CCC, like MDC, accomplished nothing it was led by same incompetent leaders. So too is new blue party! W Mukori

There is Zimbabwe Daily cartoon of a Yellow Kobi with three drivers (no doubt depicting the three rotational presidents in the Tshabangu CCC faction). The Kobi has no wheels and resting on bricks. It is going nowhere. Next to the Kobi are the public looking as glum as hell. In the foreground is a sleek looking Blue Bus.

True enough, the Yellow Kobi is going nowhere. What the nation is forgetting is that it was none other than Chamisa himself was the driver the Kobi and it got nowhere.

Chamisa said CCC was going to win big the 2023 elections because he had plugged all the Zanu PF vote rigging loop holes. "God is in it!" He knew that was a lie  and that participating in the flawed elections would only give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. He conned the people to participate because he and his CCC friends were after the few gravy train seats Zanu PF was offering as bait to entice the opposition to participate. 

Chamisa’s erstwhile CCC colleagues turned against him as the fight over the few gravy train seats heated up. Chamisa resigned from CCC in a huff, complaining the party had been infiltrated by Zanu PF - the very thing he said would not happen. 

When CCC was launched in 2022, Chamisa insisted the party would have no constitution, no structure and no elected officials; to stop would-be infiltrators joining the party and destabilising it. He was going to controlled everything. He called his move “strategic ambiguity”. 

CCC was thrown into utter chaos when Sengezo Tshabangu started recalling elected CCC officials, Chamisa loyalists, claiming they were no longer party members. Chamisa was furious, naturally but helpless to stop the recalls. Ironically, Tshabangu took advantage of the very fact that CCC had no constitution, etc. to claimed that he was the party’s Secretary General and therefore had the authority to recall those who ceased to be party members. 

Chamisa’s strategic ambiguity backfired! 

It is often said one arrives at the destination by the route he chose to avoid it! 

The sleek and modern Blue Bus in the cartoon is supposed to be Chamisa’s promised political party. It, just like the Yellow Kobi, will be going nowhere because the party will be beset by the same problems that paralysed CCC, MDC A and MDC before it - it will be led by the same corrupt and incompetent leaders.  

When Chamisa launched CCC, he had around him most of the leaders who were with him in the 2008 to 2013 GNU when MDC wasted the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms. These leaders have, since the GNU debacle, participated in the flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed out of greed. And it is not as if they did not know any of these things, knew it. 

“Look, you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections which don't deliver,” said Tendai Biti told Isaac Mugabi in an interview in a 2015.

“So you can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”

When none of the opposition leaders paid any heed to his warning, Tendai Biti joined his opposition colleagues in participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for his share of the gravy train benefits!

Chamisa made a big song and dance when he launched CCC in 2022. It was all a big ado for nothing for all Chamisa and company did was swap their red MDC regalia for the yellow of CCC. Yes, some of the old guard are remaining in the Yellow Kobi but many of the others who have been participating in these flawed elections out of greed are joining Chamisa in the Blue Bus!  

Chamisa et al have already proven beyond all doubt that they a corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless; changing the party regalia from red to yellow and now yellow to blue will have no effect on their competence. A cobra does not cease being a deadly snake just because it has cast off its old and shaggy coat!

The tragedy for Zimbabwe is not only has Chamisa and company sold out on implementing the democratic reforms but, worst of all, the ordinary Zimbabweans have been slow in realising the treasonous betrayal; not even after 23 years with not one token reform implemented and Zanu PF still blatantly rigging elections! The nation’s growing euphoria over Chamisa’s new party is born out of the same personality cult mentality carried over from the MDC and CCC days; it was irrational then it is irrational now. 

What Zimbabwe needs, if the country is ever to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance, is a rational electorate. Rational enough to accept that Chamisa and company are corrupt and incompetent and will never implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. And rational enough to elect competent opposition leaders who will implement the reforms. 

The ancient Greeks were right, a healthy and functioning democracy demands an educated electorate who understand the issues and will hold those in power to account. We have given the right to vote to people who have all but resigned their right and duty to learn, think and hold those in power to account with the typical “Chamisa Chete Chete!” mentality. 

Zimbabwe is in a mess! And, as long as our people continue to have this personality cult mentality behind the blind loyalty to CCC and now being switched to the Blue Bus, there will be no getting out of the mess!