How the mighty have fallen out!

One brief public squabble, and Mugabe loses a friend and gains an enemy

It's always nice to keep up with the doings of old friends, and an old friend of this blog certainly had a noteworthy day last week.  I'm talking about War Veterans leader and general rabble-rouser Jabulani Sibanda. For Jabulani, always one of Mugabe's noisiest supporters, Friday was the day when the wheels really came off.

It happened like this. Jabulani was attending the Zanu-PF Extraordinary Congress in the evident expectation that he would be lauded for his services to our President. After all, he's energetically organised a score of marches for Mugabe, included the recent and highly expensive Million Man March, which was attended by...well, by thousands, anyway. He naturally expected at least a public pat on the back.

So when it came the moment for a War Veterans statement of solidarity, Jabulani, to the cheers of his supporters, moved briskly to climb up on the podium and take the microphone. And all hell broke loose.

As his hands grabbed the mike, so did those of Zanu-PF national chairman John Nkomo. "Go away," Nkomo was heard to cry. "You are a problem. we will deal with you later."

Jabulani hung on grimly. Nkomo shouted some more. And soon everyone was shouting at once. Vice Presidents Joseph Msika and Joyce Mujuru were on their feet, threatening to leave the platform. Sibanda' supporters screamed their support. The image of a smoothly organised and united party congress was rapidly disappearing down the toilet.

At which point Mugabe himself intervened, and the steely authority with which this man has ruled us for so long was suddenly and dazzling visible. With an agility that belied his 83 years, he sprang to his feet, wrested the microphone from other grasping hands, and in the tones of the schoolmaster he once was, he thundered: "Everyone sit down!"

Everyone sat. You could have heard a pin drop.

Mugabe now let the conference and poor Jabulani have it with both barrels. "I cannot lead a party that misbehaves like this. We respect our War Veterans but they should be disciplined. Sibanda, you are ill disciplined. Don't corrupt the War Veterans with your uncouth behaviour."

He went on to say a lot more, and in the meantime a chastened Jabulani was led away by security men.

On Sunday afternoon I caught up with Jabulani at his Nkulumane home, and found him a bitter man. "I feel betrayed by Mugabe," he told me.  "He is now my enemy. I remain the leader of the War Veterans, and I am pulling them out of Zanu-PF. I will make us available to Morgan Tsvangirai. (Leader of the opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change") We will campaign for him."

I have a famous saying for Jabulani. "Put not your trust in princes." (Psalm 146, verse 3)

And one for Morgan Tsvangirai:  "I fear the Greeks, even though they offer gifts."  (Virgil 70 - 19 BC)

Comments

[Kenanami]

A good piece. Amazing how bootlickers get kicked where it hurts most-in the a**

[musa]

i have repeatdly warned Sibanda on Mugabe.
look how he was embarrased i front of 10000 people and other televsion views countrywide.
Mugabe is ever consistant with his plans.
once he uses you he just discard you without mercy
hope this would be a warning to other Mugabe targets