Ever since the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit held in Namibia three weeks ago, we have been forced to witness this petty and truly sickening wrangle over governors. Each of the three parties has accused one or both of the other two parties of seeking to block the appointment of governors drawn from all parties.
Zanu (PF), unconcerned at all by the fact that it should not even be in government because it lost the elections, has clung to all the governorships, insisting that the MDC-T its major rival for power — signed to a document stipulating that appointment of governors should be done concurrently with removal of Western sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top allies.
As would be expected the MDC-T insists it never agreed to link the appointment of governors to the removal of the visa and financial sanctions. While the MDC-M is reveling in its most preferred role of playing referee, accusing its two bigger partners of seeking to twist the whole governors issue to suit narrow partisan agendas.
And the point is not which of the three parties is telling the truth. The issue that boggles the mind here is, why would three Zimbabwean political parties sitting in Harare to decide about the appointment of a governor for Matabeleland North or Mashonaland East province even think of drawing the European Union or the United States of America into the equation.
Surely, Washington and Brussels are not about to be told how to conduct foreign policy by little Zimbabwe.
The people who imposed the visa and financial bans will lift them on their own terms and at a time of their own choosing and there is not much Zanu (PF), MDC-T or MDC-M can do about it.
Even if the coalition partners were as preferred by Zanu (PF) to join hands in calling for the removal of the sanctions, they will not vanish tomorrow. That is just the way things are.
But all else pales into insignificance when one considers the fact that the parties are actually fighting over governors posts.
What really do the governors do? These are people who earn a salary every month and have an office where they spent the whole day twiddling their thumbs because they have nothing worthwhile to do. In truth, governors are unemployed people on a salary, bizarre as that may sound.
During the heyday of Zanu (PF) power, being appointed a governor was seen as a demotion and Mugabe reserved this post for those he no longer liked to have near him.
Zanu (PF) does not need the governors. Having Zanu (PF) governors in all the provinces does not improve or worsen that partys waning political fortunes. They controlled the governorships when they lost the elections.
The MDCs do not need the governors. They can let Zanu (PF) keep all the governorships and it will not change anything. The former opposition parties are better served pushing for a change of personnel in the top echelons of the security establishment rather than worrying about these redundant governors.
But that in the midst of all the problems confronting Zimbabwe, the coalition parties have elected to expend so much energy and time squabbling over appointment of governors just goes to show how petty and thoroughly delinquent this government has become. Which is truly sad given how much Zimbabweans expect from this administration.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga