EDITORIAL COMMENT: No cow is too sacred

16 Nov, 2014 - 06:11 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Bold decisions do not come from feeble men and women. They are made by people of valour.

Often, the simplest decision is ironically the boldest. But only people who know what they want to achieve and how to go about achieving it realise this and act accordingly.

It has taken Zanu-PF a bit of time to do this, but thankfully the ruling party has done just that.

It has been evident for quite some time now that Zanu-PF is better off without the likes of former War Veterans Association leader Jabulani Sibanda and former party national spokesperson Rugare Gumbo as well as Enoch Porusingazi.

There was a growing fear that such elements would somehow survive the consequences of their staggering indiscretions, and that Zanu-PF might shy away from making the simple, natural and bold decision to sideline them.

That bold decision was taken last week when the Politburo put Gumbo, Sibanda, Porusungazi on ice; and upheld the votes of no confidence in Masvingo Women’s League boss Cde Shylet Uyoyo and provincial chairmen Cdes Kalisto Gwanetsa (Masvingo), Amos Midzi (Harare), Jaison Machaya (Midlands) and Andrew Langa (Matabeleland South).

Rumblings of factionalism vis-à-vis the “succession issue” had reached a crescendo over the past month following First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe’s highly-subscribed “Meet the People” tour. Factionalism has been devouring the party from within and the First Lady would have none of it.

She named names — Vice President Joice Mujuru and Mashonaland East chairman Ray Kaukonde, being at the centre of the plot to unseat President Mugabe just a year after the people of Zimbabwe overwhelmingly voted to retain him in office for another five years.

And the grassroots, taking a cue from Amai Mugabe, came forward to expose the shenanigans of Gumbo, Sibanda, and Midzi among others.

The people spoke boldly: they wanted these characters out of the picture. The Politburo listened.

It is now hoped that this bold decision, made even though reactionaries said this would divide Zanu-PF forever, will not be the first and last.

More action must be taken to cleanse the ranks of the ruling party of people who are more concerned with grabbing power than with serving the people and delivering on the mandate given Zanu-PF in last year’s elections.

The nation is sick and tired of being bullied by supposed bigwigs who think that Zimbabwe owes them a favour and that Zimbabweans should be content to see them looting with impunity.

The culture of arrogance had steeped deep in these people and they need to be cut down to size so that the ruling party can get on with the important business of economic and social transformation.

All bad apples must be removed from the basket before they contaminate the lot.

The satisfaction derived from last week’s move is palpable; one can almost touch the excitement as Zimbabweans gear themselves from a new politics that places service delivery and respect of what the people want and need at the centre of national discourse.

The December Congress must see sanity restored in the ruling party, with leaders realising that they cannot take Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans for granted.

Those that choose not to repent of their wayward ways should be expelled, and no cow should be too sacred to be spared in this drive.

Cabinet and other arms of Government must also apply this kind of bold decision-making for the betterment of our country.

No person, not even those in high places, is above the law, be it the law of their given political party or the law of the land. When they err they must face the music.

We sincerely hope that more of these bold decisions will become common in Zimbabwe.

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