2 - 26 January 2014 - The Observer
Strive Masiyiwa for president
• Continuing from Page 1
he can amass the critical mass necessary for
the country’s top job,” one commentator who
requested anonymity said.
Masiyiwa has risen from being just another
enterprising entrepreneur to one of Africa’s
leading businessmen. His tentacles have
spread far and wide, not only in Zimbabwe,
but across the globe where his Econet
Wireless has scored unbelievable successes
what with its roots in troubled Zimbabwe.
He has developed from the time he used to
rub shoulders with the likes of indigenisation
guru and transport expert Ben Mucheche,
telecommunications fundi Chemist Siziba and
Yese Yese entrepreneur Phillip Chiyangwa.
Today he dines with the USA president Barak
Obama, he seeks and gets audience with
UK prime minister David Cameron, and he
discusses philanthropy with the world’s richest
man Bill Gates.
Masiyiwa has been in business since 1986.
He first came to international prominence
when he fought a landmark constitutional
legal battle for five years praying for a right
to set up his mobile cellular telephony
company, Econet. The ruling, which led to
the removal of the monopoly of the state
in telecommunications, is generally regarded
as one of the key milestones in opening the
African telecommunications sector to private
capital.
His flagship business, South Africanbased Econet Wireless, is now a global
telecommunications group with operations,
investments and offices in more than 15
countries in Africa, Europe, USA, Latin
America and Asia-Pacific.
Beyond telecoms, Masiyiwa’s business
Strive Masiyiwa and wife with Barack Obama
activities include operations and investments
in some of Africa’s leading businesses in
financial services, insurance, renewable
energy, bottling for Coca-Cola, hotel and safari
lodges. The Econet Group is also exploring
several opportunities in targeted African other
international emerging mar kets.
Political commentators were of the belief
that Masiyiwa presented the best candidature
for the country, considering that he had
already made his name internationally with
the right connections and did not need to dip
into the country’s coffers to feed himself and
his family.
“I think what the country now needs is
someone who is independent of political dirt
and whose only interest would be in seeing
the country develop,” said Prince Chikumbu,
a university student at Nust in Bulawayo.
“The current crop of politicians are only
interested in enriching themselves to the
detriment of the country. We need someone
who already understands money, who has
money, and who has the interests of the
millions of impoverished Zimbabweans at
heart.”
One political analyst said there was
a possibility one of the political parties
would parachute Masiyiwa – Prof Arthur
Mutambara style – into the political cauldron
of Zimbabwe.
Mutambara sprouted out of nowhere to
land the presidency of the smaller faction of
the MDC, and confounded critics when he
became deputy prime minister of the country.
He has since faded into the horizon.
Last year, Masiyiwa was linked to the
move by local business mogul John Moxon,
of Meikles Holdings to donate vehicles
for Zanu PF’s election campaign. Moxon,
Fight for Zanu PF
chairman post heats up
• Continuing from Page 1
highest level, and it would also
open the way for aspiring Zanu
PF youthful leaders to assume
leadership.
Transport minister Obert
Mpofu stands a good chance
to rise into the presidency
through this scheme as his major
weakness is that he crossed over,
from PF Zapu, to join Zanu PF
well before the Unity Accord was
inked.
However, some sections of
Zanu PF, among them Didymus
Mutasa, are strongly calling for
a rethink, saying appointments
should be based on merit. Should
this group succeed, the race for
the Zanu PF chairmanship would
be left wide open.
“If we continue with the PF
Zapu for national chairman
tradition,
we
perpetuate
tribalism,” said one leading Zanu
PF member who requested
anonymity.
“This post would be open to
every district so that we have a
national chairman appointed on
merit.”
One thing that is for sure is
that the factional fights in Zanu
PF might intensify as the two
major camps in the revolutionary
party jostle to thrust one of
their own in these two influential
positions.
Zanu PF in-fighting has
its roots in two main factions,
which are both loyal to President
Mugabe. One of the factions is
led by Vice President Mujuru,
while the other group is linked
to Justice minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
Both groups are driven by the
desire to succeed the incumbent
should he call it quits from active
politics.
There is also precedence in the
party whereby every other Zanu
PF national chairman has risen
to become vice president of the
party and the Republic. Examples
include Joseph Msika (now late)
and John Nkomo (also late).
Mutasa, the party’s secretary
for administration, might enjoy
an advantage over the other
members of Zanu PF, being
the next in line after KhayaMoyo. Ahead of the party’s 2009
congress, Mutasa eyed the vice
presidency which had been left
vacant following the demise of
Msika but he lost out to the late
John Nkomo, prompting the then
Manicaland Zanu PF provincial
chairperson Basil Nyabadza to
resign in protest.
Mutasa may however, get
competition from the other
senior members of the party
such as Mnangagwa, the party’s
secretary for legal affairs and
Sydney Sekeramai, the party’s
secretary for security.
In the past, there has been
an unwritten understanding
whereby the chairmanship of the
party has always been occupied
by former PF ZAPU cadres. This
followed the signing of the Unity
Accord 26 years ago.
But there has been pressure
over the years for the party to
open up the race to everyone and
do away with the “gentlemen’s
agreement”
which
favours
former PF ZAPU cadres.
“We strongly believe this post
would be on a regional basis,”
said another senior Zanu PF
member. “The country should
be split into two regions; with
Region One stretching from
Mutare to Kwekwe, and region
Two from Gweru to Bulawayo.
“The national chairman will
then come from Region Two,
balancing the power politics in
the presidency.”■
widely regarded as one of the richest men in
Zimbabwe, nailed his political colours firmly
to the Zanu PF mast by donating brand new
vehicles to spearhead the party’s campaign for
the crucial general elections, which the party
won in landslide.
Zanu PF took delivery of the 550 top-ofthe-range vehicles at a cost of about US$14
million for its election campaigns, which saw
every aspiring candidate driving off with a
vehicle to campaign with.
Moxon is interested in venturing into
diamond mining, and the market was awash
that his partner was Masiyiwa. Moxon’s
flagship company Meikles Africa Ltd, formed
a mining arm, Meikles Resources (Pvt) Ltd,
and applied for a diamond mining licence,
with the Zimbabwe Mining Development
Corporation as a possible partner in a joint
venture.
But Moxon, addressing journalists at the
release of Meikles 2013 results, poured water
on the rumour saying: “I am not in partnership
with Mr Masiyiwa.”
This would not be the first time Masiyiwa,
who is in exile in South Africa, has been linked
to political parties. He was reported to be the
money behind Tsvangirai’s MDC, although
this was never proven. He is reported to have
also assisted hundreds of senior Zanu PF
top brass pay school fees for their children in
various parts of the world.
Econet is also said to have bankrolled the
referendum which saw the introducgtion of a
new constitution in the country.
While his political ambitions are still
unknown, it waits to be seen whether Masiyiwa
will take the bait and enter the country’s
political arena.■
Man spends 60 years without bathing
F
ARS“Amou”
an
endearing word in Farsi
used especially by kids for
kind men to show their
affection, and in this story our man
is called by that, Amou Haji. Amou
Haji, aged 80, has not bathed for 60
years. He lives in Dejgah village in the
souther n Iranian province of Fars,
Tehran Times reported.
The last record of longest time
going without showers belonged to
a 66-year-old Indian man, Kailash
Singh, who had not taken a bath over
38 years. Not to our surprise, when
we searched the reason behind Amou
Haji’s way of life, we found out that
he had gone through some emotional
setbacks in his youth and from then
on decided to live an isolated life.
He escaped from the hands of a
few young men who offered him
free shower, because he believes
cleanliness brings him sickness.
Amou Haji’s favourite food is
rotten meat of dead animals specially
porcupines and when asked to eat
clean food and drink clean water he
gets mad. - APP
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