"First accept Mnangagwa as president then have dialogue" Motlanthe Commission instructs Chamisa W Mukori

“One of the most impressive things you have said was about MDC being a party that respects the law. I take it that now that the Con-Court has made a pronouncement (on the election result), that in keeping with MDC’s loyalty to the law that you will accept the pronouncement?” asked Chief Emeka Anyaoku, one of the seven Motlanthe Commissioners.

“In that context I was also impressed that MDC and you, as the party leader, are ready for dialogue. Did I understand you correctly?”

“We respect the pronouncements of the court! But the Con-Court is a court of law and court of justice and not a court of politics. Politics is about legitimacy. Our contention is based on legitimacy. We have the right to say Mr Mnangagwa, you are not legitimate because of the result we have. We have the right to disagree with the court!” Chamisa fired back.

“Would you not agree that internationally the pronouncement of the highest court in the land is to be respected and accepted by everyone who is law abiding?” the Chief asked.

“We respect and accept the Con-Court pronouncement but still have a legitimacy question to be resolved. It can only be resolved by dialogue. This is not the first time the country’s politics has needed dialogue to move forward.”

“Going forward we must be able to resolve the legitimacy issue, away from the court.

“We must be able to resolve issues of reforms that are comprehensive so that we do not have a repeat and recurrence of disputed elections every election cycle. We are reproducing a vicious cycle of negative politics. We want to deal with that. Let us have a path to nation building and peace building. That is what we have put on the table, Mr Mnangagwa does not have an appetite for it.” 

Chief Anyaoku tried once again. “You would agree that the harmony in any country depends on acceptance and respect of the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary. The country works best when that separation of power is respected. In that context, I would have thought that you agree that the pronouncement of the highest court should be accepted and respect by everyone. 

“The point you made about dialogue, can take place and should take place but all within the context of the accepted Con-Court pronouncement!” 

Chamisa stood his ground. “Harmony starts with the respect of the truth and reality. Harmony starts with the state honouring and respecting that there should be no state - party conflation. The conflation of the party and the state and the attempt by the party to influence state organs; those are fundamental issues that require a political reform agenda and constitutional reform agenda.” 

Chamisa is right, Zimbabwe has had 38 years of disputed elections with 2008 elections being the worst in terms of the blatant vote rigging; the March results were not announced for six weeks, allowing the regime to whittle down Tsvangirai’s 73%, by Mugabe’s own Freudian slip, to 47% to force the run-off. During the run-off the regime used wanton violence to punish the electorate for having rejected the party in the earlier vote. 

The dialogue leading to the formation of the 2008 to 2013 GNU was necessary because no one, not even SADC or AU election observers would accept the election result as a true reflection of the democratic wishes of the people of Zimbabwe. 

“This is not the first time we have had dialogue,” Chamisa argued. 

Well his plea will fall on deaf ears for eight key points:

1. Both SADC and AU, who played a key role in getting Mugabe and Zanu PF to accept, the formation of the last GNU, have already endorsed this year’s election results or be it with tongue in cheek. The two confined their comments to the peaceful campaign period right up to voting day. They have said nothing about the elections being free, fair and credible because they knew they were not. They have also said nothing about the delay in announcing the results and failed to mention the wanton violence of the 1 st August; which is telling since their report should at least cover a few days post announcing the result! The important point is both SADC and AU are not pushing for dialogue or another GNU, not this time.
2. MDC had the golden opportunities to implement the comprehensive reforms Chamisia is talking about during the last GNU. MDC failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. SADC leaders warned MDC leaders not to take part in the 2013 elections with no reforms and their warnings fell on deaf ears!
3. After Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2013 elections everybody thought MDC leaders had learned their lesson; they will be the ones demanding the reforms first in 2018. Surprise, surprise Chamisa was leading from the front in denigrating those calling for reforms before the elections. “MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections,” he boasted. MDC leaders did not even have the common sense to demand that there should be a verified voters’ roll. These elections should have never taken place without the reforms; it is insane to participate.
4. Chamisa has made it clear that the solution he wants is for him to be president of Zimbabwe. This ties with Chamisa’s own claim that if he wins then “election was free, fair and credible!” This is nonsense because everyone agrees the whole process was flawed and illegal; how can an illegitimate process produce a legitimate result?
5. Chamisa has already proved beyond doubt that he is corrupt and incompetent; a Zimbabwe government with Chamisa as president and a 2/3 majority Zanu PF parliament and senate is worse than yoking together a wild ox and a stupid donkey back to back. We can be certain of one thing not even one of the “comprehensive reforms” Chamisa has only only woken up to will be implemented and thus the country will be in for yet another disputed elections in 2023!
6. There is no denying that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s unending economic and political crisis is state capture by Zanu PF, “party - state conflation”, as Chamisa rightly called it. There is no denying that MDC leaders have had many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship but have wasted them all. But most important of all there is no denying that Mnangagwa rigged the recent elections and that allowing him to stay in power will not help Zimbabwe get out of the mess. 
7. The Motlanthe Commission is caught between the rock and the deep blue sea. They will be tempted to recommend that MDC must accept the Con-Court’s ruling declaring Mnangagwa president and any political dialogue will then follow. By participating in the elections and then the court challenge without demand reforms MDC had, per se, accepted the power and authority of ZEC and Con-Court and all the other state institutions. It is nonsense to talk of party-state inflation just because one has lost the elections, etc. Still, by endorsing Mnangagwa the winner the Commission will have done nothing to help Zimbabwe get out of the mess. A Zanu PF government will never fully implement the democratic reforms ending the party’s carte blanche powers to rig future elections. Never ever! 
8. The only way out of the mess now is for the people of Zimbabwe to demand implementation of the democratic reforms OUTSIDE the context of Zanu PF and MDC. Indeed the people must demand the formation of an interim administration that will be tasked to implement the democratic reforms; no Zanu PF or MDC leaders will be allowed to play any part in the said administration. The prospect of Zanu PF remaining in power till 2023, given the economic mess the country is in, is daunting. Zanu PF staying beyond 2023 is simply unthinkable, yet that is a certainty if we fail to force the regime to step down so we can finally implement the reforms properly! 

“I thought you were going to congratulate and thank me!” was Chamisa’s parting shot to the Motlanthe Commission. He is naive, corrupt and incompetent but even he knows that the principle recommendation of the commission will be that MDC must accept and respect the Con-Court’s ruling and acknowledge Mnangagwa as dully elected president. 

Thank you for what? For having squandered the nation’s many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and landing us into this mess!