'I will be back to rejuvenate Zimbabwe,' says Mnangagwa - rejuvenate Zanu PF, yes P Guramatunhu

“I have been accused of committing treasonous acts dating back from 1980,” complained Mnangagwa from his hideout in SA, according to press reports.

I would not want to comment on merits or otherwise the specific treason charge brought up against him by Grace Mugabe. However, there is overwhelming historic evidence to prove Comrade Mnangagwa is guilty of playing a key part in the murder of many innocent Zimbabweans, especially during Gukurahundi. There is also evidence to prove he has played a key role in rigging of national elections and many other serious crimes.

In his press statement, Mnangagwa, like President Mugabe, went into great detail of his heroic exploits during the war of independence. What many find shocking about all this is how readily they remember all the hardship they suffered under the white colonial regime but cannot recall any detail the misery they have inflicted on others since they came to power; as if they are humans and their victims are subhuman.

This is perverse culture which has allowed yesterday’s liberators to become today’s tyrants, as has clearly happened here. We must uproot it!

“We want a country that gives every citizen the opportunity to prosper, to take care of their families, a country that encourages Zimbabweans to invest in their economy and contribute to the development of infrastructure for future generations,” continued Mnangagwa.

“This is part of my vision for a rejuvenated Zimbabwe and particularly Zanu-PF and as I leave this post for now I encourage all loyal members of the party to remain in the party to register to vote as we will very soon control the levers of power in our beautiful Party and country.”

Rich coming from one who has been at the heart of this Zanu PF regime all these years! Having failed to make the people prosper all these years, he is booted out of government, and two days later he making these outrageous claims and expects the people to believe him! The presumptuous arrogance of these individuals is breath-taking!

“Zanu PF ichatonga, igotonga, igotonga! Ukarota imwepati ichitunga, muka ubikwe dora nokuti midzimu yakurasa!” (Zanu PF will rule and rule and rule! If you dream of another party ruling, then your ancestral spirits have deserted you!) Mnangagwa has boasted on countless occasions!

After 37 years in power, his confidence in Zanu PF’s political dominance was not unfounded or misplaced. It was not founded on the party’s ability to “gives every citizen the opportunity to prosper, etc.”; of that we can be certain. Given the sorry state of Zimbabwe’s economy with unemployment a dizzying 90%, basic services all but collapsed, etc. then Zanu PF would have been booted out of offices decades ago.

Zanu PF has stayed in power 37 years and counting because the party has carte blanche powers to rig elections and, if necessary, use wanton violence too.  Of all the people in Zanu PF, Comrade Emmerson Dambudzo “Ngwena” (Crocodile/Lacoste) Mnangagwa knows just how potent vote rigging is to Zanu PF’s iron grip hold on power. President Mugabe bend over backwards to bribe Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to stop them implementing any democratic reforms which would have striped the regime of its undemocratic powers and controls, its potent vote rigging powers. It worked; not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU.

It is curious to note that whatever bitterness Mnangagwa may harbour against President Mugabe and his wife for booting him out of Zanu PF he has not allowed that cloud his judgement over Zanu PF’s greatest political strength – the carte blanche powers to rig the vote. Mnangagwa is not calling for any democratic reforms to be implemented, he is confident of sharing with G40, if not inheriting, the Zanu PF carte blanche vote rigging powers.

If Mnangagwa is serious about wanting to see Zimbabwe’s economic fortunes revived and all our people’s freedoms and basic human rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections and the right to life restored; then the first thing he would have demanded is implement all the democratic reforms from the last GNU. Nothing of any substance can ever be accomplished without first restoring the people’s democratic power to have a meaningful say in who governs the country.

We want free, fair and credible elections. We demand the implementation of all the reforms BEFORE the next elections.

Comrade Mnangagwa’s promise to rejuvenate Zimbabwe whilst stubbornly refusing to implement the reforms is as hollow as President Mugabe’s 1980s promise of “Gutsa ruzhinji!” (Mass prosperity!) whilst ruthless destroying the country’s democratic institution to create the de facto one-party dictatorship we have today. With no reforms, all Mnangagwa will do is rejuvenate the Zanu PF dictatorship; we want to rejuvenate Zimbabwe and that is why we must demand reforms.