By Thandiwe Garusa
UNITED Kingdom based law lecturer Alex Magaisa has said the ongoing Zanu PF rumpus is because some senior party officials have realised they made a mistake by replacing Robert Mugabe with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
This comes after Sybeth Musengezi, a Zanu PF youth member, filed a High Court application challenging Mnangagwa’s legitimacy as both Zanu PF leader and national leader.
Musengezi went on to defend his position on South Africa’s national television SABC.
Writing in his widely read blog, the Big Saturday Read, Magaisa said that Musengezi is not doing this alone, he has back up from powerful leaders in the party.
“Musengezi is a smart, articulate and well-prepared chap. He has done his homework, but he is not a lone wolf. He is a well-trained proverbial tortoise, but not even the smartest tortoise can climb to the top of the fence post on its own. An application like this would have taken several meetings of well-organised people to plan and execute,” Magaisa said.
“Other tortoises usually lend their name to an application and remain in the background. They have no voice, even when they are challenging individuals without state power. It is more than bravery for Musengezi to take up such a public platform as the SABC. What is the reason,” he said.
“Those behind the smart tortoise have a multi-pronged strategy which includes a media assault on Mnangagwa’s legitimacy. They know the legal route is unpredictable so they have to fight him in the court of public opinion.
Magaisa also said that people close to Mnangagwa are sabotaging him.
“There has been a string of negative publicity around Mnangagwa, with images of him failing to connect with or being shunned by children taking the limelight. Those images come from within and they are designed to show rejection.
“This is a direct response to the mainstream message that Mnangagwa must be given five more years. Some of his comrades clearly do not agree. They are resisting.
“But why now? One theory is that by insisting on another term, Mnangagwa is repudiating an agreement with his coup comrades. People like Chiwenga did not risk their lives in order to be permanent handmaidens. They also want power.
“Another theory is that the authors of the coup realise they made a grave error and they want to undo parts of the coup. I don’t think they even foresaw the egregious looting, incompetence and selfishness of the regime. However, this theory may be too generous.
“All being said and done, this is an internal power struggle in Zanu PF. Neither side has a genuine interest in the welfare of citizens,” Magaisa said.
