"It is not up to Zanu PF but ZDF to be a professional army" - naive, neither will reform themselves out of office N Garikai

"Chinamasa is an attention seeker and just wants to be slightly relevant. The fact of the matter is that it is not up to Zanu-PF for the Zimbabwean military to be professional, it is not even up to Chinamasa. It is up to the military to decide whether or not it remains professional and that there is no party, state conflation," Nkululeko Sibanda said.

Sibanda, MDC A leader, Nelson Chamisa, was responding to Patrick Chinamasa, Acting Zanu PF National Commissa, who was boasting about Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ (ZDF) checked history of political interference, at the behest of Zanu PF, in the country’s politics from the vote rigging, the military coup and the Gukurahundi massacre.

 “Always be mindful that there is this unbreakable continuity between the liberation struggle and Zanu PF, between the armies of liberation Zipra and Zanla and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) of independence,” boasted Chinamasa.

“Any notion which seeks to break this bond should be rejected outright.” 

Zimbabwe is not the only nation to have gained her independence out of a bitter armed struggle. Many other nations had a similar experience and still they have managed to produce an integrated national army’s loyalty is to the nation and not to the political party or parties that waged the armed struggle. Zanu PF corrupted the ZNA; just as it did with many other state institutions such as the judiciary, ZEC, Police, etc.; for selfish political gain.  

Indeed, ever since the late 1990s the number one priority on the national agenda has been to implement democratic changes designed to break corrupting bonds Zanu PF had fostered on ZNA, judiciary, etc., etc. The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic reforms the nation was dying for.

The 2008 to 2013 GNU gave Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader then and of whom Chamisa is his successor, the best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms to break all the tyrannical bonds Zanu PF leaders had created to corrupt and control the army and all the other state institutions. Alas! MDC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform in five years and we know why! Tsvangirai and company had no clue what the reforms were much less how they were to be implemented. Even to this day, with all the benefit of hindsight and volumes explaining what the reforms are, etc.; MDC leaders still have no clue what reforms are about.  

It was USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said Morgan Tsvangirai “was a flawed and indecisive character” and, if he ever got into power, “would be an albatross round the nation’s neck”!

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power. MDC leaders have been on the national political stage; for the last 21 years, 5 of which in the GNU; they have not only failed to bring about even one reform but, worse still, by participating in flawed elections they are the ones giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.

Last week, Patrick Chinamasa announced that Zanu PF will deny the 3 million plus Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote “as long as the sanctions imposed by the West remain!” Of course, this is just a feeble excuse; one does not beat up ones’ wife and children because they quarrelled with the neighbour.

Chinamasa’s announcement was not exactly a bolt out of blue, Zanu PF has resisted demands for diaspora vote for decades; this was just one more piece of evidence that the party was rigging the 2023 elections. Zanu PF knows the party will get away with yet another rigged elections as long as the MDC leaders participate; they have always done so in the past and, all signs are, they will do so again. Zanu PF has offered a few gravy train seats to the MDC leaders to entice them to participate regardless how flawed and illegal the election process got – it has worked!

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will implement the democratic reforms necessary to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Zanu PF has since corrupted the MDC leaders, they now do Zanu PF’s bidding and hence are now an albatross round the nation’s neck, just as Ambassador Dell had predicted.

“It is up to the military to decide whether or not it remains professional and that there is no party, state conflation!” How nauseatingly naïve and idiotic! Of course, the Zanu PF ruling elite who are also the top brass in the Army will never reform themselves out of office. The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on the understanding they will implement the reforms and now they are fighting in Zanu PF’s corner, resist reforms!