Succession issue behind Zanu PF’s internal divisions and assassination attempts – MDC
The MDC notes with disbelief the assassination attempt of Air Marshall Perence Shiri as reported in The Herald of 16 December 2008.
As a party, we condemn the use of violence in any form whatsoever as an instrument of navigating any political crisis or as a means of achieving or attaining any political goal. We therefore wish Perence Shiri a quick recovery wherever he is.
However, in our respectful view, it is important to identify and unpack the real reasons behind the destabilization and internal conflicts in Zanu PF which we consider to be behind the assassination attempt on Perence Shiri.
In our view, central to the slow and decisive death of Zanu PF is the fact that this is a nationalist party that is now fundamentally exhausted and tired. Exhausted nationalism creates conditions for internal destabilization and a discourse of internal civil conflict. When that happens, “The revolution begins to eat its own children.”
Any nationalist party, for it to survive, has to undergo periodic rebirth and renewal. Unfortunately, Zanu PF has failed to renew and refresh itself and those who have been controlling it since time immemorial have failed to pass on the baton.
The party has thus remained arrested in a modicum of sterility, banality and dishonesty. It is a party that believes its own propaganda and at the end of the day, is violence to thank for its extrajudicial existence.
In short, it is the unresolved issue of succession in Zanu PF that is at the root cause of the violence against Perence Shiri and the dislocation in Zanu PF. We saw this dislocation in November 2004 when six province chairpersons were expelled after the failure of the Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Chinamasa failed debacle. That same crisis gave birth to Simba Makoni and the Mavambo/Kusile experiment and only this weekend, we saw the revival of Zapu and the election of Dumiso Dabengwa as national chairman.
In our view, there are so many individuals and factions vying to succeed the aged Mugabe. However, each of those factions has a control and influence on members of the army. Therefore, Zanu PF factionalism and unresolved succession battles are also being played out in the military junta. The arsenal used against Shiri could only have been owned and possessed by members of the Zimbabwe National Army.
For the stability of this country and the good of its people, it is important and imperative that Zanu PF resolves its succession issue. This matter is not an internal one to the extent that conflicts in Zanu PF over the same have a multiplier effect in the peace and stability that is enshrined in our Constitution. Violence threatens the rule of law, the Constitution itself and gives excuse to the declaration of a state of emergency. This country surely cannot afford this.
We therefore hope that the Zanu PF Bindura conference will not be another talk shop and will put a full stop on the succession issue.
MDC Information and Publicity Department
Via Press Release
December 17th, 2008 19:02
SHIRI (forgive the pun) yava kudya mazai ayo!!! This marks the beginning of the end of ZANU(PF).
December 17th, 2008 20:39
Let’s face it, what we thought was a ‘nationalist’ party was and is, in fact, a ‘personal’ party. From the earliest days of Independence what has Mugabe done that was ever in the NATIONAL interest? From Gukhurahundi onwards, through attempts to corruptly sell of Hwange to the Malaysians and exchanging agricultural land for Chinese arms and teargas, his version of the nation of Zimbabwe has always been a PERSONAL fiefdom with Zanu-pf as his minions. He doesn’t care a fig for the Nation, for the people, except that it and they continue to support his ego and personal lifestyle. ‘Nationalist’ he is not!
December 17th, 2008 23:00
Mugabe’s cousin, Air Marshall Perence Shiri must be one of the worst brutal human beings alive today in Africa. In 1982, then Colonel Shiri, he led a battalion of North-Korean trained soldiers in Matabeleland in a massacre of, many believe 20,000 people, who were murdered in cold blood and dumped in unmarked graves. That atrocity cemented Shiri’s place in Mugabe’s regime where he was rewarded with the rank of Air Marshall as well as being given a selection of seized white-owned farms. Ever since then he has been at the forefront of every period of oppression in the country.
Yes, the MDC may wish him a quick recovery from a shooting wound, but it must be only so that he, together with his comrades in evil, can be brought before an international court of justice, where he can be held to account for his inhuman deeds sooner rather than later.
December 18th, 2008 00:46
Heartening story in Zimbabwe Metro that Shiri attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest – and missed. Is this the same expansive chest with all those medals acting as markers? When this guy aims to miss he does a realy good job of it, because apparantly not only did he miss the chest but hit the shoulder blade into the bargain, which is on the other side of the body.
Wasn’t there some other military chief who shot himself in the foot or somewhere (there’s an obvious joke in there). If this carrys on the JOC may be reducing themselves by degrees.
Mugabe is clearly worried about talk of ‘invasion’. The deplorable aim skills of his forces could be of serious concern to him.
It is good to hear,(should the story have any degree of truth) that at least the JOC are taking the threat seriously and practising on themselves in preparation.
December 18th, 2008 02:31
SHIRI is TOTALLY EVIL. All Zimbabweans know that Mugabe & his Cronies are very bad. They do not care about ZIM. They steel the wealth and impoverish the rest. EVERYBODY RISE UP! WE NEED A NEW START NOW.THIS IS THE PLAN:
THE CRONIES TO LEAVE ZIM NOW – GO TO MALAYSIA OR LIBYA – IF YOU DONT THEN TOUGH YOU WILL BE ARRESTED AND TRIED IN THE HAGUE AND ROT IN PRISON. EVERYBODY ELSE RISE UP NOW – HIT THE STREETS IN MASSIVE NUMBERS. IF WE CAN GET SAY 50,000 PEOPLE ON THE STRREETS OF HARARE AND MAKE A LOT OF NOISE AND REFUSE TO MOVE THEN MUGABE WILL GO. DO IT PLEASE. WORK OUT A PLAN.
HAVE COURAGE! GOD BE WITH YOU TO ALL TRUE ZIMBABWEANS.
December 20th, 2008 14:29
@Truegrit
Thank you for that information.We sincerely hope that he will be held responsible for his deeds of the past.
December 21st, 2008 02:45
If shiri is wounded, then that’s a step in the right direction.
That wound(S)should fester and develop gangrene.
In the process let him get humanised coz he is an epitome of a deranged beast. He deserves not a gun shot wound but the slow killing scratch from a poisoned arrow.
Surely that’s what he deserves. While at it he should rewind his memories of all the people he has killed and name them one by one.
December 22nd, 2008 18:03
‘We therefore wish Perence Shiri a quick recovery wherever he is,’ say the MDC.
Really? I mean, really?
Need the MDC get on hospital bedside visiting terms with the likes of Shiri?
Pacifism is one thing, appeasement another.
December 22nd, 2008 21:24
December 23rd, 2008 16:37
Mugabe has declared that ‘Zimbabwe is Mine’!
What a load of rubbish! Mugabe is a traitor to Zim – he does not care about the people.
Zim is for true Zimbabweans. Mugabe and his cronies can rot in hell – they are not welcome in Zim.
PEOPLE RISE UP – LETS SHOW THE WORLD! EVERYBODY ON THE STREETS IN HUGE NUMBERS!
LONG LIVE ZIM! GOD BLESS!
December 24th, 2008 12:43
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL TRUE ZIMBABWEANS.
LETS ALL HOPE THE REVOLUTION HAPPENS SOON AND 2009 WILL BE THE START OF THE NEW ZIM!
December 25th, 2008 14:17
JESTINA : GREAT NEWS THAT YOU ARE ALIVE!
I WAS SO PLEASED WHEN I HEARD YESTERDAY.
GOD HAS ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS.
WE ARE ALL WITH YOU THIS CHRISTMAS. KEEP STRONG. GOD BLESS
December 25th, 2008 14:35
TO ALL ACTIVISTS BOTH GROUPS IN ZIM AND INDIVIDUAL BLOGGERS.
IT HAS BEEN A TOUGH YEAR BUT SOME SUCCESS:
1. WE WON THE APRIL ELECTION.
2. WE STOPPED THE CHINESE SHIP UNLOADING WEAPONS IN DURBAN.
3. MORGAN HAS NOT JOINED A POWER JOINING GOVERNMENT BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT IN PRACTICE MUGABE WOULD NOT SHARE POWER.
4. JESTINA IS ALIVE.
5. ZIM IS RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE INTERNATIONAL AGENDA AND THE PRESSURE IS BUILDING.
SO ALL ACTIVISTS – KEEP GOING!
December 25th, 2008 14:49
GUINEA: JUST HEARD THAT THEIR HAS BEEN A COUP!
ARMY CAPTAIN CAMARA HAS DECLARE HIMSELF PRESIDENT. GUINEA HAD A CURRUPT GOVERNMENT AND WAS READY FOR A NEW START.
THIS IS MY POINT:
IF A CAPTAIN IN A WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY CAN DO IT THEN SO CAN A CAPTAIN IN THE ZIM ARMY.
JUNIOR OFFICERS: LEARN FROM THIS: ORGANISE A COUP NOW! GET RID OF MUGABE AND HIS CRONIES AND INSTALL AS PRESIDENT THE PEOPLES CHOICE OF MORGAN.