Power, but no legitimacy
Another interesting bit I heard, from many conversations, some with people I trust very much.
The Army has let it be known (one source has senior army connections, but is not a soldier) that for the next elections, they will campaign (i.e. ‘count’ the papers) for Zim 1, but no one else. (Zim 1 is the losing party chairman).
All other Zanu PF MP candidates must do their own campaigning. They must pull their finger out and get out there to meet the people, see their constituency, make the political promises, etc. The army does not care for the old incumbents. They are quite happy to see a new crop of ZPF come in.
What does this mean? Only the big guy stands a chance. The rest, very vulnerable to the Jonathan Moyos. In some ways ‘great’. A new crop will mean a new party. ‘Safe’ seats in parliament will flow away and Zim1 will have a whole new struggle. Head of administration verses the government. Who wins will be he (or she) who has power (in most cases, those with the guns). But, the party (the losing party) needs a good clean. Many incumbents are busy jigging the monkey. Chombo I most think of (because he screws around in my area of interest, local government). A nobody, with power, who is making good money out of it – and not even in his area. If he has to service his home constituency, he will find life far more difficult. But many other’s too – the really old guys with liberation war credentials.
On the other hand, what will this do to the party, which itself really has nothing but liberation war credentials? And the party (and Zim1 himself) is the face of legitimacy the military coup regime hides behind. Without it, they are naked as the ‘coup of the ZANLA high command’. And many do not even have liberation war credentials. Who is Brigadier General whatever his name is? Where was he in the struggle? What is his history? How has he serviced his constituency (assuming he can find the balls to take off his uniform and stand for election)? They are really just a gang of friends with power (i.e. guns). In the eastern DRC and Great Lakes region, they would be termed warlords. Power, but no legitimacy.
What is their plan (or Zanu PF’s for that matter) for moving Zimbabwe forward?