Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE dress rehearsal of the Zanu PF annual people conference was held last week, where party affiliates said they would push for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to retain power for life.
The crescendo will increase as the October conference draws nearer.
It will gain the same currency as the 2030 chorus, which was actualised into Resolution Number 1 at last year’s annual people’s conference.
The idea is to project Mnangagwa as inimitable. To these affiliates and loyalists, no one in the governing party has the stamina to rule except Mnangagwa.
They want him to continue in office.
It won’t be a surprise if some affiliates push for Mnangagwa’s birthday to be gazetted as a public holiday.
The renaming of the Mbudzi roundabout to Trabablas Interchange is a harbinger for more to come as Zanu PF continues deifying Mnangagwa.
Trabablas is Mnangagwa’s war name.
It is the same script political hangers-on have used to curry favour and capture the listening ear of the President. Mnangagwa has been referred to as Munhumutapa.
The State-controlled daily, The Herald, reported last week that First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa was referred to as “Mother Zimbabwe” in recognition of her sterling works that continue to transform and inspire lives countrywide.
By extension, they are equating Mnangagwa to Father Zimbabwe, a name synonymous with the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo.
Those who are extolling the virtues of Mnangagwa are not doing so out of love, but to cash in on the dividends that flow with bootlicking a leader.
History has shown that real supporters are few, the rest are fortune seekers.
The late former President Robert Mugabe died a bitter man, surrounded by a few loyalists who stood with him after he was pushed out of power in 2017.
The millions that sang him praises were nowhere to be found, including those who had referred to him as Cremora or an angel who would admit people to heaven.
Your obedient son was nowhere to be found as Mugabe battled for survival.
It was ironic that the son chaired a Zanu PF central committee meeting that resolved to impeach Mugabe.
Mnangagwa must put a stop to this madness and whip his loyalists into line.
He has in the past reiterated that he intends to leave office when his tenure ends in 2028.
Mnangagwa must call out his loyalists so that he is not distracted in his second and final term.
He must deliver on the promises made during the election campaign. The economy needs attention, while collapsing social services like health and education require a major overhaul.
The gap between the haves and have-nots is widening, and social ills, such as drug and substance abuse, are threatening to wipe away a generation.
These hurdles demand dedication, commitment by the leader, which compels the governed to put all hands on deck.
We see this life presidency call as part of a deification exercise and Mnangagwa must reject this poisoned chalice.
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