By Claver Nyuki
The controversial MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa whose ascendancy to power was contentious at best, continues to utter his usual reckless statements that bare his immaturity and his misogynistic side that has left even his staunchest supporters questioning his ability to lead the party let alone the country.
While addressing party supporters in Lupane ahead of the Lupane East constituency by-election set for next week, Chamisa revealed that he had already put together a retirement package for His Excellency, President Mnangagwa and his deputies which included farms, whisky and women, much to the incredulity of the attending crowd.
“I will give him (President Mnangagwa) a farm together with (VPs) Chiwenga and Mohadi. I want to say sit and be quiet. I will give you whisky and I'll give you women. Whatever you want I'll give you," Chamisa said
Chamisa’s statement lays bare the fact that he treats women and the electorate with contempt and assumes that they are nothing more than pawns in his political chess game.
In the run up to the 2018 Presidential election, Chamisa got tongues wagging again when he openly declared that if President Mnangagwa as much as got so much as 5% in the elections, he would give him his then under age sister who was about to turn 18 years old.
“If Mnangagwa wins 5% in a free election, I will give him my sister. I have a sister who just turned 18 and looking for a husband. I'm betting on this because I know it won't happen.” He declared.
One might also remember that the now defunct National Patriotic Front (NPF), failed to field a Presidential candidate in the 2018 elections and openly supported Chamisa’s candidature but now, barely a year later, the Spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire, has questioned his leadership credentials because of his misogynistic statements.
“If Chamisa said that he will give the junta leaders "women" as part of their retirement package then this country is cursed. May the Lord give us proper men of God as leaders,” Mawarire said.
Even Chamisa’s most fierce supporter, Mable Kayiya, who is based in the United Kingdom (UK) and is known for spearheading demonstrations in the Diaspora, despite her usual nonsense in support of Chamisa on the social media, has encouraged the MDC Women’s Assembly to take Chamisa to task over the statement.
“#MDC Women's Assembly should be up in arms re #Chamisa's sexist remarks but they aren't kidding when they chant 'CCC,” Kayiya tweeted,
A quick look at how Chamisa ascended to the topmost MDC position will show a trail of misogynous politician. Who does not remember how he elbowed the rightful heir to Tsvangirai, Thokozani Khupe, by holding secret succession meetings until he subsequently took over power from her. Who does not remember the frightening sight of the menacing MDC militia, the Vanguard, forcing Khupe and the then party secretary general, Douglas Mwonzora into a hut at the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai’s rural home in Buhera? If it were not for the timely intervention of the police the two would have died in an inferno as the militia were moving to set the hut on fire.
As if the Buhera incident and the forceful takeover of the party were not enough, Chamisa went further and dispatched his cronies led by his ‘girlfriend,’ Joana Mamombe to taunt Khupe at the High Court in Harare as she was attending the court case in which she was challenging Chamisa over the use of the party name and symbols.
The Chamisa brigade chanted, “Hure (whore)!”, “Hure!” at Khupe as she left the court building. What is worse is that Chamisa used women to taunt another woman, a clear sign that Chamisa sees women as mere pawns in his political chess game.
Women make up 52 percent of Zimbabwe’s population and are the majority in churches and political parties. This means that they also form the majority of the electorate which participates in election. Put differently, Chamisa holds in gross contempt the gender which he expects to vote him into power. He is alienating wilfully himself from the population demographic which holds the key to his electoral success. Is it any surprise that he was denied electoral victory by the electorate last year?
At the rate at which Chamisa is going, it is a matter of when rather than if Chamisa is going to lose support of the Women’s Assembly as he continues to show his blatant disregard for them.
