Today is six months and 11 days since former vice-president Kembo Mohadi resigned from his submit following two weeks of juicy revelations of his bed room commissions with two married girls, one in every of who labored in his workplace.
He had been VP since December 2018 when President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed him alongside Constantino Chiwenga following the July elections.
When Mohadi was busted for being an adulterous fornicator, he strongly — although hoarsely — denied the allegations.
Even as he was penning his resignation, he was nonetheless huffing the denial. In the gospel based on Mohadi, the ex-VP was resigning due to three issues:
One, he needed to “save the picture of the federal government”.
Two, he needed to guard the pursuits of Zimbabwean residents — no matter that might ever imply — following the “false” allegations by on-line media that scandalised him.
Finally, he needed to make use of his sabbatical from workplace to show that he was harmless.
He virtually appeared like he could be again as soon as he had executed that!
One guesses he’s nonetheless on his approach with a scoop on how he was framed.
The factor, although, is that he appears to have already misplaced the power for his self-imposed task.
And it additionally appears nearly everybody just isn’t caring a hoot if or not he’ll pitch the news and present how harmless he’s.
But it might at all times be futile and ineffective for Mohadi to try to persuade us that he’s a clear man.
Simply as a result of, exterior his shenanigans with younger, married girls, he has by no means been a clear dude.
Who doesn’t keep in mind his soiled fights with Tambudzani, his former spouse, as an example?
All the three causes he gave as excuses for his shameful—although unprecedented—resignation are as lame as they’re bizarre.
To begin with, it was by no means going to be clear how he was going to avoid wasting the picture of the federal government by dropping off the wagon.
Show me a single man in there who doesn’t have his personal sleazy issues with girls and I’ll present the best way to heaven in flip.
But then, that is one authorities whose solely picture is a dirty picture.
How does eradicating a single weed from the mud make the mud clear?
Still speaking about pictures, how come Mohadi by no means thought in regards to the picture of his occasion, the place he stays as second secretary of vice-president?
If it was, certainly, true and sincere that leaving authorities would play a job in laundering the picture of the federal government, it should even be true that leaving Zanu PF would launder or “protect” the picture of the occasion.
Stepping down from authorities and remaining within the occasion is a complicated transfer.
Unless, in fact, he was saying that the picture of Zanu PF didn’t matter.
Zanu PF will quickly be holding its convention.
It stays to be seen if Mohadi can even resign on the annual ritual or nonetheless cling onto his submit within the occasion.
But who cares what is going to occur on the convention?
What’s of better essence, although, is the place of second vice-president.
Who needs it?
There is nothing to point out that Mohadi’s departure has left a telling dent on the governance of this nation.
It’s enterprise as typical—or, extra exactly, uncommon.
Put otherwise, nearly no person is lacking Kembo or the place of second VP that he held.
If there aren’t any disruptions in authorities when the second VP leaves workplace and it isn’t taken up by one other, then you definately would possibly simply as effectively overlook about this weirdly distinctive construction whereby a authorities has two vice-presidents.
Let’s get it clear proper from the beginning.
This two-VP gook has a historic and constitutional foundation.
We began having two VPs in authorities after the 1987 Unity Accord.
The accord, in essence, introduced Zanu PF and PF Zapu collectively after which referred to as the brand new occasion Zanu PF following 5 or so years of intense inner disturbances referred to as Gukurahundi.
Then, they stated bringing collectively the two events was in the very best pursuits of nationwide unity as it might take away hostilities between Zanu PF and PF Zapu and allow “everybody” to work collectively.
This approach, one VP would come from the outdated Zanu PF and the second from the outdated PF Zapu.
Underneath that, there would even be tribal/regional balances within the composition of presidency companies, however that has largely remained on paper, in fact.
It was then sanitised as a constitutional provision.
The president can appoint “a most” of two VPs.
The outdated structure and the brand new one which was adopted in 2013 didn’t or don’t say the president should appoint two VPs, which is a unique factor altogether.
It signifies that authorities can nonetheless run with only one VP.
The downside, although, is that successive Zanu PF governments have been continuing as if it have been compulsory to have two VPs on a regular basis.
But it’s clear now that appointing two nationwide VPs is a egocentric technique to serve disused Zanu PF pursuits.
The second VP has at all times come from what some folks in there nonetheless imagine to be the outdated Zapu.
That’s additionally why Mohadi was made VP, having come from the “outdated Zapu”, which Zanu PF nonetheless believes is a actuality right now, surprisingly.
For it isn’t.
When the late Dumiso Dabengwa pulled out of Zanu PF in 2008, he revived Zapu. That’s on file.
So then, it might by no means make sense for Zanu PF to suppose and fantasise that they’re drawing the second VP from Zapu, when that occasion, no matter its current state, now technically exists as a unique establishment and Zanu PF just isn’t taking the VP from that formation.
Does this make sense?
Besides, situations that justified having two VPs in authorities have now been eliminated.
When the structure was amended again then to supply for two VPs in authorities, we have been coming from a civil strife in southern Zimbabwe that had fairly like torn the nation aside, principally alongside political strains outlined by Zapu and Zanu.
While bitterness over Gukurahundi nonetheless exists, there isn’t a extra proof to point out that having a second VP from southern Zimbabwe—the so-called Zapu—is the answer.
In reality, the answer would lie in establishing a reality fee, genuinely apologising and offering reparation to the affected folks and their lineages.
In any case, it’s not true that southern Zimbabwe is dominated by Zapu.
For all you care, Zapu is as lifeless as a chilly turkey in a Christmas fridge now.
And that there’s rigidity in Zimbabwe can’t be denied.
If you’d nonetheless need to make the lengthy haul, cease speaking a few VP from southern Zimbabwe, or Zapu.
As it stands now, in case you nonetheless needed to insist on a second VP attempt fascinated with that particular person coming from the opposition, not this imaginary Zapu.
But once more, that’s not essentially the path to take. Zimbabwe doesn’t want a second nationwide VP, interval.
If Zanu PF goes to restrict that association to its yard, no-one besides them within the occasion will cry a single tear about it.
Who doesn’t know the way costly it’s to have two VPs?
They are accommodated in authorities places of work, reside in publicly-funded homes, function costly motorcades and draw hefty allowances for themselves and their clans of entourages on a regular basis they transfer round, doing just about nothing.
And the legislation now supplies that each former VP will likely be drawing a pension equal to that of a sitting VP.
Here is the factor.
It signifies that we now are having to be burdened with the salaries of three former VPs and one—two if there’s a substitute for Mohadi—VP all on the similar time, along with the remaining deputy.
The authorities has the responsibility to pay the pensions of Joyce Mujuru, Phelekezela Mphoko, Mohadi and Chiwenga.
Like already stated, in the event that they get in a brand new VP to take Mohadi’s place, we might be paying salaries for a staggering 5 VPs concurrently.
And who does that in an financial system that’s as sick as ours?
If we are able to go for six months and extra with no second VP and we’re not lacking something, we should simply as effectively overlook about this clumsy set-up. There is one in every of two issues that may be executed.
Either change the structure and dispose of the second VP or simply get into the mode of not appointing a second VP until everybody forgets we ever had a second VP within the first place.
- Tawanda Majoni is the nationwide coordinator at Information for Development Trust (IDT) and will be contacted on [email protected]
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2021/09/12/who-needs-two-vps-anyway/
