Sunday 15 January 2017

"MDCs COULD NOT do the obvious - withdraw from elections" admits Senator Coltart. By W Mukori

Did you know that MDC leaders did not just know but were 100% certain that Zanu PF was going to rig the 2013 elections months before the July vote and yet still participated in the elections for selfish reasons? If you did not know, here it is confirmation from the horse’s mouth.

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the GNU, David Coltart, gave details of how Zanu PF flouted the electoral rules, it clear the upcoming 2013 elections would not be free and fair. Meanwhile talks of uniting the two MDC factions to fight the elections as one were going nowhere.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” explained Senator Coltart.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

Let us remember that MDC was elected on the promise of bringing democratic change and by failing to get any reforms implemented during the GNU and then giving legitimacy to an illegal process, MDC were betraying the people who elected them. They paid lip-service to bringing democratic change, just as Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs have paid lip-service to freedom, justice and human rights for all.

“Kwavari mhiko, mudonzo wepwa, wonzedzara unodya!” as one would say in Shona. (To Zimbabwe’s politicians, principles are sugar cane walking stick, you eat them when are hungry!)  

Although MDC leaders were certain the elections would be rigged, they told the people the exact opposite. It was not until noon of 31 July 2013, voting day, that Tsvangirai admitted “Zanu PF stole the elections”, with feigned disappointment of one who did not know this would happen. Soon thereafter the all MDC factions vowed they will not take part in any future elections without implementing the democratic reforms first. “No reform, no elections!” they said.

MDC factions have boycotted the by-elections but have long since they will participate in the national elections although the accept that no meaningful reforms have been implemented. Just as happened in the 2013 elections, MDC leaders take part in the elections knowing the elections will be rigged for the sake of winning the few seats Zanu PF allow the opposition to win.

Again, just as happen before the July 2013 elections, MDC and other opposition leaders will pretend the 2018 elections not be a betrayal of the people whose right to a meaningful vote will be denied once again. The opposition leaders are claiming that the formation of an opposition coalition, an aggressive voter registration exercise and other opposition strategies will stop Zanu PF rigging the vote. All nonsense!

In the March 2008 vote Zanu PF managed to get Tsvangirai’s 73% share of the vote, by Mugabe’s own inadvertent admission, reduced to 47% after five weeks of “recounting” 5 million votes! The regime has since improved on its vote rigging tricks and has billions of dollars looted from Marange to bankroll its schemes. How does a coalition or voter registration stop NIKUV, the Israeli company paid a princely sum of US$10 million in 2013 to corrupt voters’ roll, doing so again!  

The status quo suits Mugabe and Zanu PF, he and his cronies are enjoying absolute power and the influence and luxuries it brings. He would not want any reforms implemented and risk lose power.

Tsvangirai and his opposition friends will continue to make a big song and dance about fighting for democratic change to help calm the restive populous but do nothing, even when presented with the golden opportunity to do as happened during the GNU. They will take part in the elections knowing they will be rigged; they are content fighting for the scraps Zanu PF throws at them and the bragging rights to call themselves “main opposition party”.

The big losers in Zimbabwe are the ordinary Zimbabweans whose lives hell-on-earth after 37 years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. Unemployment has soared to 90%, millions now live in abject poverty and, so far, over 30 000 have been murdered in cold blood by the regime for selfish political gains. Another rigged election in 2018 will mean a worsen economic meltdown and deepening political crisis.

Socially, politically and economically, Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged election in 2018 because the country will pay the price for such folly with the usual sweat and treasure but increasing in human misery and lost human lives!

 If there are going to be free, fair and credible elections in 2018 it is the ordinary people themselves, who must to demand the implementation of the democratic reforms. Senator David Coltart’s admission that the opposition are now more interested in fighting over main opposition party bragging rights that democratic change is just one more piece of evidence that opposition is not fighting in the people’s corner.


Mugabe has thoroughly corrupted opposition politicians like Tsvangirai as he has corrupted his own Zanu PF thugs; the opposition politicians are not just run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, they are hounds and are actively hunting the hare. The sooner the people of Zimbabwe wise up to the reality that opposition will never ever implement democratic reforms to secure free and fair elections, the sooner the country will start the important task of digging itself out of the hell-hole Mugabe landed us in.

15 comments:

  1. You are right MDC leaders cannot be trusted to implement the democratic reforms and move the country forward after trading that chance for selfish and short-sighted gains. You see the world is all the colours of the rainbow, the same cannot be said about most of our fellow citizens. They see the world in monochrome, black or white, right or wrong.

    Remember it took most Zimbabweans 20 years or so to debunk President Mugabe from the national liberation hero and great statesman pedestal they had placed him to finally accept that he was an incompetent, corrupt and murderous tyrant. The national economy was on the decline within the first five years of his taking office and by the mid 1990s, 15 years later, it was haemorrhaging. By 1987 when he signed his unity accords with PF Zapu, President Mugabe had already murdered in cold blood over 20 000 innocent Zimbabweans to foster his one-party state. The people ignored all the mounting evidence for years because having considered him a hero they were not going to be moved by reason or facts regardless how compelling them happen to be.

    Once the people accepted President Mugabe was a bad guy, they have used him as the yard stick to decide who are the good guys. As far as these simple-minded people are concerned, anyone who is anti-Mugabe is a GOOD GUY. MDC leaders are good guys because they have called for democratic change - the fact that they have failed to deliver even when they had a golden chance to do so is irrelevant, as far as our binary minded people are concerned.

    Mai Mujuru and her fellow Zim PF friends were welcomed into the opposition camp the day they fell out with President Mugabe, they were anti-Mugabe now and they 34 years as part and parcel of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime was forgotten. Simpletons like Morgan Tsvangirai even talked of Mai Mujuru being a democratic who had her Damascene moment, although there is no evidence to support a Zim PF government will implement any reforms. If Zim PF was elected they will remodel the Zanu PF dictatorship in Mai Mujuru's name and image.
    Even rogue war veterans like Chris Mutsvangwa and Mahiya who have made it clear they want to remove Mugabe and replace him with Mnangagwa but otherwise keep the Zanu PF dictatorship with all its dictatorial powers have too been embraced by our myopic people as partners in the struggle because of their anti-Mugabe stance.
    Compare to Mai Mujuru and the rogue war veterans Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are national treasures to binary minded people and Senator Coltart's admission proving MDC leaders are hounds will fall on deaf ears in Zimbabwe. How else will you explain why MDC still continue to enjoy public support regardless of the party's sorry performance record during the GNU?

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  2. Tsvangirai said on April 17, 2008 his party held secret talks with President Mugabe about forming a GNU after last month’s polls.

    If Morgan Tsvangirai was already having secret talks with Zanu PF to form a GNU in April 2008 as stated above, this shows MDC was not interested in making sure the people's right to a meaningful vote was important. And yet securing the sanctity of a free vote is at the very heart of democratic change!

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  3. The reason President Mugabe has remained in power for 37 years is because he can rig elections and, more significantly, he has been able to get away with the blatant vote rigging because the country’s corrupt and incompetent opposition parties, aided and abetted by an equally incompetent army of political analysts and civil leaders, have buried their heads in the sand. All this call for the opposition to unity and endless claims that it was the failure to unite that allowed Zanu PF to return power in nonsense.


    “The opposition parties have not helped matters by failing to organise themselves into one formidable front to confront Zanu PF head-on and achieve the victory that has evaded it for so
    long,” wrote Benjamin Semwayo.



    Tsvangirai won 73% of the vote in the March 2008 elections, a “formidable front” in anyone’s book, and yet Zanu PF managed to change this to 47% after six weeks of “recounting” the votes.



    President Mugabe has perfected the art of vote rigging and now has billions of dollars from the wholesale looting taking place in Marange to finance the most diabolical vote rigging schemes he can think of. Zanu PF has just taken delivery of 365 brand new cans with the image of the First Lady boldly splash on them, the party is loaded. How much will the united opposition to spend in the coming elections?



    You are lauding coalition building, voter registration and all the other ineffective measures because you have no clue how to implement the democratic reforms necessary to stop Zanu PF
    rigging elections. After 37 years you are still at it! Address the problem, implement the reforms, and if you cannot shut up! "Enda undovhiya mbudzi!"

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  4. MDC-N question where Zanu PF got the $10 million to buy the 365 new cars for the party.

    Zanu PF are loaded, Chihwayi, can say all you wants that will do nothing to stop Zanu PF splashing money. In the 2013 elections, Zanu PF is believed to have spend US$ 4 billion, the way the party is spending millions already the party may well spend US$ 10 billion on the 2018 elections.

    Zanu PF has perfected the art of rigging elections and the party has very deep pockets, it can fund the most elaborate vote rigging schemes it can device!

    MDC-N is about to conclude its coalition talks with the Tsvangirai faction and we have been told the coalition will win the next election. So, what is Chihwayi worried about!

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  5. Senator Coltarted said MDC leaders "couldn't do the obvious - withdraw from the 2013 elections" when it was self-evident that the elections would be rigged because they decided to fight for the few seats Zanu PF throws away at the opposition. If this is true, then MDC leaders betrayed the people by failing to do something to bring about democratic change for selfish political gain and rivalry.

    Do you have anything to add or subtract; MP Cross?

    Will you ever apologize to the people of Zimbabwe for betraying them? I really think you should have apologized years ago and left the political stage in shame! We are facing this water shortage and the multitude of other problems because people like you failed to stop Zanu PF when you had the chance to do so. Shame on you!
    Frankly I find your articles eulogizing MDC sickening in that you have never admitted that the party betrayed the nation in the most cruel manner and thus contributing to continued suffering. If you do not want to apologize for betraying us that is fine, you do not need to insult our intelligence too by talking down on us. Not all Zimbabweans are stupid, some of us know MDC sold-out during the GNU and continue to do so to this day! 
    “The water crisis in our urban centers is in many ways a National Emergency and should be treated as such by everyone concerned,” MP Eddie Cross tells us.

    Of course, it is a national emergency but that is not going to stop you are you fellow MDC leaders contesting the coming elections even though you know, with no reforms in place, the elections will be rigged. And as long as Zanu PF continues to rig elections, MDC giving them legitimacy by participating, nothing will ever be done about the water or all the other national problems.

    MDC must stop lying about bring democratic change to the people, you lot have found comfort in being the opposition party!

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  6. It is the people themselves who have chosen to be as helpless and powerless as the dassies and they are paying dearly for this foolishness. After 37 years Zimbabweans have had countless opportunities to end the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, the best chance being during the GNU, but have wasted them. Zimbabwe will hold new elections next year and the signs are Zanu PF will rig the elections again with ease. Zimbabweans have done nothing to get the reforms designed to stop vote rigging implemented.

    In 1980 Zimbabwe attained her independence and from there on it was up to us Zimbabweans to make sure we had a competent and accountable government. We have failed to do so and are paying dearly for our failure. If we do not learn and take the task of electing competent leaders with the seriousness the matter demands well then we must suffer till we learn.

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  7. MDC promised the nation democratic change when they first entered Zimbabwe politics in 1999 and today 17 years later, I cannot name even one democratic change they have brought although they had many opportunities to bring about meaningful change. Zanu PF has had 37 years to deliver on their promise of peace and economic prosperity. We the people have been hopeless at holding the leaders to account for all their unfulfilled promises.

    Very few people have ever understood what the democratic reforms were really about and so they could not held the MDC leaders to account for failing to deliver the changes. When the MDC leaders bargained the changes for bribes the people did not complain because they had no clue what was happening.

    What is disheartening is that even now when some one has explained what the reforms are about, what the consequences for failing to implement them are and, worst of all, how MDC leaders themselves admitted that they sold-out and yet still many people still do not get it. Senator David Coltart's admission has been water off a duck's back just as President Mugabe's admission that US$ 15 billions were "swindled".

    With an electorate to that is hardly moved if at all by information, facts and reasons, even when it impacts them directly, it is clear why we are in a serious mess.

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  8. “Traditional leaders you know those who do not support Zanu PF in your respective areas, go and compile lists of such people so that they can be dealt with respectively. We cannot let the opposition candidates win the seat. That will never happen,” said Mnangagwa.

    The Gukurahundi savagery was in these Zanu PF thugs and it does not take much for it to come out. Zanu PF are like the black mamba that will enter your home and bite you, angry at you for being there. We have a right to a meaningful say in the governance of Zimbabwe and a right to seek an end to the Zanu PF madness that has destroyed the nation’s economy and forced millions into abject poverty. Zanu PF is punishing all those who are daring want a better life; we have to dare face the black mamba and defend our right to be here!

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  9. @Big baboon

    We have been through this ground before, haven't we?

    The description going with the photograph clearly states that Tsvangirai started GNU talks with Zanu PF in April 2008, within weeks after the March 2008 elections . SADC proposed the GNU after the July 2008 presidential run-off. So, President Thabo Mbeki facilitated the GNU but only to finish what Tsvangirai had already started.

    Even if President Mbeki was wholly responsible for the GNU it does not change the act that MDC was wholly responsible for failing to get even one reform implemented and then taking part in an election they knew would be rigged.

    Even if Senator Coltart was a Selous Scout and was/is CIO what he said about MDC discarding the fight for democratic change for bragging rights as the opposition party is still true and valid.

    You are just one of those people who refuse to accept MDC are sell-outs and so you bury your head in the sand. It is a great pity that naive people like you have a vote, what a waste!

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  10. @Sarah

    Were any of those people ever "interested" in the truth of what happened in 2008? If they were what lessons did they learn from what happened then?

    The events Senator Coltart was talking about above did not take place in 2008 but 2013 and it is not ancient history or hogwash because it is already happening again now. MDC leaders legitimized the illegal 2013 election process by taking part because they wanted to win the few seats Zanu PF was going to give away. For your own information, they are doing this again by agreeing to take part in the 2018 elections.

    Which part of legitimizing an illegal process do you not understand? The very fact that we are still discussing this issue after all the country has gone through and all that has been said on the matter shows that some people in Zimbabwe are brain-dead and you are one of them!

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  11. Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company acting chief executive officer, Dr Ridge Nyashanu, told the committee that it was important to consolidate diamond mining to curb under-declaring of sales.

    "Anjin, when they sold, their average price per carat was $44, DMC (Diamond Mining Company) $46,66, DTZ (OZGEO) was at $49,42 and Jinan had the highest which is almost $89 per carat followed by Marange at $67,60 and the worst performer was Mbada at $23," said Dr Nyashanu.

    "When you look at Mbada, it had the highest gem and concentration but what leaves a lot to be desired is what happened, which resulted in them having an average price of $23," he said.

    In 2013 Africa Partnership Canada came up with a report claiming President Mugabe alone pocketed US$ 2 billions from the looting taking place in Marange. The President went on to spend $4 billions, at least in that year’s election.

    Zanu PF has already spending hand-over-fist on the upcoming 2018 elections, prove that the party is loaded with cash most of which will be looted from diamond mining.

    Last week Nathaniel Manheru (cum George Charamba, President Mugabe’s spokesman) quoted the “great one” claiming his claim of the nation being “swindled” out of US$ 15 billions in diamond revenue was a joke. No one who knows just how serious the problem of corruption has become in Zimbabwe was not fooled by President Mugabe’s blatant lie!

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  12. The MDC opposition had many chances to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship but failed to seize these opportunities because the leaders are corrupt and incompetent. Senator Coltart has admitted as much in his book.

    “The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” explained Senator Coltart.

    “The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

    The failure by the electorate to appreciate that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and therefore unsuitable to bring up any meaningful democratic change is the root cause why the nation has failed to end the dictatorship. As long as the people are incapable of appreciating the importance of quality leaders and continue to embrace corrupt and incompetent leaders and recycle them over and over again then the nation has no hope of getting out of the mess.

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  13. Mugabe has had the great fortune to be surrounded by some of the most corrupt and incompetent politicians in human history both from within his own party Zanu PF and in the opposition camp. there have been many opportunities for meaningful democratic change in Zanu PF and the nation but they have all been wasted.

    Still even the most cunning with truck loads of luck on his/her side will run out of luck one day; for Mugabe he is pertaining running out of luck. He had no choice but to boot Joice Mujuru out of the party in 2014 and by doing so he left Mnangagwa as the only one with enough clout to take over Zanu PF.

    Mugabe created G40 to counter Mnangagwa's influence but failed to attract anyone of substance to that factions, even the most naive in the party are wary of him. Trying to push his brain-dead wife to head G40 made the faction a dead-man walking; everyone could see the faction will never hold on to power the day Mugabe died!

    So the most likely person to takeover from Mugabe right now is VP Mnangagwa. Those who say he will never rule Zimbabwe are saying so out of wishful thinking than supporting evidence. The only way to stop Mnangagwa ruling Zimbabwe is by implementing the democratic reforms so Zanu PF can no long rig elections. Zanu PF will never win a free, fair and credible election, 37 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule has made the party unelectable.

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  14. In Africa, politicians do not care what the ordinary people think; they only pretend to care but only to help effect the deceit!

    “Morgan Tsvangirai this week kicks off a national programme where he will go out to all the country’s provinces to interact as well as hear from the people themselves their views on a range of issues, among them the key issue of alliance building ahead of the next election.” The MDC leader’s spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka, tells us in one breath.

    In the next breath he tell us, “The party through the national council, the supreme decision-making body between Congresses, has already adopted the principles for alliance building.”

    In other words, Tsvangirai has made up his mind he is going to take part in the coming national elections although not even one meaningful reform was implemented. This is a complete U-turn on the party congress resolution to boycott elections until reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections are implemented. The deceit is give the people the impression that it is no longer necessary to boycott elections because no reforms were implemented provided the opposition parties come together to form a coalition.

    What better way to complete the lie than ask the people to rubber stamp the decision to participate in the elections and then blame them if the elections are rigged as happened in 2013 and on countless other occasions in the past!

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  15. What happened to "No reform, no elections"?
    MDC took part in the 2013 elections convinced the elections would be free, fair and credible and were shocked when Zanu PF blatantly rigged the vote. MDC responded to the vote rigging by promising the nation they will never take part in another election until something is done to stop the vote rigging.
    It is no secret that not even one democratic reform has been implemented since the rigged 2013 elections and yet all the MDC factions are going to take part in the 2018 elections. There is absolutely nothing to assure the nation that Zanu PF will not rig the 2018 elections as they did with the 2013 elections?
    Indeed, there is every reason to believe Zanu PF will rig the 2018 elections. The party still its dictatorial control of the public media, State security, ZEC, etc. and has billions of dollars looted from Marange to finance all its vote rigging activities. The party has already started splashing money buying new vehicles for party officials.
    By taking part in the coming elections with no reforms in place all the participants have accept per se that Zanu PF will allowed to use every trick in the book to rig the vote and having accepted that fact it is nonsensical to complain of Zanu PF rigging afterward!

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