Red February in Zimbabwe The Colour of Burning Political Bush Fires and the Fading Glow of Valentines

Zimbabwe’s burning political bush fires are getting difficult to quench with the passing of each day as they are sprouting from every direction thus worsening the chances of moving the nation forward with the fuel gauge of the economy also now in red.

The country’s red hot political flames are burning down people’s hopes and overshadowing the beautiful redness of Valentines whose eminence has been doused by a precipitous economic avalanche which has left most people including love birds finding it difficult to get by every day.

Professor Jonathan Moyo, a former Cabinet Minister in the late President Robert Mugabe led government has of lately been foretelling of some drama on the political scene and true to his predictions some February drama has already started to unfold especially in the government and Zanu Pf corridors of power.

“For keen students of Zimbabwean history, this February is threatening to replace November as the month of momentous events!” he tweeted the message together with an attachment of a February 2020 Calendar.

In another tweet he said “Chii chirikuitika? What’s happening? No doubt February is threatening to be hell, like November. This is not a prediction of what will happen but a description of what’s happening, as we tweet, and the momentous implications of what’s happening. The country is on a knife edge!”

He made the last comment after a fall-out between the Zanu PF youth leadership and their superiors.

Youth leaders Godfrey Tsenegamu and Lewis Matutu recently implicated business men Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Tafadzwa Masarara and Billy Rautenbach among others of serious corruption which they blamed for the country’s economic failures.

Pursuant to their press statement, they were subsequently suspended and stripped of their leadership positions for not following protocol in their approach which their superiors described as: “misguided and misdirected activism which threatens the party’s unity, cohesion and singleness of purpose.”

Besides being demoted from their party positions, they also received backlash from among other Zimbabweans who said that these two were just succumbing to Zanu PF’s factional fights and diverting people’s attention from the real issues affecting the country.

Zanu PF youths have no agency of their own. They are lap dogs of the old, wasted men at the top whom they bark in return for trinkets. Their poorly choreographed slideshows are a weak attempt to distract us from the real issues. We want food, fuel& forex…Tweeted Fadzai Mahere, the MDC Education, Sport, Art and Culture Secretary.

Kudakwashe Tagwirei has often been sucked into the corruption discourse of the nation even though he himself does not come into the forefront to defend himself compared to his alleged co accused Masarara who said he has already talked with his lawyers regarding the accusations in order to clear his name.

“Given the irresponsible statements that have been issued which as I have said above are false, malicious and defamatory, I have instructed my legal practitioners to institute legal proceedings against the 2 gentlemen to vindicate my rights.” Said Masarara

There have been reports of rifts in Zanu Pf and a serious fallout in the presidium as suggested in an article by Tinashe Kairiza in The Independent of 31 January 2020 under the heading “Unsettled Mnangagwa reshuffkes army chiefs”.

When Mnangagwa took over the presidency, most Zimbabweans were very expectant of a better life after the demise of Robert Mugabe who was believed to be the impediment in turning around the fortunes of the nation.

However, despite the fact that Mugabe is no more, the economy has been on a continuous free fall and the standard of living for the majority including civil servants such as soldiers and the police is deplorable

The state of the economy is now believed to be of a serious concern even to the military who are said to be deploying their officers in communities to assess the situation.

A 7 February 2020 article written by Andrew Kunambura from Zimbabwe Independent titled Panicky army chiefs deploy specials forces says that intelligence officers have been deployed in communities throughout the country to gather intelligence as the rapidly deteriorating economy poses heightened risk to national security (https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2020/02/07/panicky-army-chiefs-deploy-special-forces/).

The fall of Robert Mugabe was characterised by similar shenanigans that are also now unfolding on Zimbabwe’s political landscape at the moment.

Political uncertainties have for a long time affected businesses in the country and thus negatively affecting the wellbeing of the masses with most Zimbabweans flocking abroad in search of greener pastures.

Politicians in the country have been blamed for enriching themselves at the expense of the people that they must be serving, with unemployment going to unprecedented levels as companies find it difficult to operate in a politically unstable environment.