AS Zimbabwean crisis talks reach the half–time phase, speculation is rife on the question of where the actual power of running the country will reside. Some of the discussions appear to wrongly suggest that power resides in one body. That is not the case and even President Mugabe does not have absolute power because it is simply not humanly possible and Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai will not be the first one.
It is worth de-constructing the notion of power at this stage for the benefit of fellow Zimbabweans because there is a strange understanding of what people mean by power. (Foucault, 1979:93) asserts that, “Power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere.... Power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor a possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society.”
Power has many sources, and to fight over this office or post is a waste of time and it does not make much sense for talks to break down for that reason. Sources of power include, but are not limited to: resources (e.g. money or wealth), knowledge or information (which includes your level of education), legitimacy (e.g. power to sanction), networks (which includes the people around you that you can mobilise to influence things), and track record or reputation (which makes people know what you can or cannot do).
In fact, sources of power are also known as levers of power which the political players could either have or at least access but not necessarily possess. For example, having the support of Strive Masiyiwa (a.k.a the “Bill Gates of Africa”), Rupert Murdoch (the global media mogul) or General Constantine Chiwenga can make you more powerful than having thousands of friends in one part of the world.
The current talks between Zanu PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change parties will miss the target if they focus on a particular office because it is not necessarily the position that wields power but your attributes and access to levers of power stated above.
The media calls Tendai Biti the MDC-T number two yet he is the Secretary General and Emmerson Mnangagwa the Zanu PF strongman yet he is only Minister of Rural Housing in the official capacity. Some people are powerful regardless of their positions in the formal structures. That is why the late Eddison Zvobgo once said you do not make big brains small by giving them small roles when he was given what was thought to be a lesser cabinet post, yet even on his death-bed people were giving more weight to what he said, more than many people alive in the cabinet and even President Robert Mugabe lamented his absence in cabinet in terms of capacity to debate issues.
The point above illustrates that power should be understood in terms of its operations, techniques, tools (“What does power do?”) rather than in terms of simply what it is. If Zimbabweans are expecting change then they should not see political influence only in terms President Mugabe’s current post. President Muluzi was not able to do much with the same post he took over from Banda who was thought to be very powerful, and President Mwai Kibaki has clearly failed to do better than the former President Arap Moi.
In the final analysis power is not owned by the state, nor is it specific to any particular organization either Zanu PF or the MDCs. It is a machinery that no one owns. Its application points are multiple, dispersed throughout all social institutions like the ordinary people who voted Minister Chinamasa out of office in March 2009.
Individuals like President Mugabe or Mr. Tsvangirai are the vehicles of power, not its points of application. Power is never localized here or there, never in anybody’s hands, never appropriated as a commodity or piece of wealth, so it is not correct to say that President Mugabe will never give power to Mr. Tsvangirai because he simply does not have the power to give, once he goes he goes with his power. That is why Jesus Christ answered Pilate, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above…” (John 19:11).
Even Professor Mutambara may not be seen as powerful is also a vehicle of power in Zimbabwean politics; he leads a formation with a group of 10 MPs who will wield a crucial vote to decide legislation in Parliament whether anyone likes it or not.
An inclusive government in which cabinet members will be team players bringing their best is all we need, not this over-emphasis on power talk. Mr. Tsvangirai who is now a subject of power talk has made it clear that it is not the post he wants, he needs to serve the people and for that reason we expect the negotiations will go well.
Musekiwa Makwanya–Opinion
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Changamire Dombo • ChangamireDombo@rocketmail.com Subject: A Lighter Look at Power. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:22:00 • Phew, That was high-powered!
Now, do I hear my limbs start that argument about who is more important and vital for my well-being or is it just another case of a vehicle-battery long forgotten by my rural Sekuru whose tractor depends on churu-start.
Mheni yaWasu, huroyi hwaAsinahembe, kachasu kanokurovesa mai kana waguta, mukonde wesadza wawakwata panext-door, mugondorosi waYahwe and even manhasin'a aOniniyo anoita zvekundenge-ndeka kana achifamba are all possible sources of ... power!
Whichever way you look at it, POWER, remains a mystery. The only thing is to at least have it harnessed and used progressively.
Ladies and gentlemen, power needs to be shared. A handle alone cannot dig, you desperately need the head of a pick, shovel, fork, spade, hoe and dzimweni nguva mbezo chaiyo to move forward.
A brand new battery may not be able to start or run a car with a mechanical fault. True or False?
Chiri mumusaka-saka chazvinzwira.
Pamberi neGNU!
Nyasha Nyathi • n/a Subject: power/resources Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:22:58 • A very good article. But I think power is also an interplay between the various actors against the resources they have.
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