MAFUME AND THE NEW MOMENT IN OUR POLITICS

There is something happening in our politics right now, and many people do not want to talk about it. A man like Jacob Mafume stands at the centre of it. Some people like him, some people do not, but every person who watches Zimbabwe’s politics can see that he is not an ordinary leader. What we make of Mafume is our own choice, but one thing is clear. He may hold the key to something new in local politics. He may open a door that many people never thought possible in this country.

I have spoken to Mafume a few times in my work as a journalist before I became the activist I am today. From the time of the MDC splits under Tsvangirai until today, he has always struck me as someone who truly believes in democracy. He hates dictatorship. He hates big man politics. He does not like the idea of one man controlling everything. Maybe in the future he will be tempted to act like the same leaders he criticises, but for now he seems sincere in how he thinks about leadership. He is also very sharp. He thinks fast. That is how he has survived for so long and why he now sits in the office he holds.

Next year, if nothing changes, Mafume will become Harare’s longest serving mayor since the year 2000. Many people before him were removed, destroyed or pushed aside by the Government. We all know ZANU PF uses the law, the police and State power to crush opponents. Many good leaders have been ruined simply because they refused to bow down. Somehow, Mafume has survived all that.

I have had friendly discussions with him recently, and he explained his new attitude. He says he is just trying to do the job he was elected to do. He says the people of Harare want water in their taps. They want rubbish collected. They want sewer lines fixed. The deals he agreed to for waste management and water reticulation may have come through Government, but they bring real benefits to the residents. He had two choices. He could refuse and play politics, or he could cooperate so that services improve. He chose to cooperate, and he will likely keep doing so on many future projects that the Government brings.

There is a political story inside this. He told me that the opposition always wanted to be part of running the country. Controlling councils was one way to show the people that the opposition could govern. So for him, working with Government partners is the same as working with USAID or any Western organisation that brings help to Harare. He says he cannot refuse help just because it comes from ZANU PF. In his mind, service to the people must come first.

But many of his own councillors do not understand him. They want the old style of opposition politics where fighting and blocking everything was the strategy. There are also people in ZANU PF and outside ZANU PF who do not want Harare to work. They do not want a functional city that cooperates with central Government. So it becomes easy for people to say Mafume is working with a ZANU PF faction.

This brings us to a big question. With Chamisa hiding from politics for now, could Mafume reshape the nation’s politics? He leads the capital city, and that position has power. Could he openly say he wants to work with Government to build a new political culture? The problem is fear. In the opposition, anyone who is seen to go against Chamisa is treated like an enemy. If Mafume chooses a new path, he risks backlash from Chamisa’s supporters. But the truth is this. Mafume’s life no longer depends on Chamisa. And in this moment in history, he may become something very different.