MANY Zimbabweans right across our beautiful country cannot really understand why Ibbo Mandaza, the man in charge of SAPES Trust and his crew there, keep on harping about a mysterious creature they call ‘The National Transitional Authority’ — whatever that is supposed to mean — which they wish to take over power once President Mugabe decides to retire.
Yes, in many writings in the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper in the past, and also as recent as a few weeks ago, Mandaza and company were at it again, shouting hoarse about their mythical National Transitional Authority saying it is the right body to be handed over power by President Robert Mugabe once he decides to retire.
Mandaza and company went on to say general elections, which are due next year, are not really necessary because they would only bring about another ZANU PF Government with individuals they don’t like in power.
Furthermore, they are against following the country’s Constitution once President Mugabe retires, saying it was not good enough because once more it would put into power people Mandaza and company do not want to take over.
And so, as far as Mandaza and company are concerned, once President Mugabe retires, Zimbabweans must be ruled by their ghostly creature from Mars called the National Transitional Authority.
All the present great leaders of ZANU PF like Cdes Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko et al should not take over from President Mugabe, they preach.
Why?
To understand where Mandaza and company are coming from, especially why they don’t want anyone from the present ZANU PF leadership to take over from President Mugabe, let us go back to the mid-2013 all the way to the build-up to the ZANU PF Congress of December 2014.
During the above period, Mujuru was the vice-president of the country and as far as Mandaza and company were concerned, her political star was shining brightly like the Northern star.
In writings, speeches, utterances and body language, these guys waxed lyrical about the great chances Mujuru had of becoming, within a very short time, the President of Zimbabwe.
To tell the truth and shame the devil, Mandaza and one of his sidekicks, one Derek Matyzak, took us back to the days of the Roman Empire, the period just before Augustus Caesar became the first Roman Emperor as they prepared us to accept Mujuru becoming the country’s president.
It is important to briefly relive that Roman period, so that we can put into context Mandaza’s childish cries for his so-called transitional authority, especially why he doesn’t want anyone from the present ZANU PF leadership taking over from President Mugabe.
During the short period before Caesar came to power, there was a highly revered poet called Virgil.
That poet, in order to prepare the Roman people for the coming into power of their first ever emperor in their history, wrote a poem in biblical style predicting the coming of Caesar to power.
One Boris Johnson helps us with our story here. The poem was called ‘Edogue’.
When Augustus was already consul (Mujuru was already vice-president) Virgil wrote a poem. This greatest of Roman poets appears to prophesy the coming of the saviour.
He wrote: “There is going to be a new golden age. The creator of this golden age is a wonder child. The goats will come home by themselves with milk-filled udders. Nor will the cattle fear of great lions. The serpent will perish. Now here comes the man (woman in our case) whom you have often heard promised, Augustus Caesar descendent of God who destroyed all his enemies who will again establish the golden ages and carry the empire over the Garamentes and Indians.”
Mandaza assumed the role of Virgil during the period 2013 – 2014, or even earlier and, in writings and utterances full of prophesies, predicted the coming of the ‘wonder kid’ Joice Mujuru to power.
Mandaza’s writings, utterances, ‘prophesies’ at that time can be paraphrased and summarised below.
l President Mugabe is leaving office soon (wrong prediction at the time).
l Joice Mujuru is the only vice-president
l This makes her number two to President Mugabe in both Party and Government
l And so she is a shoo in to take over power from the President
l Right now she is in cruise control
l She tore to pieces the Tsholotsho declaration
l She destroyed all the District Co-ordinating Committees and put in their stead her supporters
l She has more supporters in the central committee than leaders such as Mnangagwa
l The President has said when you chose her as a vice-president you didn’t want her to remain in that chair did you?
l This means she is going to be handed over power soon without doubt. Anotova mupawa!
Zimbabweans were then told that Mujuru was a democrat who was the right person to ascend to power in the country.
Predictions about Mujuru’s top two in the presidency were made.
She was going to be the President of the country deputised by Didymus Mutasa.
Yes, the Mujuru golden age was coming to Zimbabwe soon, we were all told.
However, unlike Virgil’s prophecy of Augustus Caesar coming to power as first Roman Emperor which came to pass, the Mujuru political project in ZANU PF collapsed like a house of cards.
She lost her position as vice-president in the ZANU PF Party in December 2014.
In fact, not only did she lose a position in the Party, she got fired from it.
All Mandaza and company’s predictions, prophesies and wishes ended up in smoke.
Mujuru then went on to form her own party in which, instead of being the president of the country, she became a queen bee and Mutasa, instead of being her vice-president, became a mere drone.
Now Mandaza, instead of moving on, is perpetually in mourning. Yes, tears are still flowing down his cheeks crying over the collapse of the Mujuru political project.
People like Mandaza were so dead sure that Mujuru was landing the presidency of the country in a matter of months that up to today they haven’t accepted it.
And so, because of that, they do not want to see anyone in the present ZANU PF leadership ascending to power, accusing them of scuttling the chances of their star from getting into power.
This, therefore, explains why they are constantly flogging a dead donkey, proposing a completely unknown animal in our law and politics – the National Transitional Authority — to take over from President Mugabe when he retires.
It is completely crazy!
Zimbabweans should therefore not be distracted by Mandaza’s talk of a ghost called a transitional authority.
He is a man in perpetual mourning and should therefore be ignored on this issue.