AS ZIMBABWE’S political and economic crises continue to
deepen, analysts have delivered a damning assessment of the country’s
opposition, the Daily News on Sunday reports.
Speaking during a virtual meeting that was organised by
SAPES Trust last week to discuss South Africa’s role in Zimbabwe’s ongoing crises,
the analysts said the local opposition was too weak and disorganised to give
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu PF a real run for their money.
In addition, they also criticised the Zim opposition for
its tendency to just bank on the international community in the ongoing quest
to end the country’s long-standing political and economic crises.
At the same time, they also said the senseless bloodletting
that is ravaging the MDC is currently making it difficult for the country’s
main opposition party to get meaningful outside help.
All this comes as Thokozani Khupe and Nelson Chamisa are
involved in a fierce tussle for the control of the MDC — which has been
weakened severely by its relentless internal fights ever since the death of its
late founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai, who lost his valiant battle against
colon cancer in February 2018.
British academic and international affairs expert, Nicole
Beardsworth, as well as respected South African journalist Mathatha Tsedu, were
among those who said Zimbabwe lacked a formidable opposition to push for local
change.
“We have had a discussion about how South Africa’s bias
towards the ruling Zanu PF has failed Zimbabwe, but I believe the most critical
element that is lacking in the country is that of a strong political opposition
to advocate for change and push the ruling elite into dialogue.
“There is this notion of wanting to wait, believing that
only the international community can help in ending Zimbabwe’s woes, but I
believe that the ultimate solution lies within Zimbabweans themselves.
“The opposition by now should be in a position to influence
real democratic change and force the government into an inclusive dialogue.
“This is not just dialogue for the sake of getting into
power and looting State resources, but dialogue to see genuine reforms being
made to take the country forward,” Beardsworth told the meeting.
The post-doctoral researcher — who has conducted extensive
studies on why opposition coalitions have failed in Zimbabwe, among other
things — also said instead of being consumed by internal fights, the opposition
needed to come up with strategies to force the government to introduce needed
reforms.
“When you see opposition political parties quarrelling
amongst each other, that is a sign of weak opposition and there is no way they
will be able to force the ruling party to the negotiating table if they are not
speaking with one voice.
“So far, we have seen Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe
leader) being vocal about the July 31 demonstrations and he has been arrested
for that.
“However, he is not one of the major opposition actors and
we need bigger opposition leaders to put pressure on the government until it
gives in.
“We also need an active citizenry to pile pressure on the
government,” Beardsworth said further.
“This is because as the situation is right now, how can
South Africa or the international community intervene and put pressure on the
government when opposition leaders and the citizens are relaxed?
“People should do something, including protesting, taking
to the streets and calling for change and dialogue.
“That will be the pressure point needed by the
international community to then intervene and add more pressure on Zanu PF.
Currently, Zimbabwe has no point of pressure,” Beardsworth also said.
She said rather damningly, that the government was being
let off the hook on a number of constitutional violations “because of a weak
opposition and citizenry”.
“The government claims to be implementing reforms, but on
the ground nothing substantial is being done.
“We see constitutional amendments being conducted, attempts
to reform repressive laws by replacing them with more repressive laws … After
implementing such reforms the government then claims that it is doing all it
can to improve the democratic space when the reality is contrary to that,”
Beardsworth added.
All this comes as Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in
an ugly brawl for the control of the party ever since Tsvangirai died.
The fights took a turn for the worse after the Supreme
Court recently upheld an earlier High Court ruling, which had nullified
Chamisa’s hotly-disputed ascendancy to the helm of the MDC following
Tsvangirai’s death.
The factional wars escalated even further after Khupe
seized the party’s iconic Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House — allegedly with the
assistance of State security forces.
In addition, Khupe has also recalled 21 MPs and senators
from Parliament, as she has flexed her muscles in the mindless infighting.
Tsedu, a veteran journalist and acting executive director
of the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), told the same meeting that
the continuing turmoil in the MDC made it difficult for international players
to help them in forcing the government to engage in dialogue.
“South Africa has always intervened when it comes to
Zimbabwe’s political and economic issues, and whether or not that intervention
has been successful is another matter.
“There are also internal dynamics between the opposition in
Zimbabwe, within the MDC in particular, and how it is responding to things and
fracturing as well.
“So when people say that the South African government did
not meet with the MDC, the question becomes which MDC?”
“Because at any given time you have either two or three or
more versions of the party,” Tsedu said.
“So even the ruling Zanu PF cannot take a fractured opposition
seriously when it comes to the issues of dialogue,” he added.
Human rights activist Elinor Sisulu said Zimbabweans were
traumatised people who had been subjected to massive violations over the years,
which hindered them from being an active citizenry.
“The main thing that is keeping Zimbabweans down is a
history of rights violations including abductions, torture, the fiscal madness
and arbitrary arrests.
“South Africa and the whole Sadc region need to adopt a
human rights-based approach and speak out against violations.
“This can strengthen Zimbabweans who fear the military and
police brutality that they are subjected to when they take to the streets to
express dissent,” Sisulu told the same meeting.
This comes as Zimbabwe is in the vice grip of a huge
economic crisis, its worst in a decade, which has stirred anger and anxiety
among long-suffering ordinary people.
As the country’s rot worsens, pro-democracy and pressure
groups have lined-up anti-government protests on Friday, in a bid to force
Mnangagwa and his government to address the debilitating myriad crises.
Meanwhile, several high-profile people and groups have been
calling for Mnangagwa to end his long-drawn feud with Chamisa, in the country’s
interest.
Both Chamisa and Mnangagwa have previously said that they
were interested in dialogue, although nothing concrete has happened — primarily
because of differences over the form and platform on which the talks should
take place.
On his part, Mnangagwa has been consistent that any talks
with Chamisa should be held under the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) — where
he regularly holds meetings with fringe opposition leaders.
Chamisa himself has
repeatedly ruled out joining Polad — demanding instead direct dialogue with
Mnangagwa.
At one time, both men appeared ready to finally end their
brawling when former South African leader Thabo Mbeki held talks with them last
year, over the country’s worsening economic rot.
Mbeki — who helped to broker the stability-inducing 2008
government of national unity between
opposition giant Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, who are both late
— was in the country in December last year, to try and nudge Mnangagwa and
Chamisa to hold direct talks Daily News
0 comments:
Post a Comment