Dzikamai Mavhaire – Are you Mugabe’s disciple

The President of Zimbabwe, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his followers in Zanu PF have been chiding MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for not having a university degree, hence they claimed he was not fit to be President of Zimbabwe. Now I read a story titled “Mujuru party insists Tsvangirai is not educated” attempting justify Dzikamai Mavhaire’s attack on Morgan Tsvangirai through a statement “Mujuru is the ideal leader as her entrance into politics dismisses Mugabe’s comments against Tsvangirai on the basis of education”.

Now, I would want to ask Comrade Dzikamai Mavhaire and all those behind the Zimbabwe People First statement a few questions:

For the benefit of the nation, the Zimbabwe People First leadership need to publicly respond to these questions.

The behaviour by Comrade Dzikamai Mavhaire and the Zimbabwe People First makes many of us to question their sincerity to a grand coalition through unconstitutional positions regarding qualifications of political contestants. Where in the constitution does it state that a presidential candidate should have a university degree?

I hope Comrade Mujuru who has acknowledged Morgan Tsvangirai’s commitment to the struggle and stood out against Mugabe when trained soldiers of the liberation struggle were scared to do so is not party to Comrade Mavhaire and his colleagues who prepared a media statement to justify Comrade Mavhaire’s position in this wayward thinking. How sincere then is the Zimbabwe People First regarding a grand coalition to remove Mugabe?

I have argued before that the party which commands the largest support base should be the one to provide a presidential candidate, and this doesn’t have to be Morgan Tsvangirai if the MDC-T is the most popular party, or Dr. Mujuru if the Zimbabwe People First if that party is the most popular party, or Dr. Maxwell Shumba if People First is the most popular party – but the party that has the biggest following should be the one to provide a candidate. If Comrade Mavhaire was sincere about there being a female President, he may need to be reminded that in the MDC-T there are women too who can be candidates – and I am sure there are women in every other political party to be involved in the Grand Coalition. After all, you can’t start saying women need a chance now as if there has been another President for Zimbabwe besides Robert Mugabe. Just forget about Robert Mugabe’s tenure because as Comrade Mavhaire himself will now attest, Mugabe is not a normal human being, and no one in their right sense of mind can really say we have had a real President, but a goblin ruling the country. Zimbabwe needs a new beginning with a new leader – whether they are female or male.

I would want to think that all effort must be towards levelling the playing field, and if enough homework is done and we are assured of free and fair elections, every party can contest on their own – there wont even be the need for a grand coalition, and even if Zanu PF wins a free and fair election, then let it be. Once we start saying Mai Mujuru or Tsvangirai is the ideal leader at this stage of the struggle, I think we will start fighting among ourselves at the expense of working together to level the electoral playing field.

And once again, Comrade Mavhaire, leave Mugabe’s vomit in Zanu PF, do not make it contaminate opposition politics.