Saturday 26 November 2016

SADC must "resolve Zim crisis" says SA Bishop - need more than kind words. By W Mukori

"Hell is full of good meanings, but Heaven is full of good works" is an aphorism that has echoed louder and louder in Zimbabwe as the nation has sunk deeper and deeper into the economic and political hell-hole this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship has dragged the nation into. We can ignore it as we have done these last 36 years but we can be certain of one thing we will sink ever deeper; hell is a bottomless pit!

“In a scathing attack, (Methodist Church and proponent of human rights in South Africa) Bishop Paul Veryn castigated the Zimbabwean government for failing to respect its citizens. He said there were several South Africans willing to help Zimbabweans to find a lasting solution to its current crisis,” reported The Zimbabwean.

I agree with the Bishop 100% that there many South Africans and other nationals out there who are willing to help Zimbabwe get out of this hell-hole Mugabe landed us. The question then is: why are all these people not helping then?

Answer: people help those who help themselves. Zimbabweans have again and again not only let ourselves down, when it comes to ending the Mugabe dictatorship, but we have let down those who have invested their time, sweat and treasure to help us. This is the elephant in the room Zimbabweans, and those who really want to help us, must address or we will never get out of the hell-hole.

“Bishop Veryn said what was happening in Zimbabwe was “painful” adding that the South African government ought to act to extricate Zimbabwe from the current social, economic and political crisis,” continued the report. “He said it was critical for SADC and South Africa to act in resolving the Zimbabwean crisis as it could become a regional problem if not urgently addressed.”

If the truth be told, and it must, SADC did intervene in 2008 and it setup a template for democratic reforms which, if implemented would have ended the corrupt and tyrannical one-party cum one-man dictatorship in Zimbabwe. Not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU. Not one!

Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC politicians led by one Morgan Richard Tsvangirai who ironically were elected on a ticket to bring change failed to implement even one change. It turns out they were never really interested in bring about any democratic change; they just wanted to enjoy the gravy train luxury of public office which the hallmark of post-independent Zimbabwe.

SADC gave Zimbabwe the get–out-of-jail card and Tsvangirai et al traded it in for gravy train lifestyle and a $ 4 million Highlands mansion for himself!

It has since become clear that MDC leaders, including Tsvangirai himself, did not have a clue what the democratic reforms were about and even now, with the benefit of hindsight, still do not have a clue.

The ordinary people of Zimbabwe have themselves to blame for GNU failing to deliver the free, fair and credible elections because they elected the corrupt and incompetent Tsvangirai et al in the first place. Zimbabweans have never taken the task of electing competent leaders with the seriousness the matter demands. After electing a corrupt and murderous tyrant they elect a corrupt and incompetent idiot; that is being reckless and irresponsible.

Bishop Veryn is asking SADC to intervene in Zimbabwe again but to what end and purpose? If the Zimbabwean people themselves are not ready to implement the democratic reforms – by electing the same corrupt, incompetent and sell-out MDC leaders the people are it very clear that they have learnt nothing from the failed GNU – SADC can initiate another GNU but that too will result in another rigged election as happened in 2013.

“The intellectual capacity of Zimbabweans is amazing and someone up there should find a way that ensures strategic use of the human capital so that Zimbabweans are able to fend for their families while contributing to economic growth in South Africa and the region. We cannot put this human capital to waste”, said Bishop Veryn.

If we were so clever then we would not be looking to other nation to make “strategic use” of are human potential whilst our own country is going to the dogs. It is now 36 years since our independence and we yet to hold our first free, fair and credible elections – many of us cannot even agree what constitute free elections. Zimbabweans, clever; yeah right!

There is a reward for doing the right thing just as there is a price to be paid for doing the wrong thing. People get the government they deserve, after 36 years, we cannot deny that we deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship complete with its entourage of corrupt and utterly useless opposition parties.

Bishop Paul Veryn has done a lot to help Zimbabweans in South Africa and I salute his work. But I am sure he would agree with me that we Zimbabweans have been our own worst enemies; that is the home truth we need to hear.


Zimbabwe is stuck in this hell-hole because we, the people of Zimbabwe, dozed off into a comatose like slumber soon after independence confident our political leaders will solve all our problems. When that did not happen, we expected outsiders to solve our bad governance problems without us even lifting a finger. If we are ever going to get out of the hell-hole, then we need to be told some home truth not kind words and  force us to snap out of the slumber.

3 comments:

  1. SADC will not want to touch Zimbabwe with a ten metre pole, not after what happened during the GNU. The regional body did try to end the crisis in Zimbabwe, especially leaders like President Ian Khama of Botswana and SA's Lindiwe Zulu; how many times did they advise MDC leaders to implement the reforms and were ignored. SADC leaders literally begged MDC not to take part in the 2013 elections without implementing the reform but again they were ignored.

    MDC leaders have taken turns to blame SADC for Zimbabwe's failure to deliver free, fair and credible elections as the 2008 GPA had promised; that must have been a real bitter pill to swallow. The Zimbabwe people themselves have returned the corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders as their leaders that is their democratic right but the consequences of that stupid decision was to force SADC to wash their hands of Zimbabwe. If the Zimbabwean people cannot give SADC leaders someone they can work with then SADC have no choice but to stay out of Zimbabwe.

    The ball is in the people of Zimbabwe's court, it is for us and not anyone to elect competent leaders if we really want meaningful change. 

    Bishop Veryn is right that the deepening political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe has held back development in the whole region and is now a serious threat to stability. Still what else could SADC have done. Zimbabwe under President Mugabe have become the dreaded neighbour from hell!
    Zimbabwe is a hell-hole on earth and it is us the people who let this happen!

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  2. These MDC-T supporters are not doing Zimbabwe any favours, they are are no different from the Zanu PF supporters who have supported President Mugabe and his corrupt and murderous regime no matter what! All these MDC and Zanu PF thugs care about is power and they are exploiting the ordinary people's suffering who vote for them on the mistaken believe they will keep their promises and address their problems! 

    “President Tsvangirai will brief the people on the current fight for electoral reforms as well as publicly deliver a special message to President Mugabe on what he can do in the current dire circumstances if he truly loves this country and its people,” writes Luke Tamborinyoka.

    Oh please! MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU but failed to get even one reform implemented. Not even one of the wishy-washy electoral reforms have seen the light of day. MDC-T and all the other minion opposition parties who had foolishly endorsed these reforms have achieved nothing.

    What we already know and do not need Tsvangirai to tell us is that MDC-T will still take part in the 2018 election even with no reform in place!

    Zimbabwe politics will never accomplish anything of value as long as it is incapable of electing capable leaders but recycling the same corrupt and incompetent leaders really takes the biscuit!

    “All roads lead to Highfield tomorrow. Come one, come all,” called Luke!

    Sure enough there will be some Zimbabweans who still believe Tsvangirai is fit to be State president even now with his NGU track record there for all to see. As long as we have an electorate that is incapable of thinking this country will remain stuck in this hell!

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  3. The people of Zimbabwe love shooting themselves in the foot; where others would see the opportunity to get out of the tight situation we are in, we dive in headlong without thinking and thus end up making our situation worse and not better. We are facing a serious economic meltdown and political chaos brought about by 36 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule. We need to completely dismantle the dictatorship and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government. How anyone with a brain can think that we can do this with Tsvangirai or Mujuru beggars belief.

    Tsvangirai has had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chance being during the GNU and he has wasted them all. President Mugabe bribed him and his MDC friends to kick the reforms into the tall grass with the gravy train lifestyle and for Tsvangirai, the $4 million Highlands mansion. Tsvangirai is still living in the mansion even to this day and he cannot explain where he got the money to pay for it!

    Tsvangirai has already proven beyond doubt that he is corrupt and incompetent and yet some people still considers him good enough to lead us out of this mess. How stupid is that!

    As for Joice Mujuru she has sat there like a king-cabbage piling up the volume and weight and has done nothing to stop the corruption and tyranny that has landed us into the mess - nothing that is other that claim her lion's share of the looting. She now says she saw nothing because her "puppy eyes had not opened". Dotito dogs must be a truly remarkable breed with puppies that take 34 years to open their eyes!

    Mai Mujuru was booted out of Zanu PF in 2014 and since then she has been fighting to regain her seat on the gravy train. If the people are foolish enough to elect her back into office she will be there to remodel the Zanu PF dictatorship in her own Zim PF image and take up the looting where she left off!

    We have done ourselves a great disservice by electing corrupt and incompetent leaders in the past but instead of learning from the past mistakes we are repeating the same mistake and recycle the same failed leaders. Well we have paid dearly for our last mistake and will do so again until we learn!


    Life is a fair and just taskmaster; those who learn from the past are rewarded whilst those who do not learn are punished! Such is life!

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