By Leonnel Mhuka
While it’s understandable that the opposition needs to adopt certain strategies, consider this perspective: if President Chamisa and his team had set aside their strategic ambiguity and welcomed every citizen who approached them claiming solutions, the situation might be different now. We are currently witnessing a series of attacks on Adv Chamisa from individuals claiming to have evidence, including some who significantly contributed to the opposition’s efforts during the election period.
For example, articles, documents and books are now being written and published by people who had the privilege of meetings and phone conversations with President Chamisa, Advocate Mahere, among other top leaders—access that many volunteers, supporters and funders of Zimbabwe’s democratic struggle had wished for but never received.
The strategic ambiguity, a doctrine employed to restrict access to crucial information, left many—especially opportunists and spies—confused about who was involved, what was happening and where. Ultimately, those ready to serve as sellouts, puppets and imposters will always exist, but the strategic ambiguity has demonstrated that their impact can be minimized.
ZANU-PF, a competitive dictatorship that relies on force, infiltration, money, lawfare, smear campaigns and blackmail, uses these tactics to capture and overpower the opposition. In the presence of strategic ambiguity, it became difficult for them to know whom to approach, how and when to do so.
Now imagine hearing today that certain individuals approved the use and collection of sensitive information amidst this rise against President Chamisa from the G40 faction and other detractors. Without strategic ambiguity, the situation could have descended into chaos or something even worse.
Kudos to whoever devised this strategy; it was a milestone in the 2023 elections and in the history of Zimbabwean elections. Today, detractors have nothing substantial to say other than, “We couldn’t agree, it wasn’t clear, I didn’t know who to approach, he refered me to so n so.”
The strategic ambiguity prevented ZANU-PF from achieving a two-thirds majority in Parliament. It minimized violence against CCC leaders and supporters and protected the CCC leadership from potential slander and blame—especially during this period when some believe that certain figures need to be sidelined to start their own initiatives.
Political commentators argue that despite the smear campaigns, President Chamisa remains the most popular opposition leader in Zimbabwe due to his ability to communicate with the masses, and he is considered one of the most peace-loving leaders ever to serve in the country’s political arena.
