The last two weeks have seen stay-aways to protests the soaring cost of living turn into street protests and looting. The Zanu PF government has, as expected, responded with an orgy of wanton violence; hundreds were arrested, hundreds of thousands were beaten up and/or raped and 25, according to some reports were shot dead.
This is a regime that determined to the people complaining against rigged elections and the worsening economic meltdown at all cost, The populous are expected to suffer and die in silence like sheep in a slaughter house.
Regular as clock work, the workshops (talk-shops really), reports, recommendations, etc. on the stay-away, street protests and orgy of violence from Zimbabwe’s bloated NGO community have started coming out.
“In pursuit of a Zimbabwe people want, which is characterized by rapid and sustainable economic, social and political development underpinned by the rule of law, constitutionalism and unity, NANGO proffers the following recommendations for consideration:” said National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO). There are so many NGOs is Zimbabwe NANGO is the official umbrella body of NGOs operating in Zimbabwe.
1. Call to candid, inclusive and open national dialogue: The mammoth task ahead of Zimbabwe on the economic, social and political sphere demands more structured multi-stakeholder collaborations and partnerships between government, business, non-state actors and citizens on actions and activities which are crucial in addressing challenges bedeviling the country. We urge President Emmerson Mnangagwa to expedite the national dialogue involving key political parties, civil society, churches to resolve a myriad of issues faced by the nation.
2. Rule of law and constitutionalism: We implore the government to investigate murders, assault, torture and other human rights abuses that were reported and bring all perpetrators to justice.”
The report goes on to list 9 recommendations in total and all they usual platitudes. This is very predictable and monotonous to the point of foolishness!
NANGO is one of the many who have been calling for “all stakeholders’ meeting” but will not say what what exactly must be discussed?
NANGO says it wants “Rule of law and constitutionalism: We implore the government to investigate murders, etc., etc.” This is just a cliché. If these NANGO members were serious about wanting rule of law and constitutionalism then why have they done nothing to stop Zanu PF rigging last year’s elections in the first place or stopping the regime getting away with it.
By addressing this vote rigging and, per se, illegitimate Zanu PF regime as “the government” NANGO have tacitly accepted the regime as the de facto legitimate government. Zanu PF has never ever held free, fair and credible elections in the last 38 years and hence the reason why the nation is in this mess. And yet, even now with the nation up to her eyes in this economic and political nightmare we still have some people pretending they do not know what constitutes free, fair and credible elections!
The Zimbabwe we want will never come to pass as long as those calling for rule of law, etc. are only paying lip service to rule of law, etc.
“Alive to the economic recession, coupled with governance deficit, impunity, social, economic and political exclusion that has seen the majority of the population particularly the marginalized susceptible to hunger, social dislocation of families, high levels of poverty, unemployment and underemployment, human rights violations as well as severe shrinking of NGOs' operating space,” NANGO pontificated.
The truth is NGOs do not give a damn about the economic recession, the serious human rights violations, etc. Indeed, they have profited from all the economic and political mess. The madness and orgy of violence of the last two weeks have created thousands of man-years work for the NGO directors all paid for by naive and gullible but very generous donors!
Corrupt and tyrannical regimes do NOT shrink NGOs’ operating space, they expand it.
NGO and religion are the two social sectors which have grown in leaps and bonds in Zimbabwe in the last 38 years and the directors and the pastors are living in comfort and luxury, comparable to that of the political ruling elite and their cronies.
NGOs and Churches are doing well thanks to the corrupt, tyrannical and dysfunctional political systems there is now a symbiotic relation between political and civic leaders. Many politicians have cultivated good relationships with church leaders with many a politician becoming church leaders in their own and church leaders have become self-appointed political commissars on root to a political career. Call it civic society and politics cross pollination!
Whilst civic society may publicly criticise one side or, on very rare occasions, both sides of the political establishment, civic leaders know there are lines which they must never cross. Of all the country’s brigade of NGOs only the Catholic Church has dared to tell Zanu PF to its face that last July’s elections were rigged.
And, as if to attorn for their honesty, the Catholic Bishop have been bending over backwards to underline they are NOT asking for Zanu PF to step down. They want the Zanu PF thugs to lead the national dialogue hopefully leading to a GNU in which Zanu PF will call the shots.
Civic society has been divided along party lines with pro-Zanu PF church leaders like Wutaunashe taking up the party’s propaganda lie of blaming sanctions for the nation’s economic ills. He would never admit that corruption is the cancer killing the economy even after Mugabe confessed in 2016 to $15 billion in diamond revenue being swindled.
Neither Mugabe nor his successor, Mnangagwa, have arrested even one swindler and there is every reason to believe the swindling is still going on to this day. No nation, much less one with a mere $10 billion GDP like Zimbabwe, can sustain a $15 billion haemorrhage. Wutaunashe and others will not even acknowledge corruption is a problem.
Many NANGO members have remained doggedly faithful to MDC leaders, they have cheered and applauded the oppositions even when the latter failed to implement even one reform during the GNU, for example.
Linda Masarira, a human rights activist turned politician, confessed of how the NGOs and the opposition worked together to falsified their activities to defraud the naive and gullible donors.
The mission statement of each and everyone of Zimbabwe’s army of NGOs, if they all had one, would claim they work to establish a free, just and prosperous Zimbabwe. The irony is Zimbabwe would have become a free, just and prosperous nations decades ago if those working in civic society had pay little more than lip service to their respective organisation’s mission statement to ensure their organisation remained relevant and to secure their own job.
A politician’s job is never done, this is certain true of Zanu PF and MDC politicians. If we accept the vague definition of the politicians’ work of creating a free, just and prosperous nation, then Zanu PF politicians’ work load has increased 100 fold, at least. Compared to 1980 since the ordinary people have moved from third class citizen to serf whose freedoms and rights are not worth even the paper they are written on.
On the economic front the country’s per capita GDP was US$ 942 in 1980 it dropped to a record low of $479 (or 2.7% of US) in 2008 and was $1268 (3.8%) in 2018. As we can see above, whilst the economic meltdown is getting worse, Zanu PF has given up all hope of an economic recovery and is retaining its iron grip of power by stepping up its political repression, instead.
The need for democratic change in Zimbabwe is greater now than in 1999 when MDC was formed. The party has failed to implement even one democratic reform in the last 19 years. Not one.
So both Zanu PF and MDC have their work cut out; so far, both have made things worse not better. The country’s civic society has grown and thrived to meet the demand born out of the politicians doing such a through job destroying the national economy and resorting to more and more barbaric measures to remain in power!
President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has appointed a 24-member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) that will advise government on a wide range of sectoral issues including the economy, health, agriculture and ICT.
ReplyDeleteNotable names in the PAC are Trevor Ncube of Alpha Media Holding, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Shingi Munyeza, Edwin Manika and Busisa Moyo.
This is a regime that rigged the elections, is fearful that its economic attempts to revive the economy are failing and now is using violence to beat the nation into submission to accept the rigged elections and worsening economic situation in silence. The regime is digging in for the the long haul!
All talks of national dialogue and a GNU are all a waste of time, Mnangagwa would not be appointing this PAC, the super-duper cabinet over above the nominal cabinet, the Joint Operation Command and the former Mugabe cabinet now put to pasture in Zanu PF HQ. Zanu PF is not going to accept any sudo GNU especially when such a body will be seen as weakening the party’s strangle hold on power.
If Zimbabweans are serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship and with it end the economic meltdown then the people must dig deep and confront and confound Zanu PF. We must force the regime to step down, if there is ever going to be any meaningful democratic and economic change in the country.
When Mnangagwa told his hardliner Zanup PF members that “Zanu PF ichatonga! Igotonga!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule!) He meant it and clearly he has no qualms rigging elections and using brute force to accomplish this goal! 38 years of absolute power and enjoying all the wealth and influence it brought has left Zanu PF members more determined than ever to hang on to power at ALL COST. To say the nation is in serious trouble is an understatement.
“The irony is Zimbabwe would have become a free, just and prosperous nations decades ago if those working in civic society had pay little more than lip service to their respective organisation's mission statement to ensure their organisation remained relevant and to secure their own job.”
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic and tragic that those supposedly fighting in the oppressed and downtrodden’s corner, the NGOs and Church, are decoys, at best, calling for “rule of law” and yet they are the ones undermining the rule of law by accepting the results of rigged elections. At worst, they openly hobnob with the oppressive ruling elect and support the regime’s propaganda and brainwashing programmes.
There will never be an meaningful economic and political change in Zimbabwe until the ordinary people themselves wake up to the reality that they must not only fight Zanu PF but also the MDC and the whole army of NGOs, Churches and many, many others beside. Most ordinary Zimbabweans are naive and gullible and thus are easily conned by those pretending to fight Zanu PF but are not doing any such thing!
President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has appointed a 24-member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) that will advise government on a wide range of sectoral issues including the economy, health, agriculture and ICT.
ReplyDeleteNotable names in the PAC are Trevor Ncube of Alpha Media Holding, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Shingi Munyeza, Edwin Manika and Busisa Moyo.
Members of Presidential Advisory Council The following have been appointed Presidential Advisory Council members:
Busisa Moyo;
Divine Ndhlukula;
Joe Mutizwa;
Zondo Sakala;
Lewis Maxwell Musasike;
Dr Norbert Mugwagwa;
Dr Godfrey Sikipa;
Remigius Makumbe;
Simbarashe Mangwengwende; •
Dr Lindiwe Sibanda;
Aenias Chuma;
Edwin Manikai;
Sam Malaba;
Professor Kuzvinetsa Nzvimbo;
Natalie Jabangwe;
Trevor Ncube;
Janah Ncube;
Dr Shingi Munyeza;
Dr Kenneth Mtata;
Simon Hammond
Richard Wilde;
Kudakwashe Tagwirei;
Prof. Robson Mafoti;
Mfaro Moyo.
Tenure of Office
PAC members are appointed by His Excellency the President based on experience, expertise, leadership, contacts and standing in society. They should be non-partisan and will serve at the pleasure of the President. Unless indicated otherwise or through voluntary resignation, a PAC member…
Trevor Ncube and all the others on the list must be very please with themselves, all those man-years of bootlicking are paying off! A notable absentee on this list is Strive Masiyiwa, he has been doing his bit including falsely blaming the sanctions for the nation’s economic ill and calling for the sanctions to be lifted.
This is a regime that rigged the elections, is fearful that its economic attempts to revive the economy are failing and now is using violence to beat the nation into submission to accept the rigged elections and worsening economic situation in silence. The regime is digging in for the the long haul!
All talks of national dialogue and a GNU are all a waste of time, Mnangagwa would not be appointing this PAC, the super-duper cabinet over above the nominal cabinet, the Joint Operation Command and the former Mugabe cabinet now put to pasture in Zanu PF HQ. Zanu PF is not going to accept any sudo GNU especially when such a body will be seen as weakening the party’s strangle hold on power.
If Zimbabweans are serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship and with it end the economic meltdown then the people must dig deep and confront and confound Zanu PF. We must force the regime to step down, if there is ever going to be any meaningful democratic and economic change in the country.
When Mnangagwa told his hardliner Zanup PF members that “Zanu PF ichatonga! Igotonga!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule!) He meant it and clearly he has no qualms rigging elections and using brute force to accomplish this goal! 38 years of absolute power and enjoying all the wealth and influence it brought has left Zanu PF members more determined than ever to hang on to power at ALL COST. To say the nation is in serious trouble is an understatement.
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet George Charamba says soldiers will continue to patrol the streets and western locations as long as there is intelligence reports that there are planned protests looming.
ReplyDeleteWhat this Zanu PF regime is refusing to acknowledge is that the recent stay-aways that turned into protests were triggered by the country’s worsening economic situation. The stay-away and street protests were the people of Zimbabwe crying out for something to be done to end their suffering and deaths. Poverty in Zimbabwe is now killing people. The people knew this Zanu PF regime would response to their crying with brute force for the purpose of silencing them.
But since the regime has done nothing to end the economic meltdown and it is certain to get worse, it is no rocket science to say the people will be staging more stay-away and street protests to demand an end to their economic misery. No amount of brutal violence will stop the people crying out for change because human being are not as stupid as sheep they will file quietly to their death!
What Zimbabwe needs is meaningful political change leading to free, fair and credible elections. By using brute force to resist change Mnangagwa is delaying change but not stopping change. By using violence, he is closing the door to peaceful change and leaving with only one other alternative - violent change.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies must be reminded once again that they are holding the nation to ransom and they will be held to account for all the destruction of property, suffering and deaths that is going to happen in the fight to end the party's corrupt and tyrannical rule!
"The President said all party organs are mandated to work out action plans and performance management plans will be implemented to evaluate the programmes. Pertaining to the recent violence, the Politburo took a strong stance requiring that government, law enforcement agencies and the legislative institutions should take stern corrective measures against the perpetrators of that violence which was organised by the MDC Alliance, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, non-governmental organisations and their allies to avoid further recurrence of such incidents," said Khaya Moyo.
ReplyDeleteNo one who knows Zanu PF mentality of finding a scapegoat(s) for the party’s failures is surprised that the regime is blaming everyone else for the serious political unrest in the country. This will not change the reality on the ground, the social unrest is caused by the worsening economic situation.
So as long as the economic meltdown continues to get worse, it is getting worse, we can be certain there will be more unrest because human being are not sheep who will suffer and die in silence.
UN condemns Mnangagwa over the recent serious human rights violations!
ReplyDeleteThe UN has allowed this Zanu PF dictatorship to get away with corrupt, vote rigging and murderous rule for the last 38 years, Zimbabwe is now unstable and is dragging the whole region into the abyss. The UN must act not as a matter of course.
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF has thanked its South African counterpart, the African National Congress (ANC) for the "bold standing in calling for unconditional removal of sanctions" imposed on that country by "Britain and her Western allies”.
ReplyDeleteHistory call SA’s decision to blame sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic ills ahead of the real cancer killing the nation, corruption, one of the most foolish decision SA has even made. SA the whole region and above all Zimbabwe will regret this idiotic decision as Zimbabwe sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss and take the rest of its neighbours down with her.
CHURCHES have added their voice to the call for the lifting of travel and trade sanctions imposed by the West, claiming the embargo was hurting Zimbabweans, mostly the poor who are more vulnerable rather than their intended targets.
ReplyDeleteThe call was made by businessman Jimayi Muduvuri, who is patron of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council (Zacc).
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF has thanked its South African counterpart, the African National Congress (ANC) for the "bold standing in calling for unconditional removal of sanctions" imposed on that country by "Britain and her Western allies”.
Tell us Jimayi, which is hurting the ordinary people more the corruption or the sanctions? Just to remind you, Mugabe admitted Zimbabwe was swindled of US$15 billion in just a few years in 2016. He never arrested even one diamond swindler nor has Mnangagwa and so not ever one dollar of the $15 billion was ever recovered.
Worse still, the wholesale looting has continued to this day. Zimbabwe is losing billions of dollars every month to mismanagement and corruption. Billions every month!
It is a crying shame that NGOs, churches and other state and national institutions are now rotten to the core even their leaders are now de facto political commissars of either the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF or the corrupt and incompetent opposition.
@ Peacemaker Zano
ReplyDeleteIn simple terms, an advisory council is a collection of individuals who bring unique knowledge and skills which augment the knowledge and skills of the formal board of directors in order to effectively guide a given organization or nation.
The 26 member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) that was recently appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa plays a crucial role in advising the President on key economic issues and reforms that will support his vision of making Zimbabwe a middle income economy by 2030.
You are talking rubbish as usual! Zanu PF has been in power for the last 38 years, the party blatantly rigged last year’s elections to extend its stay in power. All this talk of giving Mnangagwa and now his advisor “a chance” is nonsense. The regime rigged the elections and therefore has no democratic mandate to rule and must step down.
Zanu PF is holding the nation to ransom and no nation in its right mind can ever permit this!
"As leader of the Democratic Alliance, I would like to make it clear that we will stand with the people of Zimbabwe and fight against the oppression and murder of innocent Zimbabweans who are mobilising and calling for change. You have many friends in South Africa," said Maimane.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a correct position because there is no past record which shows he cares for the Zimbabwean people. During xenophobic attacks of Zimbabweans in South Africa in 2009, Maimane was silent he never spoke about it as if there was no attack on Zimbabweans and other Africans living and working in South Africa. He never raised so much as a finger to protest the inhuman treatment of Zimbabweans and other Africans at the hands of xenophobic South Africans.
Chihota you are arguing in circles as usual! Even if Mr Maimane had not only been silent over the xenophobia attacks on none South African blacks in the past but had even publicly cheered and applauded the attacks still there is nothing wrong with his statement above.
You, Chihota and your fellow double faced sell-outs are the ones who should be cursed to the seventh generation. You pay lip services to condemning xenophobia attacks in SA but have said nothing to the state forcing its own people into such dangers and, worse still, when the state is state machinery to committing the same violence as the SA thugs on the defenceless people!
No amount of brainwashing can ever excuse the barbarism Zanu PF has been committing these last two weeks in the regime’s determined effort to hold on to power at all cost. The regime rigged last year’s elections, it is illegitimate and it must step down. No amount of violence is going to stop the nation’s resolve to force the party to accept it has failed and that it has no divine right to rule regardless of the people’s will!
Chamisa, you are 100% correct that the stay-away and the street protests were triggered by the country’s worsening economic situation. You are also right in condemning the Zanu PF regime’s brutal repression, which is clearly aimed at silencing the populous.
ReplyDeleteIt is pleasing to note that you, Mr Chamisa really acknowledge that Zanu PF is a rogue regime of years standing.
“The culture of violence dates back to the 1980s and 1990s where traumatic State-orchestrated episodes of gratuitous violence was visited upon the citizens,” you admitted.
What is very disappointing is that in your long statement you have failed to acknowledge that you and your fellow MDC Alliance friends have had many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship but wasted them all. You failed to get even one democratic reform implemented in the five years of the last GNU. Not even one!
Whilst every thinking Zimbabwean and outside agree on the need to appoint an interim administration to implement the democratic reforms and put the nation back on a democratic footing. They are loathed to have one in which either Zanu PF or MDC leaders play a role because they KNOW it will be a waste of time as neither party can ever be trusted to implement the reforms.
The best thing both Zanu PF and MDC Alliance can do for the nation right now is to accept that they have failed and step aside! Both Zanu PF and MDC have played their part in last year’s rigged elections and have no legitimate claim to power.
There are some thing in this life one can doubt others such as death and Zanu PF to hang on to power at all cost are a certainty. All those who believed, even for one minute, that Zanu PF would honour the promise to hold free, fair and credible elections last year had their answer. What we are seeing now is the regime pulling all the stops to make sure its iron grip on power remains even at the cost of hundreds of thousands beaten and rape, thousands thrown in jail and 25 shot dead.
ReplyDeleteWhat the people of Zimbabwe must now accept is that Zanu PF will stop at nothing to hang on to power no matter how much suffering and death that brings to the nation. Ending the Zanu PF dictatorship is not going to be easy it can be done if we put our thinking caps on.
Zimbabwe is in this mess because we, the ordinary Zimbabweans have stopping thinking for ourselves and allowed ourselves to be led like sheep to the slaughter house. We would have stopped the Zanu PF dictatorship a long time ago if only we would think for ourselves as human being should. We need to snap out of our sloth-like slumber if we are ever to get out of the mess we are in.
Teachers going on strike starting Monday 5 th February 2019.
ReplyDeleteThose who expect the teachers to continue teaching, nurses to nurse, etc. etc. when their wages are not enough to pay for even the most basic needs such as transport, food and accommodation are naive, to say the least.
Zanu PF rigged the elections but now find they cannot rig economic recovery and as long as the country remains a pariah state there will be no meaningful economic recovery. There will be more stay-aways and street protests to demand change until there is change!
It is true that many of the people in the NGO sector and religion do not care about human rights, much less doing something to restore the individual freedoms and human rights. They are in these jobs for the money! There is overwhelming evidence of how these NGOs and Churchs have again and again helped Zanu PF's rule by deliberately misinforming the electorate about their rights and freedoms, sweeping rigged elections under the carpet and encouraging the populos to move on when they should be making a firm stand, etc.
ReplyDeleteCivic society should have been a blessing to the nation it has, instead, been a curse, like some many other things!
Minister Ncube keeps talking of ending government waste when he is the one who had approved the hiring the Boeing 787 - 8 Dreamliner Jet for 10 days at a cost of $74 000 per hour!
ReplyDeleteThe economic reforms this Zanu PF regime has imposed are hurting the poorest of the poor. The 2% tax on electronic transactions was a drag net designed to catch the millions of vendors who were not paying any income tax. The overwhelming majority of these vendors are living on US$1.00 or less a day already. The cruel thing is the minister has done nothing to stop the wholesale looting of diamonds costing the nation billions of dollars every month!
It is all very well for the Minister to the regime is Pressing ahead with the reforms, he lives in the five star Meikles Hotel at taxpayers’ expense his fellow ruling elite continue to loot to supplement their generous salaries and allowances; it is the poorest of the poor who are being sacrificed here. Worst of all, their suffering will not bring about any meaningful economic recovery.
There is no hope of any meaningful economic recovery as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs.
Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections, the regime has no mandate to govern and all it is doing now is drag the nation deeper and deeper into this hell-on-earth the party landed us into. For the last 38 years the nation has twiddle its thumbs desperate to end the dictatorship but without much success. The people of Zimbabwe must redouble their efforts and force Mnangagwa and company to step down before the nation the kind of violent street protest as seen last week drags the nation into total economic and political chaos.