Speculation rampant as outsider Mutambara tipped to lead MDC
pro-senate faction

By Violet Gonda

22 February 2006

The return of former student leader Arthur Mutambara to the country has landed like a bombshell in the increasingly volatile world of opposition politics. He is expected to be voted the new president of the MDC pro-senate faction at their congress this weekend.

Expectations of Mutambara’s presence has dominated Zimbabwe journalist news sites and caused much excitement especially in the forums in the Diaspora.

So who is this new kid on the block and why is his return threatening to overturn the political situation in the country?

Sidney Masamvu, a journalist and the analyst for Southern Africa for the International Crisis Group (ICG) says Mutambara was his senior at Hartzell High School in Manicaland.   Masamvu remembers students looking up to him for leadership because of his academic achievements.

Mutambara left Hartzell in 1986 after completing his A levels and moved to the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) where he staged a number of demonstrations as a student activist back in the 80's protesting against corruption.

He gained his doctorate from Oxford University and became a Rhodes scholar. For the last decade he has been mostly in the United States where he attained high status as a scientist in the field of robotics . He went on to work for the US space agency NASA.

There has been some mixed reactions to the news that the 40-year-old academic is returning to Zimbabwe. Some say that being a student activist several years ago is hardly a qualification to lead a political party in the very changed situation of Zimbabwean politics in 2006. Others say he could be just the figure to bring together the disparate elements of the MDC party. He has huge stature, wide respect and a prodigious intellect.

In any event there are certainly big hurdles to be overcome, not least is the fact that he is relatively unknown to ordinary Zimbabweans. Some say that to be a leader of the opposition requires courage rather than intellect.

Masamvu says politics in Zimbabwe, let alone Africa, has not really matured to an extent where academic credentials take precedence. He said although it is a positive element to have someone who is educated, “it’s really going to be a different ballgame when Arthur is down under a tree in Chendambuya in Samangwa village in Gokwe, meeting the average villager. This is the politics of understanding the needs of the common man.”

He said whatever their positives and negatives, this is where you see the charisma of Robert Mugabe and the charisma of Morgan Tsvangirai as they are people who can still command a large following on the ground. Masamvu said Mutambara would have to climb down from his ivory tower to come to the basics as the common man does not want to hear about theories but wants to know when he is going to see freedom and how to feed his family.

Outspoken political commentator Dr John Makumbe said he respects Mutambara’s reputation but believes he has taken a wrong turn that would be difficult to extricate himself from by aligning himself with what he termed as “the lifeless pro-senate camp.” Dr Makumbe believes Mutambara should rather have offered to be part of Morgan Tsvangirai’s executive.

Some say whatever the pros and cons of Mutambara as a candidate he is the only show in town as far as the MDC party is concerned. The farce of the separate factions squabbling over the symbols and name of the party, and organising separate congresses is serving no apparent purpose except those of providing enormous amounts of amusement to the ruling party.

As Masamvu says, “The MDC would never be the same as a splinter opposition. No matter how popular one faction is, they are chasing a wild goose if they are dreaming of unseating ZANU PF.”

Mutambara himself has so far played a cautious game between the factions and refused to declare himself for either side. Instead he pledged to reunite the MDC in his first public statement earlier this week.

The analyst for Southern Africa agreed that the MDC now needs people like Mutambara to add value and re-energise the struggle. But perhaps the biggest challenge is going to be challenging a system where the ruling party controls the 'democratic process' at every stage.