The Political Portion of Me: Thinking and Acting Politically

In writing this book, Tinashe was motivated by the need to document his political history. He seeks to provide a platform for intellectuals, professionals, youths, school teachers, students, historians, sociologists, and researchers to interact with the subject of politics based on his unique practical experience.Tinashe contested his brother for a national political office. At the local level, he challenged the political activism of his Mother-in-law, who eventually suffered as a result of her son-in-law's entry into politics.Yet, Tinashe claims to have been politically influenced by a brother he went on to challenge. The close social relationship between Tinashe and his brother Joram Gumbo complicated the Mberengwa's political landscape.Meanwhile, Tinashe's story is also characterised by his unique role in the opposition politics in Zimbabwe, in which he shaped the internal relations of key actors. His belief in political and social justice motivated him to risk his professional and political career as well as his security. He advocated for the interests of the downtrodden political activists. This saw him emerging to raise the profile of the rural constituencies, thereby attracting fierce resistance from some political actors.Thus, Tinashe's book presents a good case study of relatives contesting each other for political office but continuing to respect family ties. While Tinashe also aimed to purify the traditionally 'dirty game', he found himself further contributing to the dirtiness when his family became divided over politics. He laments that he may have missed his target in this case.The book also demonstrates how an individual can simultaneously contribute to the life of a political party practically, intellectually and professionally. He ran for a political office, he supported his party materially and also applied his mind technically for the sustenance of his party.Tinashe's love for Kenyan politics is also captured in the book, where he shares the political life of Raila Odinga and other key actors in that country. He demonstrates how the Kenyan politics shared similarities with Zimbabwe's situation in many ways.