A few years ago, I had a bitter argument with some South Africans. They were accusing me of being a Mugabe apologist because I was defending the old man to the hilt. This was not because I liked him. He had long passed his use-by date.
What I could not stomach was a bunch of people pestering me about why we could not get rid of the old man when he had just won an election- rigged or not, as if they could help. I told them bluntly that I might be a supporter of Mugabe but at least my support was only verbal. Their support was financial. And they seemed shocked.
I told them that if you fly to Zimbabwe, the food you eat is mostly likely to have been made by a Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front company, Catercraft.
When you arrived in Zimbabwe and you wanted to travel in style, you probably hired a car from a ZANU-PF company as ZIMOCO had the franchise for the most luxurious cars in the country- Mercedes Benz or Jeep.
When you got to your hotel, the food you ate was probably cooked on a stove made by a ZANU-PF company, Tregers.
Even in South Africa itself most people prided themselves in using stoves made by a ZANU-PF company, Kango, branded KIC.
The blankets on your bed were from a ZANU-PF company, National Blankets.
The water you bathed or showered was heated by a geyser made by a ZANU-PF company.
And you probably went to change your money at a ZANU-PF bank……
My point was that ZANU-PF was a conglomerate that most people, including those who hated Mugabe, supported financially without realizing it. And one of the brains behind the business empire was none other than Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was right when he refused to release his party’s manifesto before that of ZANU-PF because Mnangagwa would “steal” his ideas. The guy does not just “steal” but he also implements. And does it better than the originators of the idea just like his favourite comrades, the Chinese.
One of the world’s richest men, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma upset the international community when he boasted that fake products manufactured in China were not only better quality than originals but they were much cheaper.
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