"ZACC should be disbanded if it does not have the capacity and the political will to investigate the chronic corruption that is killing us, if it cannot act independently, of course this must be part of a raft of wider political reforms as we repeatedly demand in the MDC Alliance," said Fadzayi Mahere, MDC A spokesperson.
"On corruption, the (2019) Auditor-General's (Mildred Chiri) report has come out and it tells a sad and ongoing tale of looting. It is the citizens that pay the price of looting and so we demand answers and urgent investigations into the outcome of that report. Citizens bear the brunt of bad governance, so we demand accountability. Corruption is killing us," Mahere said.
This is just political posturing on the part of MDC A!
Mahere is wittering about reforming ZACC as “part of a raft of wider political reforms as we repeatedly demand in the MDC Alliance!” And yet during the 2008 to 2013 GNU MDC leaders had the opportunity to implement the raft of reforms themselves. They failed to get even one token reform implemented in five years!
Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office; the posh ministerial limousines, very generous salaries and allowances, a US$ 4 million Highland mansion for Save (as MDC supporter fondly called Tsvangirai), etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about the reforms for the five years of the GNU.
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC idiots have learned to enjoy the trappings of power, they will never rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the raft of reforms.
Post the GNU, Mugabe defy SADC leaders’ call to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms necessary to ensure free and fair elections were implemented. He dangled the bait of a few gravy train seats to entice MDC to participate in the flawed and illegal elections. It worked!
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” admitted David Coltart, MDC A Treasurer General, in his book.
“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”
MDC did form a strong coalition, the MDC A, before the 2018 elections and they still participated in the elections for the same reason - greed.
"Operation Murambatsvina 2 (demolition of Mbare vendor stalls in Harare last week) is a stark reminder of the unquestionable fact that Zanu-PF is against the people, it is at war with the people and it does not have the people at heart," said Mahere.
True enough, Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are heartless alright.
“Mazivanhu eZanu PF adzidza kare kudya anyerere!” (Zanu PF thugs learned a long time ago (1980) to enjoy the trapping of high office; they would not rock the boat!) to paraphrase the boasting Zanu PF crony above.
Zanu PF thugs like Mnangagwa were busy enjoying the trappings of high office they not only said nothing but played their assigned role in the blatant rigging of elections, the Gukurahundi massacre, etc.!
However, it is sheer hypocrisy for MDC leaders to be accusing Zanu PF leaders of being heartless in their pursuit to gratify their insatiable greed when the MDC leaders themselves guilty of the same thing!
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will implement the reforms to end Zanu PF oppression and greed. After 21 years, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC have not only failed to deliver any change but are the ones helping Zanu PF to stay in power.
Since the 2008 GNU, MDC leaders have been running with the povo hare by day and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds by night. It is for the ordinary people to open their eyes and see they are being taken for fools!
Chamisa and his MDC A are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections regardless the evidence Zanu PF will once again rig elections, regardless of all the posturing about reforms, etc. MDC A leaders have their eyes fixed on the few gravy train seats they do not care the price tag of the nation, once again, forfeiting free, fair and credible election and being stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship for another five more years.
It is insane for the ordinary Zimbabweans to keep participating in elections “so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical and obvious thing to do is boycott”; particularly when participating only gives legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF!
@ The News Hawk
ReplyDelete“STATE enterprises and parastatals incurred loses of about US$1 billion in 2019 due to corruption, mismanagement and bad corporate governance, pushing a majority of them to the brink of collapse.
In her 2019 audit report presented to Parliament this week, Auditor-General Mildred Chiri (pictured) revealed the parlous finances of state entities, bringing into question their ability to continue operating.
This comes as 34 state-owned enterprises failed to submit their financial statements for audit, while 54 audits were still in progress and 52 audits had been completed.”
This sorry state of affairs will never end as long as Zimbabwe remains a Banana Republic, a pariah state, governed by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who continued stay in power is because they rig elections.
What is particularly annoying about Zimbabwe’s pariah state is that the men and women, the MDC leaders, the people risked life and limb to elect into power on the understanding they will implement the reforms necessary to end the curse of rigged elections have themselves been corrupted. MDC leaders have not only failed to implement the reforms when they had the chance to do so during the GNU but worse still they are the ones giving Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in flawed elections.
A PEACE-BUILDING rights group has said local communities have been turned into battlegrounds by Zanu-PF foot soldiers canvassing for party votes ahead of the 2023 polls.
ReplyDeleteA May report by Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) claims that the ruling party has deployed traditional leaders and school development committee leaders to coerce citizens to support the ruling party.
"From the time the ruling party, Zanu-PF, announced that it was targeting five million voters ahead of the 2023 elections, local communities have been transformed into battlegrounds for votes," the report read in part.
"The enjoyment of political rights that are a constitutional right have been denied as citizens are being forced to join Zanu-PF district co-ordinating committees (DCCs) or are denied food aid from the department of social welfare.
"The DCC exercise has also taken various forms as even school development committees are being directed to establish DCC structures for the ruling party. In most cases, political meetings disguised as development meetings have been used as platforms to intimidate citizens.”
HZT programmes manager Knowledge Mandikwaza yesterday told NewsDay that the occurrence of such events could not be squarely blamed on Zanu-PF as a party, but ambitious members who needed extreme guidance.
"The concerns have been raised in areas such as Gutu, Zaka, Mbire, Muzarabani and Nyanga districts. These actions may not be a Zanu-PF party policy, but individual leaders who wish to score political mileage or rather cause social despondency," he said.
The suggestion that educating Zanu PF members would solve the problem is naive and disingenuous to say the least. President Mnangagwa gave away 18 of the first batch of twin-cab 4X4 Isuzu trucks to the 270 chiefs, down payment for their work as proxy Zanu PF political commissars. The reducing of rural voters into medieval serfs beholden to the Zanu PF operative is a well known and documented political reality in Zimbabwe. Why pretend this is just a blip by an overzealous party official.
If we are serious about holding free, fair and credible elections then we must also be serious about implementing the democratic reform BEFORE the elections can go ahead. The SADC leaders were right in demanding the 2013 election to be postponed until reforms are implemented. The 2013 and 2018 elections were a political farce and it is insane to let this happen yet again in 2023!
Zimbabweans living abroad are estimated to be over five million.
ReplyDeleteSaid Chinamasa, "If you want a diaspora vote, first level the playing field by removing sanctions, so that Zanu-PF can go there and campaign freely without being vetted against sanctions.
"We will not allow those in the diaspora the right to vote because we are under sanctions in those countries.
"I cannot go to campaign in the United Kingdom because of sanctions as we all know and as long as that situation persists, we will say no vote to people in the diaspora because we will be allowing only those who have been asking for sanctions to have access to that electorate.
"That of course is not acceptable, and we will not allow it. Sanctions must fall and then we will start talking about diaspora vote.”
Citizens living in the diaspora have questioned why they were not being allowed to vote yet Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube made it clear their remittances, standing at US$1 billion for 2020, are the regime's current backbone.
Only 100 or less individuals are on the sanction list and therefore is absurd that Zanu PF will be at a disadvantage especially when the party has very active members in all the western countries. Even if we take out the western nation, why are Zimbabweans in the rest of the world being denied the vote too, especial those in the SADC region?
The real reason Zanu PF is not honouring Mnangagwa’s promise in September 2018 to extend the postal vote to Zimbabweans in the diaspora is two fold:
Zanu PF knows most of the people in the diaspora are there as economic and/or political refugees and blame Zanu PF for this and therefore are not likely to vote for the party.
The opportunity to intimidate and/or rig the diaspora vote is not as good as rigging the local vote.
It is right to a meaningful say in the governance of one’s country in recognised in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and yet Zanu PF treats it as a privilege to be granted to some and denied to others as the regime choses.
How can we have free, fair and credible elections when five million, over 40% of the potential voters are denied the vote? Zanu PF must not be allowed to get away with cherry picking who can vote and who cannot!
Zanu PF has already rigged the 2023 elections in advance and we must condemn the process in advance.
There is no denying that ZACC has failed to stamp out corruption and, frankly, no one in his/her sound mind expected it to do so, given the commission was answerable to the Godfathers of corruption themselves. The chairperson of ZACC was the wife of the November 2017 military coup spokesperson and beneficiary of the Army’s wholesale looting of Marange and Chiadzwa diamond.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is political posturing for MDC A leaders to be admitting ZACC will never stamp out corruption with out being reformed first. It is Fadzayi Mahere and her fellow MDC A leaders who ignored the call for the implementation of democratic reforms BEFORE elections. Short of shooting her died, no one was going to stop Mahere participating in the 2018 elections.
Indeed, Mahere and company are calling for ZACC to be reformed but that is not going to stop them participating in the 2023 elections with not even one token reform in place. They know Zanu PF will rig the elections and they also know Zanu PF will give away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition - these are what they are after.
Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends do not care about reforms, ending corruption, restoring the individual freedoms and rights, free elections, etc., etc. If they did then they would have implemented at least a few reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the chance to do so. All they care about is securing a seat on the gravy train and join Zanu PF in the looting of the nation’s wealth.
The greatest challenge for the ordinary Zimbabweans right now is whether they will wake up and finally realise the MDC leaders are now working in cahoots with Zanu PF for a share of the spoils of power. What the people must do is demand the implementation of the reforms and refuse to participate in these flawed and illegal elections. The people must refuse to be used to give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF by participating in meaningless and fraudulent elections.