up in a corruption trial in America. It was alleged under American court oath that Mutsvangwa was bribed by some Americans to peddle his local influence in helping those Americans to acquire some mining concessions in Zimbabwe. Large sums of money apparently changed hands. He is the Mutsvangwa now pointing corruption fingers at Zanu-PF.

It is apparent that by appointing some young blood in Cabinet, the President is setting base for the inevitable switch-over between the liberation and the youth generations. While there could be a disconnect between the two generations in terms of their perception of how the country can achieve its goal of economic development and independence, the country will not remain ensconced in the past forever. It may be an unpleasant truth that Zimbabwe has to move on. The liberation war was fought to create political space for Zimbabweans to chart their way forward. That space should remain open, regardless of divergent opinions by our erstwhile liberators.

Mutsvangwa and Matemadanda should be inculcating the liberation ethos and values in the young generation than inviting Rhodesians back to power. They need to be reminded that the path they have chosen makes them similar to Morgan Tsvangirai who aligned with our yester-year oppressors in a vain attempt to win State power. Do you have to sacrifice your strategic interests for power?

Granted, war veterans may have some issues against some Zanu-PF leaders at various leadership strata. The discipline which prevailed during the liberation war, we are told, demands that cadres should remain loyal, even in such instances of perceived unfairness. One political figure who carried his cross with dignity and loyalty is former Political Commissar, Webster Shamu.

He never ranted against anyone, but submitted himself to Zanu-PF discipline. The leadership took note of that submission. He was recently appointed a Minister of State. History will judge between cheap political grandstanding and disciplined loyalty to the nationalist liberation revolution.