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Poverty versus Principle. How to sell your birthright for a bowl of soup

How on earth does a Mthwakazi key member join Zanu-PF? Was it a Damascus moment? By Darlington Chiuta Genesis 25: 30: And Esau said to Jacob: “Please feed me some of that same stew for I am weary”. 31: But Jacob said to him: “Sell me your birthright as of this day”. 32: "Look I am about to die.

How on earth does a Mthwakazi key member join Zanu-PF? Was it a Damascus moment?

By Darlington Chiuta

Genesis 25: 30: And Esau said to Jacob: “Please feed me some of that same stew for I am weary”.
31: But Jacob said to him: “Sell me your birthright as of this day”.
32: “Look I am about to die. So what is this birthright to me?” So he swore to him and sold his birthright and became the younger brother instantly.

For a bowl of soup!

This made me take a look at all the “great defections” and the likes of Tinashe Jonasi aka General Scarfless, Rutendo Matinyarare, Douglas Mwonzora, Lilian Timveous, Morgan Komichi, Obert Gutu the list is almost becoming endless by the day as more “defections” take place with a lot of fanfare almost daily with the latest being the esteemed and radical Mthwakazi trio.

How on earth does a Mthwakazi key member join Zanu-PF? Was it a decision made on some Damascus moment or were they weary and needed a bowl of soup to save their souls?

All the above are people of principle by their own right some of whom have stood by their principles for over two decades.

 

 

 

Their explanations are almost similar as if it is a written script that they practice before the parade. “I have come to realise that……… now I have come to the right political party or home or progressive party and have put the country first.”

One then comes to wonder if these people are such dumb that they took more than ten years following a wrong party or ideology as if they were in quarantine and have all of a sudden woken up or are they weary and have to exchange their principles for a bowl of soup?

I am by no means labelling or accusing ZANU PF of anything here because as a party they get to do what they got to do and that is a story of another day. I am primarily focusing on those that have suddenly met their Damascus moment.

Were they moles all this time? Were they pretenders all this time? Given a choice to start over under the same circumstances they joined would they start by joining ZANU PF? If by some chance the parties they are dumping could win will they remain defiantly ZANU PF or will they “come back home”?

What are the drivers of their decisions now and in their hearts do they stand by their decisions? If one has to be a public figure they got a principle that they are prepared to die for and they create a huge following not because of who they are as individuals but because of what they stand for.

People do not follow a party or the name of a person but they follow a person’s or the organisation’s principles.

 

 

 

These principles then carve the name that becomes symbolic to the principles.

What therefore makes these principled men and women make u-turns of principle overnight?

There is a term that has been coined and resonates with such about turns and is called “Politics of the stomach” I know some want to quickly point to what the likes of Timveous have in terms of business and quite a few of these guys may have fairly comfortable lives.

That is exactly where the definition of poverty is distorted.

There are only two money problems in the world namely (i) You do not have money and all your efforts are to get it. It is more of a survival mode that if you lose its source you are doomed. (ii) You have money and you are worried that you will lose it and join the ranks of the have-nots. You will therefore do whatever it takes to protect your pile even if it means selling your soul to the devil.

Either way, it then remains politics of the stomach.

 

 

While Mwonzora, like Abel Muzorewa, did not read the “sinners prayer on repentance” at the State House he became complicit and turned against his principles, his fight for life so he makes no difference.

In actual fact he becomes the all-time Zimbabwe sellout because he still parades himself as opposition yet waiting to score for the incumbent at any given chance then goes on to lament the results of his doings.

Case in point, he helps to amend the constitution then pretends to oppose the Malaba reincarnation.

With the current economy and the Zanu-PF politics of building a dam on the lifeline river of Zimbabwe in order to sell the water or to “donate” the water to those that used to benefit from the river, very few will remain standing on principle.

Timveous wakes up to realise that the terrain is not so favourable and the tag of choosing the stomach over principle is hard to shake and pleads not to be called a former MDC-A member because she has now graduated from the Chitepo School of Ideology as if the school is a new phenomenon.

At the level of leadership, she was in MDC if she did not know the ideology of the Chitepo School then MDC had leaders of the lowest calibre as it is every leader’s prerogative to study the key pillars of the opposition.

Zanu-PF, therefore, managed to identify one of the weak links in her.

Looking at all the leaders that have suddenly found the new light and ditched their parties reality will dawn one day as the tag they carry of a DEFECTOR/MUTENGESI/INFORMER will always be with them.

 

 

In their right minds do they think that they will rise in ZANU PF? Where do they expect the real ZANU PF members to be when they rise? When ZANU PF members play dirty to the death for a place near the feeding trough do they expect mercy because they are defectors?

Do they really think that the red carpet they were rolled to state house will remain forever for defectors over the real anchormen? Only time will tell and history will judge favourably or otherwise.

What takes centre stage principle or poverty?

For a bowl of soup, the best positions they will get will be to be pitted against their former trench men and Obert Gutu has already been appointed reconciliation something. For now ZANU-PF has a firm grip on the bowl of soup, and a lot will sell their birthright to join them.

 

Darlington Chiuta is chairperson of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Holders Association and he writes in his personal capacity. Contact him at 071 371 1756. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Editorial Policy of Zimbabwe Digital Express.

 

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