Chamisa must not surround himself with bad people…like ED has done

ZwNews.com

Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-Alliance) president Nelson Chamisa has been urged to avoid the cherry picking of homeboys, close friends on basis of patronage, but to select those who are going to work closely with him based on merit.

Chamisa, who has just been nominated for the presidency by the party’s thirteen provinces unopposed is set to assemble a team that will help him steer the ship into the future, and analysts warm him not to follow  the likes of President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is now surrounded by cartels that helped him in the 2017 coup.

Mnangagwa stands blamed for picking his inner circle based on tokenism, giving homeboys top posts, not because of merit, but based on how they helped him overthrow Robert Mugabe.

General Constantino Chiwenga is rumoured to have exploited this situation to  assume a lot of power than any Vice President has ever done in the history of Zimbabwe.

Chiwenga who travels with his own Presidential motorcade is now believed to be the de facto President of Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, analysts say when MDC-Alliance deputy president Elias Mudzuri and secretary general Douglas Mwonzora expressed interest to contest Chamisa to the top post, it created some form of allegiance friction some favouring the two while others stood with Chamisa, but warn, that alone should not be the basis for landing top posts.

Political commentator Elder Mabhunu says Chamisa should unite the party and pick his core team on merit and not just loyalty only, adding that such tendencies have killed many political parties not only in Zimbabwe but world over.

Mabhunu gives examples of how ED surrounded himself with “useless people”s, soon after the coup, he even appointed an election loser Christopher Mutsvangwa as his personal advisor, appointed vigilante leader Owen Ncube to ministerial post, and recently Oliver Chidhawu. Mabhunu says most of ED’s appointments were motivated by the spirit to payback for having been loyal to him and nothing else.

“As simply put by Barney Mthombothi of the Sunday Times, who wrote; ‘The people who land posts in parliament as our representatives are not the best qualified, but ended up there as reward for their loyalty to the ruling party.’ This is so scary,” he quotes.

Mthombothi was writing in regards to how South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also fallen in the trap of wanting to please bootlickers who stood by him in the game to succeed Jacob Zuma, who had also surrounded himself with a corrupt and greed cartel, that saw the country’s economy nosediving. Ramaphosa is currently struggling to turn the ship.

Meanwhile, veteran journalist Hopewell Chin’ono agrees with Mabhunu that Chamisa should be wary of the tendency of wanting to reward bootlickers, as this would ruin the party.

“Now that the MDC presidential race has been settled with Chamisa emerging as the uncontested candidate. The real work that will define his leadership is yet to start. He should avoid surrounding himself with mates and sycophants, but with able minds.”