"The national army is a people's army. Citizens have a duty to correct delinquent characters whose misconceived and misbegotten view seeks to reduce a people's military into a militia of a political party," Nelson Chamisa, leader of MDC Alliance, to New Zimbabwe.
"Those utterances are not only a source of national instability and threat
to national security but also earn the country a banana republic and pariah
status."
Chamisa was responding to Patrick Chinamasa, Acting Zanu PF National Commissar,
who was boasting that the bond Zanu PF and Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF) was
“unbreakable”. We all know that the army
has played a key role in the rigging of elections to keep Zanu PF in power
notably in the 2008 elections and the 2017 military coup to topple the late
dictator Robert Mugabe.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect
Chamisa and his MDC friends into power on the understanding they would
implement the democratic reforms necessary to end Zanu PF’s strangle hold on ZDF,
Police, ZEC, Judiciary and all the other state institutions. It was for you, Mr
Chamisa, and your fellow MDC friends to propose the democratic reforms to break
the unholy Zanu PF – ZDF, Zanu PF- Police, etc. bonds during the 2008 to 2013
GNU when you had the best chance ever to do so. MDC leaders failed to implement
even one reform in five years of the GNU.
The tragic reality is not only did Nelson Chamisa and his
fellow MDC friends waste the golden opportunity of the GNU to implement the
democratic reforms but, worst of all, they will never ever get any reforms
implemented in the future even if they were given another golden opportunity to
do so because they have no clue what these reforms are, how they should be
implemented and by whom!
Chamisa is expecting the people to “correct” Chinamasa and
his fellow Zanu PF thugs and break the Zanu PF – ZDF bond. He does not say what
it is exactly the people are expected to do or say much less how these action
will end Zanu PF’s strangle hold on the Army and all the other corrupt state
institutions under the regime’s spell.
The last 41 years of Zanu PF gross mismanagement, rampant
corruption and rank lawlessness have left Zimbabwe in economic ruins and
political paralysis – stuck with a vote rigging corrupt and tyrannical ruling
party, on the one hand, and on the other, an equally corrupt and incompetent opposition
that does not even have the common sense as how to end the dictatorship. The
economic situation is now so bad basic services such as education and health
care have completely collapsed and 49% of the population now live in abject
poverty. The situation is socially, economically and politically unsustainable;
we need to implement the democratic reforms, they are the prerequisite for
meaningful political and economic change, as a matter of great urgency.
Just because Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends have failed to implement even one reform in 21 years does not mean no one else can do it. We need to find the men and women who will implement the reforms a.s.a.p.
MDC leaders have failed to implement even one democratic
reform these last 21 years because they have never understood what the reforms
are much less who should implement them. This is a cold political reality many
Zimbabweans have been slow to accept as shown by the number of people who
continue to follow Chamisa et al and participate in these flawed and illegal
elections. Like it or not, by participating Zimbabweans are giving legitimacy
to the vote rigging Zanu PF; this is insane and we must stop the madness.
Let all be very clear here; it is not the duty of the citizens to "correct" (read reform) the Zanu PF thugs, break the regime's corrupting influence, bond, with the army, Police, ZEC and all the other state institution so Zimbabwe can be a healthy and functioning democracy and we can all live happily ever after. The people have risked life and limb these last 21 years to elect Chamisa and his MDC friends in the believe that, once in power, they would bring about the democratic changes.
ReplyDeleteChamisa and company have been on political stage for 21 years, 5 of which in the GNU; they had many opportunities to implement the reforms and have failed to get even one reform implemented. It is bullshit to even suggest that it is the masses' duty to implement the reforms.
The people of Zimbabwe must wake-up to the political reality that Chamisa and company promised to bring democratic change, as the party name implies, only as a way to garner the people's political support, get elected and get a seat on the gravy train. This is not the first time the nation has been let down.
Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies promise to bring freedom, liberty, justice and human dignity for all during the fight for independence. As we know Zanu PF made it clear that if the party did not win the 1980 elections the bush war would continue; Mugabe and company denied the people their right to free, fair and credible elections without ever tasting it!
If Zimbabweans are ever to enjoy their basic freedoms and rights then we must accept the political reality that Chamisa and company will never ever implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Never! We can force the issue of implementing the reforms by denouncing both Zanu PF and MDC and refuse to participate in the flawed and illegal 2023 elections.
If the people resolutely refuse to participate, the elections will be null and void and the nation will be forced into another GNU arrangement as in 2008, this time we will see to it that competent men and women who will implement the reforms are appointed. Change is possible, we just need to open our eyes!
King Mswati III has creamed off the nation's wealth to spend it on himself and his bloated harem at the expense of the ordinary citizens living in abject poverty. There is only so much the people can endure before they are forced to risk life and limb because they cannot endure their degrading existence no more.
ReplyDeleteAfrica has remained the dark continent in the dark ages because we, Africans, have paid lip service to good governance. We have watched and done nothing all these years whilst tyrants like King Mswati, Zimbabwe's late dictator Robert Mugabe and now his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa ride roughshod over their people, denying them their freedoms and rights. Each time there is violence in these countries be it street protest as in eSwatini, armed insurrection as in Mozambique, military coup as in Zimbabwe, etc. we feign surprise when the writing was on the wall all along!
It is rich for Nelson Chamisa to acknowledge the "quest for democratic governance in eSwatini is legitimate". One has to ask whether he and his MDC friends did NOT believe the people of Zimbabwe's quest for democracy was equally legitimate. If they had done so then they would have implemented the democratic reforms to make that possible, they have been on the political stage for 21 years, 5 of which in the GNU, and they have not implemented even one token reform. Not one!
At the heart of eSwatini's street protest is the problem of bad governance. In all honesty no one expects SADC leaders to do anything other than the usual adding a plaster bandage without even cleaning the lacerated wound much less do something about the shatter bones. How can SADC leaders address the problem of bad governance when the majority of them are Banana Republic themselves.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe will not want eSwatini to become a healthy and functioning democracy because Zanu PF will not want to encourage Zimbabweans that they too can have a healthy and functioning democracy!
A PENNILESS old man with health issues who, with hindsight, had listened to bad legal advice.
ReplyDeleteThat is the picture advocate Dali Mpofu painted of his client, former president Jacob Zuma, when he argued before Pietermaritzburg high court judge Jerome Mnguni Tuesday for an order that the warrant of arrest, signed by the Constitutional Court, be stayed
In argument, which took two-and-a-half-hours, Mpofu said Zuma’s refusal to participate in the contempt proceedings, which came about because he refused to comply with an order by the apex court that he appear before the commission, was because he was unable to fund litigation “which is not necessary”.
“That is what got him into the soup in the first place. He was of the view that the prospects of the [contempt] application were slim. With hindsight that turned out to be wrong.”
Much of the hearing centered on the issue of whether Mnguni had jurisdiction to hear Zuma’s application and whether the issue should be aired before the Constitutional Court.
Mpofu submitted there were at least a dozen reasons what Mnguni did and the issue was a “red herring”.
This investigation is about corruption in which Jacob Zuma and his accomplices are accuse of looting millions of dollars and now we are to believe Zuma is “a penniless old man”! He is old, yes, but penniless, no!
GOLD deliveries to Fidelity Printers and Refineries (Fidelity) by small-scale miners increased by more 1 000kgs in June compared to May deliveries, the Reserve Bank Governor (RBZ) John Mangudya said Monday.
ReplyDeleteGiving oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism, Mangudya said Zimbabwe’s sole buyer and exporter of bullion, reported massive 128% increase in June alone from the small scale miners.
He said the gold deliveries last month were 1 798,8/kg compared to 783/kg in May. He added that government higher deliveries were expected as government was working on registering all artisanal miners.
This, he said, would make it easier for state authorities to monitor the small-scale miners’ and for them to have access government loans.
Ironically, senior Fidelity management last week told the same committee that they were unhappy with the low gold deliveries to the RBZ’s subsidiary and were struggling to come up with measures to curb the rampant smuggling of the mineral of the country due to several operational loopholes.
During Monday’s meeting with Mangudya, the MPs also expressed disappointment on several issues, including child labour in the mining sector and land degradation.
Zanu PF Mberengwa North legislator Tafanana Zhou told Mangudya Zimbabweans were losing confidence in Fidelity’s operations because it was renewing gold-buying licences to criminals who were smuggling the mineral out of the country.
The truth is corruption in Zimbabwe is rampant and the very fact that gold delivery can fluctuate by a staggering 128% for one month to the next goes to show just how serious the looting is. The increase is gold delivery is but a fraction of smuggled gold and, no doubt, will drop again soon. Dr Mangudya himself was the one who admitted the country was losing a staggering US$1.2 billion in smuggled gold alone!
As long as Zanu PF remains in power corruption will remain because Zanu PF ruling elite are the Godfathers of corruption!
"Beyond that, we have other countries at the United Nations that have not imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, so we continue to relate to them," Mnangagwa said.
ReplyDelete"On matters of development, my ambassador should not think that the G7 will ever think about promoting Zimbabwe. He must realise that our survival is based on our own resources, support in Sadc, support by AU and bilateral relations with other countries."
We are talking here of a regime that will never acknowledge of its own failures and, worst of all, will never grant the ordinary people their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.
President Mnangagwa promised to restore the right to vote to Zimbabweans in the diaspora soon after the rigged 2018 elections, in which the regime had failed to produce a verified voters’ roll, there was no free public media, denied the diaspora the vote, etc. He promised the diaspora vote during his visit to USA for the annual UN Heads of State and Government jamboree. Three weeks Zanu PF confirmed that the party will grant diaspora vote, “as long as sanctions imposed by the West remained because Zanu PF cannot travel because of sanctions”.
This was just a feeble excuse, why should any Zimbabwean be denied his/her fundament right because of what the quarrel between Zanu PF leaders and outsiders. Besides Zanu PF leaders are free to travel to any SADC nation and many other countries; why Zimbabweans in these countries being denied the vote too?
How can the 2023 elections be legal, free, fair and credible when over 3 million in the diaspora are denied the vote? Mnangagwa was declared the winner of the 2018 elections with 2.4 million votes!
SADC leaders wanted the 2013 elections postpone until reforms were implemented but, sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends paid no heed. After 41 years of rigged elections SADC leaders’ advice is the only game in town; enough of this circus of flawed and illegal elections!
I hear Welcome to Hotel California, the reggae Bob Morley version, was playing in the background whilst they booked him in the small hours of the morning, 3.00 am. He could have checked in five days early but decided to do so in the very last minute but that was no problem. As we know, "You can check in any time but you cannot leave!"
ReplyDeleteWell know that we have finally established that no one is above the law, it was obvious to some but clearly not so obvious to Zuma and his supporters; we can now expect him to attend the commission of inquiry hearings without further ado! If he should be convicted of corruption then this time he will staying in Hotel California for much longer than 15 months!
South Africans must look across the Limpopo River, see what has happened to Zimbabwe because our Zanu PF ruling elite are above the law and a law unto themselves. You do not want the same to happen in SA!