Back to Index

Will the military save or sink Zimbabwe?
Xolela Mangcu
August 04, 2007

http://www.businessday.co.za/weekender/article.aspx?ID=BD4A532114

Zimbabwean publisher and political commentator Trevor Ncube said something quite startling at a panel discussion hosted by the Platform for Public Deliberation at Wits on Wednesday night. The key to the Zimbabwean crisis, he argued, may well lie with the military. Ncube suggested that as far as he could tell, Zimbabwe is run by something called the Joint Operations Command, made up of heads of the military, the intelligence and the party. He dismisses both factions of the MDC and argues instead that the solution is likely to come from within Zanu PF. Ncube-s argument is "better the devil we know", and that this is the only practical deal possible. After the discussion, I read liberation hero Edgar Tekere-s autobiography A Lifetime of Struggle. What do I find but an expansion of Ncube-s thesis by scholar Ibbo Mandaza in the introduction to Tekere-s book. In fact, the introduction is so brilliant, that no one should ever be allowed to talk or write about Zimbabwe without reading it. Mandaza points to militarism as the fundamental problem in Zimbabwe-s political culture. This militarism starts with Herbert Chitepo in 1966 and is consummated with the total dominance of the party by Josiah Tongogara in the 1970s. Tongogara was so powerful that he became known as the Chef (" Chief" in our parlance). His behaviour during the Lancaster House talks was such that it was clear "he would play no second fiddle to anyone once he got home" - and that specifically included Robert Mugabe.

What Mandaza does not explore is how Tongogara met his death, and whether Mugabe had any role in it. But here-s where things get really interesting. When Mugabe and Tekere left to join their comrades in exile, they were so distrusted that they had to be kept under house arrest in Quelimane in Mozambique in 1975. The man who secured their release was none other than Solomon Mujuru (popularly known by his nom de guerre, Rex Nhongo). It is worth quoting Mandaza extensively to see if Mujuru or Mugabe are the real deal: "Rex Nhongo (Mujuru) would have been more facilitative and supportive of the political leadership - especially Mugabe himself - than Tongogara had been, preferring, to this day, to play his political cards in the background than occupying the limelight in which his predecessor revelled. And if the argument is that the military - and Zanla (the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army) in particular, has remained a central and dominant feature in the Zimbabwean State, then one cannot overlook Mujuru-s position and influence in that regard." But are we dealing with the right people in Zimbabwe, or have we lost the plot entirely? However, while the generals may be the ones who could pull Zimbabwe through, they may be profiting so much from the crisis - as traders of scarce goods - that resolving it may just not be in their best interests.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP