My view is that politicians are like chameleons: they change their skin colour depending on the environment that they want to adapt to. This is the case today as it was yesterday, with Zimbabwean politicians from all political formations. Suddenly Zanu-PF and the MDC are bed-fellows; they can together mislead the media, agree to media […]
Bhekinkosi Moyo
Bhekinkosi Moyo is trained in political science and currently shuttles between Southern Africa and West Africa. He works for TrustAfrica-a Pan African oriented foundation that works to secure the conditions for democratic governance and equitable development. In 2007, he edited a collection of chapters: Africa in Global Power Play. He has just completed editing an 18 country book on DisEnabling the Public Sphere: Civil Society Regulation in Africa.
Posted inNews/Politics
Who is crazy: Mugabe, Tsvangirai, you or me?
I want to make it clear that this is not an argument, but a recount of events of the past week. The events have been so fluid that I decided I would just recount some of the highlights. I am writing this piece at a very strange and ungodly hour. It’s well past midnight. It’s […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zimbabwe Violence reminiscent of Gukurahundi massacres
This was a difficult contribution to make for a number of reasons. First, I am very close to the events that I am about to describe. In early 1982 to the late 1980s, Zimbabwe experienced an ugly period called Gukurahundi (a Shona word meaning, the early rain that washes away the chaff before the spring […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Be very afraid; June 27 might be catastrophic for Zimbabwe
The signs are very clear: June 27 and its aftermath spell doom for Zimbabwe. Already weeks leading up to the run-off have been characterised by abductions, torture and murder. The violence is just unimaginable. As a matter of fact, what people saw in South Africa in the past couple of weeks is reminiscent of the […]
Posted inGeneral
Succession is also an issue for civil society
This is probably the last time some people will talk to me. For what I am about to say is well known in the sector and no one has dared say it publicly, at least in a systematic and sustained manner. Well, today I am going to. I want to make it clear that what […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Bob the Boss
The crowd went into frenzy. Old and young, men and women, all listened attentively as Innocent Batsani Ncube recited his poems. I had listened to Innocent earlier on in the afternoon when he did a short piece on the “R” factor in reference to the just ended elections in Zimbabwe. The “R” referred to Robert […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why Africa’s elections are becoming irrelevant
Events of the past months make it very difficult to defend the relevance of elections. The cases of Kenya and Zimbabwe point to the need for a new thinking around governance. In these two cases, elections have betrayed people’s wishes and subverted their democratic right to a leader of their choice. Such scenarios call for […]
Posted inNews/Politics
From an imperial presidency to the will of the people: Kenya’s new dawn
Kenya has been spared from sliding into more crises. Yesterday, its Parliament unanimously passed into law two crucial Bills that seek to operationalise the power-sharing deal between the ODM and PNU. This was a historic moment for Kenyans as they watched the live parliamentary session, which was attended by both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Tears of a non-resident father: A conversation with emotions
The agony of a non-resident father is one that may not be easily tolerated, yet a number of men are locked up in this phenomenon. The same is true of the few women who are also absent mothers. This piece, though, is about an absent father and how his sick son compels him to take […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Of prostitutes, frogs, puppets and old men
Foul language is all we have heard from the president’s mouth in the countdown to the March 29 harmonised elections in Zimbabwe. It makes one wonder where the nation will end up. It has come down to electing a “prostitute” (sometimes called a “frog”), a puppet or an old man in the contest for the […]