Makarau resigning from ZEC - as a G40, it was either jumped off or be thrown in prison P Guramatunhu

Whilst many people have, until last month’s military coup, happily displayed photographs of themselves with then President Mugabe; it was a great honour to say they knew the man. The photographs disappeared over night after the coup! The cleansing was a lot more difficult for those like Justice Rita Makarau who had been very, very close to the tyrant.

The nation remembers a photograph of a smiling and contended Rita Makarau kneeing before then President Mugabe; proof of just how close she was to the tyrant. Well that photograph has come back to haunt her!

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau is reported to have written letters to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other ZEC commissioners notifying them of her intention to resign as the head of the electoral body,” reported Zimeye.

Whilst this is welcome news, we, ordinary Zimbabweans, must not make the mistake of reading too much into this as happened when Robert Mugabe was finally forced to resign as President. Rita Makarau is not resigning because she was blinded by the light of enlightenment; she has seen the error of all the years of presiding over a body that has systematically denied the people their right to free, fair and credible elections – the very thing ZEC was sworn to delivery. She is now resigning in shame and recompense for betrayal of the law and the nation. No!

Rita is resigning because she was close to Mugabe and in her twisted sick mind and of her follow Zanu PF thugs, being caught in the wrong factional “basket”, as Mugabe once said, is a crime worse than high treason. Rita knows that she had a simple choice, jump off or be stripped of all her amassed loot and thrown into Chikurumbi Prison with the other G40 faction leaders.

These factional wars in Zanu PF are internal matters that have resulted in the “baby dumping”, a phrase Grace Mugabe wielded like a sword before she was baby dumped herself, of some party members and the reassignment and promotion of others. Zanu PF is a party of thugs and so the baby dumping has been ruthless.

It would be a big mistake for ordinary Zimbabweans to see the resignation of Rita Makarau as the guarantee next elections will finally be free, fair and credible. Many people thought the demise of Robert Mugabe was the end of the corruption, vote rigging and murderous tyranny, they were wrong. The corruption, vote rigging, etc. was more than the work of one man, Robert Mugabe; it was the work of all those in Join Operation Command, the Junta headed by Mugabe and Mnangagwa; the Police, Judiciary, ZEC, down to the village headman who carried out the Junta’s orders.

Yes, the military coup removed Robert Mugabe as the head of the Zanu PF dictatorship but replaced him with another dictator, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The dictatorship itself has remained and so the corruption, vote rigging, etc. will continue as before. Rita Makarau is resigning because she is from the G40 side of the Zanu PF political divide someone else will be appointed to take her place. ZEC will continue to play its role in denying the ordinary people their right to free, fair and credible elections to ensure no regime change. There is therefore nothing for us povo to be particularly pleased about Rita Makarau’s departure from ZEC.  

The Zanu PF dictatorship is just as ruthless as ever regardless the demise of Rita Makarau and Robert Mugabe. The Zanu PF dictatorship is like thorn trees that have choked the life out of crops and fruit trees the farmer has tried to grow. Whilst the events of the last three years have been a heavy storm that have shaken the thorn trees forcing them to lose truck-loads of leaves and broken off branches still it will be foolish for the farmer to his crops and fruit trees will finally thrive. The storm has done nothing to disturb the thorn trees’ roots and they will choke the crops as before!