"Inflation roaring at 152% gives CCC shot in 2023" predicted Prof Hanke - "It's rigged elections stupid!" W Mukori

“In Zimbabwe, a new opposition party (CCC) has made significant gains in byelections. With inflation roaring at 152%/yr by my measure, the CCC has a shot at challenging what is little more than a corrupt criminal organization (ZANU-PF) in next year’s elections.” Twittered Steve Hanke, @steve_hanke.

Steve H. Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is well read and his views on the economy and other matters are held in high regard in America and the world over.

CCC accepted Professor Hanke’s assessment; swallowing the hook, line and sinker!

“People within & outside Zim are taking notice of the fact that there is a changed atmosphere in the country. With 152% inflation, 49% extreme poverty & US$2bn being looted each year by Zanu PF, the 2023 election will see the citizens voting in their millions for change.” Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, CCC spokesperson, twittered back!

There is no denying that the Zimbabwe economy is in serious trouble, has been ever since the country gained her independence in 1980 to the precise. And with 49% of the population now living in extreme poverty, as Advocate Mahere rightly pointed out, it no surprise Zimbabweans are desperate for regime change after 42 years of Zanu PF tyrannical and kleptocratic rule.

“For people for change! Putting People First! It's the economy stupid!” was then President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign slogan.

42 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption have left Zimbabwe’s economy in ruins and, except for the ruling elite and their cronies, Zimbabweans do not need any slogan to remind them that Zanu PF must go. Indeed, they have known that many, many moons ago.

What Steve Hanke, Advocate Mahere and her follow CCC colleagues are forgetting is that Zimbabwe is not United States of America. America has free, fair and credible elections; Zimbabwe has never ever held free, fair and credible elections. Never ever, in its 42 years of independence and, before that, decades of white colonial rule.  

The 26 March 2022 by election reality showed that many Zimbabweans were denied the vote because their names were missing from the voters’ roll or some such voters’ roll tampering. There were videos of rural voters frog marched and escorted into the voting booth by Zanu PF operatives under the pretext they could not read and write. Zanu PF wanted to be absolutely certain they voted for the party.

“The 2023 election will see the citizens voting in their millions for change!” claim Advocate Mahere! Change, what change? Those rural voters voted for Zanu PF as the by election results showed!

Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 election as we speak! The party has denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote although President Mnangagwa had promised in September 2018 that they will vote. The 3 million voters are very significant given Mnangagwa won the 2018 presidential vote with 2.4 million votes, total.

“The diaspora vote will be denied as long as the sanctions imposed on Zanu PF leaders by the West remain,” explained Acting Zanu PF spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa, last year. Why Zimbabweans should be denied one of their fundamental human rights over a matter they had no say in, beggars belief.

The other key vote rigging taking place right now is ZEC’s blatant refusal to produce a baseline voters’ roll and so there will be no verified voters’ roll for the 2023 elections. The regime has never ever produced a verified voters’ roll although this is a legal requirement.

CCC and other opposition leaders have all connived with Zanu PF in denying the people of Zimbabwe their fundamental to free, fair and credible elections by participating in the elections knowing fully well the regime had failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.

Advocate Mahere and her CCC colleagues all know that Zanu PF is rigging these elections and until that issue is dealt with, by implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop the rigging, Zanu PF will win the elections regardless of the economic situation and the democratic wish of the people.

Indeed, CCC leaders know that the winners of the 2023 elections will have nothing to do with the free and democratic wishes of the people of Zimbabwe because, alas, they have never exercised that right. Never ever!

The nation has had the golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms and end Zanu PF’s carte blanche power to frog march people to vote for the party. It was none other than the CCC leaders who wasted the opportunity and failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.

Zanu PF has ignored all calls to implement reforms because the party knows that MDC now CCC will participate in the elections regardless how flawed the process got as long as they are assured of winning a few gravy train seats. Zanu PF has offered the few seats to entice the opposition to participate and Mahere and co have found the bribe irresistible!

As much as the people of Zimbabwe would love to vote Zanu PF out of office because of the worsening economic situation, Zanu PF is in fact certain to rig and secure yet another landslide victory. Zimbabwe is not America and Zanu PF will win the elections regardless of its failure to revive the economy.

In Zimbabwe it is all about who has vote rigging powers, the voters’ democratic wishes, one’s economic performance, etc. are all irrelevant. “It's the right to rig elections stupid!” to paraphrase former President Bill Clinton.