"West must support ED, MDC will never rule for 20 years" argue Mutsvairo - so why bother N Garikai

“IF Western governments are sincere about political reforms in Zimbabwe, then they have to support President Emmerson Mnangagwa's new government,” wrote Bruce Mutsvairo.

“There are no two ways to it.

“Long-time followers of Zimbabwean politics will tell you that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), for right or wrong reasons, will struggle to claim power at least until 20 years from now when most of the country's heroes of anti-colonial bush wars would either have retired or died.

“Even then, there is no evidence the ruling Zanu PF party will throw in the towel.”

To start with it is not the western governments who are desperate for meaning political change in Zimbabwe. It is the ordinary Zimbabweans who are dying for change. The country is in a real economic mess with unemployment soaring to dizzying heights of 90%, basic services such as supply of clean running water have all but collapsed hence the now frequent outbreak of such diseases as cholera and typhoid, 75% of the population now live on US$1.00 or less a day, etc. The situation cannot go on like this for much longer.

You are asking western government to support the vote rigging and, per se, illegitimate President Mnangagwa and in return he will implement political reforms. You are tell the same western governments that there will be no regime change in Zimbabwe for another 20 years, at least. So what exactly will they be supporting Mnangagwa for if the reforms he will promise are not going to bring any change.

Soon after last November’s military coup, President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. He did not keep his promise, as we all know the junta blatantly rigged the elections. So you are asking the western government to pour in billions of dollars propping up this corrupt and tyrannical regime for more promises to hold free and fair elections that the regime will never honour! How naïve and stupid can you be!

It was India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who famously asked, “What kind of leaders will an armed struggle throw up? Are those the men and women we would want to rule our country?”

India never waged an armed struggle to end British colonial rule and when it did achieve its independence it has enjoyed political stability and economic prosperity.

Zimbabwe waged an armed struggle to end white colonial rule and jumped from the frying pan into the fire. The armed struggle did throw up the most incompetent, corrupt and ruthless thugs as leaders and for the last 38 years the nation has been stuck with them with the tragic economic, political and social consequences we see in Zimbabwe today.

There has been a number of opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best opportunities falling to MDC during the GNU. All the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had to do was implement the democratic reforms Zanu PF had signed onto in the 2008 Global Political Agreement. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.

MDC leaders have had other opportunities to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship but they wasted these too.

MDC leaders have proven to be breathtakingly corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. But just because MDC leaders are a waste of spare that does not mean the nation is stuck with Zanu PF. Implement the democratic reforms and lift the lid on the stifling political system Zanu PF has imposed on the nation and allow freedom of expression, free debate and democratic competition and quality leaders will shoot up like new growth after the first rain.

Zanu PF itself is imploding. The 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption has left 75% of the population living in abject poverty. The ruling elite too have been caught in the rising tide of poverty; the 75% include Zanu PF war veterans and party grandees like the late Nathan Shamuyarira and Enos Nkala. Others like Didymus Mutasa were booted out of the party and within months he had lost weight from stress and hunger.

To consolidate his own hold on power, President Mnangagwa has undertaken some serious “load shed” of deadwood, Mugabe loyalists, etc. The likes of former Minister David Parerenyatwa, former Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede have just been thrown off the gravy train; they helped create this Zanu PF dictatorship and now they will have a taste of its greatest product – poverty.

President Mnangagwa has reassigned many other former ministers, civil servants, etc.; reportedly on their full salaries and privileges. The country is broke, much as he would want to keep them in keeping with the party’s patronage system the economic reality will force him to do so more “load shedding”.

Patronage is the glue that has held these Zanu PF thugs together all these years. As the country’s economic started to shrink there was less and less wealth to dish away things started to fall apart. It was the fear of poverty that fuelled the dog-eat-dog fighting in Zanu PF and the fighting will never stop now that there is poverty everywhere.

The ordinary people themselves are not going to tolerate the inhuman conditions they have been forced to live in forever. When people hear that there are people dying of cholera and meanwhile government has just splashed $1.4 million on a chartered plane for Grace Mugabe, for example; they are infuriated. It is naïve to think that their will bottle their anger forever amen!

The country is in a serious economic and political mess because of 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption under Zanu PF rule. Zimbabwe is dying for good and competent government. Zimbabwe is dying to put an end to the curse of rigged elections because that is the only sure way the country will get a good and competent government.

The only sure way to end the curse of rigged elections is declare all those who rig elections illegitimate and deny them diplomatic, financial, political and social support.  President Mnangagwa rigged the 30 July 2018 elections that makes his regime illegitimate. The regime must be isolated and denied all support.

Zanu PF thugs have held the people of Zimbabwe to ransom for the last 38 years under the pretext that they are the ones who fought in the war of independence. The regime has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish and retain this de facto one-party dictatorship. Hundreds of thousands of other have died unnecessarily because of poverty related problems born out of decades of Zanu PF misrule.

Whatever mercenary’s debt the nation own these thugs, the debt has been repaid thousand times over. The cup is full to overflow. Enough.

We demand meaningful democratic change and this illegitimate regime must be denied all international support until there is free, fair and credible elections and a legitimate government.