"West must support ED, MDC will never rule for 20 years" argue Mutsvairo - so why bother N Garikai

“IF Western governments are sincere about political reforms in Zimbabwe, then they have to support President Emmerson Mnangagwa's new government,” wrote Bruce Mutsvairo.

“There are no two ways to it.

“Long-time followers of Zimbabwean politics will tell you that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), for right or wrong reasons, will struggle to claim power at least until 20 years from now when most of the country's heroes of anti-colonial bush wars would either have retired or died.

“Even then, there is no evidence the ruling Zanu PF party will throw in the towel.”

To start with it is not the western governments who are desperate for meaning political change in Zimbabwe. It is the ordinary Zimbabweans who are dying for change. The country is in a real economic mess with unemployment soaring to dizzying heights of 90%, basic services such as supply of clean running water have all but collapsed hence the now frequent outbreak of such diseases as cholera and typhoid, 75% of the population now live on US$1.00 or less a day, etc. The situation cannot go on like this for much longer.

You are asking western government to support the vote rigging and, per se, illegitimate President Mnangagwa and in return he will implement political reforms. You are tell the same western governments that there will be no regime change in Zimbabwe for another 20 years, at least. So what exactly will they be supporting Mnangagwa for if the reforms he will promise are not going to bring any change.

Soon after last November’s military coup, President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. He did not keep his promise, as we all know the junta blatantly rigged the elections. So you are asking the western government to pour in billions of dollars propping up this corrupt and tyrannical regime for more promises to hold free and fair elections that the regime will never honour! How naïve and stupid can you be!

It was India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who famously asked, “What kind of leaders will an armed struggle throw up? Are those the men and women we would want to rule our country?”

India never waged an armed struggle to end British colonial rule and when it did achieve its independence it has enjoyed political stability and economic prosperity.

Zimbabwe waged an armed struggle to end white colonial rule and jumped from the frying pan into the fire. The armed struggle did throw up the most incompetent, corrupt and ruthless thugs as leaders and for the last 38 years the nation has been stuck with them with the tragic economic, political and social consequences we see in Zimbabwe today.

There has been a number of opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best opportunities falling to MDC during the GNU. All the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had to do was implement the democratic reforms Zanu PF had signed onto in the 2008 Global Political Agreement. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.

MDC leaders have had other opportunities to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship but they wasted these too.

MDC leaders have proven to be breathtakingly corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. But just because MDC leaders are a waste of spare that does not mean the nation is stuck with Zanu PF. Implement the democratic reforms and lift the lid on the stifling political system Zanu PF has imposed on the nation and allow freedom of expression, free debate and democratic competition and quality leaders will shoot up like new growth after the first rain.

Zanu PF itself is imploding. The 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption has left 75% of the population living in abject poverty. The ruling elite too have been caught in the rising tide of poverty; the 75% include Zanu PF war veterans and party grandees like the late Nathan Shamuyarira and Enos Nkala. Others like Didymus Mutasa were booted out of the party and within months he had lost weight from stress and hunger.

To consolidate his own hold on power, President Mnangagwa has undertaken some serious “load shed” of deadwood, Mugabe loyalists, etc. The likes of former Minister David Parerenyatwa, former Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede have just been thrown off the gravy train; they helped create this Zanu PF dictatorship and now they will have a taste of its greatest product – poverty.

President Mnangagwa has reassigned many other former ministers, civil servants, etc.; reportedly on their full salaries and privileges. The country is broke, much as he would want to keep them in keeping with the party’s patronage system the economic reality will force him to do so more “load shedding”.

Patronage is the glue that has held these Zanu PF thugs together all these years. As the country’s economic started to shrink there was less and less wealth to dish away things started to fall apart. It was the fear of poverty that fuelled the dog-eat-dog fighting in Zanu PF and the fighting will never stop now that there is poverty everywhere.

The ordinary people themselves are not going to tolerate the inhuman conditions they have been forced to live in forever. When people hear that there are people dying of cholera and meanwhile government has just splashed $1.4 million on a chartered plane for Grace Mugabe, for example; they are infuriated. It is naïve to think that their will bottle their anger forever amen!

The country is in a serious economic and political mess because of 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption under Zanu PF rule. Zimbabwe is dying for good and competent government. Zimbabwe is dying to put an end to the curse of rigged elections because that is the only sure way the country will get a good and competent government.

The only sure way to end the curse of rigged elections is declare all those who rig elections illegitimate and deny them diplomatic, financial, political and social support.  President Mnangagwa rigged the 30 July 2018 elections that makes his regime illegitimate. The regime must be isolated and denied all support.

Zanu PF thugs have held the people of Zimbabwe to ransom for the last 38 years under the pretext that they are the ones who fought in the war of independence. The regime has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish and retain this de facto one-party dictatorship. Hundreds of thousands of other have died unnecessarily because of poverty related problems born out of decades of Zanu PF misrule.

Whatever mercenary’s debt the nation own these thugs, the debt has been repaid thousand times over. The cup is full to overflow. Enough.

We demand meaningful democratic change and this illegitimate regime must be denied all international support until there is free, fair and credible elections and a legitimate government.

ED 'to woo investors' in maiden UNGA speech - no takers, his reputation preceded him P Guramatunhu

The Zanu PF apologists, spin-doctors and propagandists are out like the cicada flooding the world with nose. Their mission is to flood all available space with colourful portrait of Mnangagwa as a competent leaders in a new progressive and democratic Zimbabwe and drown out the truth of the real Mnangagwa – a vote rigging tyrant - and real Zimbabwe – a pariah state -  ever coming out.

“The inauguration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa that came through the birth of the second republic, brought in the dawn of a new era as his main message has been centred on re-engagement and international incorporation. More-so, the country has been in isolation for a long period, as this was further crippling economic development. After the successful conduct of the harmonised elections on 30 July this year, His Excellency has not looked back in making sure that Zimbabwe engages with old and new allies, under the "Zim is open for business mantra." Wrote Anesu Pedzisayi in Bulawayo 24.

These Zanu PF apologist are of the school that is a lie is repeated over and over again it will, in time, metamorphose into a factual truth! Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 30 July elections and repeating the lie that the elections were free, fair and credible will change nothing.

There 30 or more election observer teams from the democratic nations President Mnangagwa is keen to re-engage and not even one of these teams have dared to say the elections were free and fair. How could they, when they know the regime connived to deny 2 to 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora a vote for fear many will not vote for the party! When the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters roll. There was evidence of bussed voters casting multiple votes and other vote rigging shenanigan which explained why the regime refuse to release the verified voters’ roll, although this is a legal requirement, it was the smoking gun. 

Whilst in New York, President Mnangagwa can swing from the Empire State Building, like King Kong, screaming “Zimbabwe is open for business!” This will do nothing to attract the investors because they do not do business in pariah states were the next regime change is yet another military coup or nationwide street protests.

“Mnangagwa's predecessor, Robert Mugabe had become famous for using the UNGA summit as a platform to defy western imperialism, a position some argued hurt the country more than it achieved any milestones,” chipped in another apologist, Nocole Hondo.

“Since assuming office in November 2017, Mnangagwa has however proved to be a refreshing and more progressive departure from Mugabe, leading his mandate with the stance that "Zimbabwe is open for business."

“The international investor community is responding warmly to the stance, with investments trickling in, the latest being the $250 million line of credit extended to Government by the London-based Germcorp Group.”

President Mnangagwa and the junta blatantly rigged the elections just as they had done in the last 37 years of Mugabe’s rule. Indeed it was none other than Mnangagwa, Chiwenga, Shiri and the other November coup plotters who had ruthless implemented Zanu PF’s vote rigging schemes including the use of wanton violence that has kept Zanu PF and Mugabe in power all those 37 years.

No one was surprised that the junta had no qualms rigging this year’s elections. There is nothing “refreshing and more progressive” about Zanu PF blatantly rigging the elections. Nothing!

If the “international investor community is responding warmly” to King Kong’s posturing then why is investment only “trickling in” not flooding in; now nearly a year since the November military coup?

“Without doubt the election has been cleverly rigged but even worse is the fact that it is the military that is behind the regime and they are now unleashing a similar fear and terror campaign on leading opposition activists and curbing all protests by killing and arresting innocent Zimbabweans,” wrote UK MP, Kate Hoey, who was one of the elections observer.

“The courage and self-sacrifice of the Zimbabwean people is humbling to behold. We, in the international community cannot accept the result of the election and the UK government must take a lead to ensure that the Zimbabwean government is seen for what it is a mark 2 Mugabe regime and one that deserves no support whatsoever.”

As President Mnangagwa stand up to deliver his maiden UNGA speech he will, no doubt, repeat that he has the democratic mandate of the people of Zimbabwe. He be lost for words if he was ever asked why his regime has stoically refused to release the voters’ roll if he was sure everyone on the roll had a body to be kicked and soul to be damned.

President Mnangagwa will want to tell the world a new democratic Zimbabwe; the world already know this is a lie. His reputation as Mugabe mark 2 has spread far and wide. His efforts to attract foreign and local investors will come to naught because investors do not do business in pariah states ruled by vote rigging thugs.

The theme of this year's UNGA session is "Making the United Nations relevant to all people: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies."

If Zimbabwe is serious about building a peaceful, equitable and sustainable society then it must implement the democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and human rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections and the right to life. The cacophony of cicada noise from the Zanu PF apologists lying about the rigged elections, etc. is not helping us get out of the hell-on-earth this corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging Zanu PF regime has landed us in!

“Mnangagwa arikunyangira yaona!” (Mnangagwa is stalking prey (investors) that is aware of what he is up to!) as one would say in Shona!

"Seek ye first the political kingdom" advised Dr Nkrumah. We did not and have paid dearly for our folly. P Guramatunhu

“Seek ye first the political kingdom and all else shall be added unto you,” said Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Independent Ghana.

After 38 years of blundering from pillar to post whilst the country sunk deeper and deeper into poverty and hopelessness; Dr Nkrumah’s words make a lot of sense and we in Zimbabwe must sit up and paid heed.

We, the ordinary people, have never secured the political kingdom as surmised by the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.

During the fight for independence the carrion call amongst the blacks was “One man, one vote!” By the time the nation attained her independence the black nationalist leaders like Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party and the late Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu party had moved on.

They wanted absolute power and giving the ordinary person a meaningful vote and endangering their hold on power was simply unthinkable. They wanted a one-party state hence the reason the Chinese and Russian system of government as contrast to western democracy appealed to them.

The two political parties have co-operated, particularly after signed the 1987 Unity Accord, to impose a de facto one party state in Zimbabwe. Whilst the country has kept faith with the requirement to hold regular elections Zanu PF has retained total control of the electoral process to make sure the party always secured a landslide victory regardless of the free democratic wishes of the people.

People have the vote but Zanu PF leaders have the veto! The people were given the paper crown whilst the political leaders retained for themselves the real gold crown.

Zimbabwe has fallen from its perch in 1980 as one of the top five richest nations in Africa with very prospect of becoming the South Korea of Africa to becoming the poorest nation in Africa today with every prospect of sinking even lower. In a reversal of Dr Nkrumah’s maxim, we lost the political kingdom and everything else; economic wealth, our hopes and dreams and even the right to life itself; has been taken away from us.

For the last 20 years the people of Zimbabwe have fought the Zanu PF dictatorship demanding meaningful democratic change designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.  

After last November’s military coup that deposed the long serving dictator Robert Mugabe and the promise by the new Mnangagwa government to hold free, fair and credible elections; most people genuinely believed the country had turned a new page. Sadly President Mnangagwa did not keep his promise as he went on to blatantly rig the elections.

It is tempting to let President Mnangagwa get away with another rigged elections, Zanu PF flexing its veto muscle, but after 38 years the realisation that it is the primary reason the country is in this hell-hole is now the elephant in the room that cannot be ignored. Worse still, we can no longer ignore the reality that until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections this nation will never ever get out of the hell-hole.

Allowing Zanu PF to get away with yet another rigged election is therefore a luxury this nation can ill afford. All pressure must be brought to bear of the regime to give up its carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections and restore the people’s freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.

Zanu PF rigged the elections, the party is illegitimate and it must be pressured to step aside to allow the implementation of the democratic reforms giving back the people their political power. Nothing of any substance can ever be accomplished until this is settled.

It is therefore with anger that the British are determined to work with this Zanu PF regime, ignore that it is illegitimate, and undermining the efforts of everyone else pressuring the regime to change.

“Britain will support Zimbabwe to get on an interim IMF staff programme to help the country quickly clear its foreign arrears, Britain's ambassador in Harare said on Tuesday,” reported Daily News.

“Clearing the $1.8 billion arrears to the World Bank and AfDB is seen as major step for Zimbabwe to start accessing foreign credit, especially for the private sector as well as foreign direct investment.”

The irony is the British will never allow anyone to get away with vote rigging in UK because they know that would undermine the country’s democracy and good governance behind the nation’s political stability and economic posterity. And yet they are the ones fighting tooth and nail to let Mnangagwa and the junta get away with blatantly rigging the recent elections!

Clearly the British, for their own selfish reasons, want Zanu PF to remain in power regardless of consequence of Zimbabwe remaining stuck in this hell-hole. Our task of seeking our political kingdom fighting Zanu PF was always going to be a tough one. Now that we must fight the British too, it is just a little tougher yes but still not impossible!

Besides we have some allies too. The Americans have already said Zanu PF rigged the elections and the targeted sanctions imposed on the party thugs will remain. It is not only the British, the American too, have a say on whether the IMF and WB renew their funding of the Zimbabwe government!

As for investors, few will be fooled by the British’s attempts to portray the Mnangagwa regime as a stable democratic government. Mnangagwa is just “Mugabe mark 2”, as UK MP Kate Hoey rightly pointed following her visit to observe the elections, and Zimbabwe is still a pariah state. Investors do not do business with vote rigging thugs!