Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, a Political Strategist

Opinion

By Mandla Tshuma

Bulawayo – If there is a politician in Zimbabwe who is not only strategic but has also mastered the art of politics, that individual could be none other than Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.

Misihairabwi-Mushonga is undoubtedly an interesting character on the Zimbabwean political landscape.

Mushonga’s political career after the formation of the MDC spans almost two decades.  She became Member of Parliament (MP) a legislator for Glen Norah Constituency in Harare under the ticket of then united and vibrant MDC in 2000.

When MDC suffered its first split in 2005 over the decision whether or not to participate in the senatorial polls, Misihairabwi-Mushonga went along with the pro-senate faction, which was led by Secretary-general Welshman Ncube.

In 2008 soon after the inconclusive polls, which created a hung Parliament, Mushonga representing the MDC was the only female politician among the Global Political Agreement negotiators.

When the government of National Unity, comprising ZANU-PF, MDC-T and MDC was then formed in February 2009, Misihairabwi-Mushonga was appointed Minister of Regional and International Cooperation, a government position she held until the July 2013 polls.

One would have thought it was over for Misihaimbwi-Mushonga who had apparently had lost touch with her first constituency in Harare.

Interestingly, Misiharabwi-Mushonga whose mother hails from Matabeleland South articulates issues of Matabeleland better than most legislators from the region.

In 2013, when her MDC party which had garnered 10 House of Assembly seats in 2008, lost dismally and failed to secure a single constituency even in Matabeleland which had been previously perceived as its stronghold, many people thought it was over for the ‘Matabeleland’ politician.

That was, however, not the case as she resurfaced in the 2013 Parliament as a Proportional Representation female MP for Matabeleland South.

While her coming in caused an uproar, with some people saying she had been brought back through the back door as she did not originally come from Matabeleland, Misihairabwi-Mushonga was not moved. She simply ignored the attack and refused to entertain media questions on that.

During her term of office Misihairabwi-Mushonga later fell out of favour with MDC president, Welshman Ncube, who had supported and defended her seconding to Parliament. She resigned from the powerful post of secretary-general, opting to be an ordinary card-carrying member of the party.

Luckily for her, she was able to hold onto her position as a legislator without being recalled until the automatic dissolution of Parliament on the midnight before the just ended polls.

The Welshman Ncube-led MDC excluded her name on the proportional representation candidates list forwarded to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for the 2018 polls.

That on its own would have spelt doom for Misihairabwi-Mushonga as it had been made clear that she was no longer wanted in a party where she had been a senior member. Strategic, as Misihairabwi-Mushonga has always been she started making her move to a new political home.

While MDC Alliance party members vilified Thokozani Khupe which led into yet another split, Misihairambwi-Mushonga embraced Khupe and started silently working with her behind the scenes, only unmasking herself when she filed Khupe’s presidential nomination papers. Only then did people find out she was now Khupe’s chief campaign officer.

By that simple decision to rally behind Khupe, she wrote her own ticket back into parliament as a Proportional Representation MP for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, representing the MDC-T.

What this means is that this politically savvy strategist has now managed to represent Zimbabweans in parliament in three different provinces.

For those who were wondering how the Zimbabwean parliament would be like without Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, stop wondering because she only awaits taking an oath of office.

This firebrand politician is in this game for life and certainly, she knows how to play it safe.