The African Cosa Nostra : Cronyism and Politics in Zimbabwe

Some people who have been selectively funding some groups of Zimbabwean politicians may feel good about themselves, but they have done nothing good for us ordinary Zimbabweans. They have just been worsening the problem of crony politics and corruption that is bedeviling Zimbabwe.

They have been thoroughly watering a new and emerging crop of cronies.

Take for example the various appointments at the Prime Ministers office. We have had the Makone's, Ian and Theresa, who are said to be close friends of Morgan Tsvangirai, to the extend of being among the chief match-makers in his private life. Then it turned out that James Maridadi who started his career as a ZBC journalist and ended up Tsvangirai's spokesperson, was the Makone's nephew. He was booted out when his uncles fumbled Tsvangirai's love life.

I am dealing with the subject of MDC crony politics but that does not mean the same does not exist in Zanu-PF. It does, which is why we have had many members of Mugabe's family from sisters, nephews and even vakuwasha (in-laws) holding or having held posts in various levels of the Zimbabwe government and parastatals.

I just want to explore MDC crony politics because it is new territory. I want to help those not in the know of how things work in Zimbabwe understand it better. Let me be the David Livingstone of their exploration into the inner workings of cronyism in Zimbabwean politics.

The bottom line of cronyism in Zimbabwean politics is rooted in the Shona proverb, 'Chawawana idya nehama, mutorwa ane hanganwa' (What you get eat with a relative, a stranger will forget you). People in responsible positions in Zimbabwe will try and fit as many relatives as they can into jobs often without merit. This is not just in politics. It is common to find that many people in a company or department may be from the same extended family.


For example this last rainy season the Central Vehicle Registry in Harare had to be closed, after nearly all staff members were stranded by floods while attending the funeral of a co-worker in remote rural Zimbabwe. It is very probable that most of these workers also have some sort of extended relation to the co-worker which is why it was culturally important for them to attend the funeral.

This concept is deeply rooted in African cultures, much like the cosa nostra (our thing) is rooted in mafia mentality.

What those providing the funding should not forget is that they too are strangers. They might be providing what is being eaten (the funding) but that doesn't mean they would have broken the African cosa nostra.

The MDC has very rapidly split into several factions. Some people claim that is because the PM tends to trust what they have called the 'kitchen cabinet'. That is simply another way of describing cronies.

My own theory is that as the MDC fortunes have grown, leaders have scrambled to find room for their cronies and relatives on the boat leading to conflicts with the existing leadership. Needless to say, some have been cast out from the ship in lifeboats to which they are still clinging perilously. Of course it helps to be a crony of the captain.

I want it to be clear to those who have been fooling themselves that they are funding something better than Zanu-PF that they have just been creating another edifice of the same nature. Continuing with the Italian theme, it is like a choice between the Mafia and the Camorra.

This is not the first time I am making this comparison. I have used the metaphor of leopards and hyenas before.