“As we
officially open the 9th Parliament, our focus is on delivering the promises
made during the campaign period,” said President Mnangagwa in his speech
marking the official opening Zimbabwe’s parliament.
“We
will operate with discipline, hard work and transparency, fighting vigorously
against red tape, lethargy and corruption, as we march towards our Vision 2030.”
When
Mugabe came into power he cocksure his scientific socialism will deliver mass
prosperity, “Gutsva ruzhinji!” He 37 years reign of corruption, vote rigging
and tyranny have brought death and destruction.
Mnangagwa
is showing the same Mr-Know-It-All arrogance and political intolerance. He has
just taken over from where Mugabe left off starting with the blatant
vote-rigging which has confirmed Zimbabwe is still a pariah state. No one in
their right mind would want to invest in a pariah state! So all this “Zimbabwe is
open for business!” is a waste of time.
Zanu PF
has failed to deliver on the people’s wishes for freedom, justice and economic
prosperity and yet the regime has remained in power regardless for the last 38
years and counting because it has usurped the people’s power to hold those in
power to account. Zanu PF has ridden roughshod over the people’s freedoms and
rights deny them the right to free, fair and credible elections and even the
right to life.
Zanu PF
has murdered in cold blood over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish and
retain its de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship. Only a month ago this
Zanu PF junta shot dead seven protestors; the regime was fearful of nationwide
protest against another rigged elections. The shooting was a grim reminder of
the regime’s willingness to shedding innocent blood to secure its iron grip on
power.
After
last November’s military coup which saw the removal of Mugabe from power after
37 years; President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible
elections. This was a very important promise in that it was going to restore
the people’s power to hold those in power to account. The freedom to hire and
fire public official is the ultimate expression of the people’s democratic
right and power.
Sadly,
President Mnangagwa has failed to keep his promise to hold free, fair and
credible elections. How can the elections be free and fair when 2 to 3 millions
Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote for no better reason than that
Zanu PF feared that most of them will not vote for the party. ZEC failed to
produce something as basic for an meaningful elections as a verified voters’
roll!
Zanu PF
has remained in power for the last 38 years and counting regardless of the
party’s repeated failures to deliver of the economic front, regardless of the
people’s democratic wish, because the party has carte blanche dictatorial
powers to rig elections.
“History
will judge us as leaders if we fail to fulfil the wishes of the people!”
said Mnangagwa.
Yes, history
will judge you Mr President but that is simply not good enough! The living, the
present, too must be allowed to judge you, hire and fire you as leader suitable
or otherwise to govern, in a free, fair and credible elections.
Zimbabwe
is in this economic and political mess because for the last 38 years the nation
has been stuck with a corrupt and incompetent regime. Zanu PF rigged the
elections time and time again to stay in power and the nation made the big
mistake of allowing the regime to get away with it. This madness must stop
forth with!
“Our
focus is on delivering the promises made during the campaign period …. our
Vision 2030.” No our focus must surely be on the broken promise to hold free,
fair and credible elections … our vision 2023. If we fail to force this Zanu PF
junta to step aside to allow the implementation of the democratic reforms to
stop Zanu PF rigging the next elections in 2023 then we can be certain the
party will rig those elections too.
Newly appointed Finance and Economic Development minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has changed his song on the abolishment of bond notes urging the business community to accept notes as they are still a legal tender saying the currency will only change after broader economic reforms have been put in place.
ReplyDeleteExchange rates on Zimbabwe's parallel market have skyrocketed to an average 100% for real time gross settlement (RTGS) transfers on the back of Professor Ncube's remarks that bond notes will be phased out.
Welcome to the real world, Professor Ncube. You have just had your first blunder and I have a feeling it will not be your last. Your remarks following your appointment showed you for the naïve and gullible greenhorn you are!
You said you will attract investors; what investors would want to invest in a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs, greenhorn?
@ Tichaona Zindoga
ReplyDeleteWhat are you blabbering about!
"PRAGMATISM. That could be the word we were looking for to describe President Mnangagwa's approach and philosophy as he conducts business as leader of both Zanu-PF - the ruling party - and Government. He is a man so sparing with words and promises. He is equally sparse with populism and ideology and will not work the masses into a frenzy. Nor does he pour cold water on a nation's hopes," you say.
He promised to hold free, fair and credible elections and then went on to blatantly rig the elections. How can the elections be considered free and fair when 2 to 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora are denied an vote for no better reason than that Zanu PF fears most of them will not vote for the party? The regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll, for Pete's sake. One has only to look at the election results to see why ZEC was instructed never to release the voters' roll because it would have been the smoking gun in the many vote rigging schemes. No few than 16 polling stations had 2 or more stations with exactly the same number of ballots cast and exactly the same number of votes for Mnangagwa - proof these were bussed voters!
By rigging the elections Mnangagwa has just confirmed that Zimbabwe is still very much a pariah state ruled by ruthless vote rigging thugs and thus blown all the nation's hope of a meaningful economic recovery. Zindoga, investors do not do business in pariah state whose next regime change will be a result of yet another military coup or nationwide street protests. The penny has not yet dropped but it will!
@ Daniel Ngwira
ReplyDeleteTHE appointment of a leaner Cabinet by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not only welcome, but also goes a long way in demonstrating that the President listened to the people, mindful of the need to managing costs and turning around the economy which has been in comatose for several years.
Perhaps the most exciting of all the appointments of members of the Cabinet is that of renowned academic, founder of Barbican Bank, Mthuli Ncube. While there are some who have drawn comparison with the appointment of former Finance ministers Bernard Chidzero and Ariston Chambati (both late), who had good reputations in their field of expertise, it should be noted that Ncube is in a class of his own.
Chidzero left his high-paying job as United Nations Conference on Trade and Development deputy secretary-general to become Finance minister much as Ncube left his post as managing director of the Quantum Research Group in Switzerland to take charge of Treasury.
So you expect Professor Ncube to make a silk purse from a sow's ear!
Zanu PF, the party in government, is composed of corrupt, incompetent and ruthless thugs whose only care in this world is for them to maintain an iron grip on absolute power so they can continue to enjoy the influence and wealth that flows from it! Why do you think Zanu PF rigged the elections breaking its own post November 2017 coup promise to hold free, fair and credible elections? To make sure its iron grip on power is never ever compromise and diluted by democratic accountability pressures!
Professor Ncube will no more change the direction of Zanu PF than Bernard Chidzero or Ariston Chambati did! He is just a the whitewash on the Zanu PF tomb, there to give the impression of purity without ever changing to rot within!
"Ncube is in a class of his own!" Yeah right! If he had any common sense at all then he should have realised immediately he was dealing with ruthless thugs after Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections and shoot dead seven and injured hundreds just to cow down the populous angry they have just, yet again, been denied a meaningful say in the governance of the country! Ncube is just a minister in a rogue regime, a willing tool in the thugs' hands. Like so many other men and women of high learning but low principles, his ambition to be minister has clouded his judgement.
@Sibusiso Ndlamini
ReplyDeletePresident Emmerson Mnangagwa will tonight leave the country, to attend the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit, in New York.
The summit comes at the backdrop of peaceful, free and fair elections that led to the birth of the new dispensation under the leadership of President Mnangagwa and his 'Zimbabwe is Open for Business mantra.'
The trouble with Zanu PF leaders and their apologists is believe in their own lies and propaganda and hence the reason Mugabe thought he was God's blessing to Zimbabwe and Africa for nearly 4 decades. Now a similar bubble is being created for Mnangagwa and some of the propaganda and lies are laughable and yet Mnangagwa clearly believe them all.
It all started with the now Foreign Affairs Minister, Sibusiso Moyo, telling the world the November 2017 military coup was a "military assisted transition!" The junta followed this up with having a couple of Super Court Judges to rule that the coup was "legal and constitutional".
The junta promised free, fair and credible elections but that was a bridge too far for thugs who have rigged elections for 38 years! They blatantly rigged the elections denying 2 to 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote for no better reason than the party feared many of them did not support it. The regime failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters' roll. And yet, in typical Zanu PF contemptuous disregard of facts, the party maintains the elections were free and fair.
Not even one of the 20 or so nations/organisations from democratic nations who were in Zimbabwe to observe the elections has dared endorse the elections as having been free, fair and credible. How could they when they know the elections were rigged!
Apologist like Sibusiso Ndlamini are repeating the "Zimbabwe is open for business!" nonsense out of habit because even he knows that the expected flood of investors the regime was cocksure was coming never materialised. He knows investors do not do business in pariah states whose next regime change will be another military coup or widespread street protests. The penny has dropped on this score!
One day Zimbabwe will have a president elected by Zimbabweans in a free, fair and credible election; it will be great day marking a fresh great start!
Namibia-based academic and scholar Admire Mare said the opposition party must not only oppose for the sake of opposition but instead should give an alternative to the current dispensation through its control of local authorities.
ReplyDeleteHe said Chamisa's refusal to accept the invitation, while it is another form of protest, is however, questionable given that his legislators plan to continue to attend, and even accept featherbeddings such as cars.
"I think there is too much grandstanding at the moment which is clouding proper engagement. Both parties seem to be finding it hard to eat the humble pie for the greater good of the country."
I have to agree with Mare that MDC MPs are not going to boycott parliament for long especially if that meaning losing out on the generous allowances and other privileges. It should be remember that MDC politicians took part in these elections knowing fully well that the process was flawed and illegal. They also knew that Zanu PF would be giving away a few gravy train seats as bait, it was these they were after and did not care that the elections were rigged.
Politicians like Tendai Biti and David Coltart who were in the GNU know that MDC sold-out then by failing to get even one democratic reform implemented. They have often criticized Zanu PF for failing to end corruption, implement reforms, etc., etc. but that is all grandstanding, the pot calling the kettle black!
Boycotting elections or parliament because the elections would be or were rigged is one thing and totally different ball game when it was your fault that not even one reforms to stop rigging were never implemented in five years of the GNU!
@ Khohliso Maqhoba
ReplyDeleteThat man who believes that Ndebeles are cockroaches, Emmerson Mnangagwa, would smile if by any chance, he stumbles into your article. One of the main purposes of 1979 Grand Plan and Matabeleland genocide was to achieve a psychological effect such as what you have reflected in your article. Their intention was to see a submissive and fear stricken Ndebele who is afraid even to cough without the permission of a Shona person. Too afraid to express her/his political views and too frightened to fight for their independence. In short your alarmist strategy plays into the hands of the oppressor.
The Gukurahundi massacres were about Zanu PF trying to eliminate PF Zapu. Yes is just so happened that the two parties most of their supporters from some tribes/regions and not others still it is a historic fact that both parties had supporters from every part of Zimbabwe. The rivalry and mistrust between the two parties dates back to their formative days. What matters is that the political rivalry and mistrust has costed many innocent lives, number one. And two that the rivalry was political and not tribal/regional. The late Dr Joshua Nkomo said so himself.
Sadly there are many opportunistic politicians who have wanted to scale the rivalry between Zanu PF and PF Zapu into a tribal/regional conflict for their own selfish political gain. This is the one thing the people of Zimbabwe do not want.
Zanu PF is a party of murderous thugs and only last month the party descended on the protestors in Harare like a tonne of brick just to remind us all that the regime will not hesitate to shed innocent blood in pursuit of its long cherished goal of establishing and retaining absolute power at all cost.
Zanu PF has imploded and one of these fine days the regime and all its thugs will be history. It will be a great tragedy if Zimbabwe should find itself being dragged into a new conflict instead of focusing on rebuilding the nation for the good of all Zimbabweans.
"Their intention was to see a submissive and fear stricken Ndebele who is afraid even to cough without the permission of a Shona person." That is nonsense and you know it!
Mnangagwa will rather be judged by history that the living and hence the reason he will never ever give the people their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. He will fight tooth and nail to make sure the junta is never forced to step aside and meaningful democratic reforms implemented.
ReplyDeleteThe longer Zanu PF thugs have stayed in power the harder it has become to remove them. Right now there are very few people with the intellect to see the remove Zanu PF from power much less with the opportunity to do so.