I am an Electrical Engineer and love to reduce the problem before, if I can, into an equation. It helps me focus and so please bear with me.
Comrade Blessed Geza has called on Zimbabweans to come out in huge numbers, at Growth Points, Towns and Cities in Zimbabwe and beyond, and demand that President Emmerson Mnangagwa must resign because he is corrupt, incompetent, tyrannical, illegitimate (he rigged the 2023 elections) and a litany of other treasonous charges making him unfit to hold the office of President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The protest, “uprising”, as Geza calls it, is set for Monday 31 March 2025.
These are the equations one can write:
P = p(p) + p(not-p) (1)
where P = total population, p(p) are population participate and p(not-p) are those who will not participate in the uprising.
p(p-not) = p(not-pM) + p(not-p, not-M) (2)
where p(not-pM) are Mnangagwa supporters who will not participate for obvious reasons and p(not-p, not-M) are not Mnangagwa supporters who will not participate for various reasons including fear there will be the usual wanton violence between protestors and the regime’s operatives and/or the fear the uprising will accomplish nothing as it only seeks to replace Mnangagwa with Chiwenga, as dd the 2017 coup that replaced Mugabe with Mnangagwa.
p(p) = p(pC) + p(p, not-C) (3)
where p(pC) are Chiwenga supporters who are as keen as mustard to see the change of guard, they believe it is their turn to rule, “chinhu chedu” as Geza bluntly put it. p(p, not-C) are not Chiwenga supporters who see participating as the only way to end the Mnangagwa dictatorship.
The success or otherwise of the uprising will dependent on the size of the crowd who participate in the protest, p(p) in equations (1) and (3) above. And how long the resolve of protestors if the protest should be a long drawn out affair.
I believe the the country’s worsen economic situation would have kept the protestors going - if the people believed the uprising would bring about meaningful change. Many are not convinced of that and for good reasons.
I have engaged many of the people who are not Chiwenga supporters but are nonetheless participating in the uprising, the p(p, not C) in equation (3) above. Their reasons for participating boil down to two:
- a) they view the success of the uprising as the only way to stop Mnangagwa mutilating the constitution to extend his stay in office beyond the stipulated maximum two term limit which is set to end in 2028.
- b) whilst they accept the fear that the uprising will deliver no democratic changes and happened with the 2017 military coup for the obvious reason that the uprising seeks to replace one dictator with another with our dealing with the root cause - dismantling the dictatorship itself. “Still, we hope that Chiwenga will not be corrupt and tyrannical as Mnangagwa, at least not as bad as Mnangagwa!” they argue.
Both these reasons have one common thread - ignorance.
These people do not know that Mnangagwa’s ambition to stay in power beyond 2028 can still be stopped even if the uprising is a complete flop. Mnangagwa will need to hold a referendum to approve the amendment to the constitution to postpone the 2028 elections or else contest in the 2028 elections.
It is within the people’s power to make sure he does not rig the referendum/elections and get away with it, as has happened countless times. If he implemented the democratic reforms, Mnangagwa will never win the referendum/elections.
The fact that many Zimbabweans out there have no clue they have been participating in flawed elections “so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw,” as David Coltart aptly put it; to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate their own suffering; speaks volumes of the sicken depth of ignorance in Zimbabwe.
Indeed, the more people who participate in this uprising that we all know only seeks to replace Mnangagwa; yes, a corrupt and vote rigging tyrant; with Chiwenga; just another corrupt, military coup leader and vote rigging Zanu PF tyrant.
The ancient Greeks, 2 500 years ago, were right; democracy - government of the peoples, for the people and by the people - only works if the people are educated, knowledgeable, objective and are diligent in the duty of holding those in power to democratic account. The Zimbabwe electorate have none of these qualities.
“We hope that Chiwenga will not be corrupt and tyrannical as Mnangagwa, at least not as bad as Mnangagwa!” How naive, ignorant and gullible can you be! This is hoping against reason because you know Chiwenga is just as corrupt and incompetent. And even if he was an unknown factor, the dictatorship itself will force him/her to be corrupt and tyrannical.
No Zimbabwean, with half a working brain, would participate in the Geza uprising to give the Chiwenga Zanu PF dictatorship legitimacy and perpetuate the nation’s suffering, especially now with the benefit of the disastrous betrayal by 2017 military coup plotters fresh in our minds!!