When the MDC split rather acrimoniously in 2005, the smaller faction parachuted in NASA professor Arthur Mutambara to lead them.

Mutambara was a rebel-rouser and student firebrand during his education at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare.

Much was made of Mutambara’s arrival on the political scene in Zimbabwe, while other, myself included, stood back and watch Mutambara do very little but repeat Mugabe’s epithets and fail to grab the support of the people.

In the run-up to the elections in March last year, Morgan Tsvangirai was arrested a couple of times. Mutambara did not experience the inside of a prison cell.

In the election, the smaller MDC faction won 10 seats - which effectively made then the king-pin in any unity government as securing the support of this faction, effectively gave that coalition the distinct majority.

During the run-up to the unneeded second round of the Presidential election last year, it is estimated that 130 MDC activists and members were killed. Not one of them were connected to Mutambara’s faction.

Now that the unity government has been created - albeit after much discussion and negotiation, and even then it is not perfect - although it carries very little power with Mugabe dictating from the position of head of government - Mutambara’s statements have become more and more like those of a younger Robert Mugabe.

He has secured for himself the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe - but what does he know about politics and people? You can’t put politics in a test tube, or people in a experimental dish in a laboratory. (You can try, but methinks it might get messy!)

In March this year, he visited an invaded farm and assured the farmer that the invaders would be removed. They were - but were back within minutes of Mutambara’s departure for Harare.

Since his rise in government, the members of the smaller faction have become increasingly agitated, calling on Mutambara to stop making nonsensical statement, deal with the disparity within the faction, and do something worthwhile with his time - their time.

Today I read: “The entire district executive of the Mutambara MDC in Nkayi is reported to have defected, to join the main wing of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai. The executive, along with 23 councillors in the area, met over the weekend to consider the suspension of local MP Abednico Bhebhe.”

Under the agreement signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, any seat vacated in the first twelve months cannot be contested by another party, but if these people are leaving in their droves, who will Mutambara have to replace them - assuming that those that are leaving for the larger faction are seat holders?

Another question is where does it leave the unity government if one of the signatories has his party/faction imploding on itself?

Mugabe will no doubt ignore the clause that seats in a bye-election cannot be contested, with appoint candidates and then move Heaven and earth to secure those seats to give his party back the majority in parliament.

Then he will be in a position to ignore the unity government, and will rule with complete impunity as he has for the past 29 years.

A solution would be to have Mutambara replaced as head of the MDC faction, but Mugabe will make much noise about that as it suits him to have someone well placed in the faction that supports him in everything that he does or says.

Mutambara has taken much public criticism and has failed to react to that criticism, displaying his pro-Mugabe attitude, and, quite frankly, the political playing field in Zimbabwe would be better off without him.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man