"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” said George Santayana, born Jorge Augustín Nicolás Ruiz De Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. An old cliche well worth repeating a thousand times especially in our case, Zimbabwe, where the price of failing to learn from the past has soared to doom's day scenario.
In the 1990s the people of Zimbabwe came to the conclusion that Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party were not delivering the mass prosperity, "Gutsa ruzhinji!" as Mugabe never tired of saying, but delivering mass poverty instead. The people realised they needed to remove Zanu PF from office but for that to happen the country needed to implement democratic changes designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.
In Mugabe's de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship supporting another political party was and still is a "political crime". Still the people risked life and limb to elect the now late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends into power on the promise they would implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.
Sadly, after 20 years on the political stage, MDC has failed to implement even one democratic reform. The nation is still grappling with the challenge of rigged elections.
President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, just as the party has blatantly rigged elections ever since the country's independence in 1980. MDC's reaction to the rigged elections is to call for political dialogue with Zanu PF and leading to reforms.
"As we state in our “Roadmap to Economic Recovery, Legitimacy, Openness and Democracy" (RELOAD) document, the dialogue must ensure that the country breaks away from the vicious cycle of disputed elections through an agreed national transitional mechanism whose mandate will be to implement a raft of comprehensive reforms that must culminate in a free, fair and credible election as the only way to return the country to legitimacy," explained MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele.
Deja vu!
Back in 2014, following the Zanu PF rigged 2013 elections, MDC came up with the "No reform, no election!" party congress resolution. This time the have come up with RELOAD which was endorsed by the party at its May 2019 party congress.
The party hoped to pressure the Zanu PF controlled parliament to implement the reforms to ensure the 2018 elections are free, fair and credible. MDC even managed to get other opposition party to join its National Election Reform Agenda (NERA) pressure group. Zanu PF leaders called MDC's bluff and refused to implement even one token reform. Not one!
MDC leaders ditched the "No reform, no elections!" resolutions and all the multiplicity of redline demands the party issued to participate in the 2018 elections with no reforms in place.
What we are witnessing now is just a repeat of the same MDC posturing nonsense. The party is still totally dependent on a Zanu PF controlled parliament to implement reforms.
Besides, Zanu PF knows MDC leaders will participate in the 2023 elections even if not even one reforms is implemented for exactly the same reason MDC participated in the 2018 elections - greed. Ever since the 2008 GNU, Zanu PF has learnt that as long as the party allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats, they will participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happened to be.
Indeed, the 2008 to 2013 GNU was the best chance ever the country had to implement the reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. MDC leaders failed to get even one reform implemented in five years because they were too busy enjoying the trappings of high office they completely forgot about the reforms.
"Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!" (MDC leaders have learnt to enjoy the trappings of high office, they will not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies. Their explanation for why MDC leaders were not implementing the promised reforms.
So, if Zanu PF is not going to implement the democratic reforms and MDC is too inept to force Zanu PF to implement the reforms we must activate Plan B.
Plan B is to appoint an independent body, free of Zanu PF influence, to implement the democratic reforms. The independent body will require three years to implement the reforms and to give the nation to adopt to the democratic changes and for new democratic parties to emerge.
It is important that enough time is allowed for the democratic changes to take root and for new political players to emerge. If the only main contestants in the next elections are Zanu PF and MDC affiliates then they will work to undo the reforms. The danger of Zimbabwe becoming another Zambia after Kenneth Kaunda or Malawi after Kamuzu Banda is real.
Zanu PF must step down to create the political space for the independent body. The EU, Americans, the Commonwealth and many other July 2018 election observers condemn the elections as a farce. Many of them accepted to work with the Zanu PF regime provided it implemented the reforms. The party has had one year and half and has nothing to show for it. Nothing!
If Zanu PF is allowed to stay in office until 2023 then we can be 100% certain that no meaningful reforms will see the light of day, that MDC will participate in the flawed and illegal elections and that Zanu PF will blatantly rig the elections.
Only by implementing plan B above can we finally break this vicious cycle of rigged elections, five years of crippling misrule and meaningless posturing by the opposition ending with yet another rigged elections! Vicious cycles are for those who refuse to learn from the past!
This argument of dialogue is just a nonsense. The Zimbabwe economy is in total meltdown not because there was no dialogue between Zanu PF and MDC but because Zanu PF has failed to revive the economy.
ReplyDeleteChamisa says he has the key to "legitimacy and economic prosperity". He is just grandstanding and taking advantage of Mnangagwa's misfortunes. Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF regime are illegitimate because the July 2018 elections were flawed and illegal as the EU, Americans, the Commonwealth, etc have said. Even if Chamisa had conceded defeat and shook Mnangagwa's hand the above nations and institution would still have condemned the elections as a farce! ZEC failed to produce a verified voters' roll, for example, that will not change just because Mnangagwa gave Chamisa a cabinet post, which is what the latter has been fishing for.
On the economic front Zimbabwe's economy has failed to revive because Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs. Zimbabwe will not seize being a pariah state just because MDC members have joined the Mnangagwa cabinet!
What the African Union discovered about Emmerson Mnangagwa from his own words: “My government is better than heaven’s, this one is just too good… Once we know it is the Kuwadzana people who are stopping the rain; we will send the army to surround them and beat them up… Anyone found with the spirit of legion, I will personally machete them!”
ReplyDeleteThe arrogance of the man is insufferable! He rigged the elections because he feared that the people will reject him in a free, fair and credible elections. He was so sure he would fix the economy and now it has finally dawned on him that he has no clue what to do to revive the comatose economy. His blue eyed boy, Minister Mthuli Ncube, promised many, many things but has failed to deliver any of them. Ncube's blundering incompetence has reignited the hyperinflation and he has no clue what to do to put out the raging flames!
The people of Zimbabwe must now focus their energy on making sure the democratic reforms are implemented and the next elections are free, fair and credible; this is the only sure way to end the Zanu PF misrule.
“I also want to stress that we are not interested in the formation of another GNU.What we want is a Transitional Authority," said Chamisa.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the disappointing things about corrupt and incompetent leaders, they always try to make up for their glaring inadequacies by making a mountain out of a mole hill. Chamisa has failed to explain what exactly he hopes to accomplish in holding this political dialogue with Mnangagwa. Why is he insisting on an independent mediator? What will be the composition and purpose of this National Transition Authority?
There are so many questions the people would want asked. He is keen to keep everything close to his chest just as he kept "the stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections", he promised before 2018 elections. The truth is he did not have any measures and Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections. It was just a bluff.
He doesn't have any more ideas what the NTA is about beyond the demand of a cabinet position for himself and a few other MDC leaders. Whether the body is called an GNU or NTA is academic but with his pea-size brain trivial matters like that become the big issue!
@ Patson Maseko
ReplyDelete"What happened to winning in rigged elections (WIRE)? You are becoming renowned academics instead of renowned politicians that you are failing to be."
Exactly! Obert Gutu went to town about MDC's Winning In Rigged Elections strategies. He would not reveal an details, of course, but he was super confident MDC was going to have a landslide victory. He has since emerged as Mnangagwa's apologist and one wonders whether he was that all along. He was wittering about WIRE just to lead the naive and gullible into the Zanu PF trap!
Zimbabwe is a pariah state, ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs. And as long as the country remain a pariah state there will be no meaningful economic recovery and so the country’s dooms’ day march will continue.
ReplyDeleteZanu PF is in denial that the country is a pariah state and MDC is naive to believe that the inclusion of MDC leaders in the Mnangagwa cabinet will transform the regime from a pariah state to a democratic one. We really need a transition arrangement that will show the world that the nation is serious about ending the pariah state curse. We need the independent body appointing a.s.a.p. Now!
"My question is (the former) army general is said to own (several) properties and a house said to be worth up to US$10 million.
ReplyDelete"Here (in the United States) we have celebrities with houses in Hollywood but we do not hear that they own US$10 million houses.
"How much was (the former army) general's salary while in the army?
"We hear of stolen money which the (former army) general and (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa are aware of," Mapfumo said.
Thank you Mukanya. We keep hearing that sanctions are the root cause of the country's problems and yet the ruling elite have become filthy rich regardless of the sanctions. Why is it that sanctions have made some people poor and a few others filthy rich?
The ruling elite do not want to talk about corrupt but will not shut up about sanctions. Well let us talk about corruption, rigged elections, shoot to kill orders and all the other problems that have been swept under the carpet!
Prosecutor General Kumbirai Hodzi yesterday made startling revelations that the corrupt cartels in the country have captured the media, judiciary and the prosecuting authority making the corruption fight difficult to execute.
ReplyDeleteHe made the remarks during a Political Actors Dialogue workshop in Bulawayo.
Below are Hodzi’s remarks…
The cartels are responsible for most of the high-level incidences of corruption and the nature of the cartels cuts across all the institutions, the media, the legal profession, the judiciary, the NPA itself and all other institutions that are mandated to fight corruption. Members of the public and business people are also involved in those cartels.
We will need to approach our fight against corruption in a thoroughly scientific manner. We have been fighting corruption in a very blind manner hence the challenges we have been facing,” he said adding that he understood the frustration from the public as far as corruption matters are concerned.
They have got strategies and you need to have a holistic and integrated bi-scientific approach. You need to know exactly what you are doing at the end of the day. It’s like performing brain surgery, you might be emotional that somebody needs to be operated on. But if everyone gets into the operating room, they might end up causing more damage than intended.
The problem here is that corruption goes to the very top of our political system. Those responsible for appointing and supervising ZACC, the Police, judiciary and all involved are themselves the Godfathers of corruption.
This is no different from the debate we have had these last four decades on democratic reforms. We have left it to Zanu PF to implement the reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF was not going to reform itself out of office and hence the reason the country is still stuck with the same corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous regime!
As long as Zanu PF is allowed to rig elections and stay in power there is no way we are going to put an end corruption and misrule.
“We will need to approach our fight against corruption in a thoroughly scientific manner,” said Prosecutor General Kumbirai Hodzi. Rubbish! Tell us what that “thoroughly scientific manner” is and stop talking in riddles!
What we need is to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and pariah state. We do not need to keep reinventing the wheel!
This is just nonsense from Gwisai!
ReplyDeleteWhat good is it to the individual or society for someone to have an "A" level certificate with grade A pass in five subjects when the individual's knowledge in the subject is so shallow he or she cannot compete with one educated to grade Seven level? This foolishness has been allowed to continue to University level, we have many graduates and PHDs who are brain dead! What a criminal waste of material and human resources!
Biti said the ruling party, Zanu-PF, was not able to fight graft as its senior members were also heavily involved in high level corruption that has bled the country of billions of dollars.
ReplyDelete"I never thought that we could get to a situation as ordinary Zimbabweans in which we could say Mugabe was actually better. But, Zimbabweans are saying so because the level of looting under Emmerson Mnangagwa is unprecedented," Biti said during a live NewZimTV current affairs programme, The Agenda, Monday.
"I have called the new government the archbishop of stealing, the deacons of stealing.
"The economy has been taken over by cartels in the form of Kuda Tagwirei, in the form of Sakunda, in the form of Trafigura in the form of Billy Rautenbach in the form of Van Hoogstraten, in the form of John Bredenkamp and other cartels that are running this economy.
Tendai Biti, you are on record singing Mugabe’s praises which explains why you and your fellow MDC friends failed to implement even one reforms during the 2008 GNU. The truth is Mugabe was a corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrant just as Mnangagwa too is a corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrant. You comparing one with the other is just as foolish as comparing a black mamba to a cobra.
The real tragedy here is that the country had the golden opportunity to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the GNU and MDC wasted it. Right now MDC should be coming up with how the party is going to implement the reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the 2023 elections. Biti’s obsession with comparing a black mamba with a cobra is not going to get us out of this mess.
AN INFLUENTIAL American think-tank has laid into Harare over the economic hardships that Zimbabweans continue to experience — which it says have worsened under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, pictured,'s government.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the California-based research organisation - RAND Corporation - is also accusing Mnangagwa's administration of having engaged in "patchwork" reforms thus far in its desperate bid to woo the West and major investors.
This comes as Zimbabwe is in the grip of a huge economic crisis, its worst in a decade, which has stirred anger and restlessness among long-suffering ordinary citizens.
In a report released last week RAND Corporation also warned that Zimbabwe's economy was once again on the verge of a complete collapse.
Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs and as long as the remains the case, there will be no meaningful economic recovery.
It is now clear that Zanu PF does not have the political will to implement the reforms, plan B must kick in, get someone else who will.
The prospect of Zimbabwe remaining a pariah state with Zanu PF in power till 2023 is unthinkable. What makes it worse is that Zanu PF will go on to rig the 2023 elections and thus extend its rule. The only way to break this vicious cycle of rigged elections, five years of pariah state ending in yet another rigged elections is by forcing Zanu PF to step down to allow reforms to be implemented.
Chiredzi South legislator Kalisto Gwanetsa last week called a meeting with all school heads in his constituency after it recorded poor results during the 2019 Grade 7, Ordinary Level and Advance Level Zimsec examinations.
ReplyDeleteMost of the schools performed dismally with some posting a 0% pass rate while others got 2% or 3%.
As long as nothing is done to revive the economy so that teachers are paid living wages, schools are properly funded, etc. the education standard and school results will only get worse.