Mpofu and his bungling

The arrogance that Zimbabwe’s politicians continue to display is amazing. Take the case of Matebeleland North governor Obert Mpofu for example. He was beaten clean in the parliamentary elections for June.

But because former governor Welshman Mabhena had committed the abominable sin of trying to accommodate the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and therefore had to go, Mpofu was appointed governor.

While this should have been an honour for Mpofu, this was more to spite the people of Matebeleland North because here was someone they had rejected being imposed on them to govern them.

The people of Bulawayo where he is based and the entire Matebeleland North where he is governor had totally rejected him and the ruling ZANU-PF.

Even some senior ZANU-PF officials from Matebeleland must be considering him a turncoat because there are whispers that some of them had literally allowed the MDC to walk all over ZANU-PF because they did not want to allow themselves to be used by the ruling party again because although they were still in power they had lost all respect from their own people.

It was therefore quite frightening to hear Mpofu say supporters of the MDC would not be considered for resettlement in his province?

Surely, if the government did not resettle MDC supporters in Matebeleland North, who were they going to resettle? Where they going to bus supporters from other provinces?

No wonder some people in Matebeleland are now saying they did their job, it is up to ZANU-PF supporters to do theirs. They are saying that they never voted ZANU-PF into power in their region, they voted ZAPU and when ZAPU became ZANU- PF they kicked it out.

They do not consider Mpofu their governor therefore so he can say whatever he wants. The biggest question is why President Mugabe appointed him in the first place.

Stephen Nkomo is a little better. He at least has support from two MPs.

Even before the unity accord, President Mugabe, or Prime Minister as he then was, made sure that he appointed a governor who was closer to ZAPU because it was the ruling party of that province. Why he chose Mpofu and not someone closer to the MDC baffles the mind.

With no one to back them up at local level, Mpofu and Nkomo are just sitting ducks. Perhaps, Mpofu was just trying to find a way out.

How can he sit in his office, holding political office in an entire province that is against everything he represents?

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