Inclusive talk will give politicians chance "to find each other" nothing more - we want free elections, nothing less W Mukori

Man is a creature of reason and those who have excelled in this have done very well, thank you, whilst those who have lagged behind have suffered. We, in Africa, have not done well at all and hence the reason the continent has remained the dark continent plagued by war, disease and chaos. Before independence in 1980 Zimbabwe was one of the top five richest nations in Africa with the potential to do even better. For the last decade the country has been the poorest nation in Africa; that speaks volumes on our score as creatures of reason.

One’s ability to reason can manifest itself in many, many ways; the ability to plan ahead, for example. Some chimpanzees are known to carry a carefully trimmed stick a great distance which they will then use to fish out termites. Mankind, with our bigger brain, are expected to do a lot more than that, of course. 

One area we in Africa have fallen flat on our faces again and again and never ever seem to learn from our own past experience and that of others is governance. It was the Greeks, 2 500 years ago who came up with the solution of democracy, in which all citizens have a right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country, as the answer to the problem of governance. Reason and experience has shown that democracy works. And yet very few African countries have been able to hold free, fair and credible elections. 

Zimbabwe’s rapid descend into the economic and political abyss since independence can be attributed to one thing - our failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The economic meltdown is a consequence of 39 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. The nation was (and is to this day) stuck with regime because the party rigged elections. 

“Within the security sector and diplomatic community, there are three major scenarios being bandied about of what could happen in months ahead,” a source told the Independent. “There could be riots, a palace coup or impeachment, or rebooted inclusive talks. These situations are not mutually exclusive; they could happen simultaneously or in a quick succession of related events.” 

Many people have been calling for the political dialogue leading to the Transition Authority (TA), a watered down version of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Political dialogue with help Zanu PF and MDC leaders “find each other”, some have argued. The last GNU did help the country’s political leaders find each other alright. 

"We enjoyed serenity of politics during the GNU. That spirit must come back. It must come back,” cried out Jacob Mudenda, the Zanu PF Speaker of Parliament, in support of the TA.

The reason the politicians found each other and worked so harmoniously together is because the MDC, led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai, was careful not to implement even one democratic reform although this was the most important task the GNU was asked to do. Mugabe saw to it that MDC leaders enjoyed all the trappings of high office, ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a $4 million highlands mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. In return MDC leaders kicked reforms out of the window. 

Of course Mudenda, Mnangagwa and the rest of the Zanu PF leaders will welcome the TA and another period of serene politics in which no meaningful reforms are implemented and Zanu PF once again emerge with all its dictatorial powers untouched. 

The Zimbabwe economy will not recover during or after the TA because everyone will know the regime is the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship with one or two MDC A leaders for window dressing. It will take a lot more than window dressing to restore confidence in investors and the nation at large and revive the economy. 

At the end of the TA, with not even one meaningful reform implemented, Zanu PF will rig the elections just as the party did in 2013 , at the end of the GNU. Zimbabwe will still be a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. 

Another military coup or impeachment will just be yet another Zanu PF internal reshuffled no different from the November 2017 coup. After that Mnangagwa blubbered about “Second Republic”, New dispensation!” and “Zimbabwe is open for business!” We all know that was all hot air and events have proven this to be so. Another Zanu PF coup will not produce any significant change. 

This Zanu PF regime rigged last July’s elections and is ipso facto illegitimate and a in-house coup will only highlight the legitimacy problem. Frankly, the nation and the world are getting sick to the back teeth of those Zanu PF “military assisted transition!” 

Zanu PF will use brute force to suppress street protests and riots and the regime is been training and arming the Police, Army and CIO for this. The regime used brute force against those protesting against the rigged July 2018 elections and against fuel increases and the regime was roundly condemned for it. 

Mnangagwa knows that shooting dead more protestors will only increase the regime’s isolation but, worst of all, that it will solve nothing. As long as the nothing is done, so far he has shown that he has no clue what to do, to end the economic meltdown there threat of street protest will remain. 

History has shown that human being will not suffer and died in silence like sheep; sooner or latter they will cry out for justice, regardless of the brutality they face. In Zimbabwe the limit of human endurance has been exceeded, the cup is full and overflowing. 

By using violence Zanu PF has delayed the day of change but that is not to say they stopped change happening. By rigging elections and using violence to stop peaceful demonstrations Zanu PF has left the nation with no other choice by to have violent change. No one can ever be certain of whether rioting will led to democratic stability or open the flood gate to chaos and more violence as happened in Libya or here in Zimbabwe in 1980! 

After 39 years of rigged elections and the nation stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical regime the solution to Zimbabwe’s economic mess and political paralysis is clear as day - to end the curse of rigged elections, implement the democratic reforms. Zanu PF is illegitimate and must step-down to allow the political space for the appointment of a new body tasked to implement the reforms. 

Of the three solutions above, the only viable one is political dialogue leading to the TA. I agree 100% on the need for political dialogue so politicians can find each other, we tried that with GNU and it worked, but it did not solve the country’s economic and political problems hence the reason we are still in this mess! The real solution is staring us in the face. 

Fourth solution is for Mnangagwa to step down and it is the only viable solution. We are in this mess because an age old problem of bad governance. Until we implement the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections Zimbabwe will remain stuck in this hell-on-earth hole Zanu PF dragged us into! Zanu PF is illegitimate and must step down; why keeping the regime in office especially when it will interfere with the implementation of the required reforms.