 Some of the discussions appear to wrongly suggest that power resides in one body. That is not the case and even President Mugabe does not have absolute power because it is simply not humanly possible and Tsvangirai will not be the first one. Â
Power has many sources, and to fight over this office or post is a waste of time and it does not make much sense for talks to break down for that reason.
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In fact the sources of power are also known as levers of power which the political players could either have or at least access but not necessarily possess. For example, having the support of Strive Masiyiwa aka the Bill Gates of Africa; Rupert Murdoch the global media mogul or General Constantine Chiwenga can make you more powerful than having thousands of friends in one part of the world. The current talks between Zanu (PF) and the two MDC will miss the target if it focuses on a particular office because it is not necessarily the position that wields power but your attributes and access to levers of power stated above.
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The media calls Tendai Biti the MDC-T number two yet he is the Secretary General and Emerson Mnangagwa the Zanu (PF) strongman yet he is only Minister of Rural Housing in the official capacity.
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If Zimbabweans are expecting change then they should not see political influence only in terms President Mugabe’s current post.Â
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Power is not owned by the state, nor is it specific to any particular organization. It is machinery that no one owns.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai are the vehicles of power, not its points of application. ANON., by e-mail