The ZimPolicy Dialogue Institute this week hosted Prof Welshman Ncube for discussions on the 9th July. The below are questions randomly grilling Prof Ncube and the answers he provided. Please note that minimum editing has been done so as not to dilute the essence of the questions and answers.
The Zimbabwe Policy Dialogue Institute is a global think tank comprising Zimbabwe’s finest academics, influential businessmen and society members based in Harare, Johannesburg, Washington, London and Glasgow. Operating  on the Whatsapp network, it strives to reform Zimbabwe through open forum national policy discussions.
Invited guests are randomly asked questions. No names will be stated other than Prof Ncube’s and ZPDI will stand for any member who asked the question.
 
Prof. Weshman Ncube: We had agreed that I take questions at 6 pm today. I am now available for the discussion
ZPDI: Please don’t react to what I’m about to say, I’m not aligned to any of the MDC’s but all progressive Zimbabweans and I think its time to look beyond positions and come together as a collective for a greater good. No disrespect to Honourable leaders of political parties but I think they should step aside and let new faces within their structures take up leadership ‘roles’..not positions to structure a coordinated alliance for change.
I think the current leaders stepping aside will send a significant message to Zanu PF about the commitment of opposition forces of a political leadership environment where everyone deserves a chance to bring positive change to our society.
In doing so we need to ensure that structure can continue to harness the wisdom of those in previous leadership roles but creating an Advisors Council which will also ensure these leaders continue to be utilised in terms of achieving long term objectives.
Every struggle is about making strategic sacrifices, its not like you will be loosing their valued leadership but changing the game which is most likely to attract interest from even external actors.I’m just asking for sacrifices.
Prof Ncube: The only question I remember from the contributions yesterday morning is the question from Xxxxxx  about what happened to the reunification process. The long and short of it is that our colleagues in Renewal requested a suspension of the reunification roadmap to allow them to go to their Congress first so that they could have a structured and properly elected national leadership. So that process is on hold until they get back to us after their Congress
ZPDI:  My question to Pro is—- why are u sticking to the name mdc which Tsvangirai very well says it belong to him —–why is they so much disintegration in yo party with some top members crossing the floor and resigning from your party. Are you not the same as MT?
Prof Ncube:  We are the MDC until such time that the owners of the party assembled at Congress by a two thirds majority agree to change the name. At the last Congress the National Council recommended to Congress a change of name. Excluding the members of the National Council, out of over 4000 delegates, a handful of less than 20 voted for the change. An overwhelming majority simply rejected the proposal. I still think that vote was not in the interests of the party but am bound by it and must fully honour and respect it
ZPDI: Prof I appreciate your ‘President on Friday’ articles, well researched & quite detailed, what are u doing to translate these into practical action? What’s there for any ordinary Zimbabwean?
Prof Ncube: : Party programs are normally not based on the thinking aloud articles I pen on Fridays. Currently, the party is involved in internal discussions on rebranding itself around such matters as it’s name, symbols, slogans, etc with a view to having Congress decide on these issues. We are also reviewing our policy documents and rebuilding the structures. Obviously the issues raised in the  Friday articles will find their way into the policy debates and into our action programs on both party building and mobilization
ZPDI: Also isn’t it wiser for your weekly articles Pro to be published in newspapers like Newsday, Herald ,Daily News
Prof Ncube: The articles are sent by our media department to all newspapers. Some choose to publish them others don’t
ZPDI: Thanks Prof. for your time. Regarding you weekly articles, how about also having them in local languages?
Prof Ncube: Our information department is working on executive summaries for the articles which will in turn be translated into local languages
ZPDI: Good evening my President. This chat group is more often than not lobbying for a united front under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai. There is however sectors that emphasise on the difficulty of this unified opposition under Tsvangirai. For the record, what challenges are there in trying to come up with a united front under Tsvangirai. I know you have explained it eloquently in some sectors but some of us in this group have maybe failed to articulate it as well as you would. Please help.
ZPDI member responds: Xxxxx, speak for yourself don’t generalise baba.  For me l am not for Tsvangirai and will never be for him because of some unstableness character in the self and character so to say we want Tsvangirai to be the one l think that is not true.  My question to prof is it looks like opposition part sink into oblivion after elections and reappear only when its time for election. Why is it like that. Or l can say the questions is also true for elected members. But more specifically to the opposition.  I think l am saying this because people tend to look closely at the opposition?
ZPDI: Thank you Prof.  How do you see The People First in the coalition matrix? Are you, as a coalition, prepared to work with them?
Prof Ncube: Cde XXXX coalitions can only be built among parties without antagonistic contradictions which are capable of being reconciled. It is this context that we negotiated and agreed on a coalition document with Renewal, Mavambo, NCA and ZAPU.  That document was then to be taken to the lower structures of the parties at the request of ZAPU. I hope we will get feedback from them and see how to move forward. Speaking for the MDC we have antagonistic contradictions with MDCT which make a coalition with them impossible and unconscionable for us.
ZPDI: Who is this Prof sorry to ask Cdes
ZPDI member responds: It’s Professor Welshman Ncube.
ZPDI : Oh ok thank you Cde. Yah I am now taking this group seriously
ZPDI: Prof, do you ever see opposition forces joining hands and creating a formidable force against ZPF? If not why and what could be the reasons for such an attitude. We are 3 years away from a general election, do you the status quo changing with the mediocrity in the opposition camp in so far as unity is concerned?
I think I have already answered your question. I am optimistic that it is possible to build a coalition of none antagonist opposition parties before 2018.
Prof Ncube: The People First question is a hypothetical one and therefore difficult to answer because that party does not yet exist and hence we don’t know what it’s values and principles and policies will be. Thus we don’t know if we will have anything in common with them bearing in mind that the desire to remove Mugabe and ZPF is neither a value nor a principle nor for that matter is it a policy. We thus cannot identify ourselves with them simply on the basis that they too might be in opposition to Mugabe if and when they are formed. If it were so what would stop us from declaring in advance that we would be prepared to work with Grace,  should she stand up one day and she too says she is then opposed to Mugabe and wants him to go?
I don’t understand the excitement about people first given that they are not yet formed and that we don’t know what they will stand for and further that they are out of Zpf only because they were kicked out and not that they stopped being believers
ZPDI: The prof is speaking like a prof for sure. His talk of policy alternative is one which lacks in our opposition and even on this platform . People are so obsessed with this Mugabe must go phenomena without saying what they will do differently.
As much as I am proudly and 100% ZANU PF , I need a country with systems that are functional and the Prof seems to be objective playing the game not the person.
ZPDI: ZPDI: Prof I am made to understand that your constitution says you can only be at the helm for a maximum two five year terms? If you do not make it to State House by then (which seems most likely) will you step aside and let someone take over the button or you will try to manipulate the constitution to extend your longevity?
ZPDI: Still waiting for your answer on leading your party beyond your mandate. Will we see another Mugabe, Tsvangirayi, Madhuku handiende yawakataura?
Prof Ncube: I will save no more than two terms under all and any circumstances! Stepping aside does not arise then as I would have run the maximum two terms. Stepping aside can only arise at the next Congress where it remains possible that the party might think it best to let someone else lead or I might myself come to the conclusion that my leadership can longer grow the party any further in which case I would not avail myself for re election. I am not and have never been a professional politician. I am a lawyer by profession and that is where I will stay for my lifetime
ZPDI: Well said Prof. I for one know that you mean every word in that statement
ZPDI: Well it seems coalition challenges are actually on leadership Prof. Would you go into a coalition with any of the opposition parties where you would be relegated to a junior and less meaningful post like Vice President, or Chairman? It seems everyone in opposition wants to be the President.
Prof Ncube: I don’t think coalition challenges are on leadership. At least not yet.
ZPDI: I take it you have deliberately avoided answering my first question.
ZPDI1: Prof boycotting appears not to be effective. Can you not think of another strategy?
ZPDI2: Now that by – elections were boycotted, what then stops Zanu Pf from bringing back the Zimdollar given that the opposition has been depleted in parliament? And is boycotting an important election advisable? Think there is need for another strategy to force reforms.
Prof Ncube: Boycotting elections is a strategy to put pressure for implementation of reforms which are already the law but which law is not being practiced more particularly around ZEC, voter registration and the voters role.
ZPDI: Yes prof please confirm or deny the general view that were it bot for personality clashes your side of the Mdc would have re united the that of Tsvangirai and the only reason why there us a prospect if unification between your party and the renewals is the exclusion of Tsvangirai in the matrix
Prof Ncube: The issues that separate us from MDCT are not about MT but about the practices of that party so it would not make any difference who leads that party as long as its practices remain the same
We have nothing personal against MT. We just represent opposed world views on the things we are in antagonistic contradiction in the same way we have nothing personal against RGM but are in total conflict with him and Zpf on just about everything we stand for.
In the party I lead we never shoot from the hip and hence don’t do knee jerk reactions. The decision to stay out of by elections was taken deliberately after careful thought. Whether we succeed or not remains to be seen but we’re were deliberate about it
ZPDI: Prof are you at liberty to enumerate the things that you are antagonistic to when it comes to Mdct?
Prof Ncube: Yes, Cde xxxxx  I am willing to enumerate them. They are already a matter of public record and include the following. We are in antagonistic contradiction on the use or resort to the use of political violence as an instrument of political organization. We stand totally opposed to its use in both our values and in practice as violence not only dehumanizes, negates our humanity but also injures and sometimes kills. We believe and cherish the equality of all regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, etc and hence reject the deployment of ethnicity as an instrument or shield for political gain.  We believe in collective democratic leadership where decisions are taken by the collective and bind everyone from the President down.  No one should ever have power or authority to reverse as an individual collective decisions.
ZPDI: Prof. There are two issues that were raised yesterday. The first is that the reunification excluded the masses and as such was never going to work and secondly that it was a power pact between Tendai Biti and Ms P Mushonga which was going to attract some funding. What would be your reaction to these?
Prof Ncube: the statement that reunification excluded the masses is a political cliche devoid of content. It’s often made by individuals who want to appropriate for themselves the label of being the exclusive representatives of the masses. All political coalitions and or unifications are made by representatives of political parties at leadership levels! No agreement since time immemorial has ever been made by the masses. The masses express their approval or rejection  at two levels. Firstly, as ordinary members of the parties when asked to approve or reject thru party processes and structures or as truly in mass form at election time. These coalitions are constructed by political parties so that they can be more appealing to the masses who can only express themselves at election time.
ZPDI: I will try again Prof. My second question was about the willingness of opposition leaders (including yourself) to sacrifice their “president” or senior party positions in a grand coalition. It does seem to make sense that the only possible way to mount a realistic chance of unseating ZANU PF if if all opposition parties come together and fight the elections as one.
Prof Ncube: I answered that question implicitly twice in two contexts. But let it answer it directly for you. In the reunification process the question of who would lead the reunited party was to be decided by the two parties through agreement and then endorsement at the reunification congress. The President could come either from us or from Renewal. I signed that agreement. That means I accepted that I could be deployed by the reunited party to some other position other than President and indeed I remain prepared to even become an ordinary card carrying member. That is what I meant by restating that I am not a professional or career politician. The coalition agreement I spoke about also provides that the Presidential candidate will be one agreed to by the coalition parties. That means that anyone other than myself could be the consensus candidate! I and my party approved that coalition agreement for signing. Again that means  am prepared to serve under the leadership of anyone chosen by the collective.
ZPDI: That’s music to my ears, I respect your clarity and position on the issue of leadership. Thank you
ZPDI: The other question is about strategy. ZANU PF is already gearing for 2018, if you look at Mugabe’s recent Cabinet reshuffle. What is the opposition doing?
Prof Ncube: We are all gearing for the 2018 elections. In part that is why we are boycotting by elections to put on the agenda the issue of implementing the electoral reforms which are so necessary for a credible 2018 election. Of course, it will be foolish of me to disclose our strategies.
ZPDI: By Boycotting By elections  Prof you are digging your own grave and denying ur supporters right to exercise their birth right
Prof Ncube: While we have no doubt that even some of our own members would rather be in the ring in every contest against ZPF I still think that in the long term we are better off boycotting by elections as I believe the boycott will bring us closer to the implementation of reforms by 2018 than participating while crying foul all the time
ZPDI: @ Professor,  I was your student in Con Law in 1989.I remember vividly how you articulated that for a govt to be democratic,it starts with intra party democracy.Over the years,I have had the privilege to hear you talk at various fora. My view is that you understand and respect democracy and would like to urge you to keep it up.
ZPDI: Good presentation but your last point is misleading people
ZPDI: And your parting words Prof
ZPDI: We all heard from the Mdc President and our learned Professor. Thank you for your time and thank you to all those who participated in the discussions. Our Panel of Experts is indeed growing. Thank you Prof
ZPDI: But you have been in the government for 5 years if im not mistaken . You just raised concern about reforms but what have you done in regards with these reforms??? Also how can you criticise a But do you still remember NCA saying let these reforms be part of the constitution and what your response…i mean all parties who were in government ???
Prof Ncube: We were in government for for years and every week Cabinet was an arena for fights over governance and electoral reforms. Those reforms were agreed to and some included in the Constitution and others in amendments to the electoral law. Before Parliament could enact that electoral law and before the reforms could be implemented, Zpf aided by the Supreme Court, frog marched us into an election, which in hindsight we should have boycotted. Those amendments have since been enacted by Parliament but remain paper reforms bearing no relationship with what happens in practice
ZPDI: Thanks Prof for your time. My question is an extension of Xxxxxxxxx’s one on reforms. I think the judiciary, the police and the army remain an impediment to opposition parties in Zimbabwe. Asking from a lay man’s perspective, are there no avenues that can be explored to reform those entities before opposition parties participate in the 2018 election.
Prof Ncube: Cde xxxx, there are some things which we have to win inspite off and those include the security apparatus
ZPDI: Are you supporting Morgan”s decision to donate seats to zanu pf
Prof Ncube: We did not create the 21 vacancies. Accordingly we can not be properly be associated with their “donation ” to ZPF. Our view was and remains that if MDCT knew it was not contesting by elections then it should not have recalled the MPS.
Prof Ncube: I think I have tried to respond to all the issues raised. Three hours later I think you can allow me to say goodbye for today and thanks to all for the lively discussion. Good night
ZPDI: I hope next time we can engage on policy issues from your party and less on politics if you can accord us the time. It would be interesting to know what your party’s vision is regarding education, health, commerce and industry (wealth and job creation), transport, agriculture etc.
ZPDI: Help me to thank our good Prof and good night

• Thanks prof ….I think you are a good leader ….the way you are engaging and mixing with people means a lot on someone who have vision to lead Zimbo. U are different from other leaders of others  Parties who can not swallow their pride to give time and space to discus issues with other people. Thanks thus leadership
• Very insightful, thanks for bringing him on board. We hope you will be able to bring President Mugabe and Tswangirai too, I’m sure Uhuru may also spare half an hour..kkkkkk..jokes aside thank you I enjoyed the exchange…
• We are happy for your responses prof. on behalf of Zimpolicy we have a request for you to become a member of an advisor on our panel of policy experts. We hope you wl consider our invitation. You are indeed a national assert
• ZPDI: Great input by The Prof. An honest and no holds barred discussion.