Patrick Guramatunhu | “Rinemanyanga hariputirwi!” (It is impossible to conceal one’s weaknesses forever!) so goes the Shona adage. Mai Mujuru’s weaknesses, hidden and only guessed at for many years, are coming out now.
Those of us who have known Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru long before independence will tell you that she is a brave woman and that she played her part in the armed struggle but did she deserve her senior position in the struggle? The answer has to be a no.
After independence Joice Mujuru was one of the Zanu PF leaders who has kept their very senior positions in the party and government, cabinet member, in her case, for 34 years the last 10 of which she was VP, second only to President Mugabe. The question arises again; did she deserve her promotion? The answer is once again a no!
The truth is Joice Mujuru is not clever; it is impossible for anyone, with any wit themselves, to miss that. There is no doubt that she is painfully aware of her own serious limitations and, like many others in her position, has learned to guard her secret by saying very little. She has heeded Lincoln’s advice!
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt,” advised USA President Abraham Lincoln.
Saying very little and even then only from pre-prepared written speeches was all very well whilst she lived under Mugabe’s shadow, who spoke for us all – cabinet, parliament, Zanu PF, povo, everybody. Ever since the day she and many others were booted out of Zanu PF, especially when they decided to form their own party with Joice Mujuru as leader, she has had to open her mouth and speak. Each time she has open her mouth she has left the listener in no doubt what a fool she is!
“The Zimbabwean people have known me for a long time, from the days when I was the youngest minister. They know exactly how I’ve been relating to issues that affect their daily lives,” she said in a Newsweek Magazine report.
“They are seeing that it’s now my time, it’s now my chance. Because before, I’ve been subservient to lots of leaderships. But now that I will be the leader in my own right, surely… they think something better will come out of it.”
If she has been working on issues that affect us, the ordinary people’s daily lives, all these 34 years when she was at the very heart of this Zanu PF regime then why has the country sunk into this political and economic mess? Corruption has become rampant and over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered in cold blood to establish and retain the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship. She has said and done nothing to stop this madness; nothing other than play her part in the tyranny and take her lion’s share of the looted wealth.
Last years, when she was asked why she had never done nothing to stop the corruption, vote rigging, political oppression, etc.; she said did not see any of it. “A puppy does not open its eyes the day it is born!” she argued!
The truth is Mai Mujuru is a simpleton who would have never risen above the rank of unit leader during the war and held no higher position than rural councillor in public life if Zimbabwe had an open, healthy and functional democratic system. There are many, many men and women who would have served the nation far better than she did if they had been deputy minister, minister, VP, etc. in her place!
Whilst Mai Mujuru has admitted that corruption is a serious problem in Zimbabwe; she insists that she is not corrupt, nor was her late husband, Solomon Mujuru. She has yet to name even one person in the country who is corrupt. She has yet to square the circle, there cannot be corruption but no corrupt person(s) just as there cannot be murder but no murderer.
Indeed, in February 2014, just a few months before she was booted out of Zanu PF, she was telling women in Chinhoyi that there was no corruption they should not listen to the lies of “regime change agents”.
There can be no doubt that Mai Mujuru is corrupt and incompetent, especially now that she has been forced to open her mouth and remove all doubt that she is a fool who was promoted way above her level of competence. If she thinks Zimbabweans will ever elect her, in a free, fair and credible election, president then she is even more daft than she looks!
Mai Mujuru has already said that she and her party would contest next year’s elections even if not even one democratic reform has been implemented to ensure the elections are free and fair. If she has no snowball in hell chance of winning a free and fair election, she may just as well take her chance contest the flawed elections.
After 34 years of enjoying absolute power the simpleton, Mai Mujuru, has become so intoxicated that she is not only blind to the reality that she betrayed the nation but is daft to think the people of Zimbabwe are equally blind of her treasonous betrayal.
“But now that I will be the leader in my own right, surely… they think something better will come out of it,” said Mujuru in her delirium!
Mai Mujuru, just like the corrupt and incompetent Morgan Tsvangirai or the corrupt and murderous tyrant Robert Mugabe, she is desperate to get into power so desperate she is sick. The cure is a simple one – implement all the democratic reforms to ensure the next elections are free, fair and democratic. None of these politicians will survive the close scrutiny of a free press and open debate.
The de facto one-party dictatorship has help Mai Mujuru hide her foolishness for 34 years but take that cloak away, in less than two years, already everyone knows she is a first class fool who should have never held high public office.
Even if the opposition contest the next elections to allow Zanu PF to rig its way back into power, the regime will still have the problem of the economy to deal with. Zanu PF rigged the 2013 elections but failed to rig economic recovery and that is why the regime has had so many headaches in the last four years, Rigging next year’s elections will not bring an end to its economic headaches, they will be even worse.
Good luck with that as that won’t happen.
This is a catch 22. How will Tsvangirai or Mujuru win an election Zanu PF has the licence to rig? No the first thing is to accept that fact that as long as Zanu PF has the licence to rig the vote the party will “rule forever”!
No one with any brain has ever said that Zanu PF should implement the reforms and reform itself out of power. The key point about the GNU was that President Mugabe signed the GPA agreeing to the implementation of the reforms it was MDC’s fault that not even one reform was implemented. You have never understood what the GNU was about, that is your problem.
If Zanu PF was forced to sign the GPA before, it can be forced to do so again by all the opposition boycotting contesting the present flawed election process!
You sound slightly different from my friend wilbet, I still ask you how do you suggest we come out of this system?
You have acknowledged that zanupf will rig the elections, fact. You may also be aware that, moyo is on record to say ‘zanupf is not going to reform itself out of power ‘. A statement also supported by the British ambassador to Harare, fact. No government will reform itself out of power, you should know that.
As clever as you may claim to be, if you think that will happen. I am sorry, you’re either deliberately being stubborn, or you may have decided to join the insanity club which you have placed me in.
Tswangirai, is not only unwell, he doesn’t have enough political clout to take power from zanupf, even if he wins. Joyce will, if she wins, that is a fact.
The cream you are talking about, can only suffice to the top when the milk is in a jar, get the milk first my clever son. Let Joyce contest against zanupf (Munangagwa or grace) if she wins, five years down the line your so-called intelligent leader or cream will then emerge.
We have failed to end the Zanu PF dictatorship because the regime rigs the elections and the regime has now perfected its vote rigging schemes to the point where Grace Mugabe can rightly boast Mugabe’s copse would win the elections. You are not going to remove Zanu PF from power by contesting in an electoral process in which the party is free to cheat, that is common sense (not to those who are mentally challenged, that I readily concede).
You reap what you sow, my friend. If you have a system that produces sewage then scum will rise to the top. Zanu PF dictatorship has stifled all meaningful debate and competition and only thugs and idiots like Mujuru, Mnangagwa and Mugabe himself. The opposition camp has not done any better with corrupt and incompetent individuals like Tsvangirai and Biti.
If a healthy and functional democracy has produced quality leaders in other countries, I do not see why it should not do the same in Zimbabwe. If you have wholesome milk, you will have cream rising to the top. All we have to do here is implement the reforms, why are you so scared to do that?
Good intentions, if I ask, how are we going to be able to get rid of the system that is in place now? As for possible leaders, we can only compare those who have put thier names forward. Not those who will mysterious emerge, let’s get zanupf out of the way first and your best chance at the moment is Joyce. I am not the one labelling her daft, all other issues considered, she does qualify. I don’t have any problem, if the people who matter select her. (The voters).
They not known to use these pages.
You guys are no consistent in your arguments, as you also say mugabe does not listen to anybody. At the same time you want Joyce to take the blame for 34 years of government failure. No sir I feel that you shoud look closely at yourselves, you may find that the fool is in the same chair that you are sitting in.
Surely, we should elect our leaders on the basis of their good leadership
qualities and not on the basis of how many degrees the hold or how simple they are! Dr Joce Mujuru has a doctorate so she too does not qualify to be president since you now have a total distrust of anyone holding a degree qualification.
Surely, we should elect leaders on the basis of the ability to deliver freedom, liberty, economic prosperity, etc. Mai Mujuru was in government for 34 years and all we have seen is growing poverty and political repression. She is corrupt and incompetent and only a fool will freely elect someone like that to be leader.
You should not take this personally but it is true that only someone who is insane will try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. In this cases electing a corrupt and incompetent individual president, the same individual who has presided over your economic collapse and tyrannical oppression for the last 34 years, and expect economic prosperity, freedom , etc. is insane.
The current crop of leaders leaves a lot to be desired but to limit your choice to these is to fail to see that it is the present political system that is to blame. Zimbabwe needs to end this Zanu PF dictatorship first and replace it with a democratic system complete with a free press. Democratic competition will separate the sheep from the goats and thus allow quality leaders to emerge.
I do agree with you that President Mugabe had some bright individuals in his cabinet but it is equally true that he had some useless people too and Dr Joice Mujuru is one of the useless ones. She is corrupt and incompetent and it is a great surprise that anyone would question that given her track record!
Even a total stranger with no previous knowledge of her track record would be left in no doubt that she is useless after watching her performance on HardTalk and Conflict Zone. She was denying knowledge of the Gukurahundi massacre, corruption, vote rigging, everything. “Joice Mujuru if you are so ignorant of what happens in Zimbabwe, what use are you to the country?” Asked Stephen Sackur in sheer exasperation!
How is she going to stop corruption, for example, if she has no clue of the the rampant corruption that has been taking place under her own nose?
Mai Mujuru has faced the “relentless beast” for 34 years and has nothing to show for it; that is a historic fact. It is foolish to entrust the destiny of the whole nation on someone we already know is corrupt and incompetent; that is common sense!
This is exactly what I have been trying to point out. Smart socalled educated people like you and mugabe, always want to run roughshod on other Zimbabwean people. You have already called me an idiot and a fool (6 times)? Just because I have a different opinion from yours, that is what mugabe does. He is reported to hold 7 degrees, I think that makes him smart or make him believe that anyone else is an idoit and a fool. Just like you.
Your analysis is based on hate and some smart ass, arrogance, intimidation and disrespect. Just like mugabe.
I and many other Zimbabweans feel that she is better than the current players. I would certainly recommend her over, Grace, Emerson, Morgan and your yet to be selected candidate. I only have a different opinion from yours, how does that make me a fool? All we want is to get power from zanupf and you with your kind are in the way.
Again you still missing the point. It is not true that Mugabe has always sorrounded himself with incompetent and useless people. At Indepedence Mugabe had probably the most competent cabinet in the world. There was the most experienced and lovable nation builder Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo; There was the witty Havard trained Lawyer Zvobgo; There were scientists like Simbi Mbako; Constitutionalists like Dumbutshena; UN education experts like Mtumbuka; international technocrats like Simba Makoni etc but they had zero influence not because they are incompetent but coz Mugabe prefers advice from his lynchpins and secret goons than experts. This surely can not be Amai Mujuru s fault alone.
Recently even renown international industrialists like Dr Nkosana Moyo who was Minister of Industry had to flee to South Africa and posted his resignation letter after realising the goblin can not be exorcised by reason.
That is why a lot of people looked up to Gen Rex to challenge Mugabe from within and he almost succeeded till he was assassinated.
Reform strategies are never simple and has always been two pronged. One from outside Zanu PF as in opposition parties and Two from within Zanu PF as in internal democrats like Nkomo, Dumbutshena, Dabengwa, Makoni and the Mujurus.
Your hatred for a widow who is facing a relentless beast is shameful.
Mugabe is a cunning and ruthless tyrant with “several degrees in violence”, as he has often boasted. I would never consider Mugabe to be clever because it takes a real first class idiot to follow some of the economic policies Zimbabwe has pursued under his leadership. What is so clever in turning a nation that was once a breadbasket of the region into one that cannot even feed its own people.
“I like Joyce, because she is not clever, she is bound to listen to the electorate, and might pave the way for true democracy,” you say.
When that is a tall order! Well she has sat there like a cabbage for 34 years whilst the country went to the dogs, she did nothing to stop the rot other than take her share of the looted wealth. Talking to her shows that she has no clue what was going on under her own nose. So from her track record there is no question that Joice Mujuru is not clever but worse still, she is corrupt and incompetent.
Only a fool would want someone with a proven track record that he/she is a corrupt and incompetent to hold public office, especially the highest office in the land. You have learnt nothing from the tragic mess Zanu PF has dragged us into these last 37 years – proof that you are indeed a first class idiot. Fools are incapable of learning even the most obvious lessons from their mistakes, they are destined to repeat the same mistake over and over again expecting a different result.
A fool will spend all day watering the garden with a leaking bucket, a task requiring one full bucket.
It is foolish to elect Mujuru into any position of power and authority; you need to be save from your only foolishness! There is simple too much at stake – the destiny of the whole nation – to allow fools like you have the final say in this!
My dear friend, Mugabe has always surrounded himself with some of the most incompetent individuals he could find; people like the late Simon Muzenda and Joice Mujuru herself. What have these two ever said or done in all their years in high office? Nothing! Mugabe wanted them there precisely because there was no chance of them being a serious challenge to him.
Only a few weeks ago, at his birthday party, Mugabe was telling his followers that he will be the Zanu PF candidate for next year’s elections regardless of his advance age, 94 years, and ill health because there was no one “capable of replacing him”! He has seen to it that there is no one by surrounding himself with useless people.
“All Mujuru is saying is that she hoped to change Zanu PF from within,” you argue.
She was there for 34 years and in those year the country was reduced to economic ruins and over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered; if that is not proof of her failure then I really do not know what is!
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because we have not taken the task of electing quality leaders with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands. You wish to recycle the individuals who already have a proven track record of blundering failure only goes to show how naive you are.
The last two years have been a steep learning curve for Mai Mujuru. Her long years in high ranking positions in Zanu PF and in government had given her the impression that she is a competent leader. The last two years have forced her to prove her leadership qualities and she has fallen flat on her face.
The recent media coverage has shown her for who she real is – a foolish woman who has no idea what her role as a leader is much less what the nation needs to get out of the mess we are in. She has never had to defend her position to a free media and the free media exposed her for the phony she is!
We need a free media and democratic competition, it has already help us separate the wheat from the chuff. Mai Mujuru is worse than chuff; she is rotten grain!
Zimbabwe is in a real mess because for the last 37 years we have failed to take the task of electing good leaders with the seriousness the matter demands. How anyone can consider Mai Mujuru for president given her track record only goes to show we are not serious.
When we attained our independence in 1980 we should have been ready to take on the enormous responsibility of self-government. The last 37 years have been a complete disaster for Zimbabwe. If we have not learned anything from all the mistakes we have made then there is a real fear that we will never learn because we are fast running out of time. Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged elections and another five more years of this economic meltdown and the tragic human misery that comes with it.
Even if the opposition was to win next year’s elections; it is naive to expect Tsvangirai or Mai Mujuru to bring about any meaningful economic recovery much less implement the much need democratic reforms. The two have already proven that they are corrupt and incompetent; we should not expect any miracles from them. A Zanu PF victory, which is almost a certainty, will mean nothing changes on the economic and political front!
Well written. Thanks
What kind of a moron are you to confuse wit with intelligence or effective leadership? Mujuru like all of us is not saint but surely she s not duff. Otherwise how can a dum girl end up dating and marrying a General of a liberation movement? appointed Minister at 25, be a Vice President and President of her own party?
All Mujuru is saying is that she hoped to change Zanu PF from within. For that she banked on the support of her husband. The Mujurus are the only ones who could successifully challenge Mugabe and were on the brink of kicking Bob with 9 out 10 provinces in favor of Mujuru taking over.
That is why Gen Rex was assassinated to stop what was looking inevitable. The cruelty that has befallen this widow deserves sympathy. It is true in Zanu PF only Mugabe rules and often by decrees executed by his secret agent. Cabinet only rubber stamps and often knows nothing. Even Gen Mujuru did not know the Gukurahundi operations. Take the Border Gezi greenbombers, in Cabinet they were discussed as a youth empowerment initiative but in reality on the ground they were political assassin brigades. That is how Bob operates.
Stop harrassing this widow, she has suffered enuf. As for Gukurahundi, Mugabe Mnangagwa and Shiri are criminally and directly culpable but all shonas including Tsvangirayi are also culpable vicariously coz they supported and cheered these evil man on.
You Sir are an intelligent fool.
Actually we are not looking for a clever president or one who pretend to be. We Currently Have one of the most educated president and where are we? We are one of the poorest countries in the world, he commits violence against his own people, lives outside the country. Fill the cabinet with alleged corrupted and close relatives of his. I like Joyce, because she not clever, she is bound to listen to the electorate, and might pave the way for true democracy.
People like you are going about critising, let’s hear what you have contributed and done for your family let alone for Zimbabwe. Nothing go away with the clever ones, we like her as she is. Anyway let the people choose, not you clever people.