Zimbabwe has "stable political environment," says Zulu - rubbish, cannot even hold free elections W Mukori

The Zanu PF propaganda machine is going into overdrive as it tries to give a positive spin out of nothing!

“Fortunately, complementing his (President Mnangagwa) economic vision, the country's odds seem en-route to becoming the region's economic powerhouse, with even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewing upward its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) prediction on the country,” wrote Daphine Zulu in Bulawayo 24.

“According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa released this May, Zimbabwe's GDP is expected to reach regional growth average of 3, 7%, as its GDP was projected at 4, 2%.”

To have any meaning, economic growth rate must be seen in its context. When unemployment rate is a nauseating 90%, just to take one economic performance indicator as an example, the economy has the potential bounce back and register a growth rate of 20% plus as the pool of workers are put back into productive use. In the first year of the GNU, for example, the economy bounced back to register 12% economic growth after years of negative growth. The economy recovery was on the back of two economic decisions; the scrapping of the Z$ and the lifting of price controls.

If the GNU had gone on to implement the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s dictatorship and end the country’s pariah state status the country’s economic recovery would have been even stronger and stained throughout the remainder of the GNU years and beyond. The violent farm seizures, for example, continued throughout the GNU; proof that Zimbabwe was still ruled by thugs. The much hoped for foreign investors shied away because investors know their investments are not safe in pariah states!

President Mnangagwa has gone all out to address the economic problems that scarred away the foreign investors but would not deal with the good governance, the political problems. He has learned nothing from the GNU years; investors are a savvy and shrewd lot, when you have your investment at stake you too would be, they can see Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by vote-rigging and corrupt thugs!

With unemployment rate of 90% an economic growth rate of 4.2% is nothing! The country can easily achieve the 2009 growth rate of 12%, at least but only if Zimbabwe seizes to be a pariah state ruled by vote-rigging and corrupt thugs. It is utterly nonsensical to make all these claims of “new era”, “new Zimbabwe”, “new dispensation”, etc. and then fall flat on our faces at the first huddle – hold free, fair and credible elections.

President Mnangagwa has promised to hold free, fair and credible elections but everyone can see this was just cheap propaganda. He and Joint Operation Command members; the shadowy Mafia junta that has ruled the country for decades and many of whom went on play leading roles last November 2017 coup; have been the heart and soul of the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship.

To establish and retain the dictatorship the regime has had to ride roughshod over the people's freedoms and human rights; Mnangagwa and junta were the regime's dung beetles who did the heavy duty riding roughshod dirty work. They operated the regime's vote-rigging juggernaut and provided the foot soldiers to harass, beat, rape and even murder innocent people. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered by the regime in its 38 years reign of corruption and terror. Shine the light of justice on President Mnangagwa and many of those in his regime and the innocent blood they have shed will make them glow like scorpion under ultra-violet light!

Mnangagwa and the junta view the Zanu PF dictatorship as their own baby having worked so hard to create the monster, it has served them well in delivering absolute political power and all the influence and wealth it has brought with it. They will stand to lose all this and risk glare of the light of justice if they should lose control of dictatorship much less have it dismantled.

The November 2017 coup was about stopping Robert Mugabe elbowing Mnangagwa and many of the junta members out of power and handing the dictatorship to his wife and her G40 factions. The junta nicknamed the coup “Operation Restore Legacy” in that power was restored to the junta.

The junta knew that the nation has clamouring for the implementing of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship and restore the people’s freedoms and human rights including the right to free and fair elections. President Mnangagwa promised free and fair elections to give the nation the impression that the coup had achieved their cherished wish too. As we can see, he has stubbornly refused to implement even one democratic reforms necessary for free and fair elections.

Mnangagwa and his coup plotter buddies risked all to wrestle power from Robert Mugabe in the November coup; they are not going to risk losing it by holding free and fair elections, especially when it is within their power to resist implementing the requisite democratic reforms.

Whilst President Mnangagwa and his junta would be very pleased to see the Zimbabwe economy thrive, just as Robert Mugabe would have wanted his “gutsva ruzhinji” (mass prosperity) promise come true. The junta will never ever risk losing its strangle hold on political power for economic prosperity, even if that meanings the economic meltdown and all the human misery we see continues; again, just as the regime did during Mugabe’s days!  national economic revived and their "Zimbabwe is open for business!" attract foreign investors.

“The country's economic prowess seems to be driven by the envisaged stable political environment following the change in political administration, improved business confidence and optimism of strengthening and re-establishing bilateral investments in the country and anticipated turnaround from key economic sectors such as agriculture and mining, but for most because Zimbabwe is indeed open for business,” concluded Zulu.

What “envisaged stable political environment” can ever come out from a rigged election? By failing to hold free and fair elections ED has just proven to the world that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by vote-rigging and corrupt thugs! Investors are a savvy and shrewd lot, they know the difference between reality and a mirage; rigged elections will never deliver political stability. Zimbabwe is still a pariah state and investors do not invest in pariah states!