Emmerson Mnangagwa routinely smirks at the presidential podium, all while taunting and mocking his critics and political rivals. Mnangagwa is also known for publicly ridiculing the Zimbabwean diaspora with divisive and insulting comments, long the stock and trade of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). More recently, Mnangagwa has reserved his most voracious attacks for his main rival, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and its elected leader, Nelson Chamisa. Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court – largely seen by the opposition and civil society as merged with ZANU-PF – went so far as to recently rule in favor of effectively disbanding the MDC as we know it.
We ought to see such tactics for what they are: arrogant muscle-flexing by an illegitimate, wholly anti-democratic leader. It is precisely this arrogance, which seeps out of all things ZANU-PF, that has brought continued rot to Zimbabwe. And the international community has rightly grown tired of this toxicity.
Most worryingly, however, the predatory ZANU-PF regime is now emboldened by a distracted world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the guise of “public safety” measures, the dictatorship is rapidly ramping up the corrosion of individual freedoms. Increasingly, ZANU-PF leadership has become turbocharged, shifting into naked authoritarianism and deeming its courageous critics as “hostile to the state.” In so doing, Mnangagwa – with his connections to the country’s military intact – has conflated his position as president with the state itself. The two are now one, at least in the minds of ZANU-PF and its supporters.
To be fair, the main pro-democracy opposition party, MDC, has also made mistakes. Across the board in Zimbabwe, there has long been a deficit in effective, strategic, and disciplined leadership. Indeed, on both ends of the political spectrum, our leaders have been woefully unwilling to be humble, to learn, and to heed strategic advice.
What is needed today in Zimbabwe is self-reflection and confidence in a leader – a confidence that is brought on and engendered by humility, not arrogance. In this way, nonviolent democratic resisters can tip the scales back in democracy’s favor. Specifically, if fresh ideas are implemented by the MDC – and other pro-democracy forces – they could raise the cost of remaining loyal to the long-abusive, increasingly repressive ZANU-PF. In essence, what we need today more than ever is a cohesive and peaceful resistance to counter state repression.
For the world outside Zimbabwe’s borders, key questions also emerge: Does the COVID-19 crisis enhance Mnangagwa’s survival? And will the international community have the conviction to be the impactful partners of democracy that millions of democrats in Zimbabwe — and its diaspora —have been yearning for?
Today, the grave danger faced by the people of Zimbabwe is a rapidly diminishing prospect for democracy. Our ruling regime has an ingrained hatred for modernity, for liberty. They have consistently and violently lashed out at the principles of personal freedom. This, indeed, perfectly and woefully encapsulates our current leadership deficit. President Mnangagwa, specifically, is not a leader worthy of his job as president. He is a dangerous façade, shamelessly propped up by PR and lobby firms in Washington, DC.
As a recent World Economic Forum article aptly declared: “the problem is leadership.” To instill sustained confidence in Zimbabwe, long-standing and current leadership deficiencies must be decisively resolved – sooner rather than later. Until and unless that leadership deficit is addressed, once and for all, the evident void will continue to yield a chilling truth and endless, ongoing suffering for my Zimbabwean brothers and sisters.
Pearl Matibe is a Zimbabwean activist and media commentator with an expertise on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs. You can follow her on Twitter at @PearlMatibe
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Vanguard Africa, the Vanguard Africa Foundation or its staff.