The Sunday Mail
The Zhuwao Brief is relieved that First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe has re-emphasised the harmonious relationship between the First Family and the two Vice-Presidents.
This has been particularly fortuitous during a week when a certain Mr Jones Musara has been persistently seeking to create divisive narratives around succession on social media platforms.
It is unfortunate that the Zhuwao Brief has to single out Mr Jones Musara in this conversation. In mitigation however, I have attempted to request Mr Jones Musara to specifically exclude me from his divisive succession narratives.
As I engaged Mr Jones Musara in his inbox, I specifically attempted to couch my requests in as polite a manner as I could.
Unfortunately, Mr Jones Musara selected to publicise my request for exclusion from his divisive succession narratives by creating a thread on his wall that ostensibly appeared to be heeding my request whilst simultaneously stoking the fires of his divisive succession narratives.
The thread generated further comments and thus obviated the commitment that Mr Jones Musara had given to exclude from me.
Mr Jones Musara’s behaviour is reminiscent of the fable of clever Tsuro as he sought to marry the king’s daughter.
The story is told of a king whose condition to anyone seeking to marry his daughter is that they should be able to eat the hottest of chillies without flinching.
After many potential suitors had failed to eat the chillies without verbally expressing how hot the chillies were, clever Tsuro managed to win the king’s daughter’s hand by interspacing his verbal expressions of the hotness of the chillies through conversation and questions such as “Why were all of these people going shchsh when eating these chillies?”
As Mr Jones Musara duplicitously assured me that he would comply with my polite request to be excluded from his divisive succession narratives, he concomitantly threatened that he would be “compelled to take action” against me.
It is rather unfortunate that I do not respond well to threats.
Irrespective of Mr Jones Musara’s threats, I am duty-bound to ventilate the natures of these divisive succession narratives.
Consequently, this week’s Zhuwao Brief seeks to interrogate the issue of these divisive succession narratives a bit deeper by unpacking their nature.
Zimbabweans need to understand the powers and forces that are propelling the chief proponents of these divisive succession narratives.
It is only when we understand these issues that we will be able to address them.
I have previously considered the media as the main vectors of these divisive succession narratives.
After engaging some media practitioners in the wake of the recent spate of retrenchments in their own sector, the Zhuwao Brief now knows that media practitioners are realising that self-flagellation has not only damaged the economy but has also cost them their jobs.
As a result, I have sought to analyse other vectors of these divisive succession narratives. Some of these divisive succession narratives are vigorously peddled on social media and the Internet, as highlighted by President Mugabe during the recent Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting.
The proponents of these divisive succession narratives are largely domiciled in countries that are pushing for regime change in Zimbabwe.
In order to address the questions highlighted above, the Zhuwao Brief will use, as a case study, the succession narratives being peddled by one Mr Jones Musara.
Mr Jones Musara lives in North America. He has been a member of several opposition formations up until his self-proclaimed damascene moment when he started referring to himself as a prodigal son of Zanu-PF.
Mr Jones Musara claims that his not being a member of Zanu- PF gives him the “advantage” of not being obliged to toe the party line. This gives Mr Jones Musara carte blanche to engage in issues that are detrimental to Zanu-PF’s interests.
The nature of Mr Jones Musara’s divisive succession narratives is amply demonstrated by his social media posts during this past week.
On August 18, 2015 Mr Jones Musara sought to mischievously imply the creation of a dynasty in Zimbabwe; following in the foot-steps of Rugare Gumbo’s serial treachery.
The following day he threw in several names as potential presidents of Zimbabwe prior to stating, “Nyembe paNgwena after VaMugabe” on August 20, 2015.
The Zhuwao Brief can discern a structure to the manner in which the narrative is created and built up to the extent that one speculates that such narratives are designed at Langley.
Furthermore, the narrative borrows heavily from Rugare Gumbo’s claims of an imaginary Mugabe family dynasty. Is this mere coincidence or part of the grand design to recast the regime change agenda?
Is this not the second Gamatox that President Mugabe referred to when he addressed Zanu-PF’s National Youth Assembly?
To what extent is Mr Jones Musara articulating his own personal perspectives?
What powers and forces are influencing our compatriot on the American continent given that the regime change agenda is still being vigorously pursued from there?
What does Mr Jones Musara seek to achieve with the propagation of such divisive succession narratives?
These are questions that only Mr Jones Musara can answer.
Unfortunately, he is not required to provide answers given his own statement that he has the advantage of not being obliged to tow the Party line since he is not a Zanu-PF member.
The Zhuwao Brief can, therefore, understand how Mr Jones Musara can defy the President and First Secretary, His Excellency President Mugabe, when he urged Zanu-PF members to desist from using social media to discuss and ventilate issues.
The Zhuwao Brief strongly suspects Mr Jones Musara does not carry the mandate of his so-called preferred candidate for several reasons.
One of these reasons is how Mr Jones Musara describes his preferred candidate as “the better devil among devils”.
Could the description of senior Zanu-PF leaders as devils be indicative of Mr Jones Musara’s true feelings given his numerous dalliances with opposition formations of dubious origin and intent?
The Zhuwao Brief pleasantly notes that Amai Mugabe has re-emphasised the good and harmonious relations between the First Family and the two VPs on several occasions.
This means the First Family and two VPs share notes on the regime change machinations of the purveyors of these divisive succession narratives.
What is particularly pleasing is that the nation’s senior leadership is not being diverted from focussing on the developmental and transformational aspirations of Zimbabweans.
The Zhuwao Brief hopes and prays that the rest of the nation does not get side-tracked by divisive succession narratives that are emanating from the America continent.
The purveyors of such divisive succession narratives should be avoided. Imhandu vanhu ivava. Pasi nemhandu.
Icho!
Patrick Zhuwao is chair of the Zhuwao Institute, an economics, development and research think tank that focus on integrating socio-political dimensions into business and economic decision making, particularly strategic planning. He can be reached at [email protected]
