The advent of WikiLeaks has shattered the myth that anyone can keep secrets forever. The most affected are probably those who were known for ranting cheap rhetoric when they actually acted and believed the opposite.
In Zimbabwe, the recent WikiLeaks releases have had a devastating effect across the political divide. Deception, betrayal, cowardice and opportunism have been exposed among the self-styled nationalists and their collaborators.
The revelations by WikiLeaks that most Zanu PF officials were yearning for regime-change in the form of the departure of President Robert Mugabe from the political landscape shows that, at least, Zimbabweans have one common desire.For a long time, Mugabe was a typical victim of the naked emperor syndrome. The parallel story is that of the insufferable emperor who ordered his tailors to make him invisible clothes that could not be seen by the wise. The story, in short, says the tailors deceived the emperor by pretending to dress him as he commanded.
The emperor’s courtiers pretended to admire his invisibleclothes when in fact the emperor was actually naked. The emperor paraded around town all day being “admired” by everyone. It was only at the end of the day that a small child yelled that the emperor was naked that everyone realised the illusion. This story draws its own parallel with Mugabe, who for a long time, has thought all Zanu PF was whole-heartedly behind him when he formulated and implemented his disastrous policies. Mugabe is a clear example of people who choose to ignore obvious facts and end up believing their own lies.
Those who are possessed with a false sense of infallibility and excessive invincibility run the risk of destroying themselves. The greatest enemy which any human being should fear is self. Zanu PF’s culture of impunity and lack of internal democracy spells doom for the party. Zanu PF has failed to put in place proper feedback mechanisms and has long considered the succession debate as a taboo; as a result Mugabe is having to learn the truth from wikiLeaks. Mugabe must now be aware that no one wants him in power. He should therefore pack up his bags and go!
Mlungisi Dube
