My chance meeting with Nelson Chamisa at the British ambassador’s residence last week provoked some reflection.
At this beautiful garden party to celebrate the birthday of King Charles III, I noticed that Chamisa’s body language now communicated a sense of humility, which is markedly different from previous encounters.
The air of entitlement and invincibility was decidedly absent.
To begin with, Chamisa approached me and greeted me as “his long-lost brother.”
We may be estranged, but he is still my beloved brother in Christ.
Twice Chamisa has failed in his ambition to reach the House of Representatives and bring about a change of government for his multitude of followers.
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Failure is always a good thing if we learn from it. Have Chamisa and her undisciplined followers learned anything from the defeat?
Only time will tell.
It is true that Zanu PF and the state security establishment played a major role in destroying the opposition, but Chamisa and those around him must bear some responsibility.
That is the first lesson and possibly the most important.
Studying political opponents is all well and good, but introspection may be much more valuable. As things stand, Zimbabwe has no opposition whatsoever.
Chamisa still has the potential to be the leader of the first successful opposition, only if he has learned from the hard blows of his two failures.
Understanding the task at hand is important for success.
Given our collective brokenness, the goal of any opposition is the fundamental transformation of our society.
Healing our national psyche will be enormously important to achieving lasting change.
Consequently, change is not just about removing Zanu PF from power, important as that is. It is important to understand that Zanu PF has become a cancer on our entire society.
Unfortunately, the ruling party is synonymous with incompetence, mediocrity, greed and corruption.
Zanu PF must be rooted out and make way for the foundations of a new society.
Any opposition that fails to realize our brokenness and need for healing will have limited success in Zimbabwe.
The enormity of the national and generational task at hand and, indeed, the damage that the opposition has suffered serve as a warning that this is something that is unlikely to be achieved by a single person.
This lesson is enormously important for both leaders and followers of opposition politics.
The message to Zimbabweans is to be an informed, engaged and active citizenry.
An engaged, informed and tolerant citizenry will ensure that opposition politics are led by important men and women.
Rather than relying on a single person, those who want sustainable change must engage in building a broad-based coalition based on democratic values such as constitutionalism, tolerance, the rule of law, transparency and accountability. Only a movement that coalesces around values and principles, not passing grievances, will change our society.
Consistent leadership is a collective of competent men and women. It’s teamwork, not individualism.
Democracy at the national level will not be achieved by a political party led by sectarians, hooligans and sycophants.
The heavy nation-building agenda requires the creation of political parties that value strong institutions and practice democracy at the national and regional levels.
A political party without a constitution and rules-based conduct should not be entrusted with the art of government.
In fact, such a political party is a real threat to fundamental principles such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
Party constitutions are an inconvenience for dictators large and small, but they are essential in protecting the organization and individuals from overreach and abuse.
Constitutions and good internal governance guarantee stability and continuity.
If Zimbabweans love Chamisa, then they must have already realized that he is human and fallible.
They must then prepare our politics for the future by ensuring that he is surrounded by a strong circle of rivals who will help make him a better leader.
Chamisa has age on his side. Right now, she should be on a listening tour with other pastors, independent civil society and businesses.
You should sit down, shut up, take notes, and then go away and reflect.
Rebuilding himself from his failures, he must welcome those far better than him into his inner circle.
You should not be intimidated by the sharp minds around you, but rather realize that good leaders tend to surround themselves with people much better than themselves.
For Zimbabwe to prosper, Zanu PF’s entrenched cancer culture must be replaced by leaders who do not imitate the ruling party.
Zimbabwe will best benefit from an environment that has strong opposition political parties and a vibrant marketplace of ideas.
- Trevor Ncube is Chairman of Alpha Media Holdings and host of ICWT
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