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Minister Chinamasa

Yesterday we carried a story in which Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa revealed how a Cabinet minister had approached a local weekly with a story attacking Government’s Command Agriculture Programme, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the programme’s financier, Sakunda Holdings.

Not merely that: Cde Chinamasa revealed that the said minister, whose identity is not a secret really, had assisted in the editing of the story that was published in The Standard newspaper. We were shocked to learn of this intelligence. Minister Chinamasa is an honest and forthright person and we have no reason to doubt him.

In fact, he appears to have been driven into these revelations because it cut very close to the bone and had the effect of compromising the smooth running of not only the programme, but also Government at large.

We are mortified by the fact that the subversion in the ruling party, Zanu-PF, has reached such alarming levels where people within the party and Government go to extraordinary lengths to undermine each other and Government itself. This is happening against a background of concerns about leaks of Zanu-PF Politburo and Cabinet meetings and serious misrepresentation of the same.

Connected to this have been concerns by the party and President Mugabe over the conduct of officials in discussing party matters on social media and the private media.

We recall that a fortnight or so ago security at the venue of the Politburo — the Zanu-PF Headquarters in Harare — had to be tightened to ensure no mobile phones went into the conference room.

The Politburo meetings, once so confidential as to be mystical, have now been reduced to some free for all. Members of the media today end up with detailed and intimate details of Politburo deliberations.

And we know some senior members have been conveyor belts of such confidential information for purposes of advancing personal and factionalist agendas.

The latest revelations that a minister hand-held and directed a private newspaper to undermine a Government programme is a matter of grave concern that we believe authorities are now seized with.

This must not go unpunished.

We have the reasonable suspicion that the same officials who have not only been tweeting away their defiance of party orders, but have also lately gone to town not only criticising, but deriding the Command Agriculture programme as “Ugly-Culture’’ are behind the latest reprehensible developments.

In the not-so-distant past they were outed by WikiLeaks as having been hobnobbing with Western envoys in the cover of the night.

We suspect further that as we speak they feel untouchable and eternally glad for it.

We appeal to relevant authorities to stop this madness.

It cannot last forever.

To this end we welcome the statement by Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Constantino Chiwenga that such nonsense can no longer be tolerated.

Zimbabweans need to be assured that national security and stability of Government are guaranteed and it is remiss when some individuals begin to feel they cannot be bound even by the Cabinet Handbook.

We submit our objection to what we clearly feel is a misleading notion that there are sacred cows and rogues that must be kept inside the tent and piss on the outside for fear that if pushed out they will piss inside.

National interest is bigger and in this particular case, State security and the smooth operation of Government are in clear and present danger.

Something has to give.