The end is nigh for the Professor

The end is nigh for the Professor

JONATHAN Moyo

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• Moyo: A cancer Zanu PF cannot deal with

• Mugabe summons Chronicle editor

• Mugabe reprimands his spin doctor

• Mugabe 'frightened' by own spin doctor

• Mugabe's own Joseph Goebbels

• Mnangagwa suffers crushing political defeat

• Mugabe says Zanu PF divided

• Mugabe wants female deputy

• Mnangagwa outsmarted in race for State House

• 'President Mnangagwa will be Zanu PF's Waterloo'

• Moyo clashes with Shamuyarira over Sky

• Nkomo declares war on 'saboteurs and infiltrators'

• Zanu PF editor at war with Moyo

• Mugabe's spin doctor eyes presidency

• Zanu PF at war over Mugabe's successor

By Bekithemba Mhlanga

IN MY native Ndebele language, there is a saying that akuqili lazikhotha emhlane. Loosely translated this means one cannot have his cake and eat it. That indeed appears to have been the case with Jonathan Moyo.

Up until last week, Moyo had achieved a demi–god status within Zanu (PF) circles. He who could do no wrong, the wise men, one from whom intelligence flows 24-7.

To the outsiders he was the feared one, with connections at the top and one who could not be matched in tongue-lashing matches.

What will puzzle many is how the Professor despite his created image and intellect would organise this meeting in Tsholotsho to plot against Mugabe in such a poor fashion.

The whole thing looks worse than a dog’s breakfast and certainly more poorly organised than Simon Mann’s expedition to Equatorial Guinea. Moyo may not end up in Chikurubi but his journey towards the political dustbin is now in motion.

The Tsholotsho debacle, for lack of a better word, is not out character in leadership change within Zanu (PF) and in this case one must read this as the original Zanu (PF).

Enos Nkala, wherever he is today, will probable agree that what happened in Tsholotsho is not much different from what happened when the original Zanu (PF) was formed. Indeed the common factor being the presence of a rural boy from matebeleland involved in the whole shenanigan.

Ndabaningi Sithole is probably turning in his grave with a bid smile for he could tell a similar story about how the party goes about effecting a leadership change.

Even the war veterans will tell you about the Narira rebellion that was brutally crushed in Mozambique following similar plots, night meetings and clandestine discussions.

In all these events the central man, a silent agitator, emerging leader or the threatened has always been Robert Mugabe. How this could have escaped the Professor is beyond comprehension.

Threatening Mugabe is tantamount to dealing with the entire coterie of the establishment that has been at the feeding trough since Mugabe assumed the helm of Zanu (PF). Even the then so called anointed successor, Emmerson Munangagwa admitted so much recently – conceiving the exit of Mugabe is treason.

A few years ago Robert Mugabe expressed in public his views on people who conceived of his exit when Dzikamayi Mavhaire made the famous statement that Mugabe must go.

At that point Mavhaire and his ilk were described as witches spreading noxious mixtures within the party. The luminous political career of Mavhaire began an accelerated decline from that day.

In as much as the knaves have been found out, Jonathan Moyo has learnt much to his chagrin that you cannot do a deal with Mugabe. The askari has been found out and found out big time!

The epitaph on Jonathan Moyo’s political grave though will make for some sad reading: Here lies the political career of a man who personally fought back a nation’s march towards change and democracy for five years, dragged a nation’s media kicking and screaming to the grave and elevated public humiliation of individuals to a national pass time status.
Mhlanga is a Zimbabwean journalist
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