Monday 31 October 2016

Paradza/Mliswa Zanu PF will win 2018 regardless as long as they count the votes! By W Mukori

Confusion is when some people say this and others say that and yet others say something else which is neither this nor that. It is no exaggeration to say in Zimbabwe you will find many people who saying, this, that and something else and, given enough time to speak, will contradict themselves in all three areas! Our situation has not been helped by having all these intellectuals, analysts, leaders, etc., to whom many look up to for clarity and guidance, who are themselves the grandfathers of confusion.

The burning question in Zimbabwe today is: Should the people continue to demand meaningful democratic reforms before the 2018 elections or should we give up confident we can still have the results reflecting the true democratic wish of the people even if no reforms are implemented? Since Temba Mliswa’s electoral victory in the Norton by-election two weeks ago the number of people arguing that Zanu PF can be defeated without even one reform implemented has shot up sadly they are just as confused as ever!

“Thank you for congratulating me, it is significant in that it has given Zimbabweans confidence,” Mliswa told Paul Nyakazeya of the Financial Gazette after his electoral victory. “We had lost confidence in the whole electoral process.

“That is not to say the electoral reforms are in order. No, there are still a lot of electoral malpractices such as vote buying, violence and rigging.

“But you must understand that when people talk about rigging, what kind of rigging is it. It was now in people's minds - it was a fallacy, a propaganda that Zanu-PF even enjoyed that every election is rigged.”

Before he was booted out of Zanu PF in 2014, Temba Mliswa was party provisional chairman and an MP positions that allowed him to have direct access to President Mugabe himself, as he told Nyakazeya in the interview. His re-election back into parliament will give him a lot of political clout. It is reasonable to say many ordinary Zimbabweans will sit up and listen when MP Temba Mliswa speaks. So let us just debunk what he has just said here:

The first thing he is that his electoral victory should restore the people’s confidence in winning future elections. He acknowledges there are problems of vote buying, violence and rigging in one sentence and then dismiss them as “fallacy” in people’s minds and Zanu PF “propaganda” in the next. But just to be consistent with his new found confidence we are to take home the view that Zanu PF’s vote rigging machinery is broken and therefore there is no need to demand democratic reforms designed to dismantle the machinery.

Given enough time confused people like Temba Mliswa would contradict themselves and he did just that. Last year he contested the Hungwe West by-election to win back his parliamentary seat after he was booted out of Zanu PF. He lost that by election.

“The Hurungwe West by-election was marred by violence and intimidation because war veterans were involved,” he explained. “War veterans were out of this (Norton) election and they decided to support me. You do not need many war veterans behind you, what you need is an endorsement from the war veterans.”  

The abuse of war veterans by President Mugabe as the party’s storm troopers to harass, beat, rape and even murder ordinary people and force them to vote for Zanu PF since 2000 has been one of the most shameful and despicable things he has ever done. There is no doubt that when President Mugabe agreed to pay war veteran the unbudgeted Z$50 000 gratuity, Z$ 2 000 pension per month plus education and health allowance in 1997 triggering the 72% devaluation of the Z$; he was making a down payment bribe for their blind loyalty to his selfish no-regime-change agenda.

All those war veterans who agreed to deny the povo their freedoms and basic rights including the right to free and fair elections betrayed the nation and all the liberation war was about. Of course they realized they were doing something wrong which is why even those like Jabulani Sibanda who have fallen out completely with President Mugabe are still ashamed to take about their role as the tyrant’s storm troopers especially in the wanton violence of 2008 elections.

It is sad to note that whilst the rogue war veterans have quarreled with President Mugabe about none payment of the school fees allowances; many of them have pledged their continued blind loyalty to VP Mnangagwa. There is therefore no reason to believe they will not assume their storm trooper thuggery to impose Mnangagwa.

Both Joice Mujuru from Zim PF and Nelson Chamisa from MDC-T have made no secret of actively encouraging the rogue war veterans to join them. Even if all the rogue war veterans crossed the floor and started carrying out their political thuggery for the opposition that will not mean the end of Zanu PF politically motived violence. Zanu PF has already replaced the war veterans with party youths as its storm troopers backed by the usual Police, CIO and other State Institutions, as was shown during the Norton by-elections.

Even if the war veterans have indeed switched their political allegiance from Zanu PF, as Mliswa would have us believe; we do not want the war veterans, youths, or any other grouping assuming any tyrannical powers. We want free and fair elections where candidate seek the vote of the electorate and not to ever worry about getting the endorsement of war veterans of anybody else.

Besides Zanu PF does not rely on the use of violence alone to rig elections; the party has devised a very elaborate and expensive vote rigging scheme. As long as the party continues to enjoy total control of all State institutions and unfettered access to State resources including the billions of dollars looted from Marange diamonds, Zanu PF will rig and win the elections.

“We have allowed ourselves to be crippled by this idea that electoral reform must come from the government or ZEC,” argued Benjanin Paradza President of ZUNDE, joining the debate. “We have tried to push them but the answer we got from loonies like Jonathan Moyo is that ZANU PF will not reform itself out of power. What a painful thing to tell a suffering, dying nation! But it is true. They will not do that so what do we do? We are the people, we are Zimbabwe, and we have the power to do anything including getting rid of ZANU PF from power, if only we do it right.

“For the 2018 election, the right thing to do is to ensure that we turn out in full force to the polls and vote. And to vote, everyone must register and ensure that their names are on the voters' roll. We have less than two years to do this and time is not on our side.”

Zanu PF’s vote rigging schemes are a lot more sophisticated than you think, my brother Paradza. Nearly one million voters were denied the vote in the 2013 elections, for example, because NIKUV, the Israeli company paid a princely sum of $10 million by Mugabe, posted their details some other constituency voters roll than they expected. Many of the voters would have picked this up for themselves if the voters roll was released at least a month before voting day as is stipulated by law. Zanu PF saw to it that the voters roll was not released, even to this day!

In the coming elections, the country will be using a new Biometric Voting System (BVS); there is no doubt that NIKUV is already devising ingenious ways of corrupting the data to deny many real people the vote whilst allowing many ghost voters to vote for Zanu PF. This time the regime will release BVS data knowing fully well that few the technical know-how to read the information let alone analyse it.

Throughout the five years of the GNU, President Mugabe went out of his way to make sure Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends never doubted for even one minute that MDC would win the 2013 elections even if no democratic reform are implemented. He spoilt them rotten by making sure that MDC leaders were afforded all the gravy train trappings of power plus a $4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, a former white owned farm for Ncube, etc., just to keep them sweet. We must not allow ourselves to fall for that again!

As long as nothing has been done to implement all the democratic reforms, Zanu PF will rig and win the 2018 elections just as it did with the July 2013 elections. The party’s vote rigging machinery well-oiled with the billions of dollars looted from Marange diamonds easily overcome the inconvenience of all the rogue war veterans supporting the opposition. Frankly Zanu PF would still “win” even if we all voted for the opposition as long as the party has total control of those entrusted to count! 

Friday 28 October 2016

Zimbabwe is dying for change but not until we have MPs and not thugs and clowns By W Mukori

Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic meltdown; with unemployment soaring to nauseating heights of 90% plus, no clean running water in most cities and town, government failing to pay civil servants, rampant corruption with $15 billion being looted and no one arrested, etc. The people of Budiriro voted for MDC-T politician Costa Machingauta, like millions of other Zimbabweans up and down the country, to save them from the nightmare of the economic meltdown.

The economic meltdown is getting worse and worse, not better. There is no doubt that MDC-T, for all their claim that they will improve the people’s lives, have no idea what to do.

The key to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery is making sure the nation has competent and democratically accountable leaders which is only possible if the nation has free, fair and credible elections. The nation has to implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF vote rigging machinery if there are going to be free and fair elections.

Nothing of any substance or meaning can ever be achieved until we cure ourselves of this intractable political system that has allowed incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical politicians to stay in power by denying the people their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote!

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU. After five years, they failed to get even one reform implemented. Not one!

Even since the July 2013 elections MDC-T has vowed the party will not take part in any future elections until reforms are implemented. Sadly, three years later, they have failed to get even one reform implemented and it is clear they have given up hope of getting any reforms implemented. And, as noted above, the economic meltdown is getting worse and not better.

No doubt MP Machingauta would want to be re-elected in 2018 but, like everyone else in MDC-T, has precious little to show for all his years in parliament. MDC-T politicians know they are corrupt and/or incompetent and since they cannot dazzle the electorate with brilliance they have decided to baffle the people with bull! MP Machingauta decided to amuse us by turning up in parliament dressed as a clown!


Quick, send in the MP …… don’t bother the clown are here!

Zanu PF is party of corrupt and murderous thugs and it took the nation nearly 20 years to realize this. For the last 17 years the people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC members into power in the hope that they will bring about meaningful democratic change. It has turned out that MDC is a party of incompetent and corrupt clowns. The question is how long will it take the people of Zimbabwe to finally admit the MDC clowns will never get them out of the economic mess Zanu PF landed the nation into?

The Zimbabwe electorate elected corrupt and murderous Zanu PF thugs in 1980 and for the last 17 years the people have put their trust in incompetent and corrupt clowns to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. If the people are serious about getting out of the hell-hole Mugabe has landed the nation into then it is clear that they must take the task of electing competent and quality leaders with the seriousness the matter demands.

It was downright foolish to have entrusted the destiny of the nation in a corrupt and murderous thug like Mugabe but only a fool will then go on to elect a corrupt and incompetent clown like Tsvangirai to get the nation out of the hell-hole. Zimbabwe is desperate for meaningful change, is dying for economic recovery; we would not be in this hell-hole if we had not elected thugs in 1980 and clowns will never lead us out of the hellhole.

People get the government they deserve and we after 36 years we cannot say we do not deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship complete with the coterie of completely useless opposition clowns! 

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Elections with no reforms is to invite violence - testing providence. By P Guramatunhu

MDC failed to get even one single democratic reform implemented during the GNU because the party was COCK SURE it had the overwhelming support of Zimbabwean voters and no amount of Zanu PF vote rigging would overturn its majority. SADC leaders warned MDC leaders not to take part in any elections without implementing meaningful democratic reforms first and MDC leaders ignored the warning.

President Mugabe blatantly rigged the July 2013 elections “winning” 62% of the vote and securing a convincing two thirds majority for Zanu PF.

After the July 2013 rigged elections all the MDC factions vowed they will not take part in all future elections until reforms are implemented. Now it seems they have all forgotten about their promise NOT to take part in future elections until reforms are implemented.

There is a real danger of the country’s opposition parties seeing in Temba Mliswa’s Norton by-election victory over the Zanu PF candidate as proof that Zanu PF’s vote rigging machinery is broken beyond repair. And proof that they can now take part in the 2018 elections even if not even one reform has been implemented.

The Norton by-election victory has renewed the opposition’s political zeal; they are now as keen as mustard to take part in the 2018 elections and are once again COCK SURE of electoral victory.

“In Norton, we stood up against the brutal Zanu PF regime. The election was testing the coalition and electoral reforms and I don’t have to be a member of the MDC to support Tsvangirai. Zanu PF rigs elections but without war veterans they are nothing,” said the newly elected Norton independent MP Temba Mliswa.

“This is very good news that creates the possibility of having a grand coalition to confront the Zanu PF regime in 2018. United we are stronger and divided we are weaker. The people of Zimbabwe can rest assured that the coalition is coming. The Zanu PF regime will be history come the next elections,” added MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu.

If President Mugabe and Zanu PF are as weak and feeble as Mliswa, Tsvangirai and all the other opposition leaders say they are, then the opposition must force Zanu PF to implement the reforms BEFORE the elections. After all being weak and feeble did not stop Zanu PF in any way using violence during the Norton by-election as Mliswa readily admitted!

“Even when Zanu PF unleashed violence on us, Chamisa was caught in the crossfire and inhaled teargas just like all of us,” recalled Mliswa.

Violence is the one tool President Mugabe has often used and has even boasted of having several degrees in violence. Indeed, history tells us that whenever the tyrant’s iron grip on power is threatened he has resorted to wanton violence with tragic consequences.

So holding the next elections without implementing the democratic reforms designed to ensure the elections are not just free, fair and credible but, more significantly, are free of the usual political violence; will be to invite Mugabe and Zanu PF to use violence to win the elections. President Mugabe is a murderous tyrant and we must not tempt providence especially when the welfare and the very lives of innocent people is at stake!


The warning SADC leaders gave to MDC before the 2013 elections is just as valid and true now: “PLEASE DO NOT TAKE PART IN THE NEXT ELECTIONS WITHOUT IMPLEMENTING THE DEMOCRATIC REFORMS FIRST!”

If Zimbabwe’s opposition politicians ignore the warning again this time then they must know that they, together with the Zanu PF thugs carrying out the violence, will be jointly held to account for all the property damaged, broken limbs and lost lives because they would have brought on the violence by ignoring the warning.