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.”
“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!
Mnangagwa also re-assigned 19 other top civil servants without giving them specific roles, including Willard Manungo the most senior bureaucrat in the finance ministry. His replacement is George Guvamatanga, a former managing director at Barclays Bank Zimbabwe.
ReplyDeleteThis business of “re-assigning” the old guard unspecified roles, Mnangagwa has done the same thing with a whole bunch of deadwood ministers, is just going to increase the size of the civil service which is already bloated to start with.
Retiring is not something many people do not look forward to. It is a truly frightening prospect to retire in a country like Zimbabwe where life is tough. 75% of the people now live in abject poverty and most basic services such as clean running water, health services, etc. have all but collapsed. Life is tough enough even for those with a full time and well-paying job; without a regular income, life is hell!
Most of these retiring civil servants, like Tobaiwa Mudede, have played their unsavoury role in creating and sustaining the de facto one-party dictatorship that has brought the nation to ruins. They resisted change because they were benefiting from the status quo or thought they were. Now they are coming face to face with poverty and chaos, the consequences of their decades of selfishness and folly.
The late Nathan Shamuyarira and Enos Nkala were Zanu PF grandees who, like you Mr Mudede, did their bit to create the Zanu PF dictatorship. They both died paupers because the dictatorship created poverty and the regime has had no choice but to throw to the wolves even its own grandees. Many of the retired Zanu PF grandees are destined to us ordinary mortals and swell our number of those living in abject poverty. We welcome you comrades, you will have to adopt or you will not last long!
Zanu PF, Mugabe and now Mnangagwa in particular, have got into the habit of rigging elections, turn round and claim the elections were free, fair and credible. "Where is the evidence of vote rigging?" they would argue.
ReplyDeleteThe regime denied 2 to 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora a vote. The regime's claim that it had no money to make this possible is a feeble excuse. If it had charged $20 per registered voter the exercise would have raised $4o to $60 million, enough to cover all the elections related expenses with millions left over.
Zanu PF has increase the number of polling stations from 2 000 in 2008 to 9 000 in 2013 and 11 000 this year; in increase of 450% and 550% respectively. There were three or more polling stations within a few 100m of each other this year. Many voters were send from one to the next and in the ensuing confusion many were denied the vote whilst other very able to cast multiple votes. Of course, there was blatant vote rigging but with no verified voters' roll no one could prove anything.
The thing is Zanu PF leaders believe the world is full of fools who cannot see what is going on and so the party can rig the elections and get away with it.
The investors are the one group who have never allowed Zanu PF to get away with rigged elections because they have shied away from investing in the country. I agree King Kong can put up a show, swing from the Empire State Building shouting "Zimbabwe is open for business!" and still inward investment will remain a trickle!
Until the people of Zimbabwe take the bull by the horns and end this scourge of rigged elections, the only sure way to end the pariah state, there country will never have any meaningful economic recovery. After 38 years of appeasing the Zanu PF thugs and hope against hope that the de facto one-party dictatorship will deliver the peace and economic prosperity; the very least we can do now is acknowledge that it is not working.
@ Mike Tawanda
ReplyDelete"By now, we all know President Emmerson Mnangagwa's mantra by heart: Zimbabwe is open for business! We have heard it countless times since the beginning of the new dispensation in November 2017. I always thought it is a message only for the international community, for investors, maybe even for some high-rolling local businessmen. But I was wrong," you said.
"There have been many changes since Mugabe was sacked. The police road blocks are gone, saving everybody money and time. Nobody is afraid anymore to speak their minds, and Zimbabwe's social media is busy like a beehive - and it can get really brutal there. The highest politicians of the country are not only openly criticised, but also humiliated and derided. Such a difference atmosphere from only a year ago!"
You are very observant but sadly you missed out the most important thing! ED rigged the recent elections and thus confirmed that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by thugs. You can witter all you wish about "ED means business" but will not fool investors. Who would want to invest in a pariah state whose next regime change be yet another military coup!
@ Elijah Chihota
ReplyDelete"Despite childish cries from the MDC Alliance, that President Mnangagwa suffers a legitimacy crisis, the crux of the matter is that he won the July 30 polls by 2 460 463 votes beating his closest contestant Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance who garnered 2 147 436. Despite Chamisa's outrageous claims that he was the winner of the harmonised election and immediately filed a case with the Constitutional Court, which Chief Justice Luke Malaba and his bench working on evidence ruled on 24 August 2018 that President Mnangagwa was the elected President of the 2nd Republic of Zimbabwe. Former President, Robert Mugabe also endorsed the President's victory," you write.
"There was an election, Zanu PF was represented by Emmerson Mnangagwa and (Nelson) Chamisa represented MDC-Alliance and results came out saying the person who won was Emmerson Mnangagwa and I said zvava mugwara zvino," said Mr Mugabe.
"Regionally, the elections were endorsed as largely free and fair by the African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Commonwealth. The COMESA observer mission commented that the election was "peaceful, transparent and adhered to regional and international standards."
Of course Mnangagwa rigged the elections. You have claimed the election observer teams from nations with no pedigree of holding free, fair and credible elections have "endorsed as largely free and fair" even they were ashamed to give the flawed and illegal elections an unqualified endorsement. Not even one election observer team from the democratic nations has dare endorse the rigged elections.
You appeal to Mugabe for endorsement is laughable, it only goes to show how desperate Mnangagwa is for acceptance and legitimacy. The disposed dictator has never hold a free, fair and credible election in his whole life!
Mnangagwa rigged the elections and, per se, he is illegitimate. He is now forced to wear the title, the albatross round the mariner's neck in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem.
After 38 years of rigging elections and getting away with it, it is right and proper that Mnangagwa is not allowed to get away with it, not this time!
LONG-SERVING Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede (74) has finally been retired while Information secretary George Charamba was elevated to the unfamiliar position of Deputy Chief Secretary Presidential Communications.
ReplyDeleteThis is according to the new public service shake up by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The list was released on Wednesday.
Mudede, who has been at the helm of the country's registry since 1985, had become one of the most hated public officials after he was often said to be the central figure in former President Robert Mugabe's alleged election rigging tactics.
People like Tobaiwa Mudede have played a pivotal role in the creation and retention of the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship. They did not care about the suffering and anguish it brought to the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans because they were getting a share of the spoils of power, influence and wealth.
Still being cut lose now must feel like a hammer blow because the reality of the country's economic mess will hit home. Their high ranking post in the civil service had shielded them from the economic hardship, trials and tribulations the majority of Zimbabweans have faced on a daily basis, year after year for the last 38 years.
Other than the select few, notably Mugabe and his wife, many of the Zanu PF grandees have tasted poverty, the one product Zanu PF has produced in great abundance. It is right and proper that the likes of Tobaiwa Mudede have a taste of some of the regime's bitter herbs before they go to meet their maker!
@ Marallas Mechavio
ReplyDelete"Mnangagwa has already started wooing investors of all manner and kind. Even GE of USA want to invest in the Batoka Gorge project. You are clearly barking dogs that will not stop the caravan no matter how loud they bark," you say.
ED started wooing investors soon after last November's coup. To reassure everyone Zimbabwe had changed, he promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. Many people felt that was too good to be true considering ED and the coup plotters were the same individuals who had been rigging the elections all the last 37 years to keep Mugabe in power. Why would they stop now especially when they will be doing so keep themselves in power! Investors are not fools and so they did not rush in to invest in Zimbabwe.
Within a few weeks of making the promise to hold free and fair elections, it was clear Mnangagwa had no intention to keep the promise. He refuse to implement the democratic reforms and continue with such schemes as buying Chiefs new cars - bribing them to continue play their usual role of frog marching rural voters to attend Zanu PF rallies.
Zimbabwe is pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs; this is a fact that is settled. Investors do not like doing business is pariah states, as a rule of thumb, because it is too risky. Any investor who does do business in a pariah state will charge an arm and a leg because they have to make their money and get out a.s.a.p.
A few months ago we were told the Chinese were going to build the Batoka Gorge Project as part of the many mega deals. Now that Zanu PF is back in power the Chinese are having cold feet again. They signed mega deals with Mugabe and now they are doing the same with Mnangagwa!
Are you sure GE are interested in investing in Zimbabwe? What about ZEDRA?
"With the $15.7m (£11.9m) that the government has pledged towards the outbreak of cholera, we suspended things like purchase of vehicles for ministers and members of parliament to make sure that we deal with this out break immediately," the Zimbabwe Mail quotes Mr Ncube as saying.
ReplyDeleteCabinet ministers are entitled to a Mercedes-Benz sedan, Range Rover or Toyota Land Cruisers, the NewsDay website reports.
Deputy ministers and legislators can purchase slightly less flashy cars and the total vehicle budget amounts to $20m, NewsDay adds.
I cannot wait for the day when the nation will force through the implementation of all the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. Until that day the nation will never be certain the regime will honour such promises as stopping to buy new cars for minister even for a few weeks. Even if they did it will be business as usual soon thereafter wasting money on cars and other luxuries whilst millions have no clean running water!
Zanu PF rigged the recent elections and hence the reason we are stuck with a corrupt, incompetent government that has every month for the last 38 years wasted billions of dollars of national wealth on luxuries at the expense of public welfare. We need to deal with this curse of bad governance properly and stop messing about. This curse will not go away until we deal with it!