Is ZANU-PF's Makoni serious?

After dictator Mugabe betrayed Zimbabweans in the manner he did, killing hundreds to discourage democracy, people are not excited about anything of the sort at all.

What excitement is generated from ZANU-PF cloning itself? And will they label Makoni, the 'new' product, to be 'as original as the original'?

If they don't, they are thieves of people's goodwill; if they do, they are dead; give us another candidate, please.

What should Zimbabweans expect from such a 'confrontation'? Is it really a confrontation?

And, by the way, who is Makoni and why is he where he is today? Who put him there? Apart from technocrats and desperate, spent politicians who need but no longer find security in Mugabe, does Makoni mean anything to the Zimbabwean rank and file, the real voters?

Makoni, brilliant as he may be, is Mugabe's protegee and we cannot escape that truth. It is a relationship that started in good faith, in recognition of a young, loyal and sparkling mind.

For more than 27 years, Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party thwarted the emergency of any potential young leaders from within its ranks. Any person revealing leadership potential was deemed to be after replacing Mugabe. As a result, young brilliant upcoming leaders, such as Makoni, were reduced to praise singers, who dared not say anything wiser than Mugabe himself would say.

This is the reason why, today, we find that the ZANU-PF Youth League is headed or effectively run by 60/70 year-olds. They are, however, youths compared to Mugabe, the 'President and First Secretary' of the party.

Faithful to Maoist doctrine, only the anointed ones are allowed to think for the party.

Makoni has always been Mugabe's blue-eyed boy in exactly the same way Alecke Banda was to Malawi's Kamuzu Banda.

Mugabe was so proud of Makoni, parading him to the world media not only as the youngest member of his original cabinet, then recognised as the most educated cabinet in the world, but a PhD too!

Twice appointed Mugabe's Finance Minister and twice fired from the same post by the same man, Makoni was, through Mugabe's blessing and lobbying, appointed Executive Secretary of the then SADCC and fired from that post again, reminiscent of Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika's firing from the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa for incompetence and his subsequent rise to the presidency through the support of a former president, Bakhili Muluzi.

Mugabe showed genuine admiration for the young man and Makoni did his boss's bidding.

My very first contact with Makoni was back in 1984 when, upon just joining Zimbabwe Television as a reporter, my very first assignment was covering him when, as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, he was 'opening' a 'model home' at Mrewa Business Centre.

When I left ZTV, I continued meeting Dr Makoni since he was very close to senior members of my family.

Yes, I admit, Makoni is very engaging and has a demeanour that urges you to relax and that tells you that you are in the company of a friend. He is not the kind of man who can do you any wrong. And you can read it in him within a few minutes in his company.

Yes, I admit, Makoni is a gentleman, a man who is faithful to his friends regardless of their political persuasion; he always sees and values the person, not their politics and, maybe, that is the way we should look at him too, dangerous as it maybe.

Maybe Makoni is just a little too faithful as evidenced by the people around him. He surrounds himself with disgraced former Mugabe lieutenants such as Ibbo Mandaza, Mugabe's former permanent secretary, and retired army major Kudzai Mbudzi.

One wonders what the difference between Mandaza and the infamous Jonathan Moyo is. After propping up a repressive leader, both fell out of farvour and now want to present themselves as people's saviours.

'Those pushing for Makoni have decided to operate outside party structures to become an equivalent of the parallel market and have the provinces declare Makoni as the real candidate of their Zanu-PF,' another source said.

That is not possible in any manner.

Worse still, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that the Makoni faction was still debating 'whether or not to contest the polls under the name Zanu-PF or to use Patriotic Front.'

Doesn't this sound like nonsense? Makoni's current foray is a bad idea poorly executed by wrong people.

Mugabe has left a trail of politically confused and immobilised people with broken dreams, notable among whom are businessmen Mutumwa Mawere, Philip Chiyangwa and Mandaza himself.

Chiyangwa was physically mangled and apparently recovered while the agile and shrewd businessman Mawere managed to leave the country just in time but lost his businesses empire, including one of the world's biggest asbestos mine, to Mugabe. For years, Mandaza had a partnership with fellow Zimbabwean investors who sat on the board of his newspaper company.

It later emerged that the co-investors were actually operatives of Mugabe's dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) who voted him out in the boardroom and the paper was taken over by the CIO.

There are many more who were used and discarded like used toilet paper and some of them are trying to resuscitate themselves and are attempting to come back to life under 'a new political party.'

Meanwhile, sources say the Makoni faction has ruled out forming an alliance with the MDC or any other political opposition party to oust tyrant Mugabe, preferring to continue 'pursuing ZANU-PF's ideological line under a new leadership.'

'Makoni and some disgruntled senior Zanu-PF officials are saying that they are for the ruling party ideology,' another source close to the faction said. 'What they want is someone new to steer the ideology and to them it's Makoni.'

This hurts me. And I am not the only one. I can understand people with no political base, like Ibbo Mandaza, prattling around and playing with reality and to the gallery at the expense of the people.

They did it for decades during their heydays as Mugabe's willing and over-zealous stooges and spin doctors, but I cannot take the same from Makoni.

Is Makoni serious? Does he want to mount a real challenge for Mugabe's throne because beyond defeating Mugabe is leading Zimbabwe? Who is backing him since he does not have a constituency of his own, never having won an election in his own name? Or maybe, Makoni is paying old debts, IOUs to Mugabe, by mudding the waters and making it look as if there is democracy in ZANU-PF and neutralizing potential and more powerful candidates?

You ask why I am skeptical, well, this is end of January and elections are due in March. ZANU-PF chose its candidate a long time ago while Makoni is 'circling' the political towers like the Jericho demise and hoping for what?

Less than two months before an election, Makoni's party has not chosen a name, or announced its principals or told the nation its agenda and who to vote for in the combined parliamentary and presidential elections. I don't want any part of this nonsense.

Is Makoni being used? Is he not putting his credibility on the line? What criticism has he offered against Mugabe? Is he an alternative if he is for ZANU-PF ideology which has destroyed the nation and families in our country?

Makoni just wants to be president and to hell with ideology. He is taking us for morons who do not know the difference between a saviour and a power hungry traitor.

Makoni can possibly get my vote if he stands out and gives our nation an alternative. The last thing Zimbabwe needs right now is someone who promotes and intends to perpetuate Mugabe's failed and disgraceful legacy.

I can support new ideas from people, old or new, but will not think twice about trashing old politicians propounding old dishonoured doctrines.

Makoni must avoid becoming old wine in a new container. Why is every politician taking Zimbabweans for fools? Zimbabweans, the real liberators of Zimbabwe, are being taunted by ZANU-PF 'leaders' who have re-written history in their own farvour. And Makoni, who does not need ZANU-PF, is being, once again, used to cheat Zimbabweans.

However, all this nonsense is happening in the absence of a meaningful opposition in Zimbabwe.

The heart of the matter is that today anyone can win a free and fair election against Mugabe.

People just want change and hope to set the parameters later thinking that a change might bring them some respect that recognises and accepts their value, unlike now when they are pawns.

If all ZANU-PF card-carrying members dropped dead today, Zimbabwe would still find a much better president and leader.

We need not regurgitate leaders, especially of people who have not only failed but who have shown disdain for us.

We are in distress because of ZANU-PF and this most contemptuous party keeps breeding and recycling its sons who oversaw our misery over the years.

Twenty-seven years of ZANU-PF is enough...but where is the opposition?

*Tanonoka Joseph Whande is a Botswana-based Zimbabwean journalist.