The Sunday Mail
Elliot Ziwira
The Zanu-PF ship docked at Robert Mugabe Square on December 2, 2014 for the 6th National People’s Congress and has now departed – leaving a lot of baggage in its wake.
Refuelled and refurbished, the liner left both a replenished and strengthened party and crippled individuals.
With the shadow of factionalism largely excoriated, focus should now shift to the economy.
Many lessons were drawn, hearts broken, humble pies eaten, wings clipped and gargantuan tails on small bodies tacked between crocked legs.
But the most interesting element raised is the significance of numbers.
Yes, gentle reader, numbers do not lie; they have both numerical and spiritual connotations.
As more than 12 000 Zanu-PF delegates converged on the aptly named square, one could sense a euphoria reminiscent of the 1980 Independence celebrations.
It was electric, exuberant.
One could feel hope issuing from their songs, in clouds so thick one could only anticipate a heavy downpour.
Christ, there is so much hope in numbers; the positivity of numbers.
In another epoch, as the drama preceding the Congress climaxed, more numbers got swallowed into numbers and out of them came more numbers.
The numbers whittled to 300 (Central Committee members) and then 26 (Politburo members) as multiple centres of power were checked.
The Shona believe that the more people there are for a special task, the less it is likely to be done to perfection; and those from the West will tell you that no matter the quality of the ingredients, a recipe tackled by too many cooks spoils the broth.
Communicators will also weigh in, acknowledging that the larger the number of negotiators, the less likely they are to agree. Large numbers in decision-making create animosity and distrust.
This is why we faith in numbers.
The numbers that really have prompted this piece are 6, 8 and 26.
Zanu-PF, which is immanent in our experiences as a nation, can be scrutinised through these numbers.
It was the sixth Congress since Independence on April 18, 1980 to map the way forward in preparation for the 2018 plebiscite, which gives prominence to the numbers 6 and 8.
The Congress ended on December 6.
An elite team of 26 was tasked to steer the nation to Kingdom come.
The numbers are closely linked, as 6 is in 26 and the sum of 2 and 6 is 8.
Using the scriptures, 6 is symbolic of the 6th day of creation, preceding the Sabbath; the day of perfection when God took a break from His splendid work.
The number 7, therefore, is considered the number of perfection, and the second perfect number in numerology. It is symbolic of fullness, perfection of spirit and convent union.
Delegates left the Congress on December 7.
Looking at the unfolding of events, there is so much hope for the nation.
According to the scriptures, man is commanded to toil six days in a week. The sixth commandment admonishes murder (Exodus 20:13).
Members of the cabal that sought to assassinate the party’s First Secretary and President were given a rope to hang themselves at the 6th National People’s Congress.
The sixth clause of the Lord’s Prayer petitions the deliverance from sin, (Matthew 6:13).
Jesus Christ suffered on the cross for six hours as recorded in Mark 15:25.
The six letters representing the number system of the Roman Empire gives the number 666.
A lot of deplorable and heinous shenanigans were revealed in the build-up to the Congress, which really called for divine intervention.
In Matthew 18:22, Peter asks Jesus, the Messiah, the number of times he must forgive a sinful brother.
He asks: “As many as seven times?” and Jesus replies: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times, times seven times.”
This translates to say without limit because to err is human. Since delegates departed on the 7th, then peace and forgiveness will take us forward as the President said in his closing statement: “Peace begins with you, peace begins with me, and peace begins with all of us.”
One of the numbers that our nation hinges on is 8, which is symbolic of equilibrium as is reflected in its shape.
It is the Karmanic equaliser, which – according to R Allenby – leads to the liberation of Nirvana, which is defined as: “Absorption of individuality into the divine with extinction of personal desires and passions.”
It is a state of bliss that comes with the negation of individual desires.
Because of its nature, the number 8 is as destructive as it is constructive, as spiritual as it is materialistic.
Individualism, lack of diplomacy and disregard for others lead to the negative attributes of the symbol.
Although it is the number of authority over adversity and success, on the flip side it leads to frustration, dissatisfaction, anger, aggression and insomnia.
A closer look at 8 highlights a lot that has been happening in the Zanu-PF power matrix since 1980.
Caught up in this number matrix is former Vice-President Dr Joice Mujuru.
On the positive side, the limelight zeroed on her when she became the youngest minister at 25 in the first Zanu-PF Government of 1980.
She turned 26; another number under scrutiny, when she was still the youngest minister in the Cabinet.
Driven by the go-getter nature of the positive attributes of the symbol, she remained in control over adversity in male-dominated terrain.
But as has been outlined earlier, 8 is the symbol of balance; negation of self and appreciation of others takes the fore.
Her political career was tainted in 1998 when she allegedly looted the War Victims’ Compensation Fund by conniving with a rogue war veteran doctor to be certified more than 50 percent disabled; which left her Z$800 000 richer – a substantial amount then.
Although she was not alone in this scam, the number mystery followed her.
Still in 1998, the VP was left with yolk on the face when she was Posts and Telecommunications Minister.
The number 8 calls for selflessness and diplomacy, and she lacked both.
Econet, which she despised, was awarded a mobile phone operating licence through Dr Joshua Nkomo’s intervention – the late Father Zimbabwe who she called a “senile old-man” in 1997 as she pushed for Telecel, fronted by her husband’s ally James Makamba, to get a license.
Transparency is one of the attributes of 8, which is why it is the only card in the French deck of playing cards that declares and disregards any other card, and it does not “close” because closing is individualistic.
Honesty and openness are its catch, and the VP antagonistically failed to play 8 to her advantage, as events in 2008 suggest.
Her daughter, Nyasha del Campo, allegedly attempted to sell gold and diamonds worth US$15 million to Firstar, a European company.
When the deal fell through, the VP reportedly threatened the head of Firstar Europe, Hernd Hasemann.
By then, she had lost favour with the President who had read through her.
Numbers do not lie.
A chain of events loosened in 2006 under the stewardship of her husband, the decorated Retired General Solomon Mujuru, led to the creation of Dr Simba Makoni’s Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn. The “Bhora Musango” cabal left Zanu-PF – only to sprawl on the tarmac with humiliation all over their faces after getting just eight percent of the vote.
Ironically, Simba Makoni got 8 percent of the vote.
Dr Mujuru’s husband died in Beatrice, about 80km from Harare in August 2011. August is the eighth month of the year.
The number 26, which makes up the Politburo, is quite an interesting one.
The President is known to play his cards close to his chest; such an enigmatic player he is!
A deck of French playing cards, also known as the English or Anglo-American deck, has 52 cards.
It has been established that the number of possibilities that may come out of shuffling a deck of 52 cards makes it trite to assume fairness of outcomes in two shuffles.
Thus, by reducing the deck, say, to 26 cards, the chances of fairness are enhanced.
In the Babylonian numerology adopted by the Jews, there is a link between numerical value and a word or phrase. In the Rubik Cube, which is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian Professor of Architecture Erno Rubik, 26 is “God’s Number”, which is the minimum number of moves needed to solve any distorted cube.
God needs the minimum number of moves to solve a puzzle, therefore, 26 has divine significance. The number sums up the letter values of Tetragrammaton (the Hebrew letters YHWH and their pronunciation).
The Hebrew Biblical name of God, Yahwe: Yod +Heh+Wan+Heh=10+5+6+5=26. The word Yahweh is found in Genesis which has 26 verses; and it begins with Adam and ends with the name of God.
There are 26 letters in the English and Latin alphabets.
By placing values to the English letters from A-Z, (A=1, Z=26) in correspondence, the sum of the letters G-O-D (God) is 26. The 26-letter Italian word “precipiterolissimevolmente” means “as soon as possible”.
The Unity Accord, which brought peace and harmony to the motherland, is 26-years-old and turns 27 on December 22, 2014.
Cracks in the party started rearing their ugly head in 2006, 26 years into independence, at the revolutionary outfit’s annual conference in Goromonzi, which led to “Bhora Musango”.
Using Scriptures once more, the number of generations from David to Christ is 26.
David was so much loved by God despite his shortcomings, and it took 26 generations for the Lord to save the world from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The number 26 is also the number of generations from Adam (the milestone of creation) and Moses (the receiver of God’s commandments).
According to the Talmud, the Torah would have been revealed to the 26th generation of the History of the world, starting from Adam, to Moses who received it.
Jesus was 26 when his adoptive father, Joseph, died, according to the visions of Mary Agrede.
The number 26 shows its uniqueness as it is only used once in the Bible and the gospel of Luke uses 26 different numbers. It is also interesting to note that the number 18, which marks the date of our Independence, is used 26 times in the Holy Book.
As we put our hands together in prayer for our nation, it may also be worthwhile to know that the word “Beloved” appears 26 times to represent the Lord in Song of Songs.
The words “prescription” and “baptism” are used 26 times in the Bible; and the word “merciful” appears 26 times.
Hence, as the party moves forward, those who erred, should be embraced through baptism; as this may be the solution. Perchance, to some it may be a baptism of fire.
Inasmuch as God is merciful, we also need to be merciful and forgive those who trespass against us, if they show contrition, because it is abominable to kick a man while down.
As 2018 approaches there is need for self-introspection as the numbers implore.
Our nation will be 38-years-old on April 18, 2018, in the year that we go to the polls for the 8th time, therefore the symbol 8 should be closely watched, for it has a way of humbling individuals and rewarding selflessness.
