Booing him on an occasion like that only makes those people rally behind their attacked leader, when we would like them to question him and, even more important, take a new approach to their opponents, very different from the script he still keeps reading to us.
If he wants to dig his own grave, many in ZANU-PF would sit back and let him do it. But if the other side rush in with a bulldozer to do the job quicker, then ZANU could bring tanks to stop the bulldozer.
We have already seen that the agreement isn’t satisfying the ZANU fat cats.
Many who thought they had lifetime season tickets on the government gravy train are discovering that there is a new train and it doesn’t have enough first class seats for all of them.
They don’t like that. The rest of us should sit back and let the Old Man face up to that problem. His power rested on patronage, and now his power of patronage is limited. That must be a shock to him and his closest followers.
ZANU-PF will rethink their position more constructively if the rest of us don’t cheer or boo on the sidelines, but let them fight it out, if that is what they want to do. They are the ones who are shouting now, and that does show their weakness. The elders used to say: Izwi rashe idiki.
What we need to fear from this agreement is that the old power holders will try to find ways for a remodelled Fat People’s Party to hold on to power.
That would involve allying with FPP members on the other side of every divide. They are there.
The other side of that real divide, different from the one between the parties whose names we know better, should be interested in blurring the divisions we have heard too much about, and show any less fat members of ZANU-PF that they are ready to accept anyone who is reasonable.
Yes, it is difficult to accept a handshake from a man whom you fear will, once he has your right hand in a strong warm grip, use his left to stick a knife in your guts.
We have reasons for that fear. The other guy has his reasons for carrying that knife, but he may be less ready than you think to use it. It shouldn’t be too difficult to show any reasonable person that you are not Gordon Brown in an African mask.
Real reconciliation is a slow and difficult process, but the watchword should be the famous words of Oliver
Cromwell:
‘Trust God, but keep your (gun)powder dry.’
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