POLITICAL analysts have blamed a combination of poor
planning and the escalating infighting consuming the country’s main opposition
for Friday’s failed anti-government protests, the Daily News On Sunday reports.
However, MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti vowed
yesterday that the opposition would mount more potent protests going forward,
in a bid to oust President Emmerson Mnangagwa from power.
Analysts who spoke to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday
said there was no running away from the fact that the failed protests had been
undermined by poor strategy and disorganisation.
Respected University of Zimbabwe (UZ) politics expert,
Eldred Masunungure, said this necessarily meant that opposition parties needed
to re-think their strategies to outwit the ruling Zanu PF and its government.
“The problem is that our opposition parties are hopelessly
divided. They need to go back and re-strategise, and also speak with one voice.
They have to reconfigure.
“Zanu PF has not changed and … is still using the same
tools that it always deploys, and the opposition parties are also using the
same strategies.
“The planning was poor … and the demonstration was
announced nearly a month ago, thus giving authorities ample time to prepare.
This enabled the authorities to continue with their repression,” Masunungure
said.
“Unfortunately, Friday’s events only work to embolden the
authorities and to give them more confidence.
“The opposition parties are speaking with different voices
and are not united. So, it will be difficult for them to confront the
government.
“Look at Zanu PF before the demonstrations. All its party
wings were speaking with one voice.
“Zanu PF is also very skilful in utilising opportunities.
They used the Covid-19 lockdown to their advantage, to the fullest,”
Masunungure further told the Daily News On Sunday.
Professor of World Politics at the London School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Stephen Chan, also accused opposition
parties of lacking “a meaningful strategy”.
“As for the opposition, it has no plan either. But I am
glad people were not put at risk of brutality. There is enough suffering in
Zimbabwe,” he said.
Former Cabinet minister in the 2009 stability-inducing
government of national unity (GNU), Tapiwa Mashakada, also blamed his
colleagues in the brawling MDC for lacking the courage to organise successful
protests.
“The much-touted 31st July demo failed to take off, not
because the people do not have a genuine cause, but because of fear and lack of
courageous leaders who are prepared to sacrifice their luxurious lives.
“The social media activists are good for nothing … they
just incite other people to be cannon fodder while they are hiding in safe
places,” he wrote on social media in the aftermath of the demo.
“Apart from Job Sikhaka and Tendai Biti, I see a lot of
cowards in the rank and file of those who chose the demonstration route.
“But even then, with the Covid-19 pandemic, demos were not
ideal because of public health reasons. It was ill-timed.
“Meanwhile the suffering continues while we in the
opposition are experimenting with tired methods of removing the government,”
Mashakada wrote further.
“Let us try dialogue and national convergence in order to
find each other. We must not use the people to satisfy our ego.
“Dialogue must be tried and given a chance otherwise we are
all contributing to the burning of the house.
“The twitter activists are hiding and hoping that the
innocent poor can come out to confront the regime,” Mashakada added.
Former deputy Justice minister in the GNU, Obert Gutu,
echoed Mashakada’s sentiments.
“Fundamentally, it (Friday’s mass action) lacked thought
leadership. There was neither focus nor strategy.
“At one point, the organisers told the nation that it was
an anti-corruption demonstration, whilst on the other hand the same organisers
pronounced that the demonstration was targeted at felling the Zanu PF
government. Daily News
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