A Cautionary Opinion on Affiliates

By Denzel Elijah Romol

The intense rivalries among affiliates have reached a fever pitch, with infighting and personal attacks dominating social media. But are these affiliates truly serving the Party’s interests, or are they merely self-serving entities perpetuating a culture of greed and divisiveness?

The prevailing cutthroat competition has exposed some affiliates as money-making schemes, prioritizing personal gain. Fictitious membership numbers and recycled party members are being used to inflate their importance, making it challenging to quantify their contributions to the party’s electoral success…If any.

Some of the petty fights currently trending are;

• ” Ava ndeva Chivhayo,”
• “Ava vakurara muhotera”
• “Ava vakaba ma ZITF tickets,”
• “Ava vakunyanya kuzunza magadziko,” “Ava Mah**e”,
• “Ava vakunyanya kuenda kumberi kwemacamera pama Events” ,
• ” Ava varikurwisa Minister”
• ” Ava Minister wavo ndakumurecorda achiti zvakati about nhingi” “
• “Ava varikuenda kunobikwa ne N’anga yekwakati”
• ” Dress rinenenge mapapiro eHwiza”

These personal attacks are suffocating the life out of constructive debates and pressing issues, as party members recklessly join the fray, abandoning meaningful discussions like shipwrecked sailors on a sinking vessel.

The majority of these Women-run affiliates are systematically undermining the party’s reputation, sapping the morale of its core structures, and dragging the organization down into the quicksand of chaos.

If this unbridled chaos is not reined in, and the cutthroat competition continues unabated, we are hurtling headlong towards a catastrophic embarrassment that will leave the party in tatters.

The charade persists with unbridled audacity, as some affiliates, despite being defunct, have honed their skills in deception.

They lie in wait for event photographs to surface on social media, then opportunistically append the “MenBeliev” logo, feigning continued activity and relevance. Occasionally, they dispatch about 3 or 4 people to remote areas for supposed philanthropic endeavors, all for the sake of a photo opportunity to justify funding.

This tactic is a desperate and transparent attempt to masquerade as a viable entity, further laying bare their lack of meaningful contributions to the party either through mobilization or any other way.

Perhaps it’s high time to fold up the tent and join the legitimate party structures, where ideas and programmes can be presented to the relevant Secretary at branch, district, or provincial level.

If political ambition burns within, campaign with integrity from the cell level upwards, rather than taking shortcuts to political glory, This has led to the current quagmire of mudslinging and dirty laundry aired in public.

While the Party’s true strength resides in its robust core structures, not in the fleeting glory of rivalrous affiliates who boast little more than high-end smartphones, unlimited data, and a handful of devoted followers, there exist a select few legitimate and time-honoured affiliates that have withstood the test of time. These stalwart entities have consistently prioritized substance over spectacle, focusing on meaningful contributions that uplift the Party, rather than chasing popularity, personal aggrandizement, and pecuniary gain.

Like beacons of integrity, they shine bright, shattering the facade of pretenders and illuminating the path to true progress.