Both sets of leaders have shown a gluttonous appetite for cronyism, with relatives and friends enjoying first class seats on the gravy train. This massive gravy train has run over the prosperity of the country leaving the welfare of the people in intensive care.
In Zanu-PF gravy train seats have been allocated largely on the basis of the 1970's liberation war credentials. In the MDC the seats have been doled out mostly on personal friendships, and judging by recent reshuffles in his office, by the disposition of Tsvagirai's loins as well.
Hanzi chiuno chaPrime Minister chikachinja zvachinoda, nevanhu vemuOffice make vanochinjawo. If the Prime Minister's loins change what they want then the composition of his office changes too.
| Zanu-PF has reduced its leadership to a little more than a remedial class in governance. |
Zanu-PF seriously hobbled by failure to renew its leadership. The party has been recycling the same individuals for three decades - and they want to blame the British for the complete stagnation of their fortunes. Can't they see the complete stagnation in their leadership leads to a stagnation of ideas?
Zanu-PF has reduced its leadership to a little more than a remedial class in governance, where people keep trying the same things and failing over and over. Where others like Mandela, Nujoma, Mbeki, Pohamba, Chisano, Muluzi and even Chiluba have come and gone the occupants of the remedial class are going nowhere.
I know Zanu-PF members like to blame the MDC for their misfortunes. The truth is they should be thankful that the MDC too are a bunch of lousy, directionless opportunists. Faced with more principled, astute and competent opposition they would have lost power a long time ago.
On the other side the MDC also like to blame Zanu-PF for all their misfortunes. They too should be thankful to Zanu-PF incompetence, especially in the economic sphere, for their mere existence and longevity. Had Zanu-PF been just a little bit more competent, then the usually apathetic voters would not have flocked to the MDC the way they did.
I was taken back by a speech in which Tsvangirai described the coming 2013 elections as 'the MDC's last chance'. Clearly the man is not thinking beyond himself. How can he describe his last chance to contest the presidential elections as the entire party's last chance.
| It is a hallmark of the majority of African leaders that they do not have a vision of anything beyond themselves. |
It means Tsvangirai doesn't have a vision for the party beyond his own political career. This takes us right back to my long standing conviction that the MDC is founded on opportunism. Their leader does not have a vision for the party beyond his own personal opportunity to challenge Mugabe. He does not have principles, ideologies and convictions which he wants to see the party carry forward even beyond his life time.
Surely the MDC needs leadership that has vision beyond personal opportunity. They too need a leadership change if their fortunes are to move from the realm of luck into the realm of strategy.
Maybe I am asking too much of the MDC. It is a hallmark of the majority of African leaders that they do not have a vision of anything beyond themselves. Even Zanu-PF is frozen in a leadership time warp because they scared of contemplating anything beyond Robert Mugabe.
| The bottom line is that both Zanu-PF and their main challengers the MDC, do not have the most suitable leadership for Zimbabwe. |
The brandpower of a movement should not lie in a person but in its ideology and its cause. That Tsvangirai is being kept in place largely because the MDC's western backers are scared he will take his brandpower with him, is testimony to the MDC's extremely weak ideological position.
This puts the MDC in a catch 22 situation because they sorely need a leader with more ideological vision if they are to survive beyond 2013.
The bottom line is that both Zanu-PF and their main challengers the MDC, do not have the most suitable leadership for Zimbabwe. The end result is that Zimbabwe is faced with another election term saddled with leadership that has no clear direction or clear ideas on how to take the country forward.
Zanu-PF is saddled with a matakadyakare (leftovers) leadership. The MDC is saddle with a mahandionioni (visionless) leadership. Zimbabwe is saddled with both these parties.
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