Those who cannot see coup and bomb, ED and G40 as same devil are making a false choice P Guramatunhu

Some people cannot resist the temptation of judging the book by its cover instead of its contents. Having made the initial blunder, they always go on to make complete fools of themselves as they desperately try to rationalise their initial blunder.

“Those of us who breathed a collective breath of relief when a peaceful revolution ousted Mugabe from power in November should now be very concerned that he and his wife, Grace, have a tangible and concerted plan to return to power in Zimbabwe,” wrote Innocent Dube in Bulawayo 24.

Many people did, indeed, “breathe a collective breath of relief” last November when Mugabe was finally booted out of office; but the relief was not because they believed the coup was “peaceful revolution”. Only the naïve and gullible fools like you believed the coup plotters’ nonsense that the coup was a “military assisted transition”.

Soldiers were deployed armed to the teeth during the coup; guns were fired, and many people were injured, and some killed. There was nothing peaceful in that!

The coup was not about dismantling the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, another falsehood peddled as the “new dispensation” to entrap the naïve and gullible. The coup was wrestling power from Mugabe, who wanted to give it to his wife and her G40 faction, back to Mnangagwa and his Lacoste faction members who had been the heart and soul of the Zanu PF dictatorship that had kept Zanu PF and Mugabe in power for 37 years.

The coup was about removing the dictator, Mugabe, but not dismantling the dictatorship itself hence the reason the junta called the coup “operation restore legacy”.

People heaved a huge sigh of relief that only a few people were killed as the situation could have very easily escalated leading to an all-out war. The coup as a warning of similar or worse things to follow if Zimbabwe did not do something to end the country’s corrupt and tyrannical political system which made the coup necessary.

Of course, the coup or some such violent method was the only way to remove Mugabe from power, that is why many people turned a blind eye to last November’s coup. But unless we dismantle the dictatorship itself and stop the vote rigging then the next dictator too will need to be removed by a coup or bomb. You only break the cycle of regime change by violence by making sure there are peaceful means of bring about change!

By pointedly refusing to implement the democratic reforms without which it is impossible to have free and fair elections, President Mnangagwa confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state whose next political change will only come from some violent act. Lo behold, the 23^rd June bomb was one such act!

Those like Dube who have condemned the June bomb, an act by the Zanu PF G40 faction, but condoned last November’s military coup, by Zanu PF Lacoste faction; have blundered in see the two events as separate when they are both evil and deserve to be condemned unreservedly.

Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s chief enforcer, he carried out most of the looting, vote rigging and cold-blooded murder of thousands of innocent Zimbabweans to establish and retain the de facto one-party autocracy. Worse still, since the November coup, he has pointedly refused to dismantle the dictatorship and is blatantly rigging this year’s elections just as he blatantly rigged past elections.

The November coup removed Mugabe, the dictator, but the dictatorship itself has remained and it is alive and thriving.  

“The Mugabes' twin strategy of return to power is starting to reveal itself, slowly but surely,” argued Dube.

“On the one hand they will try and use violence to kill or hurt their opponents currently in power, on the other, their growing relationship with Chamisa means that he could also serve as their ticket back to power.”

“Voting Chamisa is playing into Grace and Bob's hand, because it is clear if you vote for one you will get all three as a package deal. After seven months of a Mugabe-free Zimbabwe, we could only be one month away from their swift and vengeful return.”

Poor Dube, he has not only swallowed the new dispensation nonsense, but his shallow brain has now been stirred up into mud. The only difference between Zanu PF dictatorship led by Mugabe and that by Mnangagwa is in the trivial details in the more substantive areas such as rigging the elections, corruption and the belief that Zanu PF has the divine right to rule Zimbabwe they are of one accord.

The fear of Mugabe coming back into power has made people like Dube panic he cannot see that either outcome of the present election is totally unacceptable as one or the other Zanu PF factions will be back in power – which faction is better is as meaningless as choosing to have an arm or leg cut-off.

What people like Dube have failed to see all along, is that these elections should not be taking place without first implementing the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. SADC leaders made this point abundantly clear in 2013 when they advised the elections to be postponed until the reforms are implemented.

Implementing the reforms BEFORE the elections will not only guarantee the elections are free, fair and credible but, most important of all, guarantee open debate and democratic competition – the fertile ground from which quality leaders will emerge.

We are where we are, these flawed and illegal elections cannot be stop now. The most logical reaction now is to focus attention on all the glaring irregularities; no free public media, no clean and verified voters’ roll, Zanu PF’s robbing the nation blind to bankroll its vote rigging schemes, etc. proving beyond all reasonable doubt that these elections are not free, fair and credible. The only logical outcome is for these flawed elections to be declared null and void!

Zimbabwe must revisit the raft of democratic reforms agreed in 2008 and make sure they are implemented. Since President Mnangagwa has refused to implement the reforms since last November’s coup then he and his junta must step aside and allow others who will do it!