A rare show of good leadership from both Tsvangirai and Mugabe!

Whilst leadership is generally defined as a process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task; I wish to define good leadership as the meticulous use of power and influence to guide other people towards a positive objective. This time I think both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have shown good leadership that this country has been yearning for.

Tsvangirai is the president of MDC and the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He has power, clout and influence. There is no doubt that he has millions of disciples who look up to him for light, to them he represents the alpha and omega of their ambitions. Without implying anything, there are people out there who can be dared into saying “Tsvangirai is my shepherd I shall not want!”

It would have taken just a sentence from him for Zimbabwe to explode: “This was planned to kill me!” We were all anxious for his word. Emotions were high, suspicion was at its highest and the atmosphere was charged. For any power-monger this would have represented a ripe situation for cheap point-scoring but like a visionary he chose a different path. He calmed them, he decisively allayed any suspicions and he diplomatically diffused the tense atmosphere.

This and this alone differentiates him from Raila Odinga. When confronted with an opportunity to get rich but at the expense of a life and we choose to remain poor but with a life to cherish that’s what I call being righteous!

Robert Mugabe is the president of ZANU PF and the President of Zimbabwe. He has power to influence who gets what, when and how. There are people who have done horrible things in the name of Robert Mugabe. There are many of his supporters who have been inspired by his violent speeches. In 1982 he said “ZAPU is like a snake that has entered a house, the only way to deal with it is to hit the head” and we saw what happened in Matebeland thereafter.

We heard him say “tinodashura” (we bash) when Morgan Tsvangirai was assaulted by the police in 2007. He pardoned those who killed during the 2002 elections. He at the most urged his supporters to beat MDC supporters in June 2008 and at the least watched and did nothing about the persecution of MDC supporters by his supporters. On all these occasions he had an option to make a better decision but he chose not.

To highlight the difference, when he condemned violence before the March 2008 elections; we witnessed the most peaceful and tolerant election ever imagined in our country.

When he stood in front of the congregation at Mai Tsvangirai’s memorial service and condemned violence, he signified a major shift towards good leadership. His mere presence at the clinic and the memorial sent a message of solidarity even down to his supporters. For once no one in Zimbabwe celebrated death of a fellow human being; even The Herald was in a state of mourning!

Let us not under-estimate the significance of Edwin Tsvangirai’s words “I want to thank his excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe for the kind words that changed my understanding of him." This is a testimony of how good leadership can easily sway public perception towards that which is good.

To show how deep this depiction of good leadership from both Mugabe and Tsvangirai has influenced public behaviour we may need to draw comparison on the death of Elliot Manyika and that of Rtd General Zvinavashe.

Many MDC supporters felt it was a punishment for Manyika to die but today we see a nation that is grieving for death of one of its gallant sons. We have chosen to ignore the bad that he has done, like the proclamation that the Office of The President is a straightjacket. Rather, we have chosen to celebrate the good that he has done like his sacrifice during the liberation struggle and his commitment to uplifting the education standards in Zimbabwe.

That is what good leadership can bring to our country; unfortunately it had to take the life of Mai Tsvangirai to open our eyes to it.

Let me close by urging all Zimbabweans to turnout in the same numbers and in the same spirit at the burial of Rtd General Zvinavashe he deserves our respect.

With all my love!