"Declaring Tsvangirai hero will help heal the nation," argue Ncube - nonsense, a painkiller not a cure W Mukori

“Sadly, our nation is presently very polarized and this cannot be allowed to continue,” wrote Trevor Ncube, in Zimeye.

I agree with you there 100%.

“A people that solves political differences through violence—that has so often resulted in the loss of life—is a sick people.”

I would give you, Trevor, 50% for that. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking political violence is the only political evil we have to deal with. Zanu PF has devised other subtler ways of denying the people their political right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country beside harassment, beating, rape and murder.

Zanu PF has corrupted key democratic institutions like the Army, Police, ZEC, Public Media, etc. so that instead of these institutions working in the public interest to deliver free, fair and credible elections they are turning a blind eye to Zanu PF vote rigging activities such as party youths casting multiple votes or Public Media denying opposition any meaningful coverage. There is no violence involve and yet end result is the same – Zanu PF remains in power regardless of the democratic wish of the people.

“And we are presently a sick people in desperate need of visionary leadership and healing. This work has to begin in earnest, and your ascent to our country’s highest office has paved the way,” you continued.

I totally disagree with you there! The ascendance of Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cabal of coup plotters following the November 2017 coup has not heralded a new beginning of “visionary leadership”. The coup was the climax of an internal factional war in Zanu PF which resulted is the evil party dividing like amebae. Which faction, Lacoste or G40, was worse evil than the other is academic what is beyond dispute is that they are both evil.

Ever since the coup, Mnangagwa and his coup government have been on a charm offense, trying to sell the coup as fight of good vs evil and Lacoste, the good side, has prevailed. That is to be expected but that does not make it true. The regime has been promising free, fair and credible elections by day and by night it has continued with its plans to rig the elections.

President Mnangagwa officiated at the handing over of new twin cab trucks, total value $12 million, to the traditional Chiefs; a blatant bribe to ensure they frog march the rural voters in their area to attend Zanu PF rallies and then vote for the party.

It is President Mnangagwa himself who have appointed retired Major General Engelbert Rugeje Zanu PF National Political Commissar. Rugeje was responsible for some of the worst politically motivated violence in 2008 and 2013 and, no doubt, Mnangagwa was impressed by the barbarism of Rugeje and hence the appointment. Rugeje, to prove himself, has already been telling Zimbabweans the violence of 2008 and 2013 will return is they do not vote for Zanu PF in the coming elections.

So, whilst you talk of the Mnangagwa presidency as having “paved the way for visionary leadership and healing”; he is busy making sure the subtle vote rigging schemes, the no-violence plan A, are going full steam ahead and laying the ground work for the violence, plan B; just to be 100% certain Zanu PF has another landslide victory.

“Mr President, I appeal to you to help bring this nation together by granting Mr Tsvangirai a hero’s burial at the National Heroes Acre. This single gesture while not a magic wand towards nation building, healing and reconciliation, would certainly go a long way in signalling your commitment to a new era in our national politics. It would also be a strong signal that the national hero status is not a preserve of one political party. It would be a strong signal that the Heroes Acre is a place for all Zimbabweans befitting this status,” appeal Ncube.

Heroes Acre is full of men and women who have done nothing worthy to be called “national heroes and heroines”. As you have said it yourself Trevor, Zimbabwe is a “sick” nation politically and economically, 38 years of Zanu PF misrule has left the nation in economic ruins and its people desperately poor. How is it possible then that the country has generated more national heroes in 4 decades that the British have generated in 40 decades and yet the nation has suffered from gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and murderous tyranny?

Where were all these heroes, who have descended on the nation like a swarm of locusts, whilst the nation was being rob blind and innocent people murdered? Over 30 000 innocent people murdered in 38 years to establish and retain this de facto one-party dictatorship! Many of the so-called heroes at Heroes Acre are responsible for the corruption, vote rigging and murders, the scourge and cancers that have afflicted this nation since independence to this day.

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interrèd with their bones.

So, let it be with Caesar.”

Marcus Antonius, in William Shakespeare’s Caesar. 

If where one is interred bespeaks of one’s lifetime achievements then in Zimbabwe’s twisted value system it is the evil that man do that is interred with their bones and the imaginary good is trumpeted from the hilltop. In the fullness of time, this nation will revisit the madness of the last four decades and correct the historic record.

What the nation must focus on right now is to ensure the democratic reforms are implemented leading to the holding free, fair and credible elections; this is the cure, the only cure, of all Zimbabwe’s political and economic ills. Whilst millions of people were very pleased to see the back of Mugabe following the coup; as we can see with the coup government dragging its feet on reforms, it was a pain-killer, at best. Millions will be impressed if this coup government if Tsvangirai was declared a national hero, another pain killer. Rather than implementing the reforms, the bitter cure, Mnangagwa would rather take these painkillers!

President Mnangagwa should have implement the democratic reforms by now, he has not. It is clear the coming elections are not going to be free, fair and credible. Our focus now must turn on making sure these elections are declared null and void. It will be tragic is we took our eyes off that because the coup regime distracted us by declaring Tsvangirai a hero!