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I agree with my friend that the cancer of factionalism requires surgery. This surgery is represented by the expulsion of Joice Runaida Teurai Ropa Mugari Mujuru, and others, from Zanu-PF.
About half-a-year ago, in September 2014, the Zhuwao Brief was started.
The first series was entitled “Of factions and Zanu-PF”.
The Zhuwao Brief returns to its seminal and founding series this week following the expulsion of one Joice Runaida Teurai Ropa Mugari Mujuru from the family known as Zanu-PF.
I will briefly recount the motivation that led to the conceptualisation of the Zhuwao Brief’s series on factionalism and then go back to 2007 to unpack the origins and motivations of what I initially referred to as the Ubhudhi Du contingent; which contingent then later took on the identity of the Gamatox cabal.
This instalment essentially highlights that a significantly large number of people that claim to support the Ubhudhi Du contingent, aka the Gamatox cabal, do not even have a clue of what they support.
Before I do that, it is necessary to explain why I choose to refer to these people as the Ubhudhi Du contingent as opposed to the more recognised label of the Gamatox cabal.
Gamatox refers to those misguided elements within the membership of Zanu-PF who subscribe to a faction.
However, the Ubhudhi Du contingent includes those sleeper agents within Zanu-PF, those that left Zanu-PF during and after 2008 as part of the Mavambo phenomenon, and some within the formations of the MDC.
The Ubhudhi Du contingent is wider than the Gamatox cabal.
Revisiting the factions
On 28th August 2014, I posted the following on several of the WhatsApp discussion groups to which I participated:
“Comrades, I submit a few definitions of the word faction as a guide to all of us since some of us openly boast of being members of a faction.
1 – A small organised dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics.
2 – A group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group.
3 – A group within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group.
“Synonyms of faction include cabal, clique and coterie amongst others. Being a member of a faction means that you are departing from the majority.
“The question to you is on which areas are you dissenting with the majority? One thing that the majority has in common is the supremacy of Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe as our undisputed leader of Zanu-PF to whom we ALL owe total and undivided allegiance.”
I wish to evaluate the last statement in the post above as I convey the motivation that the Zhuwao Brief took as it unpacked the cancer of factionalism.
I will also recount a conversation that I had with a former school mate who is now a pastor and a successful businessman.
Whilst a number of Zanu-PF members openly subscribed to being members of factions, to what extent did they hold the view that President Mugabe was the undisputed leader of Zanu-PF?
Those that held the view that Cde Mugabe was, and should remain the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, should remain party members.
But if you don’t believe that Cde Mugabe is the authentic leader of Zanu-PF, it follows that you do not subscribe to the resolution of the 6th National Congress that unanimously elected him as President and First Secretary.
That essentially means you have departed from the view of the membership of Zanu-PF. You have separated yourself away from Zanu-PF. You must leave Zanu-PF.
Simple.
This perspective is taken primarily because the Zhuwao Brief spent a number of weeks attempting to highlight the dangers of factionalism as informed by the slogan “vasingazivi ngavadzidziswe”.
The motivation was to enable some of our colleagues to undergo the experience of Paul on the journey to Damascus.
Some Zanu-PF members have gone through the Damascene experience; including some in the Politburo.
If you failed to see the error of your ways and wish to remain factional it follows that you do not subscribe to the fundamental value and exhortation of unity inscribed onto the party logo.
That essentially means that you have departed from the symbol that represents the membership of Zanu-PF. You have separated yourself away from Zanu-PF. You must leave Zanu-PF.
Simple.
As I started the conversation on factionalism six months ago, my friend felt that the tone of my articles was watered down.
Essentially, he held the view that I was being lenient with the Ubhudhi Du contingent, also known as the Gamatox cabal.
I tried to justify that the cancer of factionalism needed to be treated through several doses of chemotherapy; the Zhuwao Brief’s articles presented such doses.
I agree with my friend that the cancer of factionalism requires surgery. This surgery is represented by the expulsion of Joice Runaida Teurai Ropa Mugari Mujuru, and others, from Zanu-PF.
I have advised those that do not subscribe to the leadership of President Mugabe to leave Zanu-PF. The same advice goes to those that wish to remain factional.
The surgeon’s knife is ready and willing to root out all remaining traces of those cancerous and factional tumour cells within Zanu-PF.
If you are still factional, I urge you to submit to the chemotherapy that consists of understanding the danger you pose to Zanu-PF and yourself.
In most instances, so-called Gamatox supporters are ignorant of what they are supporting. They need to be enlightened. They need to know what the underlying cause that they are fighting for is before they are rooted out of Zanu-PF by the surgeon’s knife.
Genesis of Ubhudhi Du,
Gamatox
It is heartbreaking to come across some poor ignorant soul who professes to have undying loyalty to the Gamatox cabal or, as I prefer to call it, the Ubhudhi Du contingent.
Most of these poor lost souls are totally oblivious of the real cause they are called upon to fight for.
A brief history might help.
In December 2007, on the side-lines of the Zanu-PF National People’s Conference in Goromonzi, a conversation was held at a tavern in Ruwa over several glasses of whiskey.
The conversation revolved around the treacherous notion of removing President Mugabe from office and replacing him with a compliant stooge.
A participant at this whiskey- driven conversation in the Ruwa tavern vowed that President Mugabe should be replaced, even if the replacement was going to be a compliant stooge other than his spouse.
The conviction of that particular participant at the whiskey-driven conversation in the Ruwa tavern was motivated by the cancellation of illegally granted rights to exploit precious minerals.
The participant was a shareholder in an externally domiciled company that has been fighting the Government of Zimbabwe tooth and nail to appropriate a God-given natural resource for a few individuals at the expense of the people of Zimbabwe.
That whiskey-driven resolution at the Ruwa tavern manifested itself during the 2008 elections as “Bhora Musango”.
We had to endure a humiliating inclusive Government that held the country back for five years.
It is on the back of that same whiskey-driven resolution that we are seeing some of our misguided compatriots pledging allegiance to the Ubhudhi Du contingent.
The whiskey-driven resolution at the Ruwa tavern was motivated by an individual’s selfish and personal desire for wealth.
It is, thus, sad that some people pledge allegiance to a cause meant to enrich an individual and their family.
As if that was not bad enough, the participant of the whiskey-driven conversation at the Ruwa tavern was working as an agent of a white businessman.
This participant resolved to alter the leadership of the country at the behest of a white man.
The Ubhudhi Du contingent, which includes the Gamatox cabal as one subset, is fighting for the realisation of the resolution of a whiskey-driven conversation at the Ruwa tavern; a conversation motivated by a white man.
Is it worth it? Can you seriously abandon Zanu-PF, a party with an impeccable liberation history and a record of empowerment for the sake of some random white man that you do not even know?
Urikurwira mumwe murungu kuti awane ngoda munyika yechipikirwa? Haumizive murungu uyu. Iwe haambofa akakuziva. Shame. Sorry hako sure nyanisi.
Pamberi neZanu-PF. Pamberi navaMugabe chete chete. Pasi nekudzungaira.
Icho.
Patrick Zhuwao is chair of the Zhuwao Institute, an economics, development and research think tank focused on integrating socio-political dimensions into business and economic decision making, particularly strategic planning.
