In typical hyena style, Zanu PF supporters last weekend invaded Tracy Mutinhiri’s farm, her crime allegedly being voting with MDC-T for the Speaker of Parliament position.
It seems Zanu PF has been biding its time and was looking for the right moment to strike on the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare and punish her for her misdemeanours.
Mutinhiri might have been riding her luck for a while and she might even be considered truant, as at one time she dared contest her then husband Ambrose in Zanu PF primaries.
Ambrose is one of the senior people in the party, having been a general in Zipra during the armed struggle and a retired brigadier general in the army.
She was also seen visiting Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s mother and for many in Zanu PF this was the ultimate act of betrayal, as she was considered to be supping with the party’s arch enemy.
The way the Zanu PF politburo handled the farm invasion, which is said to have been instigated by State Security minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, indicated that Zanu PF had been waiting for the right moment to strike.
Zanu PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo said the politburo could not waste its precious time discussing such petty issues like that of Mutinhiri as she was just a card-carrying member of the party, adding that she could resign if she so wished.
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Political analyst and media scholar, Brilliant Mhlanga believes this is part of Zanu PF’s modus operandi, with the party dealing with Mutinhiri for failing to follow a “code”.
“It is part of Zanu PF’s policy and culture anyway, the only issue with it is that when it has been happening to other errant members all these years it never got media coverage,” he said.
“But it is safe to say Zanu PF has always been run like that. And all the members understand that to be their code.”
Mhlanga said politics in Zimbabwe was that of patronage and members of all parties knew what was expected of them and hence Mutinhiri was a Zanu PF insider and should not cry foul like an outsider, because she should have known what was expected of her.
“We now have a situation where people who created their monster are only crying to us because they know we are still human and they wish to appeal to our human element for help,” he added.
Civilian element of politics missing in Zanu PF, says Makumbe
Political analyst, John Makumbe said the events of last week showed that Zanu PF had lost its way and no longer had any political content.
“These are signs of decadence,” he said. “You can tell that the party is now being run by war veterans and the militia, the civilian element of politics is missing.”
Makumbe said it did not make sense that someone was being victimised for having different ideas from others in the party and these were signs that Zanu PF was operating under a siege mentality.
“The party has sunk below acceptable levels,” he said.
‘Errant’ Zanu PF supporters have been dispossessed before
Examples abound of people who have been hounded for differing with the party’s ideology.
Mhlanga pointed out that people like businessman James Makamba, who was forced to flee the country on a number of charges, while Makumbe gave an example of the late Welshman Mabhena, whose farm was once invaded after being fired from being governor of Matabeleland North.
But since the turn of the millennium a trend has developed where Zanu PF members who dare deviate from party line have had their properties, which they would have acquired with the help of the party, expropriated from them as a way of punishment.
The classic example probably would be Mutumwa Mawere, once a mining mogul at the helm of Shabanie&Mashaba Mines Holdings. The then Zanu PF-controlled government stalked him and hounded him out of the company, which they claim to have bought.
Mawere has made all the noises, been to the highest offices and appealed to just about anyone, but his long battle to repossess the mines does not seem to be bearing any fruit.
During his stint away from Zanu PF, Jonathan Moyo’s farm was threatened with seizure, since he had fallen out with the party.
Those threats were not carried out, but at one time even The Herald’s columnist, Nathaniel Manheru, thought to be president Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba, talked up the possibility of the invasion of the Mazowe farm.
High Court judge Ben Hlatshwayo also had his farm taken by Grace Mugabe.
Why the First Lady chose that farm is not particularly clear, but it came at a time when Zanu PF was accusing some judges of passing unfavourable decisions.
The judge had previously ordered that polling stations should not be closed while people were still queuing.
MDC had claimed there were few polling stations in its strongholds and suspected it to be a ploy to deny its supporters their right to vote.
