“Despite the NEC's wish for the ANC delegation to meet a broad range of Zimbabwean stakeholders, it is understood that Pretoria feels it would be better for the ANC to meet only its ruling party counterpart, Zanu-PF, while Ramaphosa's special envoys who have a different mandate as they represent the South African government should meet the other stakeholders, as they had originally intended to do on August 10,” reported the Independent.
“Zanu-PF would evidently prefer the envoys' mission to be merged with that of the ANC and for neither to meet the opposition and civil society.
“As a result of this intransigence, there are indications that Pretoria might have started to exert economic pressure on Zanu-PF something it has rarely done before, if at all.”
Zanu PF intransigence comes with the territory especially considering what is at stake for Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies - the dreaded regime change!
Just getting the late Robert Mugabe to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA); agreeing to the implementation of the raft of democratic reforms, which implemented, would have completely dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship; was one of President Thabo Mbeki’s greatest political achievements. Getting the reforms implemented was a bridge too far!
As things turned out, it was not the intransigent arrogance of Mugabe that foiled the efforts to get the reforms implemented but breath taking stupidity and greed of Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC banded mongooses.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office; ministerial limos, very generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, numerous overseas trips, etc., etc. And to show their appreciation to their benefactor, banded mongooses throw all reforms out of the window. Hence the reason we are still stuck with the curse of rigged elections!
Of course, Mnangagwa knows that all these talks with the SA envoys is a tacit acknowledgement that his regime has failed to govern and will culminate in the formation of a new GNU. Even if he is not asked to sign a new GPA, he knows that the same raft of democratic reforms from 2008 will be back on the agenda.
Everyone; Mnangagwa, Chamisa, President Ramaphosa, everyone; knows the pressure to have the reforms implemented without fail will be palpable. Mnangagwa’s rude arrogance in sending back the 10th August envoys, the torrid of verbal abuse from George Charamba questioning SA’s right to intervene, etc. all point to one thing - Zanu PF will resist the proposed GNU and will stop the implementing of the democratic reforms.
Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, has no intention of reforming himself and Zanu PF out of office. If Zanu PF is still in office, on its own or in GNU, on the eve of the next elections; the party will rig those elections, guaranteed!
President Ramaphosa has a very simple choice really; either to force feed Mnangagwa this new GNU knowing fully well that he will wasting everyone’s time because no meaningful reforms will be implemented. Or he can bite the bullet and demand that Zanu PF steps down so that others, who will implement the reforms, can be appointed into the GNU.
Getting Zanu PF to step down is not going to be a walk in the park and, frankly, President Cyril Ramaphosa is not up to the task. He must ask for help from the UN.
The root cause of Zimbabwe economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections just as the party rigged the 1980 elections and all the other elections since.
Today the country stands on the very edge of the precipitous abyss with its economy in ruins and millions of Zimbabweans living in abject poverty. The corona virus pandemic has only made the economic and health situation even worse. Zimbabwe is crying for a solution to its economic, political and social crisis and not another gimmick.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies must step down. The regime is illegitimate! President Ramaphosa must understand that it is not the survival of Mnangagwa’s presidency that is at issue here but that of Zimbabwe!
President Ramaphosa should know that Mnangagwa will do everything in his power to stop the formation of the new GNU with its agenda to implement meaningful democratic reforms. Zanu PF will never reform itself out of office.
ReplyDeleteSA and SADC must focus on getting Zanu PF to step down and stop wasting time. Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis is serious and needs a solution urgently!
Ongoing mismanagement and corruption mean it is "out of the question" that the European Union will resume aid directly to the government of Zimbabwe anytime soon, according to the bloc's ambassador to the country.
ReplyDeleteThe government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has "indicated that they would be interested in reverting back to budget support," EU Ambassador Timo Olkkonen told Devex in an interview last week.
"I can't prejudge, of course, what happens with the [EU's upcoming development assistance] programming exercise - but I would say, from my personal perspective, I think it would be impossible."
The EU stopped sending money directly to government coffers in the southern African nation in 2002, citing violations of human rights and democratic principles under then-President Robert Mugabe.
Three years ago, when Mnangagwa seized power from his former mentor in a coup and declared the country "open for business," Brussels offered the prospect of greater assistance in exchange for free and fair elections.
Instead, soldiers killed at least six people in the aftermath of the 2018 election that was won by Mnangagwa and criticised by international observers. In recent months, a government crackdown has seen the arrest and abduction of domestic opponents and journalists.
"Is there really a break with the past?" Olkkonen asked. "Security forces are very heavy-handed, and the treatment of many of these government critics just seems very, very unfair.”
Asked whether the country's judiciary is independent of the ruling Zanu-PF party, Olkkonen said that "there are clearly cases where you can question [whether] there are political motives behind some of those decisions."
Citing unsuccessful bail applications and counter-charges against government critics, he said that "many of these cases really look like overreaction, and then there is also a [question] of fairness and equality of treatment."
Economically, Olkkonen said skyrocketing inflation following the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar was a symptom of structural problems, such as the "dysfunctional" agriculture sector, as well as "large-scale corruption" in the "very opaque" mining sector.
More than half of the population requires food aid, he said. With around 90 percent of people working in the informal sector, Covid-19 - which has yet to peak in the country - has exacerbated the preexisting humanitarian, economic, social, and political crises, the ambassador said.
Zimbabwe’s problem of bad governance has been with us ever since 1980 when Zanu PF imposed this de facto one-party dictatorship we have lived under for the last 40 years. We have had many chances to end the dictatorship, notably during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, and we have wasted them all.
Mnangagwa rigged the 2018 elections and the opportunity to pressure the regime to step down was undermined by the MDC leaders and the host of opposition opportunists who participated in the elections. By participating they gave some credibility to the flawed and illegal elections and, by extension, gave some modicum of legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF regime.
Zimbabwe’s worsening economic meltdown, the refusal by IMF, WB and other institution to give Zimbabwe any financial assistance for fear the donation will be waste given the Zanu PF regime’s reputation as corrupt and incompetent and now this EU decision; all serve to underline the importance of good governance. It is for us, the people of Zimbabwe, and no one else to end this de facto one-party dictatorship or there will be no end to our suffering.
What people should not forget, more so President Ramaphosa, is that a new GNU led by Zanu PF will not implement the democratic reforms without which there cannot be any meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe had a Zanu PF and MDC Gnu in 2008 to 2013 and it failed to implement even one reform and it is naive to think this new GNU will do any better.
ReplyDeleteZanu PF rigged the 2018 elections, the regime is illegitimate and must step down. If SA cannot get Zanu Pf to step down then it should ask the UN to step in. We want a solution to Zimbabwe's crisis and not another gimmick!
Zanu PF will do anything, absolutely anything to hang on to power. Mnangagwa knows that Ramaphosa does not have the political spine to ask Zanu PF to step down. All the South Africans want is to ask Zanu PF to form a new GNU.
ReplyDeleteMnangagwa knows that whilst he remains in power no meaningful reforms will ever see the light of day but even then, he is not going to give in to Ramaphosa without giving him the run around first.
What is disappointing here is that a Zanu PF led GNU is a waste of time because we already know that Zanu PF will never reform itself out of office. Ramaphosa is just wasting everyone’s time on a solution that is doomed to fail already.
Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections, the regime is illegitimate and all we want is some one who can be honest and resolute to look Mnangagwa in the eyes and tell him he must step down.
Thank you very much Nomazulu, Zimbabwe is in a serious mess and the debate on how to get out of the mess should be on the nation and everyone's agenda. Sadly, it is not. Thank you for reminding us that it should be and that we ignore it at our own peril!
ReplyDeleteYou are right Professor Jonathan Moyo’s primary concern in the debate was to secure his own selfish interest and having failed to use Grace Mugabe he is now using Nelson Chamisa. And for his part, Chamisa will accept advice from Moyo as long as it helps him get into power.
If Jonathan Moyo and Chamisa were to play any part in the NTA then they will be concerned with consolidating their own hold on power and not dismantling the dictatorship to ensure free, fair and credible elections. The two were in the last GNU and neither lifted a finger to implement even one reform.
Indeed, as far as Jonathan Moyo is concerned Zimbabwe was a healthy and functioning democracy until the November 2017 military coup! If Mugabe was still alive, Moyo would want the NTA to lay the ground work for Mugabe to return to power!
@ JD Brick Making Machines
ReplyDelete“NTA is a joke in itself do think ZANU will agree to that nonsense never the no political party which can reform itself out of power eg MDC A failed to do so to be party of MDC T why then ZANU must agree to be party of an NTA when its in control?”
Mugabe would have never agreed to the 2008 to 2013 GNU if it was left to him and Zanu PF. It was not left Zanu PF to agree to that GNU so why should it be left to Zanu PF to agree to a NTA?
Zanu PF is not in control. The party rigged the 2018 elections, it is illegitimate and that is solid ground for demanding that the party steps down. You are not demanding that Zanu PF steps down because you are consumed by self doubt.
You doubt that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections, for example, because you have no clue what constitutes free, fair and credible elections. Mnangagwa knows of your crippling self doubt and has taken full advantage of it. He blatantly rigged the elections and then said the elections were free, fair and credible and you, as he rightly guessed, believed the lie!
How anyone can believe an election in which there was no verified voters’ roll, 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote (Mnangagwa says we won with 2.4 million votes, were rural voters were reduced to medieval serfs beholden to the Zanu PF lords, etc. can be free, fair and credible beggars belief!
President Ramaphosa has not thought through what exactly is the solution he is looking for in Zimbabwe. It is nonsense for him to be just blundering in the dark because this is not a new crisis.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a Zanu PF led GNU and that accomplished nothing. We do not want to be dragged down that route again!
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@ Zengenene
ReplyDelete“Its not about Mnangagwa or Zanu PF, its about the people of Zimbabwe who need something on the table. Its better to have that GNU than not. Who told you that this time president Chamisa will not insist on those reforms. We are tired of people who sold the struggle. You seem to be a project of the supreme court judgement.”
The 2008 to 2013 GNU did put “something on the table” in that the economy did enjoy a very significant recovery; no one would dispute that. What cannot be disputed too is that the economic recovery did not last, as soon as Zanu PF rigged the 2013 elections and got back in power the economic rot started again.
The 2008 to 2013 GNU was first and foremost about implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform because the sold-out. If you are truly “tired of people who sold the struggle” then you would tired of Chamisa and company.
It is of course one thing to say you are tire of people who sold the struggle but quite another to KNOW who these people are. It is obvious you don’t know! Even with the benefit of hindsight, you have still failed to see MDC leaders for the sell-outs they are!
“Who told you that this time president Chamisa will not insist on those reforms?” What a naive and foolish question! The same things that stopped him implementing the reforms last time - incompetence, corruption and greed.
Besides, Zanu PF will have its 2/3 majority in the new GNU. Do you really think that parliament will ever approve and reforms taking away Zanu PF’s carte blanche dictatorial powers?
Yes we need a GNU or NTA, call it what you please, but Zanu PF must play no role in because the party will never reform itself out of office.
@ Frank Mupasi
ReplyDelete“War will force Zanu pf out , not this talking , war only war.”
Well the war of independence did achieve the objective of forcing the white colonialists out of office. But that war did not achieve the primary objective of delivering freedom, justice, peace, liberty, a fair share of the nation’s wealth and life with dignity for ALL.
The liberation war removed one oppressive regime with another oppressive and corrupt one. What makes you believe the war you asking for will not do the same thing?
There were many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, notably during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; we wasted them all. Why would anyone with a working brain reach for a gun to end the Zanu PF dictatorship when there are peaceful means to achieve the same thing.
We just need to learn how we wasted the past golden opportunities to end the dictatorship so when the next opportunity comes we do not waste it! Meanwhile, we must silence the war-mongers whose foolishness know no bounds!
Controversial sentiments were also made by Mnagangwa as he also dismissed allegations of presiding over gross human rights violations.
ReplyDeleteJustifying use of security forces on civilians reveals the nature of Mnagagwa’s presidency and current affairs in the country.
Mnangagwa is just the arch-typical school bully who will again and again trade on his/her victim’s toes and will deny ever doing such a thing! The most effective way of dealing with the bully is not nail him/her when you have irrefutable evidence.
The is no doubt that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections and all the individuals, countries and organisation with any democratic credentials worth a spit dismissed the elections as a farce. We should have nailed Mnangagwa and Zanu PF then but failed because by participating the MDC leaders and the rest of the opportunists in the opposition camp gave credibility to the process!
We should have ended the Zanu PF dictatorship by now if it was not for the incompetence of the MDC leaders who have sold-out again and again. If we are serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship then we must stop MDC leaders selling out at the critical times.
We must stop supporting MDC leaders because they have been running with the povo hare and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds!
@ Israel Dube
ReplyDelete“So says an unthankful Mnangagwa through his mouth piece George Charamba. Like it or not, due to failure by the Shona supremacist government to run the country, Zimbabwe is now a de facto province of South Africa. More than 4 million political and economic refugees including Matabeleland genocide refugees have flooded South Africa since 1980 and the numbers tripled from year 2000 due to political and economic instability.”
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies persecuted the Gukurahundi massacre to force the late Joshua Nkomo and PF Zapu to capitulate and merge with Zanu PF to create the de facto one-party state.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because for the last 40 years the country has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime that rigged elections to stay in power.
Whilst everyone else has been fighting to implement the democratic reforms to restore the freedoms and rights of all Zimbabweans including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
You, Israel Dube, and your friends in Mthwakazi have been pursuing your own selfish agenda of splitting the country under the pretext of seeking compensation and revenge for Gukurahundi and that the rest of Zimbabwe has thrived under Zanu PF rule at the expense of Mat North and South and the Midlands.
You would drag the nation into a totally pointless regional/tribal conflict for your selfish political gain. You are no different from Mugabe because that is exactly what he did with the Gukurahundi! The people of Zimbabwe deserve peace after all the decades of chaos and blood shed! No one has the right to deny them freedom, human rights and peace. Not you, not me, not any one out there!
It is not Mnangagwa or Zanu PF who is threatening to split Zimbabwe and drag the nation into conflict; it is you and your Mthwakazi friends who are doing that!
I totally agree that Professor Jonathan Moyo is a selfish individual whose only interest in public affairs is to sell povo at every opportunity! He knew Grace Mugabe had no leadership qualities and yet promoted her for no other reason than to be the real power behind the throne just as he was the power behind Robert Mugabe.
ReplyDeleteOf all people Jonathan Moyo knows that MDC leaders sold-out big time during the 2008 to 2013 GNU by failing to implement even one reform. And yet Moyo has come out with all guns blazing in support of Chamisa. He wants Chamisa in State House not because he would be the good leader for the country, he wants a weak leader he can control just as he controlled Mugabe!
I do not see how Dr Ibbo Mandaza's NTA will implement the democratic reforms since, according to him, the present parliament will remain and it will retain the legislative powers. It is naive to expect a parliament with 2/3 Zanu PF MPs to approve reforms taking away the party's power to rig elections and stay in power.
Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections and it must step down. Zanu PF has held the nation to ransom for the last 40 years this is the problem and we must bite the bullet and deal with it!