The Sunday Mail
Wonder Munyanyi
Before November 2017, few outside military circles had heard of Major-General Sibusiso B. Moyo.
Yet, when he appeared on national television, he cut a breath of fresh air. He was composed, calm, measured, reassuring and polite. Wearing military fatigues, he assured the nation that then President Robert Mugabe and his family were safe and that Zimbabweans had nothing to fear.
I have decided to write about Dr Moyo because in this new dispensation, he is going to represent Zimbabwe across the world as our Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Dr Moyo is academically qualified to be a foreign minister. He holds a PhD in International Relations. A real PhD at a time Zimbabwe has become replete with fake PhD holders. Our country has been turned into a banana republic where people in their 20s call themselves life coaches.
Back to our subject.
A lot of noise has been made about the fact that Zimbabwe has appointed ex-soldiers to its Cabinet. Yet, being a soldier is one of the noblest careers on Earth.
Having lived in the United Kingdom, I know from first hand experience that the most respected persons there are soldiers, nurses, doctors and firefighters.
Winston Churchill, the resilient British wartime prime minister, was a soldier. Senator John McCain, who has contested for presidency in the United States, was a soldier. Ian Duncan Smith, who led the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, was a soldier.
Thomas Sankara was a soldier.
Chris Hani was a soldier; and so was Solomon Mahlangu. Zimbabwe produced its own breed of heroic soldiers like General Tongogara and Nikita Alfred Mangena.
Now, certain things should change in our foreign policy. One of the first areas should be the use of language.
Calling Archbishop Desmond Tutu an “embittered little bishop” does not foster good relations. Attacking Nelson Mandela is not a wise thing. Despite all his faults, Madiba is revered by many South Africans and others from outside that country.
Describing Tony Blair as a toilet might have sounded clever but that does not engender co-operation.
Also, Dr Moyo will have to deal with several questions from Western governments and journalists. There is the issue of free and fair elections.
Indeed, Zimbabwe is a sovereign state; but free and fair elections do not mean a victory for the opposition. The interpretation is commonsensical.
Do you remember the victory of George W. Bush which had to be contested in a court of law? Was that victory fair? Had those Florida votes been taken into account, Bush would not have won the elections.
Let us not forget the favourite topic of these Western governments. This is the issue of what happened in Matabeleland.
They raise this issue, not because they care about the ordinary Zimbabweans who were caught up during the conflict in Matabeleland.
The issue is that they are angry at the manner in which the land reform process affected white Zimbabweans.
I watched Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa being interviewed by Aljazeera. He was being provoked regarding the Matabeleland issue.
He remained calm and composed. This is the best way to deal with provocative questions.
Western governments have their own skeletons. The Slavery Holocaust. The Ku Klux Klan. Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Guantanamo Bay, Colonialism (even when they resisted Hitler’s evil designs, Winston Churchill still spoke glowingly about the British Empire).
But they have found ways of communicating internationally without being hindered by their ugly record.
Dr Moyo has a tough task at hand. And I believe that as a soldier with an excellent academic background, he can rise to the challenge.
He can charm the world.
Wonder Rodney Munyanyi holds a BL and LLB degree from the University of Zimbabwe where he also studied for a Master of Science Degree in International Relations. He holds diplomas in Immigration and Refugee Law and European Law from the United Kingdom. He has practised law in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. He wrote this article for The Sunday Mail
