By Tsitsi N Nyirongo| Ever since the 2017 coup, there have been rumours about a rift between Chiwenga and Mnangagwa. A lot of the rumours are pure fabrications. I am not denying that there is a rift between the two, all I am saying is that people should take it easy with the fake news.
Why are people buying into these rumours?
One of the reasons why many people buy into these rumours with a sort of quiet jubilation is that many Zimbabweans are hoping that there is another coup on the way which removes Mnangagwa and replaces him with someone else. But they fail to see that the person who would replace him would be Chiwenga or a similarly ruthless buggar from Zanu. These are the same people who celebrated the removal of Mugabe by Chiwenga and Mnangagwa. The truth of the matter is that many Zimbabweans find themselves completely powerless as far as removing Zanu pf from power is concerned. The ground work that is needed to achieve this goal is quite bloody, and requires bravery, unity and organisation – three things which have been lacking in the Zimbabwean general public for centuries. So in the light of this haplessness, many people pray for a miracle, they hope that something will happen; that someone will come with a crew armed to the teeth and rescue them from Mnangagwa and Zanu pf. I mean, this is cloud cuckoo stuff but it’s the current mindset of a people at wits end after 40 years of this tyranny. Some are even more elaborative with their imagination: they hope Mnangagwa and Chiwenga get into a huge war, a war that only involves their factions; a war in which all the participants erase each other out, and then Zimbabwe will be handed to the public on a platter who will then turn it into a democracy where things work. Like I said, this is all delusional and it’s what I think is feeding the fake news about a rift between these two ruthless men.
Is there really a rift tension Chiwenga and Mnangagwa?
Most probably. Naturally, when there are two big egos and one presidency there will be tensions and jostling for power. But this is nothing new, Zanu has always had tensions at the top of government especially around the presidency. The tension could be manifested in the jostling over farms, mines, women, and money. But there is one thing that unites Chiwenga, Mnangagwa and Zanu pf and that’s their determination to stop Zimbabwe from becoming a democracy because they know when that happens they will end up in prison for their crimes, if they are lucky. They hate democracy and the people who campaign for it. Which is why they do everything in their power to thwart any demonstrations by people seeking to democratise the country. This is why they routinely rig elections. This is why they hate the MDC and are doing all they can to prevent Chamisa from making a public appearance that draws crowds in the capital city.
In conclusion, people should stop hoping that the tension between Chiwenga and Mnangagwa will result in a coup or war to the death involving their two factions. It’s not going to happen. The problem is Zanu pf! That political party has for over 40 years bred the most cruel human beings in Zimbabwe, if one leader goes another ruthless one will come. And so far the trend seems to be a regressive one since we all agree that Mnangagwa is worse than Mugabe.