MDC Had Its Hubris, Now It Meets Its Nemesis

Morgan Tsvangirai's public obsequiousness towards Mugabe is emboldening ZANU PF supporters, bewildering his own supporters within Zimbabwe and ensuring that Mugabe, in terms of internal image, is now seen, once again, as invincible and triumphant, despite losing the general election in 2008. Only last week, at a Premium Banking Hall on the Ground Floor of the Miekles Hotel complex in Harare, I heard the security there, speaking of Mugabe, say, "Mudhara uyu ndiye munhu wandabigga manje". It is Zimbabwean slang which basically means "This Old Man is one not to trifle with." Barely a year ago, Mugabe's name was mud in Zimbabwe. He has been rehabilitated by largely by the public demeanour of Morgan Tsvangirai towards him since February this year

Harare, Zimbabwe, 08 September 2009

You remember the heady days between September and February, when Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister?

MDC supporters, especially those outside the country, wrote authoritatively about the way things had changed in Zimbabwe, how things had changed forever in Zimbabwe.

As I warned repeatedly here that that Tsvangirai was walking into a lion's den, that he was going the route taken by Joshua Nkomo and that he would be swallowed whole by Mugabe, MDC supporters on this blog and elsewhere shouted that things had changed, we were in the 21st century now and so on.

Do you hear them speak now?

Of course not.

Hubris is that overweening arrogance that discounts all the lessons of personal and human history, leading one to believe that they are the master of fate, of history and of the future.

Nemesis is when the table are turned and history teaches the arrogant one a lesson they will never forget.

Today we read that an MDC supporter has been murdered in the rural areas of Zimbabwe.

This is not a surprise.

You will recall a month ago, I told you about my visit to the Pfungwe area (which was formerly Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe, one parliamentary constituency, which Mugabe split into three separate ones, Uzumba, Maramba and Pfungwe, knowing it was his stronghold, and he got three seats where he should have had one?

Its called gerrymandering.

But I mention it because I also told you that the villagers there told me "You are united in Harare there, that arrangement does not apply to us."

Yet we were told in February and in March this year by MDC supporters all over the web that ZANU PF supporters were on the run, MDC supporters in the rural areas were going back demanding their property, stolen during the June run-off.

Fake reports of the MDC holding rallies deep in rural strongholds of Mugabe ignited the imaginations of the gullible.

We were told that police were now firmly behind Tsvangirai and would not tolerate any MDC supporters being harassed, never mind killed.

We were told that Tsvangirai was firmly in control and that Mugabe was now just a figurehead.

We were informed that all the foot soldiers in the army were with the MDC and it was only their superiors who were "refusing to salute our president". Yet this MDC supporter killed this last week was murdered by common soldiers at a Shopping Centre for playing an anti-Mugabe song.

Another MDC supporter was beaten to within an inch of his life two weeks ago by soldiers at a popular Harare Braai joint for "disrespecting our Commander-in-Chief".

Police continue to act in a blatantly partisan manner when it comes to investigating "crimes" and violence. ZANU PF supporters continue to enjoy protection of the law while MDC supporters can be thrown behind bars for blinking or any other slight infraction.

Do you know why this is so?

I do.

It is because the impression Morgan Tsvangirai is giving in government is that he has subordinated himself to Mugabe. The news that Morgan Tsvangirai calls Mugabe "indispensable and irreplaceable" is broadcast far and wide in Zimbabwe, because it suits ZANU PF.

Everything Tsvangirai has been doing so far has shown the people that Tsvangirai is nowhere near being an equal of Mugabe, as the propaganda from the MDC led us to believe.

The reason I keep going back to this is to show you that the MDC is its own worst enemy on this.

When I point out these issues, the motive is to warn the MDC of the pitfalls that they face, the scenarios that they should be planning for.

But it is not taken like that, especially by MDC supporters. Immediately, because you are not singing praises and are not caught up in the euphoria of declaring that Mugabe is finished, you are dismissed.

This is where the Hubris comes in - the "we know it all and no one can tell us otherwise."

Every single move Mugabe has made since February was foreseen and the MDC was warned on this blog as well as in phone calls I make to friends in the Prime Minister's office.

Normally, the response one gets (not from the PMs office, but from run-of-the-mill MDC supporters) is: "You are exaggerating Mugabe's influence and powers. He is on the wane. He is no longer in charge. He is no longer in control and Tsvangirai is the man of the moment."

Such talk is dangerous in Tsvangirai's ears.

It is the reason why the MDC now faces Nemesis. They failed to engage in scenario planning, mistaking their wishes for horses, convincing themselves that what they thought was the case was indeed the case.

This is why you will NEVER find a single MDC supporter engaging this blog on the points we raise. NEVER. They will only seek to smear and so on, but I am inured to that.

I understand their impotence and frustration and yes, I do feel pity for them. But unfortunately I can not help them because they can not be helped, since they know it all.

And those Mugabe moves have come to pass