Saturday 11 June 2022

"Nonsense" Magaisa never sold out to Zanu PF - then why did GNU fail to implement even one token reform W Mukori

 

Honour your father and mother and above all honour the truth!

"Contrary to the nonsense I was reading on social media, they (Zanu-PF) approached Alex and I just felt that out of respect, after the period of mourning if they continue, I will set the record straight," Hopewell Chin’ono reportedly told the guests at the late Magaisa’s memorial lecture.

"We know the people. We have got names and some of them came through me. But Alex said, ‘No. I am a Zimbabwean. If you do things right, you do not need Magaisa's support. Do not look for individuals. Do the right thing and the whole country will support you'."

Well, the whole nation is certainly waiting to hear why MDC failed to implement even one meaningful democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU). This was the golden opportunity to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and it is treasonous that the opportunity was callously wasted.

It is a historic fact that Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the gravy train, and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, the forgot about the reforms.  

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life, they will not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms.

Dr Alex Magaisa was the MDC T leader, late Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai’s special adviser during the GNU. What advice did Dr Magaisa give MDC T on reforms?

It is possible that Dr Magaisa advised MDC T to implement the democratic reforms but his advice was not heeded. SADC leaders, amongst many others, repeatedly warned the MDC leaders on the need to implement reforms during the GNU but their warning fell on deaf ears.

If it was that Dr Maagaisa gave MDC T leaders the right advice but was ignored, then why did he not do the only decent thing and resign? He has had the opportunity since the end of the GNU to come clean on why not even one token reform was implemented during the GNU; he has not done so.

And so, unless we see the evidence to the contrary, MDC leaders failed to implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU because they were corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. Dr Alex Magaisa, as Dr Tsvangirai’s chief advisers, played his part in this treasonous sell out!

It is all very well for Chin’ono to say Magaisa never sold-out to Zanu PF; he must square the circle and reconcile that with the historic fact that not even one token reform was implemented during the GNU.

 Speak to the same audience, top human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said: "I believe that we should have regular lectures to celebrate each other. Alex was a vital core in the (2013 Zimbabwe) Constitution-making process which culminated in what we now have which I consider a decent Constitution."

I am not a lawyer and am given to believe Paul Mangwana’s boast that the constitution was “dictated” by Robert Mugabe. Mangwana is himself a lawyer and was Zanu PF’s MP and co-chair in the parliamentary committee that drafted the constitution. Mugabe was a ruth tyrant and dictator and not the one to dictate “a decent constitution”.

Indeed, the 2013 Zimbabwe constitution is a dictator’s decree and hence the reason why it failed its number one test – failed deliver a free, fair and credible elections in July 2013, just four months after its 95% approval in the March 2013 referendum.

7 comments:

  1. Gutu North MP, Yeukai Simbabanegavi held a meeting with traditional leaders at Chitsa business Center in Gutu on May 29, 2022 in which she ordered them to remove anyone from their areas who supports opposition political parties.
    She also ordered that those who support Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) be attacked at night. Before the Chitsa meeting, Simbanegavi had held similar meetings at Vutsinda and Zvavahera business centres.
    Simbanegavi was allegedly accompanied at the meeting by Chief Chitsa, Gutu District Development
    Co-ordinator (DDC), Chiedza Tafireyi and members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
    Without first implementing the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s carte blanche dictatorial powers to cheat and, if need be, use wanton violence; Zimbabwe will never ever hold free, fair and credible elections. The ordinary people, especially in the rural areas, have been reduced into helpless medieval serfs beholden to the overbearing Zanu PF thugs.
    The very fact that MDC leaders failed to implement even one meaningful reform in the last 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU, has made them give up and pursue instead this nonsensical notion of “winning rigged elections”! It is insane for the people to allow themselves to be conned into participating in this foolishness especially after 42 years of Zanu PF rigged elections.
    We must denounce these flawed elections now and not wait until the election results are out when it will be too late. By participating in the flawed elections we give Zanu PF legitimacy, we must demonstrate our disapproval of these flawed elections by denouncing the process now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. He was speaking during the party's ill-attended cell verification meeting in Kwekwe Saturday.

    "Our party has a history, it is a party which liberated the country. It is a party which brought independence to the country. Be part of the rulers and not the ruled, because this is a mass party," he said.

    "For us in order to vote in elections today it is because of Zanu-PF. Today we are able to choose our leaders after every five years a situation which was brought about by voting. We must therefore be serious when it comes to the issue of voting. The freedom enjoy today of voting is the freedom which came through the barrel of the gun and it must be safeguarded," he said.

    "We need to safegaurd our freedom and independence through voting. For us to get a fresh mandate from the people, you must go out there and vote in your numbers. Zanu-PF liberated the country and therefore it is the only party which must govern," he said.

    “What was achieved by the gun cannot be undone by the ballot!” declared the late Robert Mugabe at the height of the wanton violence of the 2008 presidential run-off! He was egging on the war veterans, party youth militia and traditional leaders to destroy property, harass, beat and rape whilst the heavy-duty stuff of abducting and murder was carried out by the Army, Police and CIO personal in operation “Mavhotera papi!” (Whom did you vote for!) The people were being punished for daring to reject Zanu PF in the March 2008 vote.

    As much as Zanu PF will keep boasting of liberating the nation the truth is the nation removed the white colonial oppressors only to replace them with the Zanu PF oppressors. Yesteryear’s liberators have more often than not become today’s oppressors; it is one of the great tragedies of many African countries, a vicious cycle which we are seemingly incapable of breaking.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is most disheartening that even now, with the benefit of hindsight, many Zimbabweans still fail to grasp the importance of the 2008 to 2013 as the nation's ticket to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and out of the economic and political mess the nation has been stuck in these last 42 years.

    Lawyer Mtetwa is one of the bright stars in the otherwise black as hell Zimbabwe's sky. It is very disappointing therefore that she should call the "dictator's creed" a "decent constitution". African culture dictates that we treat the dead with reverence and respect. "Afa anaka!" (The dead will do no wrong!) as one would say in Shona.

    Still, I do think African culture meant that we should distort historic fact especially when doing so means digging our own grave for ourselves and posterity. Zimbabwe will never get out of this hell-hole without being honest with ourselves!

    The 2013 Zimbabwe constitution is a dictator’s creed, and it is naïve to believe the country will even have a healthy and functioning democracy with such a weak and feeble constitution!

    The late Dr Magaisa played in failure to implement reforms and the failure to produce a decent constitution; this is a historic fact that must never be swept under the carpet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Andrew Roxburgh

    “Zimbabwe needs another chimurenga to remove Zanu PF.”

    The first chimurenga did not bring prosperity, freedom and liberty because Zanu PF cared about absolute power and did not care about any of these other things. The second chimurenga will not fare any better; Zimbabwe has the knack of producing liberators today who will become tomorrow’s oppressors.

    Zimbabwe had the chance to end the Zanu PF dictatorship by implementing reforms, especially during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. We failed to implement even one reform. Right now we are the once giving the Zanu PF regime legitimacy by participating in flawed elections because our opposition leaders cannot resist the few gravy train seats offered by the regime to entice them to participate.

    So why reach for the gun to end the dictatorship when all you need is discipline and focus. Indeed, without discipline and focus the liberators will once again turn into oppressors.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Leonard Kano

    “The Zanu PF Cell Day which has been recently held last Saturday has been done a proverbial sucker punch.

    Zanu PF has now been reduced into rubble and debris. The opposition must snatch this opportunity and be ready to govern.

    The popularity rating has been shrinking at an alarming rate since 2000. It looks like the people are so much disgruntled on the ground than before and Zanu-PF has gone back to the 2008 levels.”

    Yes Zanu PF’s Cell Day was a complete flop because most of the party cells the leaders thought existed are not there. CCC cannot take advantage of this because the party is no better than Zanu PF, CCC has no party members let alone any party structures. CCC is still a one-man show. Nelson Chamisa is the only CCC member.

    Still, CCC would win the 2023 elections hands down if the election was free, fair and credible. The people are so desperate for change they would vote for the donkey is there was Mnangagwa and the donkey on the ballot!

    Sadly, the election is not free and fair. Zanu PF is blatantly rigging these elections by buying the support of traditional leaders, deny 3 million plus diaspora vote, stepping up on the use of wanton violence, etc., etc. Chamisa and company are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections out of greed, Zanu PF is giving away a few urban gravy train seats to entice the opposition. By participating in the flawed elections CCC are giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A PAN African lender has ranked Zimbabwe among the biggest beneficiaries of the US$33 billion injected into the region's economies by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year.

    Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) said in a new paper released last week that foreign currency-starved Zimbabwe's US$961 million lifeline doubled Harare's thin forex reserves and gave the country capacity to salvage crisis-hit firms through financial support.

    In total, the IMF injected US$650 billion into global economies to help countries ride out pandemic curbs after extensive battering from hard lockdowns, whose effects are still crippling some of the region's biggest firms.

    Some African countries have used the aid and their own resources wisely and have prospered whilst others have squandered it like the prodigal son and are languishing in poverty and despair. Zimbabwe is a failed state known for its corruption and extravagant waste of human and material resources! And without reforms and free elections, Zimbabwe will remain a failed state blundering from pillar to post!

    With the pending elections, the US$961 million lifeline will no doubt be squandered on vote buying schemes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Moreblessing was abducted and brutally murdered by suspected Zanu PF thugs.
    In a statement, CCC Namibia urged SADC and AU to act on the rising political crisis in Zimbabwe.
    See statement below:
    Citizens Coalition For Change (CCC) Namibia demands justice to Moreblessing Ali and Langalihle Dube!
    This is just political grandstanding from individuals who love to blame others for their own shortcomings. What does CCC Namibia want SADC leaders to do they have done already?
    It was SADC leaders who forced Zanu PF to agree to reforms designed to stop the wanton violence and vote rigging and the 2008 to 2013 GNU was tasked to implement the reforms. MDC leaders failed to implement even one reforms. Worse still, it is Chamisa and company who are insisting on participating in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy against SADC leaders’ advice.
    These busy bodies from Namibia have never ever asked Chamisa and company why they failed to implement even one reform and yet are quick to ask SADC to act! What; you want SADC to implement the reforms and to stop CCC selling out? If you don’t want to do it yourself then no one else will do it for you!

    ReplyDelete