THINKING OUT ALOUD

Heart Of The Matter on Callback with Joseph Machenjera.

"Marriages of convenience are never meant to last" 28 January 2005.

We all saw it and we wondered. We all knew it was a matter of time.And people warned Jonathan Moyo that his decision to suddenly abandon an important crusade against a tyrant was both professional and political suicide. The people lost no time to marvel at what had suddenly become a great betrayal. It was weird, to say the least, to hear Jonathan Moyo defending Mugabe's ruthlessness and dictatorship.And some people warned Robert Mugabe too. Mugabe's decision to suddenly embrace Jonathan Moyo, a former ferocious critic of ZANU-PF, the government and particularly of Mugabe himself did not go down well with party supporters. They argued that Moyo was a chameleon that was serving the party without any real conviction. But suddenly, Jonathan Moyo became Mugabe's right hand man with access to Mugabe six times a day without appointments while fellow cabinet ministers and all other so-called ZANU-PF stalwarts had to make an appointment and were lucky to see Mugabe once in two weeks.A Nigerian proverb says that whenever you see a bullfrog in the sun, you know that something is after its life.
Jonathan Moyo embraced ZANU-PF because he was in trouble and he needed protection, which he got. He performed well for his masters, shamelessly lying and sinking his way to the lowest of loathsome depths. Unfortunately, he started to believe his own lies and actually believes that he is strong enough to take ZANU-PF to court.For someone who has spent so much time abusing and lying to fellow citizens and using the same ZANU-PF machinery to oppress, harass and cheat Zimbabweans, I thought Moyo was much more informed than this.Does Moyo really have faith in our judiciary or he now has no choice like the rest of us?
Once again, Moyo finds himself scuffling with the same people he used to denounce in the papers and during debates, seminars and presentations. Only now he is one of them. No wonder cartoonists liken him to the treacherous worm that gnaws inside the apple that houses it.The war of words between Moyo and John Nkomo smacks of fears and jealousies. Both men are not sure if they have any real support among the people. That Nkomo is breathing down so heavily on Moyo's neck is an indication of insecurity. Why should such a senior man, in both the party and in government, worry so such about what he himself has termed a 'mafikizolo?' This whole episode is destroying Nkomo faster than it is doing to Moyo.If he wins in Mugabe's courts, which he helped to tarnish, it would mean that Nkomo, along with the party and Mugabe himself, have all lost? And Moyo really believes he has a chance? Should he win against the party, does he expect Mugabe to behave according to the judgment of the court or has he forgotten that he and Mugabe used to laugh off court decisions handed down against them? Dashed hopes are no fun for the one hoping. Now I know what the word 'delusion' means. Poor Jonathan Moyo!
Although he may change positions more often than a windshield wiper, Jonathan Moyo should not be written off. Moyo was a dangerous man to Mugabe when he was outside ZANU-PF and Moyo is dangerous to Mugabe from within ZANU-PF. Unlike the uninspiring and boring old dead wood like the Mutasas, Jonathan Moyo is an eloquent communicator who loves the media and who knows how to plant himself right in the center of things and always makes it difficult for the media to ignore him.But more importantly, Moyo did something that ZANU-PF members of parliament never dream of doing. Love him or hate him, Jonathan Moyo used state means to pour money, development, computers, agricultural inputs and other things into his constituency. He shared the loot with his people unlike some of the greedy ZANU-PF representatives who keep it all for themselves and end up under arrest for externalizing the ill-gotten monies.Moyo was once a darling of the party who did all the dirty work. He worked hard for Mugabe and ZANU-PF. But they now have no more use for him and they are looking for something to pin on him. They are through with him.
The heart of the matter is that no marriage of convenience is ever meant to last and Jonathan Moyo forgot that. He started believing himself more and ignored the reality binding him to ZANU-PF. What we see is what happens when two con-artistes who have been working together now try to con each other. It might be too late for two would-be-lovers who were bound by marriage vows of convenience to really fall in love and start seeking an authentic marriage bond.ZANU-PF wants to break the bond but Jonathan Moyo keeps snuggling up.
But ZANU-PF must be advised to handle Jonathan Moyo carefully. His confidence to challenge and poke at the might of the party should not be underestimated. Like Emmerson Mnangagwa, Moyo definitely has a lot he can use to protect himself and even destroy a number of people's political careers. The kid from Tsholotsho has an ace up his sleeve and it is only a matter of time before he reveals it.And people are watching with amusement. Will people take sides? Nationally, does a contest between Moyo and Nkomo mean anything? What does it mean to people to see ZANU-PF being taken to court by their most vocal and ferocious propagandist? Does Moyo realize that his lawsuit against the party targets Mugabe as well? Knowing ZANU-PF as much as he does, what really does he expect the outcome to be?But we should leave them to fight it out and cheat each other the same way they did to the rest of us. It's their turn to smell the suffocating insides of their armpits. Although right now they are desperate and dangerous, our struggle must continue.I am Joseph Machenjera saying that we should not be sidetracked by the infighting within ZANU-PF. We have a lot to do yet. A luta continua!

And that, my compatriots, is the way it is today Friday 28 January 2005.