In a bid to retain its status quo, Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu PF, has transcended the stage of trying too hard. The latest act in this ongoing theatre played out at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, where Zanu PF left no stone unturned to embarrass the nation on the global stage. Engaging theatre students to don Zanu PF regalia and endorse the failed policies (failED) was not just a desperate cry for attention, but a futile attempt to impose itself on the international agenda, including on the schedule of host, Prime Minister Johnson. This act soon became the cannon fodder for Zanu PF’s misfiring propaganda machine, urgently needing recalibration with ground realities.
Zanu PF, blinded by desperation, viewed its invitation to the conference as a ticket to redemption, oblivious to the fact that the invitation was a mere ritual extended to all, even pariah states like Syria. This misinterpretation should not be seen as a sign of re-engagement or an exoneration for Zanu PF’s heinous, sadistic human and property rights abuses, rooted deeply in the mutilated national supreme law of the land. The rosy picture painted by Zanu PF of a re-engagement, sought to divert attention from the crisis-riddled country battling ultra-high unemployment, deindustrialisation, brain drain, and state paralysis.
The Glasgow Conference wasn’t a platform for reengagement, nor a veil for the urgent and crucial reforms needed for Zimbabwe’s transition into a democratic state. This misadventure of Zanu PF only highlighted its desperation to escape from the shackles of a one-party state status, which has plunged the state into paralysis, fostering rule by law, selective application of the law, impunity, looting, and plundering of the nation’s resources. The welfare of the people, ironically, remains neglected amidst this propaganda fest.
Zanu PF’s propaganda machine has been toiling in vain to project a picture of success, a mythical re-engagement to cover up the massive failure of the Look East policy. This futile exercise is a desperate attempt to counter the rising popularity of opposition figures like Chamisa. Unfortunately, Zanu PF underestimates the citizenry, erroneously thinking them to be zombies swayed by propagandist narratives, unable to question the ruling party’s actions.
Photo-ops of failED with UN Chief and UK Prime Minister pose serious questions. Do these superficial engagements have the potential to drive Zanu PF towards much-needed media reforms? Will they encourage a fairer playing field for the opposition, journalists, and activists who have long been victims of Zanu PF’s violence? Or are these just cheap propaganda tactics?
The answers to these questions are vital as they pertain to the broader discourse of constitutional and media reforms, justice for victims of political violence, and the transition of Zimbabwe into a democratic state. Zanu PF’s theatrical antics in Glasgow have only deepened the wounds of a nation yearning for change, transparency, and justice. The time for Zanu PF to face the music is imminent, as the curtain falls on its grandiose propaganda show, exposing the masked disgrace that it has become.
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