PART1 – On MDC-T and Operation Restore Mnangagwa Legacy

By Daphne Magade| I remember when General Chiwenga addressed the nation and that evening I made a post arguing that a lot of people did not understand the General’s Speech. Surely they didn’t, even up to today they still haven’t and unfortunately the majority of those people are in opposition not forgetting some within Zanu-Pf.

The only people who could have grasped the agenda of the speech were people such as myself who are not aligned to party politics. I remember debating and advising my friends from the opposition MDC as they kept telling me I was wrong I was the one who did not understand the speech. There were three things I plucked out instantly now – that a coup was imminent. The reasons would be the following  –

1. To Restore the legacy of Zanu pf by protecting the revolution
2. Assertion that Zimbabwe was not going into the hands of non-Revolutionaries
   3. Only Zanu-Pf will lead Zimbabwe

My opposition friends did not condemn any of these statements publicly if I missed this please enlighten me. They simply rejoiced and I could see them on Facebook singing the song “ Dzamutsana mutsana, Tsuro nembwa.”

‘N’anga neinobata Amai,”

With eyes 👀 as open as mine I told them not to rejoice at ‘N’anga neinobata Amai,” as I knew this would affect them too – if Mugabe is removed by the Generals then what’s left for the MDC to do after that? Wasn’t this their job all along?

But they lashed at me saying I’m an enemy of progress and a Mugabe sympathiser. Like a prophet however I could see the non existent future of the MDC in Zimbabwean politics. As this “Coup that wasn’t a coup“ /Revolution was Operation Restore Zanu PF Legacy.  To be further precise, it was Operation Restore Mnangagwa.

Sometimes it’s good to visit history before history revisits you. We went down memory lane to revisit history of Zimbabwe, analyse Zanu pf history and why Mugabe stayed in power that long , who was his power source? I reminded my friends from the MDC of our efforts over the last 20 years to remove Mugabe and who stood between us and him. I remember as a very young girl running across the city centre from the South African embassy when it was along Enterprise road in Eastleigh to my late sister’s house in Highfields at Willowvale flats on foot because Morgan Tsvangirai had led the biggest strike in Zimbabwe’s history and the soldiers were out on the streets with tankers together with the police. That was in 1997.

I flashed back to 2008 (11 years later) when Tsvangirai won and the election violence that followed and the massive rigging, death, rape and torture of a lot of opposition supporters not forgetting Gukurahundi in the 80s.

I asked MDC who was behind this violence? I asked them to read Mnangagwa’s letter when he fled to SA, to go back and replay or re-read the Generals’ press conference held a week later. The general Constantino Chiwenga was straight forward in his speech and I noticed lots of Zimbabweans misunderstood it. I even made a post highlighting that. I told opposition to analyse the coup why there is one and for who? Who is behind it? Next after a failed coup attempt, the generals suddenly start negotiating with President Mugabe. You don’t negotiate in that context but of course they did. Who negotiates a take-over?

But opposition was waiting in the docks for Zanu pf to remove Zanu pf at their convenience, right they fail Bob lectures the generals the constitution reminds them the power is with the people – That’s when our oppressors remembered it was our revolution which we started years back and they stopped us then in less than 24 hours they have us on the streets and suddenly Mugabe goes.

Why attack a useless 94 year old and not his immortal system?

Barely a few hours later Chinamasa reminds the opposition that the events taking place are Zanu pf eternal politics as the opposition assumed it was a national solidarity march they thought they had lots of power to be involved transitionally. But they should have Hijacked that revolution when I advised them to do so (Zanu pf had placards advertising ED as the new president and they wanted their VP back ) MDC should have marched with all their campaign points but No they just wanted to see Mugabe go.  Why attack a useless 94 year old and not his system which is bound to live forever? With ignorance as per usual of the real events, they simply marched .

Mugabe was not only issue that is where MDC lost it – as opposition they seemed to tell the world they only had a problem with Mugabe not Zanu pf or anyone else in his party. Also they seem to have been lost in translation with the Mugabe must go slogan – He is gone they have nothing else to say, no policies to counter Zanu pf and with ED doing well with international relations and domestic policies there is no vacancy for MDC in Zimbabwe and outside. They are left looking like the old Zanu pf with the same leader for 18 years who is very ill and 3 Vice Presidents. MDC is now everything Zanu pf is running from. So now he is gone they seem to look buried like lost sheep. The people removed Mugabe. Now Zanu pf is making it look like they removed Bob- people see them as heroes now and there is no transitional government, something MT hoped for no wonder why he was passive throughout events so not to disappoint his future employers.

Now that you are all conscious – Welcome to Operation Restore Zanu pf Legacy, Welcome to Operation Restore Mnangagwa Legacy. Welcome to Mnangagwe, ooops, Zimbabwe!

I wish all opposition politics a speedy recovery. Good day