We need "opposition coalition to defeat Zanu PF", says Hlatywayo - where is the evidence of that. By W Mukori

"What is clear is that there is now a strong need for an opposition coalition if Zanu-PF is to be defeated in the 2018 election. In addition, such a coalition should perhaps be led by a party with the largest following and such a party is MDC,” said political analyst, Gladys Hlatywayo.

Where did that come from because the facts on the ground tell a totally different story. Whilst it is true that the Bikita West by-election results has shown that all the talk of Zim PF defeating Zanu PF because they have inside information of the tyrannical regime was all bluff. MDC-T has its own proxy candidate in this election, a former MP of the area no less, and he is the one polled the lowest, 79 to Zim PF’s 2 453 so to claim that MDC-T is the stronger of the two is wishful thinking.

The number of votes of all the opposition candidate put together is one quarter of the Zanu PF candidate and so where is the justification that a united opposition will defeat Zanu PF?

The elephant in the room here is that Zanu PF is being allowed to use violence, intimidation, vote buying and, come the national elections, even more state of the art vote rigging tactics including tampering with the voters roll. Whilst everyone else is counting the pennies, Zanu PF is loaded with cash from the ongoing plunder of Marange diamonds. Zanu PF will probably spend $10 billion plus in the 2018 elections and not even Mai Mujuru with all her share of the loot can match that. The total budget for the opposition will be $10 million, at best.

The opposition is out gunned in every department by Zanu PF. The only reason why the opposition still want to contest the elections is for the few seats that Zanu PF throws out at them to entice them to contest so the election can have some credibility. Senator David Coltart is one of the few opposition politicians to have ever admitted this.

“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 elections,” explained Senator Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“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.”

Boycotting the elections until all the democratic reforms are implemented, the concrete guarantees the elections will be free, fair and credible, was the obvious option in 2013 and it is still the obvious option today. The only reason our opposition politicians will not see is now as they failed to do in 2013 is greed.

For all their talk of wanting to bring democratic change and economic prosperity the opposition party have one thing in common with Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs – the all love power. Mugabe has since figured out that as long as he allows the opposition to win a few seats, they will never demand democratic change. He has done the same thing with his own Zanu PF thugs they too endured all manner of abuse, as long as they got a share of the power and loot. Even now with Mugabe frail with poor health and old age and is so scatter brain he does not know the difference between filling a hole to plant a tree and digging one; still his Zanu PF minions are powerless to tell him it is time for him to relinquish power.

Margaret Dongo spoke of Zanu PF leaders being “vakadzi vaMugabe” (Mugabe’s subservient concubines); she was right. Now it looks like the tyrant has concubines in the opposition too, “small house” concubines as Zimbabweans would say.

The people of Zimbabwe have waited all their lives for free, fair and credible elections; their wait is the more urgent now because the country is in a real mess and millions are dying of abject poverty. The only hope of reviving the country is if we can elect a competent and democratically accountable government and that means holding free, fair and credible elections!

There is no excuse why Zimbabwe’s next election should be yet another flawed process, a mockery to democratic elections. The only reason this will happen is if we allow Mugabe and his big house and small house concubines cheat us again! We the people must boycott the elections until meaningful democratic reforms are implemented, it is the obvious thing to do!