I read a Herald headline that said, “Manicaland: Be decisive, Zanu PF urged” and imagined it could have easily read: “Manicaland: Be divisive, Zanu PF urged,” because that is exactly what is happening.

Perhaps the “stalwarts” behind the Manicaland divisions are staring reality in the eye that there really isn’t much to be done about their impending confinement to the much loved “dustbin of history” metaphor. You can only browbeat the peasantry to an extent, that constituency of course being the favourite of Zanu PF’s claim of popularity in the rural areas, yet we know from the violence of March 2008 that this is very much thanks to cudgels and sjamboks as the party’s preferred tools of political persuasion.

After all, some political theorists long noted that divisions that emerge within African political parties are their ultimate Achilles heel that author their attrition and thus harbinger or point to their loss of relevance to the national political ethos, Jonathan Moyo should have told them!

But then here we are dealing with a cabal that seeks to defy all laws, from gravity to commonsense, yet we do get solace in knowing that when the big guns fight for the control of the party, it gives other political parties ample time to regroup, set up their own Praetorian guard for the new political dispensation project and invest their energies in the most pressing matter at hand, that is winning the election. It could indeed be yet another lost opportunity if Zanu PF opponents do take advantage of the party’s squabbles. Else, not just history, nay, none but ourselves shall judge hashly the political strategists of these parties.

Zimbabwe has been a source of fascination for many from scholars to pseudo-intellectuals to lay analysts who turn kombis into their offices as they pontificate about what went wrong, what should be done and only succeed in making fools of themselves. Some writers have gone as far as “analyzing” presidential candidates of the coming polls, gazing into their own crystal balls (there I said it, balls) profiling them and attempting to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of these men for whom politics is a career. Bollocks, I say. Here is my own take on some candidates. Those who don’t appear here have been deliberately left out!

Robert Mugabe: Bob ain’t your uncle
Morgan Tsvangirai: Idiot
Welshma Ncube: Cretin
Simba Makoni: Clown
Job Sikhala: Anarchist
Paul Siwela: Walter Mitty

The trend of poor service delivery by the local authorities and public institutions in Zimbabwe has reached alarming levels such that it has become a normal situation to get things like tap water from council after weekly intervals. It is now an acceptable trend to have excessive electricity load shedding every day and receive high bills at the end of the month. Boreholes and wells are now common features in every household and the sound of a generator is no longer a nuisance but music to people’s ears. When it rains be prepared to get an extra charge on commuter fares from the commuter omnibus operators. To get medical treatment for your loved one from the few doctors left in local hospitals a token of appreciation does the trick otherwise you will have to deal with long queues in the crowded corridors of short staffed hospitals. Customer care no longer exists in many shops as the non-refundable and no exchange disclaimer reminds you that what you are buying is inferior. But to many people to be shortchanged is not a normal situation.

Just a few weeks after Professor Lovemore Madhuku showed some interest to form a political party criticism came in different forms across the Zimbabwe. Some people accused him of trying to dilute votes in the next election and some went further claiming that the Professor is trying seek attention from his former allies in the MDC party. The three parties in the government of national unity know that Madhuku could be a force to reckon with regardless of a poor showing in the just ended constitutional referendum. Small threats like these led to the dilution of votes in the harmonized elections of 2008 when the Mavambo/Kusile party was launched.

After falling into a deep slumber for the past five years of basking in the glory of the government of national unity the MDC woke up to the shocking voting patterns in the recent constitutional referendum.

This surprise wake up call brought shivers to the MDC executive and recent media reports suggest that the Prime Minister is now trying to resuscitate broken relationships with former Comrades to forge an alliance ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for this year. The biggest worry is whether this is a unity of purpose or a strategy to silence critics. After the results were published the rural areas commanded a large turn out as compared to the urban areas. Recent the MDC has been shooting down research findings carried out by independent groups. They believe that they still command a large support base. The MDC should 1) lobby the rural electorate 2) weed out corruption amongst its leaders 3) stop wasting resources wining and dining in Harare to please ex-cadres.

Mentioning this name to anyone who is an avid follower of Zimbabwean news what quickly comes to mind is human rights. With an outstanding law practice background spanning almost thirty years Beatrice stood out to be one of the most fearless women Zimbabwe has ever produced. Even her profile on wikipedia portrays a history of activism complemented with multiple awards for her work. Today she finds herself being bundled into a prison van and wearing a green prison garb similar to those worn by female prisoners in Zimbabwe. Some of the women who wore this same uniform are now free after she successfully defended their rights in the courts of law.

Caught up in her line of work while trying to defends the rights of Prime Minister’s staff during a police raid has led her to appear before a local magistrate at a lower court answering charges of obstruction of justice after a High Court order for her release was ignored. Prison time weakens some and makes other come out strong and I believe Beatrice’s incarceration will make her strong.

I used to read about Beatrice Mtetwa in the papers and my first encounter with this fearless woman was when I found myself at the notorious law and order section at Harare Central Police station. It was in the middle of a grueling and nerve breaking moment when she arrived in the company of members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights team and I could see hope and confidence coming back to the faces of my colleagues, both men and women. Even though she was not assigned to our case she managed to come in to where we were being grilled to check on us. It was a tense situation, which no man would want to be associated with at that time but Beatrice’s presence changed the tense atmosphere.

In Zimbabwe lawyers like Beatrice have managed to defend successfully the rights of the vulnerable and as the accused yesterday she had her rights fought for by fellow human rights defenders. And if you value the work she has been doing show your support by signing a petition to set her free.