ED rigged elections, first came cash shortage next is the exodus - no lights to turn out

"If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights."  Screamed the headlines in The Sun April 1992, Britain’s leading tabloid newspaper. Neil Kinnock, Labour, did not win the election. The headline has become the catch phrase to underline what people might do underline their displeasure with an election result.

Zimbabwe has just had its harmonised elections which Zanu PF blatantly rigged, again, to claim a landslide victory. The results triggered street protests which the regime ruthlessly crash with soldiers ordered to shoot to kill. Seven civilians were short dead and hundreds were injured.

In the past Zanu PF rigged elections have resulted in Zimbabweans leaving the country in droves, this set to happen as more and more people wake up to the reality that the much hoped economic recovery will never happen. By rigging the elections President Mnangagwa and his junta have just confirmed that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs. Investors and lenders, the country has been banking on to help kick start the comatose economy, are not coming. They do not do business with thugs.

The most notable thing to happen since the 30 July 2018 voting is the shortage of cash, it bad before but has got significantly worse since, especially the US dollar. The second thing is the shortage of basic goods and/or prices going up. There two main reasons for the cash shortage and price increase/shortage of good:

1)     President Mnangagwa and the junta have haemorrhaged the cash out of the economy to squander it on new cars and bankroll the regime’s many vote rigging schemes. They have been spending money as if there is no tomorrow. The regime ‘won’ the elections at the price of the shortages, tomorrow did come and the chicken have come home to roast! The country is running out of medicine, wheat, fuel, cash, etc., etc. and President Mnangagwa must now explain why buying all Zanu PF election candidates was more important than buying life-saving drugs for babies!  

2)     President Mnangagwa needed to hold free, fair and credible election to confirm the message the Zimbabwe was no longer a pariah state. As noted above lenders and investors do not do business in pariah states. The country’s economic prospects are clearly gloomy and the cash and good shortages is the market’s response.

President Mnangagwa has had no shortage of advisors as to what he must do to get out of the mess he now finds himself in.

"I hope wisdom can prevail, this country needs a dialogue, and Emmerson has to talk to Chamisa because Nelson holds the keys and that is fact," came the unsolicited advice from Tendai Biti, MDC Alliance MP for Harare South.

"We are not talking about the government of national unity its nothing close to that, they must be discussions around the issues on legitimacy, there has to be discussions about state departure on militarization issue, issues on national healing reconciliation and inclusivity because we hold the keys we simply hold the keys. Emmerson must find it in his wisdom to talk to Chamisa because Nelson holds the key."

MDC leaders are just fishing for lucrative post on the gravy train; their presence will not change the direction of the regime. I do not see Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, pushing through the savage cuts in the bloated civil service and army demanded by IMF and WB, for example.

As for MDC making to the junta “legitimacy” that is just nonsense. The Zanu PF junta is illegitimate because it rigged the elections it is only by holding free and fair election that legitimacy can be restored. The lenders and investors will not flood back into the country just because Nelson Chamisa has been appointed Prime Minister or some such position.

President Mnangagwa is just another corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging dictator, Robert Mugabe in all but name; he confirmed this by rigging the elections. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by thugs the country will never know economic prosperity and political stability. Many more people will leave Zimbabwe in the coming months and years; if it was practical for everyone to leave, they would. The last man to leave Zimbabwe would not have to bother switching off the lights, ZESA power cuts took care of that years ago!