“OPPOSITION
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who recently embarked on a regional diplomatic
offensive to sound SADC leaders on Zimbabwe's worsening political and economic
crisis, has pleaded with the bloc to heed his party's distress call,”
reported Bulawayo 24.
The trouble
with you, Chamisa, and your MDC A friends is that you do not listen to reason.
Have you read and understood the EU Zimbabwe Election Observer Mission report?
“The final
results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and
lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. Finally, the
restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security
forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the
corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many
aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards,”
stated the EU report.
The EU have
refused to endorse Mnangagwa’s claim as the winner of last year’s elections
because the election process “failed to meet international standards” because
of the glaring flaws and illegalities stated above.
Mr Mnangagwa
and his Zanu PF regime claim that they have the mandate to govern, that is just
nonsense because the electoral process was flawed and illegal. The Zanu PF
regime is illegitimate, period.
You, Mr
Nelson Chamisa, claim that you won last year’s elections, the same elections
with the same glaring flaws and illegalities. You had the opportunity to
produce documentary evidence; the V11 forms summary of the vote count at each
polling station, for example; to back you claim of the votes you received. You
failed to produce the documentary evidence.
So you claim
to be the winner of the presidential race is just as hollow and nonsensical as
Mnangagwa’s claim.
SADC leaders
have a headache of Mnangagwa claiming to be legitimate when they know that he
is not. The regional leaders must know by now that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s
worsening economic meltdown is the country being stuck with a corrupt,
incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for 38 years and counting. If
they thought endorsing Mnangagwa’s victory would solve anything they were wrong
and the economic reality of the worsening economic situation say it all.
SADC leaders
are scratching their heads as to how they are going to tell Mnangagwa and his
junta that they are illegitimate and must step down. The leaders know as long
as Zanu PF remains in power there is no hope of a meaningful economic recovery.
None!
SADC leaders
know Chamisa and his hare-brain claim to be the winner of the flawed and
illegal election and proposal for interparty dialogue with Zanu PF is a waste
of time. Even listening to Chamisa’s nonsensical claim will only encourage the
upstart to believe he has a legitimate claim to power, only to tell that he and
his MDC Alliance friend must step down too. Why bother listening to the upstart
in the first place!
When it was
clear that MDC leaders had failed to implement even one democratic reform at
the end of the 2008 to 2013 GNU SADC leaders deserted MDC leaders in droves in
disgust. Ever since MDC leaders have done nothing to redeem themselves, they did
not even have the common sense to demand that ZEC must produce a verified
voters’ roll before last year’s elections.
"We
feel that there has been an attempt on the part of SADC, the chairperson of
SADC, the President of Namibia [Hage Heingob], to listen to one side. We feel
that in order to have a perfect picture of what is happening in Zimbabwe, you
must have a perspective from both sides. They must also listen to the MDC and
not just Zanu-PF," said Nelson Chamisa.
Chamisa said
his party would continue to knock on the doors of African leaders and
influential politicians to push the Zimbabwean agenda so that the political
impasse is resolved.
The one
thing Chamisa is after is a seat on the gravy train. He and his MDC Alliance
friends are hoping that the country will end up with yet another GNU in which
they will once again be allocated a ministerial position complete with the
limo, generous salary and allowance, etc.
Chamisa had
made implementing democratic one of his demands. This is just lip service. He
and his MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years
during the last GNU it is naïve to believe they will do so now!
A new GNU
involving Zanu PF and MDC will be a repeat of the 2008 GNU, it will never
implement any meaningful reforms. The political and economic situation in Zimbabwe
is critical and it demands a solution and not another gimmick.
Zimbabwe
needs an interim administration that will implement the democratic reforms
fully and deliver free, fair and credible elections, guaranteed. Mnangagwa and
his Zanu PF junta must step down to create the political space for the new
administration.
As
for Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends, ignore them. They are corrupt,
incompetent and sell-out. They are only fishing for gravy train seats and
another chance to sell-out! Zimbabwe would not be in the political and economic
mess we are in today if they had not wasted the many golden opportunities to
implement the democratic reforms.
Chamisa can spend the rest of his life knocking doors but the truth is no one is listening to his nonsense. He accepts that the elections were rigged and hence the reason Mnangagwa is illegitimate and on the next breath he wants to be declared the legitimate winner of the same flawed and illegal process. People judge elections on the basis of the process and not on who is the winner!
ReplyDeleteAll Chamisa is fishing for is a ministerial seat on the gravy train. The Mnangagwa regime is illegitimate and adding Chamisa to it will not make it legal.
The solution to Zimbabwe's problem is for the country to appoint an interim administration tasked to implement the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF must step down to create the space for the new admin. Chamisa and company must be ignored, SADC leaders are spot on there.
There a lot of bad things that has been said about SADC leaders and allowing Mugabe and Zanu PF to go into the 2008 GNU after what the party had done in that year's election was one of the most foolish decision ever. The GNU was certainly a soft landing for the tyrant and his vote rigging and murderous thugs. Still, Zimbabwe would have emerged out of the GNU a democratic nation if Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had not sold out.
ReplyDeleteCredit were credit is due, SADC leaders nagged MDC leaders to implement the reforms but were ignored. Once the MDC leaders had their snouts in the feeding trough they became as deaf as a stone.
In June 2013 SADC leaders tried once more to stop MDC participating in that year's elections with no reforms in place. "If you take part in next month's elections, you will lose; the elections are done!" they warned Tsvangirai and other MDC leaders to their faces. Not even one MDC leader heard the warning.
It is no surprise that SADC leaders have ignored MDC leaders ever since the 2013 rigged elections; they are paying MDC leaders in their own coinage!
I agree, even if SADC wanted to listen to MDC, how can they do so when the latter insist in talking nonsense. Many people have listened to Chamisa's claim that he should be declared the winner of the presidential race. They have patiently explained to him that it is a lead balloon that will never fly but he refuses to listen.
Chamisa is not crying that SADC is not listening him but rather that SADC is not doing what he is asking them to do regardless how foolish that happen to be. Chamisa, just like Tsvangirai and the rest of the MDC leaders are incapable of listening to reason.
Tsvangirai is a "flawed and indecisive character who likes to surround himself with incompetent people" said Chris Dell, former USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, in a leaked cable to Washington back in 2006. Time has proven the ambassador was spot on.
@ Mudakuwanda
ReplyDelete“I think you sound very analytic and your analysis is fair. But we need people on the ground who act, don’t just comment and then go into oblivion.”
I can see what you are driving at but after 38 years of blundering from pillar to post I think what we want is not more corrupt and incompetent leaders to drag the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss but people with a level head who have the patience and intellect to listen to reason. When you are in a hole, stop digging! Think!
@ Chinyauke
ReplyDelete“I think you also forgot to say EU and America should also listen to ZANUPF kkkkk”
Well has Zanu PF ever listened to the EU and Americans? The Americans told Mnangagwa hold free, fair and credible elections and we will lift the sanctions. Mnangagwa went on to blatantly rig the elections.
Zanu PF does not listen to anyone, not even its so called “all weather friends” the Chinese. The Chinese have told Zanu PF it must service its debt but has defaulted time and time again which is why the Chinese has signed mega deals with Zimbabwe but the projects have never been implemented.
How many times has Zanu PF been warned of the folly of corruption and yet the problem is now rampant! The Chinese are in Chiadzwa and Marange leading the wholesale looting taking full advantage of the fact that Zanu PF listens to no one even on matters in Zimbabwe’s own national interest.
You and the other Zanu PF apologists are always wittering about sanctions and yet have been told countless times that it is corruption the nation should be concerned with but you refuse to listen!
You can say you do not agree with the solution offered but cannot say Nomusa did not offer a solution. That shed did. “Zimbabwe needs an interim administration that will implement the democratic reforms fully and deliver free, fair and credible elections, guaranteed. Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta must step down to create the political space for the new administration,” she stated.
ReplyDelete“Zanu PF will never step down!” Never is a strong word especially when the regime was forced to do just that following the 2008 elections which, as happened last year, were rigged and thus meant Zanu PF was illegitimate.
SADC and the AU’s refusal to recognise Zanu PF’s legitimacy in 2008 was the deciding factor in forcing Mugabe to swallow his pride and sign the GPA. The worsening economic meltdown will be the deciding factor in forcing Mnangagwa and Zanu PF to accept they rigged last year’s elections, they are illegitimate and they must step down!
Zanu PF was offered a soft landing of the GNU following the rigged 2008 elections. For committing the same crime the party can expect a tougher punishment this time - step down.
@ Chinyaukira
ReplyDeleteThe greatest challenge comes when people, consumed by hatred, fail to ready the other side of what they say. I am still convinced that my statement is sound and is mutually exclusive to what was said before and what you said as well. I wonder though whether such makes someone's apologist and worst still to think Americans have solution for our problems. The issue of corruption as an enemy of progress is given everywhere and is not even monopolised by anyone as you seem to suggest. Thanks Mukoma Wilbert.
On the issue of what Zanu PF has to say on sanctions, this has been discussed at great length on this forum and others. All Zanu PF has had to say on the matter has been shown to be feeble excuses. Most of those still claiming that Zanu PF has anything more to stay on the matter are the party leaders and their apologists to whom defending the indefensible is second matter.
I accept that there are a few people out there who, for whatever reason have not been following the debate and are therefore falling victim to Zanu PF’s misinformation. You are clearly one such victim. Still, I suggest you do your own research on the subject and I am confident that you too will conclude that Zanu PF is just hiding behind its little finger. It is Zanu PF that is refusing to see reason. You will kick yourself for having failed to see through these Zanu PF lies and will understand why 99.9% of those supporting Zanu PF have to be Zanu PF leaders or their apologists.
In short, I do not apologise for calling you a Zanu PF apologist when you may well be one of the 0.1%, the victim of Zanu PF misinformation. After 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule with the country in total economic meltdown and millions living in abject poverty you certainly need a kick in the backside to be so easily taken by cheap Zanu PF propaganda!
When President Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe in November 2017 he launched his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” Everyone around him took up the call and the country talked about little else. Those of us who tried to raise their voices to advice caution were drowned out. We warned that Zimbabwe cannot be ready for business when the country had done nothing to stamp out the curse of rigged elections making the country a pariah state and to end corruption.
ReplyDeleteWhen Professor Mthuli Ncube was appointed Minister of Finance, he took up the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” to new heights. He promised to attract new investors and to get IMF, the WB and all the other international finance houses to bankroll Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
In the last few months the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” has been quietly dropped out of Mnangagwa’s speeches and everyone has followed suit. The penny has dropped that the expected flood gate of investors was not coming. Who would want to invest in a pariah state where corruption rules the roost!
"They (IMF) are in the country and we anticipate that the talks will go a long way towards increasing confidence and paving way for new avenues of growth," said Professor Ncube.
I have never heard Professor Ncube sound so uncertain and deflated!
Even if the Americans were to scrap ZIDERA and free IMF and WB to give the country the lines of credit this will not be enough to guarantee the economic recovery. Corruption is still a big problem in Zimbabwe and we all know that corrupt ruling elite have an insatiable appetite, they will soak up any cash availed for development and stifle any recovery. By failing to hold free and fair elections the country confirmed it still remains a lawless nation.
No wonder Minister Ncube is deflated, he has failed to attract investors and knows there will be no lines of credit from the IMF, WB or anyone else!
@ Eddie Cross
ReplyDeleteFor the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans living in abject poverty with no clean water, no health care services and no hope of landing a proper job, etc.; they would not agree that Zimbabwe is an amazing place to live.
“The new dispensation is going to strengthen the productive elements in our society — those who actually produce value are going to prosper and in the process this will eventually make Zimbabwe one of the fastest growing economies in the world — one of the new African lions of growth,” you say.
This is nonsense, as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs there will be no meaningful economic recovering. The worsening economic meltdown we have seen since the rigged July 2018 elections are here to stay.
These people risked life and limb to elect you, Mr Cross, and your fellow MDC leaders into office on the understanding you will implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections and riding roughshod over the people's freedoms, human rights, hopes and dreams. You have wasted the many golden opportunities to do this and now want the people top bury their heads in the sand and expect to accomplish meaningful economic recovery through suffering and death.
Mnangagwa: “The one which pleases most is the one by Trump. It is Trump I am talking about. Do you really know Trump? The very same man who put sanctions.
ReplyDelete“Just yesterday he sent his ambassador over here, and he came with 2 and a 1/2 million dollars, heee! heee!
“2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country not our RTGS [KWETE: SHONA STRONG PERJORATIVE DISAPPROVAL FOR THE CURRENCY ] . From their own country. 2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country, and he said go and help yourselves.
Zanu PF has rigged elections and committed other human rights violations for the last 38 years and has so far managed to get away with it. The West has always made a big farce about it but has always done very little or nothing about it. The sanctions imposed by the West on the regime in 2001 have been more an inconvenience than an effective punishment.
Before last year’s elections the West, especially the American, went to great length to explain they would want Zanu PF to honour the promise to hold free and fair elections for them to lift the economic sanctions. Zanu PF has ignored the warning and blatantly rigged the elections.
The EU was the first to blink, they condemned the elections in very strong terms but they did not have the commitment to impose the sanctions. The economic greed of some EU members like Belgium who are keen to join the Chinese, Indians, Russians, Israelis, etc. in the looting of Zimbabwe’s resources got the better of them.
The reason why Mnangagwa is over the moon on the American donation is because he sees it as the first act in the Americans turning a blind eye on Zanu PF’s failure to hold free and fair elections. But even if the Americans were to relent, in the name of “America first!”; still I do not believe the investors and lenders will follow suit. The EU and the American governments can afford making a bad financial decision but not so with investors and lenders. They cannot afford to be reckless with their own or someone else’s money!
Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is set to continue as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. Mnangagwa's celebrations may well be pre-mature.
"Government policies in Zimbabwe are worsening the country’s economic crisis, causing immense hardship to those less well-off, and crushing the human rights of those who dare complain, a group of UN experts* has warned." This is true.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that the poorest of the poor are paying dearly for Zimbabwe's austerity measures. Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube's 2% electronic transaction tax targeted the vendors because they were no paying income tax. He knew these vendors were earning as little as US$30 per month in a country in which the poverty datum line is US$650 per month. He wanted to a cut from their meagre earnings the Shakespearean pound of flesh!
What is more, Minister Ncube knows that the country is losing billions of dollars every month through rampant corruption as former President Robert Mugabe readily admitted in 2016. The Minister has done nothing to make sure the looters pay tax much less stamp out the corrupt!
Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs and as long as nothing is done to end this curse there is very little hope of a meaningful economic recovery. Investors and lenders do not do business with pariah state.
The poor are paying for Zimbabwe's austerity policies with their very lives and it is all for nothing because without first correcting the country's skewed political and economic system there will be no economic recovery. None!