Full marks, Motlanthe commission diverted attention from rigged elections - ED is overjoyed

If the truth be told, I have not paid much attention to the antics 1st August Commission of inquiry chaired by former President Kgalema Motlanthe of SA. I had expected the commission to be a farce, a complete waste of time and resources, I was wrong. 

It has turned to be a complete waste of time and resources, yes, but worst of all it is political decoy delivered with flare and gusto. The primary task of the commission was to draw public attention away from the rigged elections and they have certainly done that; President Mnangagwa must be very pleased with the results!

It is all very well to hear former Zanu PF Chipangano thug, Jim Kunaka, confirm that last November’s military coup was indeed a coup detat and why it was necessary.

“A coup was held in November last year because the old guard had been outwitted by the G-40 team. They had to use guns because they had been completely outwitted,” said Kunaka.

“I know everything about the Zanu PF culture of violence. Remember I was a senior member of the ruling party.” 

It was comical to hear Kunaka being denounced in turn by his former comrade, Lewis Matutu. 

“Jim Kunaka has conceded perpetrating violence against the opposition and killing people for political gains live on TV before the commission of inquiry. All this was done under the oath. It is the duty of the law enforcement institutions to apprehend him and be charged under the laws of the land. He should not be allowed to get away with this!” said Matutu.

“If he was given instructions as he alleges, he must name those who gave him such orders if they do exist. Let him name those that were working with him. He just complicated his life because mhosva hairovi (crime does not rot like meat) he must be held accountable.” 

But that is just it, Kunaka can name those who gave him the instructions to kill; just as the individuals responsible for the shooting of the seven civilians behind this commission on may be named; what difference will that make! In the 38 years of Zanu PF tyrannical rule, over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered in cold blood to establish and retain the de facto one party dictatorship we are groaning under. 

In 99% of the cases the murders were never arrested even when many people had named. In the odd case where the criminals were arrested, tried and convicted; they were granted the ubiquitous presidential pardon, for Zanu PF thugs only of course, without ever spending a single night behind bars! 

Indeed, one can go so far as to say this Commission of Inquiry’s primary purpose is to divert the nation’s attention from President Mnangagwa and his junta’s treasonous act of rigging the 30 July 2018 elections and the disastrous consequences of the worsen economic meltdown that followed. And full marks to all the commissioners, they have played their assigned roles with flying colours. 

Zanu PF thugs have carte blanche powers to do whatever they considers necessary to secure their own and the party’s strangle hold on power. Last November’s coup was high treason the regime got Justice George Chiweshe to rule is “legal, constitutional and justified”. 

The junta has just successful blatantly rigged the elections with the assistance of the corrupted ZEC. The whole election process was flawed and illegal, the regime even failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll. 

The election results were challenged in the Con-Court. The Judges ignored all the evidence put before the court, proving beyond doubt that the elections were rigged, because the evidence “was not collaborated by primary evidence in the sealed ballot boxes”, they argued. 

The plaintiff’s request to have the ballot boxes opened was denied and the Judges themselves never asked to the boxes be opened. So, the Judge’s decision to endorse Mnangagwa as the winner were based on the assumption that the primary evidence in the sealed ballot boxes would have proven the elections were NOT rigged. 

Of course, it was a nonsensical judgement. What was the point of asking the parties to this case to submit sworn affidavit if the judges are going to ignore that evidence and then conveniently ignore the opportunity to examine the primary source evidence they are insisting on! 

The primary purpose of the Con-Court in the above case was to help the Zanu PF junta gloss over the glaring irregularities and  illegalities and judge rigged elections free, fair and credible. 

Of course, the regime knew that it had rigged the elections and many people would be furious about it. The regime, whose murderous thugs had clearly strained at the leash to keep the peace throughout the campaign period, unleashed the thugs at the protestors. The shooting dead of the seven civilians was meant to reminder all that the party would not tolerate any protests against the rigged elections. 

The Motlanthe Commission; just like ZEC, the Con-Court, etc.; is a toothless dog with neither the bark nor bite. It is not the The commission will not name the individuals who pulled the trigger much less those who deployed them and gave the order of “Shoot to kill!” It is not in the commission’s remit. 

Even if the commission named everyone of those involved here we can be certain of one thing this will do nothing to help restore the individual freedoms and human rights much less put right the immediate problem of rigged 30 July 2018 elections!

Indeed, it is now clear that the commission of inquiry was a cynical decoy to take attention away from the serious issue of the rigged elections and the economic meltdown that followed.

Last year the regime organised the 18 November 2017 street protest, carefully stage-manage theatrical to allow the public to let out some steam and it worked like a charm. This Motlanthe commission is yet another carefully stage-managed performance that has too worked like a charm.

The seven shot dead must be turning in their graves, joining the over 30 000 murdered by the regime who are spinning by now, angry the opportunity the shooting presented to demand meaningful democratic change has clearly been wasted, once again!