Zimbabwe beware the MDC T Yankees are in town!

The assault on the MDC T Deputy Treasurer General Elton Mangoma on 15 February 2014 by MDC youths linked to the party President Morgan Tsvangirai (MT) was unfortunate and eerily shocking. This incident has been interpreted by many in the MDC camp that supports MT as acts of sabotage and attention seeking by Elton Mangoma and his erstwhile backers. I beg to differ, attention seeking or not, the assault on Mangoma was unjustified and reveals more about the leadership or lack thereof of MDC T leader MT. The smelly vibe that is being transmitted from Harvest House to Zimbabweans is what is eerily shocking for me – that you can YANKED if ever you suggest that MT should step down. So how now does the dear Captain become different from our DEAR LEADER or the mad Yoweri Museveni?

First of all, Morgan Tsvangirai cannot profess ignorance that there is a growing section in his party who want him off the MDC T Presidency. Whether they are right or not, is a story for another day. However, democracy in any political party should allow voices of dissent at the least to be heard and at the worst pretend to be heard. The MDC T section of MT has shown clearly that it will have none of such discussions. As soon as Elton Mangoma had aired his views through that fateful letter to MT, there were people who were declaring their undying love for MT and their preparedness to die defending his reign at the helm of the MDC T party. As a matter of principle, this alone, was and is unacceptable and MT should have exhibited leadership and denounced signs of violence that were being exhibited by his supporters.

Morgan Tsvangirai’s silence and aloofness during the entire hullabaloo caused by Elton Mangoma smelt bad from the beginning. One would have thought that MT had not responded because he was trying to find a way to bridge yawning gaps between him, his leadership and his erstwhile colleagues who seem to be spending more time trying to plot his ouster. Indeed, the move by Mangoma cannot have been something new to MT. He has known for some time through the grapevine and other sources that a majority of senior members in his party want him gone like yesterday – talk of the public secret that TB wants him out, what about all these rumors in the public press that the Western countries are calling for his replacement, Elias Mudzuri and many others.

MT and his lieutenants’ responses that change of leadership will occur at the 2016 Congress is well and fine. My question though is that: does this mean that the MDC T does not have any other means to address such issues as raised by Elton Mangoma and Elias Mudzuri outside the congress? To show leadership, MT should have convened such a meeting as would ask of the party’s leadership to endorse him or not until 2016. Whether this was done eventually or not again is a story for another day because when it was required, MT did not do that!

So people having been crying foul that Mangoma has brought a bad omen into the MDC T house by reporting his assailants to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). But for God’s sake give us a break! MT knows and knew clearly well that if ever Mangoma was to be assaulted the ZRP would come running to arrest people at Harvest House. Did he seriously think that the ZRP would refuse a free invitation to the Harvest House? By his silence during the time when Mangoma was being attacked on social media by his virulent lieutenants and by his failure to stop the YANKEES who yanked Mangoma at Harvest House, he should have known that it was only going to be a matter of time before the ZRP would be rounding up people at Harvest House. By his silence MT indirectly condoned the YANKEES at Harvest House and gave them indirect permission to do as they wanted with Mangoma. So please no crocodile tears here!

MT cannot argue he never heard about the attacks on social media by his supposed supporters on Mangoma, even to the point of mocking his physical stature. Shame! Now, let’s look at what has happened. These young supposedly gallant supporters of MT have been incarcerated by the deadly ZRP. Who knows what will happen when they are forced to confess? – who knows what stories they will reveal about the MDC T at large while in police custody? People must think and show leadership! Anyway, lesson learnt, if you YANK people the ZRP will come into your Harvest House and they will even be asking what you had for dinner or better still if it is at the MDC they will be asking about who slept with whom the previous night.

As a matter of principle, the police had to be called in to investigate, and bring to justice those that had participated in Mangoma’s assault. To argue otherwise would be just shooting oneself in the foot. The MDC T has been advocating for justice and nonviolence – even going to the extent of preaching peaceful coexistence. Thus, if those principles cannot be exercised in their party why should Zimbabweans trust that this will happen when they are in power? By crying foul and arguing that Mangoma should not have reported the matter to the police is to insinuate that violence in and of itself is not wrong or criminal. Honestly, the MDC T is shooting itself in the foot. Zimbabwe has been fighting organized violence and other forms of politically motivated violence for a long time. To see such acts happening in the backyard of a supposedly progressive political party is shameful and does not show any signs of seriousness on the part of the MDC T and its leadership.

Funny enough, the responses from MT’s lieutenants seemed to suggest that Mangoma had not been assaulted but had just been “yanked” – whatever that means. To suggest that Mangoma was just pulled and shoved by the youths at Harvest House is unacceptable. For a person of his stature and position, this should not have been allowed in the first instance. MT’s security aides could have protected Mangoma on that fateful day. One word from MT could have stopped the rowdy youths on that day. The fact that MT did not do that on that fateful day holds him morally responsible.

It is even more interesting to note that some of MT’s supporters have suggested that Mangoma should have known that there are people who are ready to die or kill for MT if anyone ever raises their voice to talk about his incumbency. This is shameful indeed, and where was MT when his supposed supporters were busy threatening and trying to defend him by YANKING dissenters. If they can do that to a senior party official, what more of just an ordinary supporter, what more if he had ascended to the Presidency of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe beware, the Yankees have let the cat out of the bag. You will be yanked, if ever you mention anything about MT’s tenure and incumbency!

For people to try to blame ZANU PF for this incident and what has followed is stupid and naïve. ZANU PF is busy trying to solve its own problems and can only lick their lips and thank their Gods that finally MT’s people are cannibalizing each other. For ZANU PF, this is more like no cost destruction of the MDC T.

The more important issue that is coming out of this mess is that MT is failing to hold his party together. True leadership will be shown on his leadership by accommodating voices of dissent in his party. If he cannot do that while he is still a political party leader what will happen when he is the President of the Great Zimbabwe. For God’s sake, MT has so many other pending issues in his tray which seem not to endear him to Zimbabweans anymore. Whether private or not, the open zip stories do not necessarily endear MT to many a Zimbabwean women nor enlist respect (read as support) from most young Zimbabwean men and women. Furthermore, Zimbabweans have not forgotten the brutal assault of the current Zimbabwe Ambassador to Senegal Trudy Stevenson in December 2009, when she and others had dissenting opinions to MT. Whether it was MT’s supporters or not, that is a story for another day.

The message that is coming out that MT cannot be challenged and that Zimbabweans in or outside the MDC T can be YANKED if ever they try to do so is not democratic and neither is it acceptable. This situation can only alienate Zimbabweans from this brand called MT. The question that MT should be asking himself is how then does he become different from Ba Chatunga? To openly discuss his tenure and replacement does not mean that he has been ousted.

On the issue of violence, there will be no compromises; MORGAN TSVANGIRAI will have to denounce violence in whatever form it may want to manifest itself in the MDC T. Or rather should Zimbabweans be preparing themselves for the Tsvangirai Yankees?!