Let our forces combine (NOT!)
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read that Dumiso Dabengwa, a man who I, along many others, respect a lot, said he had invited Welshman Ncube to lead Zapu!
Zapu of course being a project that has not hidden that its existence is informed by politics of the marginalization of Matebeleland by Zanu PF since independence in 1980.
It is one of those outfits which while having legitimate concerns about how Matebeleland has been treated by Zanu PF bigoted hegemony in the past 33 years, it has failed to sell this dream of self-determination to likewise embittered Mthwakazians.
The massive inroads Welshman Ncube’s MDC has made in the region and indeed across the country is just but testimony that regional parties still have a long way to go as far as stirring national loyalties are concerned.
And that’s exactly why Ncube has vehemently dismissed all claims that his is a regional party (he was referred by Mr. Prime Minister rather unflatteringly as a “village politician”) and will not contest for any lesser position other than President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
So when Dabengwa is quoted as inviting Ncube to join forces with Zapu it raises questions about how politicians seek to participate and sneak into national politics and what constituencies they purport represent.
It has become an increasingly manifest trait that while being aware of their waning political fortunes, or indeed their irrelevance to national discourse, some have seen it fit to ride on the backs of what are seen as popular political movements, and a guy like Simba Makoni quickly comes to mind.
He was himself endorsed by Zapu during the 2008 elections, but their relationship is not being mentioned this year, and the two, Mavambo and Zapu, are instead aligning themselves to parties that have established themselves as formidable challengers to the two-party politics Zimbabwe has come to know.
It is curious then how these parties seek to participate in moving the country forward especially at this juncture where everyone is seeing this as yet another opportunity to end Zanu PF presence on Zimbabwe’s political landscape.