1] Here are a few political lessons we've learnt so far:
Firstly, Chamisa always had a plan, completely divorced from what his detractors anticipated.
ZanuPF thought they had armed Mwonzora well enough, to isolate Chamisa & relegate him to the dustbins of our politics.
2] Another key lesson is that the Mwonzora outfit never budgeted for a rival party.
They preferred a scenario where Chamisa would fight for the "MDC" name, thereby maintaining a "legal battle" with him & team.
With the frightening levels of judicial capture, this was preferable
3] Another key lesson is that it was strategic for ex MDC-A MPs & Councillors not to resign en mass but allow the Mwonzora outfit to wield their axe.
Adv Chamisa did well in resisting attemps to initiate such an emotional political move, which many were clamouring for.
4] Through senseless & unpopular recalls, Mwonzora:
•exposed his lack of support within MDC
•Plunged his outfit into an election which will expose him big time
•exposed his collaboration with ZanuPF, aimed at keeping MDC internally focused whilst ED consolidated his "power"
5] Another key lesson is that it was important to "delay" the formation of CCC
Also, it was strategic for Chamisa to broaden the consultative program he embarked on, to also involve "non-MDC" members
Chamisa dutifully also engaged community & opinion leaders on the "way foward"
6] By deliberately "broadening" the consultative processes, Chamisa sowed an important political seed, & the yellow fever engulfing the nation is the evident bumper harvest.
The move equally respond to the so called "legal need to dissolve MDC-A".
CCC has no MDC relations.
7] I've personally understood NC as having no obsession with mere "party politics".
The CCC founding philosophy of "placing citizens as the center" & the new strategies of choosing "community reps" is the fruition of what some of us have had the luxury of knowing about the man.
8] Like Tsvangirai before him, Chamisa understands the importance of "people centered politics".
He equally enjoys not, being in "boardrooms strategizing", but being in the communities & streets, engaging the ordinary citizen & conversing on how to collectively build the nation.
9] As for the strategic importance of "delaying CCC formation" (or atleast the formal announcement), NC effectively kept detractors guessing.
The plan was always there, & clear!
Someone once said, "I enjoy watching the face of someone lying to me, when I already know the truth"
10] Chamisa didn't give ZanuPF & its variants too much time to strategise how to effectively deal with the Yellow movement.
They have useless anticipated court cases.
While they come up with alternative plans, the Citizens' movement is also spreading its political tentacles.
11] Another key lesson is that the international community has no illusions over our political developments
Formation of a new party hasn't affected regional solidarity enjoyed by NC.
Traditional progressive MDC external allies (especially on the continent) have shifted to CCC
12] Another key lesson is, citizens themselves have no illusions over our political developments,& can't be influenced by courts & propaganda
There's only 1 political institution enjoying the genuine goodwill of citizens
It's unprecedented & speaks volumes to its political DNA
13] The last key lesson is that "electoral democracy" works.
Prof Ncube recently said, 'we didn't mobilise enough to overwhelm ZanuPF in 2018".
ZanuPF has already begun responding to efforts to correct the misgivings of 2018.
ZanuPF is resting the voter registration drive.
14] ZanuPF knows that they can loose power through the ballot & that they've no political appeal, esp to young people.
It's well within the gov's capacity to mobilise state institutions towards promoting democracy & electoral processes.
They won't, cause its to their detriment.
15] While @CCCZimbabwe leaders dutifully strategize ways of protecting the vote, its within our individual interests to ensure its cast in the first place.
This we can do by mobilising extensively, for citizens to vote & give democracy a chance.
There's no other way
enkosi!!
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1. Admittedly, when I first read the "structured currency" headline, I thought the Harare regime was taking its "structures" propaganda too far.
With the benefit of more research on the topic, I'm now totally convinced the Harare regime is indeed taking its propaganda too far.
2. By definition, a structured currency is "structured" in that it's supposedly backed by both mineral reserves (in our case gold) and trust in government's monetory policies & regulations.
Unfortunately, no one believes any of the two are present in our existing circumstances.
3. Part of why all previous gimmicks have failed is a trust deficit.
Even if the government opts to accuse commentators of being alarmists, causing panick and despondency, no one can be faulted for rushing to withdraw their forex savings if we have learned anything from history.
1. Imagine trying to make sense of how some 4 gentlemen in Bulawayo can randomly claim, 'we have recalled Amos Chibaya, he has ceased being a member of CCC'.
Outside the influence of social media, many only know about #CCC because of the efforts of this indefatigable organizer.
2. Propaganda has to make some sort of sense.
Even where some decide to hide behind the claim of "a traceable history in the struggle," Chibaya would make the mark.
A devoted organizer during the times of Tsvangirai & even more so, during the times of Chamisa under the MDC-A.
3. For the successive elections between 2018-2023, it's a mystery how Chibaya found the passion to abandon the comfort of his home and the herculean energy to traverse the country, organizing the Opp for electoral triumph.
Chibaya is very much unheralded & doesn't seem to care.
1. So, a group of at least 25 individuals have decided to join nonexistent forces under the otherwise much heralded #NERA banner to push for electoral reforms.
It's difficult to even identify them as political leaders because they don't represent any political constituency.
2. If you review the outcome of the controversial 2023 election, these people combined had fewer votes than the Councilors who won your ward election.
Many of them have never even bothered to field candidates in successive elections but only pop up whenever they sense a need.
3. If you were to profile them, there is one Lucia Matibenga, masquerading as PDP President.
Her "party" never contests.
She only temporarily enjoyed limelight under PDP when Sen Mwonzora brought her as his MDC-A partner before they connived to recall MPs elected under Chamisa.
1. Interesting comment on this unfolding drama by Prof Ncube.
I, however, can't help recognize the continued conflation of politics & law, which I've previously written about, regarding the formation of CCC party from MDC-A.
It's quite strange that BaNcube does the same here.
2. I take notice of @Welshman_Ncube choice of words here.
He says: MDC-A party's "...National Council resolved to reconstitute itself as CCC..."
By definition, when you "reconstitute," you simply restore or build up again, using remaining parts of whatever has been destroyed.
@Welshman_Ncube 3. However, it was a legal nulity not only for MDC-A to 'reconstitute' itself but to even meet & make legally binding resolutions to begin with.
In 2020, Justice Chitapi ruled that the MDC-A party wasn't a legal persona, effectively meaning it wasn't a legally constituted party.
1. We need to accept that we've seen enough to conclude we've no justice system in Zimbabwe.
Perhaps it's time to totally (temporarily) abandon seeking judicial recourse, particularly around political issues
Why continue subjecting ourselves to the wig wearing ZanuPF activists!
2. Let me rationalize this personal view:
Firstly, we are simply patronizing the generality of the citizens by arguing that going to these "captured courts" is an important academic exercise that exposes judicial capture.
What has been the consequence of exposing this capture?
3. ZanuPF's reaction to the damning SADC Observer Mission report is evidence enough that they don't react to "embarrassment" by showing restraint.
ZanuPF chose rather to burn SADC through an unprecedented propaganda offensive and direct confrontation with the Zambia government.