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Obi Egbuna Jnr Simunye
WHILE opportunists in the so-called African American community stated that the US-EU imperialist media apparatus crafting a narrative on Zimbabwe in real time, was the reason they could not resist the temptation of waiting patiently and give President Mnangagwa and zanu-pf the opportunity to address the world and put the political transition in proper context, the more genuine and consistent forces were anticipating two things; the first words of Zimbabwe’s new leader President Mnangagwa and US-EU imperialism’s predictable attempts at full-fledged damage control.

When the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Sub-Committee on Africa and Global Health Policy held their hearing on Tuesday December 12, 2017, the instinctive response from Africans at home and abroad was what took them so long? The aforementioned Sub-Committee has nine members; its chairman Senator Jeff Flake, Senators Todd Young, John Barrasso, Johnny Isakson, Rand Paul, Ranking Member Cory Booker, Christopher Coon, Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley.

The mouthpieces this go round were Mrs Stephanie Sullivan Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs US State Department, the Rhodesian national author and journalist, who frequently contributes to the New York Times Mr Peter Goodwin, Mr Dewa Mavhinga Southern Africa Director of Human Rights Watch. A usual trend associated with these hearings is to lay out the red carpet for the most reactionary stool pigeon available on a moment’s notice, for this particular witchhunt was none other than the former Minister of Finance during the GPA/Inclusive Government Mr Tendai Biti.

Because certain individuals based in the US who in the past had given the appearance they were truly invested and committed in strengthening zanu-pf support and solidarity efforts for the long haul, however, for the most part completely abandoned the Zimbabwe question.

We sincerely hope they study the words and sentiments of those who testified at these hearings, and recognise their language is compatible with those who are openly regime change agents and make no apologies whatsoever about it.

When public policy analysts, cultural nationalists, those who go by the oxymoronic label black leftists, investigative journalists bourgeois academicians and social critics, begin to echo the narratives of the US-EU imperialist apparatus on the developments in Zimbabwe, it is a challenge to the most consistent front line participants that never abandoned the Government or people of Zimbabwe to deal with these masqueraders with the utmost sophistication and proficiency.

This begins by highlighting the rhetoric and analysis of the panellists who testified, beginning with Mrs Sullivan who made two key statements “Our policy of re-engagement will focus on constitutional democracy, free and fair elections, respect for human rights and the rule of law and improved trade and investment climate among other issues. The country has a strong civil society and experienced political opposition and their voices must count in charting a path forward”. Mrs Sullivan’s second statement was “The military needs to return to its barracks and State institutions should be demilitarised.”

We hope this caught the attention of public policy analysts, who accuse those on the side of President Mnangagwa and zanu-pf of grossly overemphasising the question of whether a coup occurred in Zimbabwe.

Goodwin took the baton from Mrs Sullivan and called the political transition continuity coup, this outlook was recently trumpeted by the Financial Times using the terms slow motion coup and soft coup, this is in case you were wondering where minor league African nationalists who flap their gums on the internet like clockwork, and investigative journalists who usually have an anti-imperialist leaning picked up this language.

The problem is when a journalist with Goodwin’s pedigree speaks this way, it is absolutely fine, because you expect nothing less from a Rhodesian who joined the British South African Police at the age of 17 and is currently a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, those who claim Nationalist/Pan-African or anti-imperialist war credentials jeopardise their credibility parroting Rhodesian gunslingers the likes of Goodwin.

Goodwin stated 10 of the 20 opposition parties are significant, which also put Mr Biti on notice that US-EU imperialism expects MDC to give the performance of a lifetime in the coming elections.

Every one of these hearings have comedic and theatrical components when Goodwin accused President Mnangagwa at being of the centre of zanu-pf’s repressive security and expressed displeasure with Air Marshal Shiri having a position in Cabinet because he commanded the 5th Brigade during the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands. This coming from a member of the most brutal colonial police force ever assembled in Africa as we say in the hoods of the US, Yeah right!

Mr Biti who we expected to click his heels like the character Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and recite her infamous line, “there’s no place like home,” which should be a ritual for any MDC members once they set their foot in Washington, especially Mr Biti who was a fellow with the Centre for Global Development after MDC was trounced by former President Mugabe and zanu-pf in the 2013 elections. Mr Biti stated “The events in Zimbabwe described above were an illegal and illegitimate transfer of power from one faction of the ruling party to another”.

If Mr Biti truly believes this, two questions must be posed the first being why the Vice President of MDC Nelson Chamisa was all smiles when greeting the crowd from the platform at the rally organised by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association? Why would Mr Biti tell Western media if Morgan Tsvangirai is in than I’m in referring to how he would respond if an offer was made to former Zimbabwean Prime Minister and top opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai by President Mnangagwa and zanu-pf to resurrect the GPA? This is the impression Mr Tsvangirai gave the world when getting off a hospital bed out of the country, where former President Mugabe was assisting with his medical bills, and making his way back to Zimbabwe to give the impression that he was still a player.

Mr Biti also compared former President Mugabe to presidents al Bashir in Sudan, Obiang in Equatorial Guinea, Biya in Cameroon, Aferwerki in Eritrea and Museveni in Uganda. Due to his familiarity with US imperialist politicians, Mr Biti knows exactly which current African leaders to demonise.

Mr Dewa Mavhinga like any hired gun by pro-imperialist groups, who brandish the human rights moniker, highlighted the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Public Order and Security Act and the Criminal Law Act. Mr Mavhinga went on to say Zimbabweans must fix their own country and repair the wounds of the past but can’t do it alone.

The question is who was he asking for help, Zimbabwe’s enemies or Mother Africa’s children at home and abroad? Mr Mavhinga also pushed for a Diaspora vote, which he already knows is wishful thinking as along as the majority of Zimbabweans in the US and EU countries are regime change agents.

Because those who are posing as experts on Zimbabwe not only have a track record of being at best consistently inconsistent, but also are undeniably guilty of having a gaping disparity between their words and deeds, it is expected that they would miss or overlook key trends and developments that would give their analysis more dimension.

This explains why social critics like Dr Umar Johnson and Producer Tariq Nasheed, Producer of the documentary Hidden Colours neither of who have a meaningful track record of service in defence of Zimbabwe, would give the impression that the revolutionary Land Reclamation Programme was on the verge of being reversed, but ignore the Command Agriculture Programme overseen by President Mnangagwa and zanu-pf with the support of the same ZDF, who have been labelled butchers and thugs by US-EU Imperialism.

Obi Egbuna Jnr is the US Correspondent to The Herald and External Relations Officer of Zicufa (Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association). His email is [email protected]