‘Zimbabwe’s Opposition Political strategy will determine the outcome’

The alliance of 18 Opposition parties may look good on paper but wiithout a clear strategy about how far we who take the battle, we may soon lose vision of our target which is precisely to remove Mugabe and his ZANU PF REGIME from power, put in place a National Transition government, restore order implement electoral reforms that will ensure we hold free and fair elections. It is not a secret that some of the organisers of the mass protest are in reality, partly to blame for the national crisis.

They formed the Government of National Unity from 2008 to 2013 which, with the help of the former South African president Thabo Mbeki, forced Mugabe to concede to having electoral reforms put in place. All opposition party principal’s in the GNU including MDCT leader Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC leader Welshman Ncube were signatories to the document yet GNU leadership fell asleep at the wheel, enjoyed Monday morning tea parties with Mugabe and failed to implement even a single Electoral Reform and today the nation is paying for this shortsightedness in opposition.

This was clearly a failure or lack of strategy in place. MDCT went on to withdraw MDC T MPs in parliarment and effectively gave away the parliarmentary seats to Zanu PF who now form the majority and have the numbers to implement, shape, chop and change aspects of the constitution at will by virtue of being in the majority,….bad news for Zimbabweans and an absolute lack of vision and clear strategy by the opposition. They sold out all our hard won political ground with this simple act of personalising the struggle.

A visionary opposition should have debated this issue widely with supporters nationwide, consulted interested parties and sought to put in place a progressive strategy that would not have set the nation so far back with respect to political gains. A lack of strategy was also clearly seen in the failed MDCT Million man march to the Statehouse several years ago. At each point and turn, we are all well aware how the regime will respond and to what lengths it will go in order to maintain a form help on power yet we lack a ‘PLAN B’ strategy to ensure that we successfully achieve our objectives.

The protests are currently being supported by a nation of dissillusioned people suffering due to over 90% unemployment, lack of SERVICE DELIVERY in Housing, Health care, Education, Electricity, Water and Transport amongst other things. The support that the protests are receiving is edging close to the original MDC support in 1999 when the nation was disgruntled by Mugabe’s poor leadership and dying economy. The people of Zimbabwe rallied fully behind Tsvangirai because he dared to challenge Mugabe and offered the people who desperately needed change, an opportunity to effect change by removing Mugabe.

The support back then for Tsvangirai was overwhelming as people just wanted Mugabe out and we’re ready to rally behind a tree, baboon, lamp post or post box of it was an alternative to Mugabe. At this present point in time the nation is again, desperately thirsty for change but uninformed as to what the aim of the protests will be, what to do when the regime retalliates, how far to go in fighting against oppression, when to stop,..if at all. Effectively how do we determine success or failure,…DISCUSS! By Sibusiso Ngwenya