Lessons to be learnt from Khuphe’s crew

There is always truth in the statement: “When what you get is not what you wanted, then what you get is experience.” But there are more lessons that can be observed from nasty developments in the MDCA party. Instead of absorbing the bitterness, it pays to focus on lessons derived from such ill-treatments. The starting point is to separate value from what is valueless.

There is no value in bitterness, as value is only found in love. It is also impossible to derive value in lies—as what sustains value is truth. The only reason why the Zimbabwean dollar is valueless is that there is no truth in that currency. Mthuli Ncube can boast about Zimbabwean dollar having been reestablished. But, if an economist, worth his credentials, he knows that there is no truth in the economic policies of ZANU PF.

As long as there is no truth in the Zimbabwe dollar, no value is sustainable in that currency. Our problems in Zimbabwe lie in the inability to appreciate these simple principles, more than anything else. The thing called money, is an idea backed by confidence. The maxim that human life is more valuable than money, is highly workable. But how true can that statement be, of those who live to steal, causing misery and death to others?

There can be no argument in that a person is as valuable as making other people happy. It is only a criminal who celebrates after a loot. A valuable person knows that there is nothing to celebrate, as long as other people are prejudiced. A valuable person feels happy only when surrounded by happy people. A valueless person feels happy when surrounded by unhappy people.

The formidable question is, how many people smiled after Khuphe’s MDCT wickedly received over seven million dollars from ZANU PF government? An honest politician detests benefiting without the mandate of supporters. Even genuine supporters of ZANU PF, could not have celebrated, watching such brazenly evil treatment of MDCA. There is nothing to celebrate in falsehood.

Unless Zimbabweans understand this principle, the journey out of the current economic quagmire is still afar. Recently, we saw a list of those appearing as having scandalously benefitted from the farm mechanization program—being loans converted to grants. But, did those people, actually, benefit from such a scam? I doubt that most of them are currently richer than those who did not benefit. Those appearing as richer are, obviously, included among the current looters.

The majority of the farm mechanization program beneficiaries are worse than they were before receiving those grants. There is no value in falsehoods, although appearing as if there is value, from the perspective of the ignorant. Anything of value benefits other people rather than self. In other words, value is measured according to the number of people benefitting. A greater value is found in one who is able to cause more benefit to other people.

If true that President Mnangagwa has billions stashed outside the country, how valuable is he, to the Zimbabwean people? If not, how valuable can he be, towards himself? If not valuable to himself, how then is he valuable to the grave, into which he will be interned, after death? This proves a falsehood that makes people assume value in driving a Lamborghini, without benefitting common people.

There is no value that surpasses human beings. The idea of aspiring to drive a Lamborghini, at the expense of ordinary people, reduces the person’s value. Of course, just a few unintelligent people, befriending themselves with such clowns might not agree with this reality. Just as the majority of ignorant people assume that their value can be increased by driving Lamborghinis.

As pathetic as Africa is, it obviously is because of the ignorance of this reality. Value is not derived from money and properties. If ever there is anything to admire in a person, it ought to be his integrity. The type of car he drives, the house he lives in, and the type of clothes he wears are not what should be admired. Still, physical stature, or racial outlook, whether black or white, should not be of consideration.

“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4) (NIV).

James does not mean becoming a learned judge with evil thoughts. Everyone in this world is expected to make judgments, based on what is considered as a right, when compared with what would be wrong. But judgments can be influenced by evil thoughts. For instance, a policeman who, instead of doing his job, accepts bribes from criminals is considered corrupt.

This would be the same mind-set as applied by the one who practices favouritism, according to James. When giving favouritism to good looking people, one anticipates receiving favours from such people. Therefore, a person with a corrupt mind would rather cause the favoured people to jump queues. In countries like Zimbabwe, these things happen often and are accepted as normal.

That is corruption that James refers to; when behaving like having become judges with evil thoughts. This is typical of what was the case with the people of Nineveh, to where the prophet Jonah was sent to preach. However, due to the brazen sinful behaviour of Nineveh, Jonah had opted to go to Tarshis. God had to intervene, as His intention had been to help the Ninevites to come out of that sinful condition.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3) (NIV).

It is important to notice that had the Ninevites not repented, God intended to wipe out the entire nation. As Zimbabweans, it is important to realize that it is not only the Zimbabwean leader to suffer when God decides to punish Zimbabwe. The entire nation is susceptible to being punished. This calls for every Zimbabwean to realize the importance of taking responsibility in averting such divine punishment.

The fundamental root of all evil is falsehood. And the fundamental root of everything that is good, is truth. For how long are the Zimbabwean people going to fail to distinguish between falsehood and truth? Something quite interesting about the current leader, as compared with the previous ones, is his ability to hoodwink the entire world.

President Mugabe was not ambiguous about his evil nature. The current leader, declaring himself to be as soft as wool, can manipulate anyone gullible. This is what causes the entire world community to miss it. All brazen lies are believed, where truth would be questionable. While killing one black man in America attracts international attention. The same attention is economically executed, even with more than twenty times that number of murders in Zimbabwe.

It is only recently that I have become convinced that lies can be so powerful. I had, all along, assumed that nothing beats the truth. But when observing the peddled brazen lies being accepted without question, I become convinced that there is also power in falsehood. In Zimbabwe, it has, actually, become more dangerous to stand for truth, than to stand for lies. Those standing for falsehood appear as safer than those standing for truth.

What makes falsehood acceptable is that it is embellished with truth, so that the gullible easily fall for its subtlety. To cover up falsehood, hatred is spewed as the only answer—assumed as to eventually bring peace in a ravaged country. The reason that President Mnangagwa still stands, after the recent revelations about corruption, confirms the reality that there is power in lies.

The Khuphe group profess to stand for the idea of constitutionalism. But even constitutionalism is junior to people’s will. The violation of constitutionalism, against Robert Mugabe, was sanitized by the multitudes who marched to support the idea of his removal. Technically, the Khuphe group could be justified to victimize MDCA. But the question to be answered is whether what now transpires is supported by the majority among the MDCA supporters.

While claiming to be champions of democracy and constitutionalism, Komichi and his friends appear as selective of what the Supreme Court ruling states. In legal terms, the meaning of moot refers to something that has no practical usage or meaning. The usage of this term by the Supreme Court is understandable. Both the feuding parties had had their own congresses, making that judgment, merely academic, rather than effective. But it is highly workable for those seeking to cause confusion, rather than bring order.

It is one thing to legally acquire properties and money when misinterpreting what the law says. But quite another to do so under the approval by the majority. Pure justice suggests the greatest benefit to the majority among those concerned. Our human laws can be manipulated. But the supreme law stipulates greatest benefits to the greatest number of people, as forever remaining supreme. After all, constitutions are designed to protect the majority. It is only criminals who seek to take advantage of the loopholes.

The power of lies comes from deliberate disregard of the fundamental truths. When ZANU PF used traditional chiefs to obtain votes, they did so, in clear violation of the constitution. There are so many academics who view themselves as staunch supporters of democracy and traditionally known as opponents of ZANU PF. Yet, such people, actually, turn blind when observing clear violations, appearing as unable to tell what is right from wrong. That behaviour is more deadly than the brazen violators of the constitution.

Among such esteemed people are highly respected Christians. They live by the idea that succumbing is necessary for maintaining “peace.” They find it necessary to let ZANU PF rape and maim opponents, freely—as a way of submitting to authority to maintain peace in the country. Some would even suggest that it is unchristian to confront such evil rulers, assumed as allowed by God to be in authority. They, clearly misuse Scriptures, for that purpose.

The bottom line is that everything would be based on falsehood. Truth is that there is no randomness in God. What is good cannot be mixed with what is evil. And what is evil cannot be mixed with what is good. The idea of corruption is propelled by self-centeredness, which is ungodly. A corrupt person thinks in terms of what benefits him, before looking at what benefits others. The things that constitute corruption are associated with self-centeredness. In other words, anything that focusses on personal gain, ahead of other people, subscribes to corruption.

Anyone who understands this simple truism cannot practice corruption, even in politics. Corruption is also found in education, religion, sport, and indeed, commerce and industry. Corruption portrays the mindset of an individual who assumes having been created just for himself. However, truth is in that there is no-one, in this world, who was created just for himself. Each individual was created to serve other people.

This can be analogized in the physical structure of a human body. A hand is not there to benefit itself, but other parts of the body. A mouth is not there to feed itself, but ensuring that the entire body is well-nourished. The same applies to various other limbs of the body. The providential lessons to be extracted from the behaviour of Khuphe’s group are threefold.

1. The result of what happens when focusing on benefits to self, rather than the larger group needs, cannot be favourable to a self-centred individual. Although having benefitted, monetarily, Khuphe’s group has failed, even before starting, as they know that there are not supporters behind them.

2. MDCA must have learnt powerful lessons, to avoid messing up with constitutionalism in future. For MDCA, there is no need to feel cheated by Khuphe’s group, except acknowledging MDCA’s own mistakes and avoid them in future.

3. Clearly, the power of MDCA is found in people, rather than in physical properties and money. ZANU PF may not publicly acknowledge, but MDCA is their real formidable opponent.

Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.

The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99

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