After 40 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship Zimbabwe is in a serious mess with the economy in ruins, millions of our people now living in abject poverty and, worst of all, the plunging the country into political paralysis.
Zanu PF has imposed a tyrannical one party dictatorship that has stifled all meaningful public debate and has ruthless crashed its political critics and opponents. The party has usurped the people’s fundamental freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote and even the right to life.
Ever since the signing of the Unity Accord between PF Zapu and Zanu PF, that saw the two parties merge to form Zanu PF, Mugabe has used the accord to justify the imposing of a de factor one-party dictatorship.
The 2008 elections were a watershed in Zimbabwe politics is that the ruling party Zanu PF was forced to accept its ruthless tyrannical rule was unacceptable in this day and age. Following a particularly outrageous election process in which Zanu PF blatantly cheated the vote count to force a run-off and then used wanton violence to punish the electorate for having rejected the party in the early vote and to force them to vote for the party’s candidate, Robert Mugabe.
Everyone, including both SADC and the AU renowned for giving a thumbs up to dodgy Zimbabwe elections in the past, rejected Zanu PF’s claim as the legitimate winner of the 2008 elections. SADC forced Mugabe to sign a Global Political Agreement agreeing to the need for Zimbabwe to implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to ensure the blatant cheating and wanton violence of 2008 will never be repeated ever again.
Sadly, not even one of the reforms were ever implemented; not one!
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders, whose primary task in the GNU was to implement the reforms, with ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc.With their snout in the feeding trough MDC leaders forgot about the reforms.
Indeed, during the 2008 to 2013 GNU Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies quickly learned that they could have their cake and eat it too. They could keep their one-party dictatorship complete with all its carte blanche powers to rid elections as long as the party allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats. The strategy has worked so well everyone is Zimbabwe’s opposition camp participated in last year’s elections; there were 23 contestants in the presidential race alone!
Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe as the leader of Zanu PF following the military coup of November 2017, on the wake of his rigged election victory of the 2018 elections launched Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD). POLAD is a forum grouping all the political parties (MDC A are under pressure to join) who obligingly participated in last year’s elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections.
Mnangagwa is sparing no expense in promoting POLAD as all the nation has ever wanted in a healthy and functioning political system.
“Parties under the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) plan to engage SADC, African Union, European Union and United Nations member states to explain their mandate as they press ahead with finding lasting solutions to the country's economic challenges,” The Herald, the Zanu PF mouth piece, announced.
“An information desk is also being set up to raise awareness about the activities of POLAD. In the coming year, POLAD wants to assist Government to ensure constitutional and electoral reforms are in place. This comes after President Mnangagwa lauded POLAD members for their commitment towards nation-building and unity since its inception in May.”
Zanu PF can fool SADC and AU leaders and a few others like the Chinese and the Russians, who are only too pleased to take advantage of the economic and political chaos in Zimbabwe, with this POLAD nonsense. No one else will be fooled, especially the EU.
The EU dismissed Zimbabwe’s July 2018 elections as a farce. “The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” stated the EU Election Mission final report.
“As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”
In other words, the EU does not recognise Zanu PF as the dually elected and legitimate government with the people’s democratic mandate to rule Zimbabwe because the whole election process failed to meet acceptable minimum standards.
Considering all the actors in POLAD have endorsed the 2018 elections as having been free, fair and credible; Mnangagwa made is a condition for joining the group; it is clear whatever reforms the forum will push through they will not stop Zanu PF rigging the next elections!
Zanu PF has never ever recognised other people’s right to be heard much less to criticise the party. And so the country public print media and only electronic media have been a department of the party in all but name. The country’s small private print media, there is no private radio or TV stations, has been considered the enemy of the state and haunted from pillar to post.
Zanu PF has passed so many laws to control Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), many organisation have left the country and those still operating are all wearing Zanu PF straitjacket they are now called Government Organised Non Governmental Organisations (GONGO)!
In POLAD Zanu PF has managed to coerce the opposition into a Zanu PF organised opposition (Zoo)! At a time when the nation is desperate for meaningful political change and and end to the Zanu PF dictatorship, in walks Emmerson Mnangagwa, the new Zanu PF dictator, with his Zoo circus animals! POLAD is the epitome of Zimbabwe’s political paralysis!
"We are setting up a cutting-edge information sub-committee that is going to disseminate information relating to POLAD activities to all corners of Zimbabwe,” boasted Obert Gutu, one of the Zoo star performers.
"Within the next 90 days, virtually every Zimbabwean will be hearing, thinking and even dreaming about POLAD. We have got the requisite technical skills and intellectual fire-power to repackage and rebrand POLAD."
The country’s public health care has all but completely collapse for lack of funds to pay doctors and nurses, to buy medicine and repair equipment, etc. But the country has money to buy Zoo cutting edge equipment, to get the circus to every corner of Zimbabwe and beyond!
“As of early December, nearly 21 000 drought-related cattle deaths have been reported in Matabeleland North and South provinces this year, which is above normal levels. Additionally, atypically high numbers of livestock deaths have been reported in other parts of the country,” it said.
ReplyDeleteThe problems of drought, Cyclone Ida and other natural disasters have caused great suffering but the situation has been a lot worse because of the nation was already weak as a result of the man-made problems. 40 years of Zanu PF corruption and tyranny have left the country economically and politically weak and feeble to deal with any other challenges of life. For 40 years we have done nothing to stop Zanu PF misrule and now we are paying dearly for that folly!
Zanu PF is known for corrupting organisations to the point where they are all but a department of the party in all but name. Look at the public media, ZEC, the Police, the Army, etc.; they all take their instructions from Zanu PF!
ReplyDeleteEver since Mugabe managed to bribe Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to do nothing about implementing the reforms in return for seats on the gravy train Zanu PF has known it can continue rigging the elections as long as it offered the opposition a few seat as bait. This strategic worked in 2013 and in 2018 elections.
Mnangagwa has gone one step further and formed POLAD as a forum to bribe the opposition and keep them off his back especially in the face of the country’s worsening economic situation. Yes, the opposition parties will be allowed to keep their political party names and identities, it is all a facade of course, but they will all know they are all Zanu PF in all but name!
It is hard enough to a village idiot that he/she is wrong; give the idiot power, worse still absolute power as we do with our politicians, and it becomes mission impossible. Even after 40 years of blundering from pillar to post village idiots like Themba Mliswa, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, etc. still believe they are God Almighty’s blessing to the nation!
ReplyDelete"In 2020 the opposition should come up with smart politics that increases oversight and accountability on the governing party. Hold it to account and push it to fulfil what it has promised. Being opposition isn't about destructive interference but constructive opposition," said Themba Mliswa.
The idiot has failed to understand that Zimbabwe is not a healthy and functioning democracy and so the suggestion that the opposition or anyone can ever hold this Zanu PF dictatorship to democratic account is an oxymoron.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections to make sure the party has a 2/3 parliamentary majority and hold the presidency; the regime has the power to do as it pleases and will.
Our real challenge is to get Zanu PF to step down so we can finally implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the party rigging the elections.
Mliswa's suggestion that we should make the dictatorship work is a clear sign he has learned nothing from the last 40 years of making the dictatorship work! That strategy has not worked and it is insane to keep trying even after 40 years!
By forming POLAD and making sure those participating are taken good care of, Zanu PF is guaranteed of many, many opposition parties and candidates contesting next elections regardless of how flawed and illegal the process happens to be!
Mnangagwa will see to it that opposition candidate like Mliswa, Lovemore Madhuku and Obert Gutu are rewarded, one way or the other. They are all doing sterling work of spreading the word that Zimbabwe is a healthy and functioning democracy!
It is hard enough to a village idiot that he/she is wrong; give the idiot power, worse still absolute power as we do with our politicians, and it becomes mission impossible. Even after 40 years of blundering from pillar to post village idiots like Themba Mliswa, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, etc. still believe they are God Almighty’s blessing to the nation!
ReplyDelete"In 2020 the opposition should come up with smart politics that increases oversight and accountability on the governing party. Hold it to account and push it to fulfil what it has promised. Being opposition isn't about destructive interference but constructive opposition," said Themba Mliswa.
The idiot has failed to understand that Zimbabwe is not a healthy and functioning democracy and so the suggestion that the opposition or anyone can ever hold this Zanu PF dictatorship to democratic account is an oxymoron.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections to make sure the party has a 2/3 parliamentary majority and hold the presidency; the regime has the power to do as it pleases and will.
Our real challenge is to get Zanu PF to step down so we can finally implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the party rigging the elections.
Mliswa's suggestion that we should make the dictatorship work is a clear sign he has learned nothing from the last 40 years of making the dictatorship work! That strategy has not worked and it is insane to keep trying even after 40 years!
By forming POLAD and making sure those participating are taken good care of, Zanu PF is guaranteed of many, many opposition parties and candidates contesting next elections regardless of how flawed and illegal the process happens to be!
Mnangagwa will see to it that opposition candidate like Mliswa, Lovemore Madhuku and Obert Gutu are rewarded, one way or the other. They are all doing sterling work of spreading the word that Zimbabwe is a healthy and functioning democracy!
In a statement after the meeting, co-convener of the dialogue, who is also National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) chairperson, Justice Selo Nare said POLAD had recorded some successes.
ReplyDelete"Another major highlight was the positive response by Government in subsiding mealie-meal after POLAD's engagement with responsible ministers," said Justice Nare in the statement.
"The response by SADC to POLAD in solidarity with the Government on the unconditional removal of sanctions was also a major success.”
Coming from a Judge, this is so, so sad! If Justice Are is so naive as to think that it required the formation of a super numeral body like POLAD at great expense to the nation to lobby government to subsidise mealie-meal and lobby SADC to support the removal of sanctions then one shudders to think how the nation could have appointed such a village idiot judge!
I would rather be shot than be heard repeating the nonsense of sanctions as the root cause of the country's economic meltdown knowing that corrupt is rampant and a lot others causes beside!
Zimbabwe's main opposition leaders, from the various factions of MDC, lost political credibility in 2013 when it was clear that they had sold-out and failed to get even one reform implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The only reason they still continued to enjoyed public support is because the Zimbabwean electorate had no clue what the GNU was about much less that MDC leaders sold-out. Even today, with all the benefit of hindsight, hundreds of thousands if not millions of Zimbabweans out there still have no clue what the GNU was about.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that POLAD is just a grouping of Zanu PF organised opposition (Zoo). You can explain what that means until you are coal-black in the face and many Zimbabweans out there will still be no wiser.
All our efforts to build a democracy in Zimbabwe is all an exercise in futility, a health and functioning democracy demands an active and diligent electorate; Zimbabweans are not!
@ Palesa
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Zanu PF is a curse to the nation but do not agree that PF Zapu leaders did not have the same one-party dictatorial tendencies as Zanu PF leaders.
Even today, with all the benefit of hindsight, you will find many Zimbabweans who will support a given leader purely on tribal grounds! We have learned nothing from history and so a doomed to make the same foolish mistakes again and again!
@ Nduna
ReplyDeleteWell the EU Election Observer Mission report made it very clear that the election process was not transparent, traceable, verifieble and was not to international standards. Such a process cannot produce a legitimate result and a legitimate ruling party!
MEMBERS of the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) have told President Emmerson Mnangagwa that they want government to fund their 2020 operations which include money for all-terrain vehicles and sitting allowances.
ReplyDeletePolad which brings together the ruling Zanu PF party and leaders of fringe parties that participated in the 2018 presidential elections — in their report presented to Mnangagwa after feasting at his farm last weekend, say it was critical to get funding from government since there has not been any since the formation of the platform in May this year.
"In May thereabout when we created Polad, we had no direct funding. But now this is a platform which government must support because it brings harmony, it brings peace, it brings development in the country. Development, modernisation and industrialisation has a cost, so I am not averse to funding Polad because it brings convergence of political and economic views for our country to move forward," Mnangagwa said.
Some people have dismissed POLAD as a Zanu PF organised opposition there to do Zanu PF’s bidding under the pretext of being an opposition; just like another Government Organised NGO! Except that government has to fund POLAD, I do not see many donors wanting to do this.
He who pays the piper, calls the tune!
At the very time the country needs to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship for the sake of good governance the dictatorship is tightening its iron grip on the nation.
@ Brian Mutambara
ReplyDeleteYour inferiority complex comes through every time you open your mouth! Why is it that you cannot talk about Zimbabwe's problems without bringing in the whites?
So you cannot judge for yourself whether the July 2018 were free, fair and credible?
Yes, by rigging the elections Zanu PF was defying the American and the west who have been asking for free, fair and credible elections. But surely holding free, fair and credible elections would have been of great benefit to the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans and the nation at large.
If the price of defying the West is denying fellow Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and rights and bad governance then only a village idiot would think defying the West is a good thing.
Tyrants like Mugabe and now Mnangagwa have exploited your blind hatred of the whites to frighten you into believing they are doing your a great favour by denying you your freedom, rights and human dignity.
Zanu PF blatantly rig the July 2018 elections and only a village idiot would deny that!