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(ZIMBABWE GUARDIAN) Sisters challenge 'party of excellence'

Sisters challenge 'party of excellence'
By: Peter Chimutsa
Posted: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 2:46 am

I READ two interesting articles written by Nancy Lovedale and Nancy Nyamhunga on this publication recently. The two sisters are ahead of the pack in their analyses and are slowly making the online political discussion on Zimbabwe interesting again.

One cannot dispute the fact that Zimbabwean media has been inundated with anti-Mugabe slur at the expense of real political analyses. The two sisters are fearless in their criticism of the MDC-T party; a party which many people, for one reason or the other, think is beyond reproach.

Nancy Nyamhunga's article aptly titled, "Is MDC-T a revolutionary party?" was interesting because it questioned a recent claim by the MDC-T South African branch that it was a revolutionary party. She challenged the ludicrousness of this claim and questioned why Zimbabweans could not understand why Julius Malema, the firebrand ANC Youth League president, fearlessly spoke against the MDC-T as a "Mickey Mouse" or "popcorn" party.

Malema was spot-on. The MDC-T tends to 'pop' each time Zanu-PF comes up with a policy, runs to the media, and then we hear nothing until the next time Zanu-PF proposes something.

Malema spoke as an ANC youth leader, a party with revolutionary ties to Zanu-PF, not as facilitator of Zimbabwe talks.

President Jacob Zuma represents Sadc, not South Africa, when he is facilitating the Zimbabwe talks. His role does not erase history, nor does it erase the fact that ANC's fight against apartheid was supported by both Zanu-PF and PF Zapu. He was wrong to gag Malema for supporting Zanu-PF. Does President Zuma not accept the fact that Zanu-PF helped the ANC in the fight against apartheid in South Africa?


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The MDC says it is a revolutionary party because it is, in its twisted way, 'waging a revolution in Zimbabwe'. This is the ignorance that grips that party. This reminds me of the MDC-T list of proposed Zimbabwean heroes that was announced by Nelson Chamisa sometime ago. The list included none other than Tongai "Dhewa" Moyo, amongst other MDC-T 'heroes' they wanted to be laid at the national shrine.

Their understanding of Zimbabwe's history and its heroes is as twisted as the 'ideology' that guides that party. Even Britain, that party's country of choice, has a national shrine for war heroes. This is not unique to Zimbabwe. The Heroes' Acre is a laying place for those who fought in the liberation struggle. The MDC-T can build its own shrine, for its own heroes, if it so desires.

Nancy Lovedale made an interesting observation. She said there will no longer be an MDC-T soon as the so-called "democratic change" is already taking place in the country. Change is inevitable, she says. Indeed it is, and those people who campaign on change are only saying the obvious. I'm yet to see anyone who campaigns on maintaining the status quo.

President Mugabe has campaigned on land and access to the nation's wealth by the majority of Zimbabweans. That is an honourable cause. He brought one-man-one vote that white Rhodesian racist rulers did not offer Zimbabweans; yet today the likes of Roy Bennett, Eddie Cross and others have become champions of democracy. Where were they when blacks were not allowed to vote in their own country?

Black Zimbabweans only started to vote en masse in 1979-80. For the first time black Zimbabweans could walk the pavements of Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru. It is indisputable that Zanu-PF introduced democracy to Zimbabwe; not the British and certainly not the MDC-T. Let's not poison Zimbabwe's history.

Nancy Lovedale also attacks the MDC-T for criticising government when it is part of that government and driving government "bimmers and benzos" daily. "The MDC-T party is now a shadow of its former self," she says.

We wonder where the MDC-T will be next year, or the year after. Simply criticising Zanu-PF is no longer fashionable, or tenable. There are real issues to deal with now, like salaries of civil servants and delivery of local council services. The time for child-play for the MDC-T is over.

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Peter Chimutsa can be contacted via peterchimutsa@yahoo.com

Labels: MDC, NANCY LOVEDALE, NANCY NYAMHUNGA, NEOLIBERALISM

posted by MrK @ 9:56 PM