Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-The noise over Command Agriculture have served to highlight that VP Mnangagwa is already leading his rivals in the realm of ideas and that should be factored in succession debates, a law expert has said.
Dr Alex Magaisa says though its success is still a debatable issue the fact that it’s hogging the limelight it does demonstrate that he has managed what his rivals have failed to do as yet.
Writing in his Big Saturday column Magaisa said Mnangagwa has outshone President Mugabe as the face of Command Agriculture and that augurs well for him in the succession battle.
“It does demonstrate an important aspect that is often missing from the succession discourse. It is that, at least in the realm of ideas, it is Mnangagwa who is already leading ahead of his rivals”
“This is not the same as saying it is a great idea but that the idea that he represents is certainly the one hogging the agenda”
“If Command Agriculture is pronounced ‘succesful’ it will obviously yield more than a good harvest as it will also bring political profit to Mnangagwa. More importantly it might give him the confidence that a broader commandist approach to governance actually works”, he said.
“Magaisa said if so “, this could see the commandist approach being extended to other areas of governance’ which alone ‘graduates it into an important point of intellectual enquiry, one that should also exercise the minds of media practitioners and political strategists”.
Command Agriculture, which is a government scheme to aid the country avoid importing maize has become a topical matter with politicians clashing over its successes or lack of them along factional lines in ZANU PF.
Opposition parties have also voiced in pulling down its commandist approach as an archaic form of economic practice.
Higher Education Minister Prof Jonathan Moyo has been vocal in accusing state media of politicizing the scheme which he says squandered a purported $500 million with unequal results.
On its part state media and Command Agriculture proponents have scoffed at Moyo and others as mere detractors fueled by factional hate.
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