Will Mnangagwa scrap the offensive "one centre of power" clause - his first real test N Garikai

Zanu PF is a de facto one-party cum one-man dictatorship and there in lay the seed of its own destruction. Robert Mugabe, being the control freak he is, has become obsessed about controlling everybody he has given those below him fancy position such as Vice President, Minister of this, CEO of that, etc. but never delegated to these individuals any real power and authority to do anything. He was so fearful of someone else out shining him.

People soon learned that doing a good job in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe was a curse that would cost you your job.

After surrounding himself with mediocre performers with himself as the star performer out shining them all; he was the sun and everyone else was just a distant star whose luminosity is so low they are invisible as long as the sun is visible. Mugabe became the one centre of power. The problem is very little was ever done, and hence sowing the seed of self-destruction.  

President Mnangagwa has reportedly instructed his ministers to pick one or two projects in their relevant area of responsibility the would like to do from the list of outstanding projects discussed in cabinet but never acted upon because the control freak Mugabe would not delegate the power and authority. After 37 years of mediocre or none performance it is little wonder the country is in a serious economic mess.

For 37 years the country has gone down a ruinous path and no one in the party dare tell Mugabe to change direction for fear of being fired.

It came as no surprise that at the party’s first Central Committee of November 19, since the forced removal of Robert Mugabe as party leader, Zanu PF resolved to amend its constitution to remove any notion of one-centre of power.

“A few weeks after its supreme law-making organ sat in Harare to show a radical departure from the old order, the party now appears split in two minds over the idea,” reported Zimeye.

“Zanu PF’s secretary for information and publicity, Simon Khaya-Moyo, told the Daily News recently that Mnangagwa will have the discretion to appoint VPs and the national chairperson – which goes against the spirit of discarding the one-centre of power principle.”

Oh dear! This is where it takes a visionary leader, capable of putting the commonwealth's interest above their own individual selfish interest, and scrap this offensive constitutional clause. 

Even before Mugabe formerly changed the party’s constitution in 2014 to give himself power to appoint the two VPs and party chairperson, Mugabe had always tempered with the constitution to suit his insatiable appetite for absolute power. He saw to it that only his name was in the hat for the top post of first secretary of the party. So instead of there being an election it was always a coronation. He manipulated the process to fill the three senior party positions in the same way. So, instead of congress electing the candidates it rubber stamped his chosen candidates.

“Why should the party impose someone that a leader can’t work with? It becomes dysfunctional. A leader should be able to choose his team,” said Alex Magaisa.

“Democracy should always be tempered with mechanisms that ensure sound and efficient administration. If it’s the ruling party, his cabinet should as far as possible reflect the party scenario.”

Mugabe selected everyone he wanted and, being the control freak that he is, he made sure they are all simpletons like Simon Muzenda and Joice Mujuru. For the last 37 years Mugabe has dominated his party and government to produce one of the corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless administrations in human history. Margaret Dongo once called Zanu PF MPs, cabinet members and senior party leaders "vakadzi vaMugabe" (Mugabe's subservient concubines) and she was right.

 An administration in which everyone has the confidence to express their view without fear of being fired is a positive and necessary for a competent government. A political party belongs to all its members and not just the party's top dog and all the members must have a meaningful say in who leads them.

Zanu PF lost the popular support of the nation because a party in which no one was allowed to do anything was doomed to fail to delivery on its key promise of “gutsa ruzhinji” (mass prosperity). So, to stay in power the party had no choice but to deny people their freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote.

After 37 years stuck with one corrupt and useless tyrant Zanu PF members should be demanding the scrapping of the one-centre of power which is just a more subtle way for one-man dictatorship. The party members’ demands are the same as those ordinary Zimbabweans are making; the implementing of democratic reforms to scrap the one-party dictatorship.