By Dr Masimba Mavaza | President Emmerson Mnangagwa has dropped in a mix of characters to be Zanu-PF politburo members along with other senior party members.
The party held its congress in October this year and President Mnangagwa was declared the presidential candidate in the upcoming 2023 elections. He delayed the appointment of full PB members to this week.
After securing the top position, Mnangagwa promised to fill in the remaining PB positions and indeed he has done it today.
The Politburo is the second most powerful organ of the party before the Central Committee.
The Politburo has seen the former G40 cadres and the Ngwena team coming together with the gamatox to make an election winning recipe.
A war time Politburo is indeed a mixture of crocodile G40 a sprinkle of gamatox mixed with one or two useless cadres cemented by generals and commanders to come up with a victory meal in 2023.
In politics there is a popular discourse called a horseshoe theory asserts that the extreme left and the extreme right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, closely resemble each other, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together. The unlikely components are always mixed to form a strong solution.
The wisdom of President Mnangagwa shows that the extreme left and the extreme right are closer to each other than either is to the political center. So they will work together to achieve a goal without giving the centre any headache.
Despite the sharp differences which emerged earlier culminating to the coming of the new dispensation everything pointed to a number of perceived similarities between extremes and allege that both have the same aim but different ways of achieving it.
With CCC losing its support base observers of Zimbabwe politics are predicting a more factitious opposition in 2023 which will give ZANU PF a cutting edge.
This new political reality is now beginning to take shape with the appointment to the Politiburo of those who had interest on the party but different approach.
Chamisa just months into his CCC is now scrambling to get support and dispatching his leadership out of the country to fund raise and gunner support.
The president appointed Obert Mpofu who returned the Secretary for Administration,
Deputy for Administration Retired General Mike Nyambuya, Secretary for Finance Patrick Chinamasa, Deputy Secretary for Finance Mthuli Ncube, Secretary for Commissariat Mike Bimha and Deputy Secretary for Commissariat, Webster Shamu.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Simbarashe Mbengegwi, Deputy Foreign Affairs and International Trade Abedingo Ncube,
Secretary for Security Matuke, Deputy Secretary for Security Tendai Chirau, Secretary for Transport July Moyo and Deputy Secretary for Transport James Makamba
Secretary Legal Affairs Jacob F. Mudenda, Deputy Secretary Legal Affairs Advocate Fortune Chasi,
Secretary for Information and Publicity Christopher Mutsvangwa, Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity Chido Sanyatwa, Secretary for Health and Child Welfare and Elderly Douglas Mombeshora, Deputy Secretary for Health and Child Welfare and Elderly Irene Zindi, Secretary for Lands Musanhi and Deputy Secretary for Lands Mike Madiro.
Secretary for Environment and Tourism Auxillia Mnangagwa, Deputy Secretary for Environment and Tourism Joshua Sacco, Secretary for Ideology Charles Tavengwa, Deputy Secretary for Ideology, Rebbeca Fanuel, Secretary for Science and Technology Ziyambi Ziyambi, Deputy Secretary for Science and Technology Nicholas.
Secretary Economic Development Stembiso Nyoni, Deputy Secretary Economic Development Otilia Maluleke,
Secretary for Labour and Empowerment Richard Ndhlovu,
Deputy Secretary for Labour and Empowerment Jeniffer Mhlanga,
Secretary for Mines Paul Mangwana and Deputy Secretary for Mines Eliphas Tshuma.
Secretary for Local Government Super Mandiwanzira, Deputy Secretary for Local Government Monica Mavhunga
Secretary for Economic Affairs A. Rugeje, Deputy Secretary for Economic Affairs Andy Mhlanga, Secretary for Disabilities Malinga, Deputy Secretary for Disabilities Elina Shirichena.
Secretary for Women Affairs Mable Chinomona, Deputy Secretary for Women Affairs Judith Ncube, Secretary for Youth Affairs Tino Machakaire, Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs John Paradza, Secretary for War Veterans Affairs Douglas Mahiya, Deputy Secretary for War Veterans Affairs, Headman Moyo, Secretary for Business Development Eliphas Mashava and Deputy Secretary for Business Development Esther Nyati.
Joram Gumbo was appointed as Secretary for Implementation and Monitoring.
The president has managed to unite his party towards the best interest of the country. This a declaration of unity by cde Mnangagwa and a clear purpose and intent to win the 2023 elections.
In one of my personal meetings with the President ED he said” I work with some people I don’t like but as long as they can contribute to to the best interest of the country and party we bury our hatchets and move together for the best interest of the party and country. “ Now in this mixed bag the president has brought his enemies on the table because he knows that without unity, we can not achieve and we can not effectively perform for our country.
The president is leading by example. He is living no one behind in this great journey of nation rebuilding. Charity begins at home so unity begins in ZANU PF. What the president has done is showing the world that we are people and a party which rises to the occasion.
The wisdom of the president has put the opposition in disarray, with the key ingredients in one pot the opposition constipated with menu ZANU PF. Elections are won through structured organization and unity. ZANU PF has shown the world that we can agree to disagree and move on.
The gnashing of teeth within Zanu PF amid the impending announcement of a new Politburo has now come to an end The new Politburo has ushered fresh blood and relegate the old guard to the peripheries and a lot of surprise inclusion where some were given positions where their experience in that field in below zero.
The Politburo was dissolved during congress. President Emmerson Mnangagwa replaced the Politburo with people from all walks of life and all warring camps within ZANU PF.
Fresh faces, as well as returnees, to the powerful Politburo are A WAR CABINET designed to fight the opposition and its handlers.
President Mnangagwa has kept the list a closely guarded secret until this week. The president has brought changes to his inner circle in a power preservation matrix, which has resulted in retiring of some of his contemporaries, and replacing them with ‘Young Turks and experts.
“In whatever portfolios the party assigns us in the future, let us maintain the momentum we have demonstrated to date, while at the same time providing appropriate guidance to the lower structures of the party,” said the president. “No matter our portfolios in the future, let us remain unflinching and consistent as loyal, patriotic and committed members of Zanu PF emboldened by the fact that in our party, leaders at every level are servants of the people, as such the most important position in Zanu PF is to be a card-carrying member.
“The enthusiasm which was shown across the party amply demonstrates that Zanu PF is alive and remains the only true defender of that we fought for.” Said the president addressing a previous PB.
In the new PB president Mnangagwa has balanced loyalty and competence ahead of the 2023 elections.
Presiding over a rapidly sanction ravaged Nation, Mnangagwa has grasped the political realities of our time. Relying on constitutional doctrines to close the widening rift over the way forward of Zimbabwe he has understood that the enemies of the nation are the divided nationalities of the same nation.
What is left now is to win the elections as a united front.
The Politburo is a mirror which reflects the whole party. It extents its hands of welcome to all Zimbabweans who wish to be builders building the nation brick by brick.
If Zimbabwe wants a united nation, it must vote for a united party.