"Much fewer tests (602) done today" - it is Zanu PF strategy, fewer tests lower covid-19 cases N Garikai

 As of today 30 August 2020 Zimbabwe had 6 new cases of covid-19 bring the total of confirmed cases to 6 412. There have bee zero deaths and so the total death rate remains at 196. 

“Much fewer tests (602) done today (But on a positive note positivity for today was 1%)” Ministry of Health and Child Care stated in its official report. 

The Ministry of Health’s recent reports have left out how many tests were being carried out, no doubt aware Zimbabwe was not doing anywhere near enough testing to for the official reported cases and deaths to be anywhere close to the reality on the ground. And, most important of all, by failing to test and identifying those with the virus and putting them into isolation only means there are many out there spreading the virus far and wide! 

In mid April when the country had 25 or so confirmed covid-19 cases and 3 deaths government promised to ramp up the testing, tracing and tracking to 1 000 test a day. The increased tests would ensure corona virus frontline workers like health care workers would be tested regularly (at least once a week given most have no PPE) and all those with covid-19 like symptoms will be tested too. 

By the beginning of July when the official confirmed cases had soared to 591 cases and 7 deaths the nation was assure the testing regime was to go up a gear. And yet today with the number of official confirmed cases at 6 412 the country is still performing only 602 tests per day!

With so few daily tests it is no wonder that many health care workers in Zimbabwe are yet to be tested. The only reason many, many people with all the covid-19 symptoms, some of them have since died, are not included in the official covid-19 cases and deaths, is because they have never been tested.  

The Ministry of Health report did not say how many tests in total Zimbabwe have done to date, the last time that figure was given was end of July and it was 145 000 tests. SA, our neighbour with comparable covid-19 figures, carried out 3 million tests. Zimbabwe, with 1/4 the population, should have done 750 000 tests to keep pace with SA but had only done 1/5 or 20%! 

To the end of July SA had 471 000 confirmed cases and a 1/4 of that means Zimbabwe had 117 000 confirmed cases compared to the 2 817 official confirmed cases. In other words out of every one tested positive and put into isolation there are 42 others who are positive and should be in isolation but are instead spreading the virus far and wide! 

Zanu PF has been boasting already that the regime has done a stupendous job of containing the corona virus given the country’s per capita covid-19 confirmed cases and deaths remain one of the lowest in the world! A truly amazing achievement given Zimbabwe’s economy was, at the outbreak of the pandemic, in a total mess and still is today and so too was its health care services. 

It is already becoming crystal clear that Zimbabwe’s official corona virus figures are not just an error but a deliberate and calculated lie. And, worst of all, a foolish lie as it has only resulted in the country having even more corona virus cases and deaths as the deliberate act of falsifying the figures meant the nation failed to take even the most common sense measures to contain the virus! 

“Much fewer tests (602) done today!” Indeed, that is the heart and soul of Zanu PF’s corona virus strategy is to keep the official covid-19 cases and deaths low by doing as few confirmatory tests as the regime can get away with. The fewer the tests the lower the confirmed covid-19 cases and deaths and the greater the party’s claim to having done a great job containing the pandemic! 

Zanu PF has completely ignored what the real covid-19 cases and deaths on the ground and does not care that the party’s obsession with falsifying the covid-19 situation is helping the virus spread. To discourage anyone publishing the real covid-19 figures as contrast to the fictitious official figures, the regime has already passed a law making it a criminal offence punishable by a 20 year jail term!

"Zimbabwe's problems are political and politicians must approve the solution" - so giving politicians the veto, how foolish

 There is no denying that Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic, political and social crisis. Before the corona virus outbreak Zimbabwe’s economy was already in total meltdown, unemployment had soar to 90% and 34% of the population was already living in abject poverty. The root cause of the economic mess is 40 years of Zanu PF misrule.

The people have been aware of Zanu PF misrule but have failed to do anything about it because the party rigged the elections and hence the political paralysis. 

The corona virus outbreak has made life in Zimbabwe intolerable. The ruling party, Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence in the handling of the pandemic has helped the virus to spread like wildfire.

There is only so much suffering and death human being can endure without complaining. Zimbabweans have reached the Roche limit of their human endurance and not even the Zanu PF regime’s brutality can stop them demanding change. The tidal waves of Zimbabweans demanding an end to their economic hardships, human suffering and deaths, is unstoppable.

Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies’ denial of the economic, political and social crisis is to be expected; denials, lies and damned lies are just some of the regime’s favourite tactics. We must dismiss Mnangagwa et al denials with the contempt they rightly deserve. 

However, it is not Mnangagwa and company’s denials of the crisis that is hold back the change; it is the lack of consensus in the rest of the Zimbabwean populous as to what is the root cause of the crisis the way forward. 

“The MDC Alliance insists, Mnangagwa stole the 2018 elections. This means there is a legitimacy crisis,” argued Dr Ibbo Mandaza in an article in Bulawayo 24 and the Standard. 

“The electoral dispute should be solved and there is need for compromise for a transitional authority.

“This should be done by bringing together a group of people, who are non-partisan. Mnangagwa and Chamisa should support the initiative.

“The problems in Zimbabwe are not legal impediments, but political. If Mnangagwa and Chamisa support that, we are done.”

Dr Ibbo Mandaza, is Director of SAPES, a media house that has hosted a number of panel discussions in a determined effort to find a solution to Zimbabwe’s worsening economic and political crisis. Sadly, instead of helping find the solution, his repeated comments are mudding the waters. 

“MDC A insists, Mnangagwa stole the 2018 elections!” MDC A leaders are renowned for being corrupt, incompetent and selling out; if they had implemented the democratic reforms during the 2008 GNU, for example, then we would not still be in this mess. So spare us the nonsense of what MDC A insists and tell us whether or not Mnangagwa stole the 2018 elections. 

Whilst Dr Ibbo Mandaza has accepted there is a serious crisis in Zimbabwe; he, like so many other Zimbabweans, have failed/refused to accept the root cause of the crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. And more specifically, failed/refused to accept that Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections and per se making the Zanu PF government illegitimate. 

Mandaza is tacitly acknowledge Zanu PF government’s illegitimacy by offering the regime legitimacy if it agrees to the formation of NTA in which the regime gives up power to a group of technocrats who will implement the democratic reforms to take away Zanu PF’s carte blanche dictatorial powers. 

Even if Zanu PF was to agree to this proposed NTA, the party will fight tooth and nail to ensure most of the implemented reforms are not worth the spit! 

What should be crystal clear and beyond dispute is that the July 2018 elections were not free, fair and credible. Why people like Mandaza are making heavy weather of the issue beggars belief!

“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” stated the EU Zimbabwe Election Mission final report. 

“As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”

By participating in the flawed and illegal July 2018 elections, MDC A and their equally corrupt opposition friends gave the rigged elections some modicum of credibility but not legitimacy! Indeed, what Chamisa is doing is bargaining legitimacy for NTA and cabinet position, as if legitimacy is his to give away. 

Once you accept the historic fact and reality that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections then the consequences of that follow; the whole election process is null and void, all the MPs, Senators and the President are all illegitimate. Zimbabwe has no legitimate government. This is exactly what happened following the 2008 elections when the international community, including SADC and AU, refused to accept the rigged elections. 

In 2008, SADC stepped in to help the country transition from illegitimacy back to legitimacy by proposing the formation of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC was the guarantor of the transition and supervised the GNU. 

SADC leaders could have appointed other people and not Zanu PF and MDC leaders into the 2008 GNU. Indeed, some of the key players in that GNU like Arthur Mutambara had failed to win a seat in the 2008 elections. This time, whoever is going to supervise the country’s transition from the current illegality not legality must NOT appoint Zanu PF and/or MDC leaders in the transition administration - they failed to implement any reforms and it is naive to expect them to do any better. 

The cause of Zimbabwe crisis and solution were was as plain as the nose on your face back in 2008 - cause, curse of rigged elections and solution, implement the democratic reforms to stop the rigging. The crisis has not changed! And the cause and solution have not changed either! The 2008 GNU failed to end the crisis because there was no political will to implement the reforms; we must not repeat that mistake again! 

“The problems in Zimbabwe are not legal impediments, but political. If Mnangagwa and Chamisa support that, we are done.” Mnangagwa and Chamisa are indeed the root causes of Zimbabwe’s problems but how can granting the two the veto be the solution?

Zimbabwe’s political system is rotten to the core and needs a complete overhaul. The country’s ruling elite are part of the rot and therefore cannot be part of the solution too. What has been noticeably lacking is the political will, especially by those who should know better, to look the politicians straight in the eyes and tell them: “You are the one holding the nation to ransom. Enough is enough!” 

"Zanu PF motto: Unity, peace and development" - tantamount Z$1 = US$1, no one is buying it N Garikai

 Knowledge is the means used in educating and informing the people and truth, facts and logic are the currency to achieve that objective. Propaganda is the means used to misinform and brainwash the people and lies and damned lies are the currency. Let’s just say some of Zanu PF’s lies and damned lies have lost their value, the lies and damned lies associated with the Gukurahundi massacre have completely lost their value!

 

“There are those who say there is Gukurahundi and all that. Who hasn’t wronged the other? I am here and I can’t even speak proper Shona or proper Ndebele, but I am here (as the country’s Vice President),” said VP Kembo Mohadi.

“Zimbabweans are one and Zimbabwe is for us all. Let it be Zimbabwe first before it is Shona, Ndebele, Zezuru or Kalanga. We are Zimbabweans first before anything.”

The nation was brainwashed into believing the root cause of the Gukurahundi massacre was the failure of Zanu PF led by the late Robert Mugabe and PF Zapu led by the also late Dr Joshua Nkomo to unite. The two parties did unite marked with the signing of the Unity Accord in December 1987 and the imposing of the de facto Zanu PF one-party state that has ruled the nation with an iron fist to this day. 

The nation was brainwashed into believing the unity and de facto one-party system will deliver unity, peace and unparalleled economic development. All the opposition parties that have emerged since were considered a serious threat to national unity, peace and economic development. All damned lies, of course. 

Zimbabwe’s economic decline, which started soon after independence in 1980 continued during the Gukurahundi years and thereafter. 40 years of Zanu PF misrule have left the country in economic ruins. Zimbabwe used to produce enough food to feed her own people with plenty left over to feed many others in the region. Ever since Zanu PF seized the former white owned farms to give to party loyalists mostly, the nation has depended on imported food aid - a damning testimonial in bad governance. 

The people have been helpless to stop the economic meltdown because they were stuck with the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF regime which rigged elections to stay in power against the democratic wishes of the people. 

Zimbabwe has not known peace since the 1987 Unity Accord. To impose the de facto one-party state Zanu PF has had to ride roughshod of the people, denying them the freedoms and rights including the right to meaningful free vote and even the right to life. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have lost their lives to establish and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship; 20 000 during the Gukurahundi massacre and 10 000 thereafter. 

When Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following the November 2017 military coup, he promised to end corruption, revive the economy and, most important of all, “a new democratic dispensation complete with the holding of free, fair and credible elections”. He has failed on all fronts and to silence dissent and reimpose the de facto one-party dictatorship ethos, he has resorted to the same dirty tricks of denying the people their freedoms and rights including the cold blooded political murders. 

“This is our country; this where we belong. We want a united nation hence our Zanu PF motto, which says ‘Unity, Peace and Development’,” continued VP Mohadi.

“There cannot be peace where there are divisions. There cannot be development where there are divisions.”

The primary purpose of the Gukurahundi massacre was to use it as cover to justify the imposition of the one-party dictatorship. The few who were naive and gullible enough to believe the damned lie that the dictatorship would bring peace and economic prosperity have had their eyes forced open by the reality on the ground 33 years since the signing of the Unity Accord. No one, not even the naive and gullible, believe the damned lie that one-party dictatorship will bring peace and prosperity and hence the reason there is a growing national consensus for meaningful political change. 

“Zanu PF motto: Unity (one-party dictatorship), Peace and Development!”

is tantamount claiming Z$1 = US$ 1. With inflation already soaring to 800%, no one will buy that! 

"No one should die on my way to State House" - many have already died and for nothing, MDC sold-out P Guramatunhu

 “No Zimbabwean must die because of politics. I receive calls from some supporters saying President Chamisa please give us the signal (to start street protests). I will never allow a single a person to die on my journey to State House,” said Nelson Chamisa, speaking at the Church service of the late Patson Dzamara.

“Yes, you may call it what, but I don’t believe that any human being is worth dying for politics. We must die so that we make change and development in our communities.”

People die because of what we do and also because of what we fail to do just as there are sins commission and commission. 

Many Zimbabweans have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF operatives and hundreds of thousands were beaten and/or raped in the 2008 elections alone, to elect MDC leaders into power. The understanding was that once in power MDC would bring about the democratic changes implied in the party’s name and what the nation was dying for. 

MDC has been on the political centre stage for the last 20 years, 5 of which in the GNU; and yet the party has failed to implement even one democratic reform. There is no doubt that Zimbabwe had its best opportunity ever during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms which, implemented fully, would have ended the curse of rigged elections. MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform in 5 years! Not one! 

It is no secret that Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, the US$4 million for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, etc. etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about implementing the reforms. 

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life, they will not rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boasted, to answer why MDC leaders were not implementing the agreed raft of democratic reforms. 

MDC has participated in the post 2008 GNU elections knowing that with no reforms in place Zanu PF would rig the elections and, worst of all, knowing that by participating the party would give the flawed process credibility and, by extension, give the result legitimacy. MDC leaders participated in the elections regardless out of greed, David Coltart admitted.

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, David Coltart, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 GNU, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” wrote Senator Coltart.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.” 

Chamisa dismissed the repeated advice not to participate in the July 2018 elections with contempt. “MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he claimed. 

Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and Chamisa et al have been complaining of the rigging the elections and threatening street protests.  Chamisa promised to give the signal for street protests to start. He is, conveniently, forgetting his arrogant claim to stop the rigging and, most significant of all, that MDC had given the Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in the election. 

Of course, there is no rational in complaining much less protest over the legitimacy of a vote rigging regime which, out of incompetence and greed, one is, knowingly, keeping in power. 

Ever since the rigged July 2018 elections, Chamisa promised to give the signal that was going to get Zimbabweans out on the street “to claim their stolen vote”! He has yet to give the signal because he does not want to risk people being killed. 

Well Zimbabweans are still dying in street protests starting with the one on 1st August 2018  to protest the rigged elections. But a hell lot more Zimbabweans are dying as a consequence of another five years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. 

Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence in the handling of the corona virus pandemic means many, many more Zimbabweans are going to get the virus and many will die. Zimbabwe has one of the lowest per capita covid-19 tests at 1:110 as of end July compared to 1:20 for SA, for example. This means many people with the virus who, if tested should have gone into isolation, have been spreading the virus far and wide.

“I receive calls to give us the street protests signal. I will never allow a single a person to die on my journey to State House.” Many have already risked life and limb to get you half way there and you betrayed them by failing to implement even one reform. The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is the failure to implement reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. 

Indeed, Zimbabweans must now open their eyes to the reality that the nation has already paid dearly in lost treasure, tragic human suffering and death to get MDC leaders this far into State House are the party has done nothing to inspire confidence and need for greater sacrifice. MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and would constitute a mediocre government, at best! It will be insane to join the street protest for that!

"Sanctions are causing incapacitation and fuelling corruption" - do tell, what incapacitation have diamond looters suffered N Garikai

 "There is a relationship between sanctions and corruption, whereupon due to incapacitation of Government or the private sector to provide competitive salaries in the region, workers end up engaging in acts of corruption to supplement what they get which is, however, unfortunate,” said Zanu PF acting spokesperson and former Minister of Finance, Patrick Chinamasa.

"The illegal sanctions have affected our economy and continuously affect the value of our currency and consequently our returns. Again, due to sanctions our institutions mandated to fight corruption have been incapacitated to investigate swiftly both local and external cases.”

Rubbish! Former Health Minister Obadiah Moyo and his associates including relatives of high ranking Zanu PF were involved in the US$60 million Drax Scandal are not poor by any stretch of the imagination. 

When we talk of corruption, we are talking of the wholesale looting taking place in Marange and Chiadzwa and those benefiting are the Godfathers of corruption. The looting has been going on for decades and former Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri is the only one who has been named. He is being asked to explain the source of his US$32 million fortune. Again, he is not poor!

Corruption was rampant before the sanctions were imposed. The EU has lifted all the sanctions imposed on Zanu PF leaders and corruption has not reduced but has, instead, continued to soar like a hunting eagle.

As long as Zanu PF remains in power, there is no hope of stamping out corruption because the party’s ruling elite are the Godfathers of corruption. 

The only way out of the political and economic mess Zimbabwe finds itself in, is for the country to completely overhaul its rotten political system that has allowed the gross mismanagement, rampant corruption, rank lawlessness and 40 years of repeated rigged elections. 

The country needs a new GNU that will be tasked to implemented the democratic reforms which the 2008 to 2013 GNU was supposed to implement but failed to implement even one token reform. 

The new GNU will be identical to the 2008 to 2013 GNU except for one thing - both Zanu PF and MDC leaders will play no party in this new GNU. The two parties are an integral part of the rot, they cannot be trusted to reform themselves out of office as the events of the last GNU have shown.    

After 40 years of blundering from pillar to post, what Zimbabwe needs is men and women with common sense and courage to admit our past mistakes and with the vision to boldly seek a better tomorrow! It will be insane and unforgivable to settle for yet another Zanu PF led GNU just to appease the country’s thieving ruling elite!

"Keep away from Gukurahundi or consider residential shift" MLF threaten - same desires led to Gukurahundi N Garikai

 Let me say from the on set that I totally subscribe to the notion of freedom of expression but in exercising one’s freedoms and rights one must always be careful not to step trade on other people’s freedoms and rights. A fine line which, if crossed, turns yesterday’s liberator into today’s oppressor. Some people are making a habit of criss-crossing the line willy nilly. 

“As MLF (Mthwakazi Liberation Front), we would like to warn Jenni (Williams) that, whether she is into the so-called Gukurahundi Resolution chamber through bedroom relations with Mnangagwa or she received bribes from Zanu, she should always bear in mind where this will all end,” said a statement from MLF. 

“She must start considering a residential shift from Mthwakazi to Zimbabwe. If she wants to stay in Mthwakazi, we advise her to keep away from the gukurahundi issue because we cannot sit and watch her and her Matabeleland Collectives, a Zanu project, striving to let the perpetrators of the killings of our people walk scot free. 

“For starters, Jenni is unqualified to sit in the resolution chamber, representing Mthwakazi people on basis that she knows nothing about the pain that Mthwakazi went through during the Gukurahundi era and the pain that she still reels in today.”

This is the threatening and posturing the people of Zimbabwe have heard these last 40 years from Mugabe and now Mnangagwa and the rest of the Zanu PF thugs. Anyone who dares say anything critical of Zimbabwe much less Zanu PF is labelled a traitor and a puppet and is subjected to all manner of harassment, physical abuse and many have even been murdered in cold blood. 

MLF leaders have clearly learned the threatening and posturing from Zanu PF. Only MLF members know best on what to say and do on such matters as Gukurahundi and everyone else must be as silent as a grave! Dreads to think what would happen to Ms Jenni Williams and the rest of the Matabeleland Collectives members if MLF thugs had power and opportunity to act on their threats as Mugabe and Zanu PF have enjoyed all these years. Yet another massacre!

The root cause of the Gukurahundi massacre was Mugabe’s political intolerance and desire to dominate others. The same forces are at play here  MLF or be it the party has them cloaked as a burning desire for justice the Gukurahundi massacre! Mugabe had his desires disguised as drive for unity and development.  

MLF members have turned a Mugabe and Zanu PF Gukurahundi crime into a crime where all the Shona are guilty, benefited and must now face retribution. Other than the consequences of the massacre itself, everyone in Zimbabwe across the board has suffered from the 40 years of Zanu PF corrupt and tyrannical rule. 

After 40 years of Zanu PF blood shed, oppression, corruption, economic chaos and God knows what else besides, the people of Zimbabwe are yarning for peace, order and economic progress. But that is clearly not want MLF members want from the growing tempo of their sabre rattling! 

"Anjin corruption and meddling in Zimbabwe's affair are not China's foreign policy" - nonsense, they are the core pillars W Mukori

 China and Russia are the two countries that have played a major role in many African countries’ fight for independence. It is a historic fact that most of these African countries have since found that they got rid of one oppressive and exploiting colonial power only to inherit another. For whatever help assistance, mostly guns and other war materials and military training, the two Asian countries gave to each African country; they not only kept a tag but kept a lodger on how the every penny plus interest would be paid.

As each African country attained her independence, China and Russia saw to it that the country fell into its sphere of influence. Where the two countries had supported separate liberation movements, which was very often the case, there was a proxy war as happened in Angola and Mozambique. 

Before the newly independent country has had time to sober up from the euphoria of independence and the end of the war; China and Russia would present the new leaders with the IOY and detailed proposals on how the bill can be paid. 

Russia’s proxy, Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) led by the late Samora Machel, defeated the colonial rulers and the Chinese proxy to form the governing party in that country. Within weeks a fleet of Russian fishing vessels claimed exclusive fishing right off the coast Mozambique and many, many more such one-sided and exploitative deals were to follow. 

In Zimbabwe, it was China’s proxy Zanu PF led by the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe that prevailed over the Russian back PF Zapu. The Chinese presented Mugabe with the IOY and the exploitation of Zimbabwe by China started in earnest. 

The exploitative deals were so lucrative, China and Russia would recover every penny of the IOY ten times within the first decade, two decades. 

With the exception of one or two countries most African leaders did not want to share power and thus imposed a de jure or de facto one-party dictatorship. Both China and Russia have assisted in this and thus cementing their continued influence in Africa to this day. 

There is no such thing as a free lunch, certainly not from the Chinese and Russians. It is therefore surprising that the Chinese Embassy in Harare had the chic to claim otherwise!  

“The Standard carried an article on August 23 by Tawanda Majoni. By questioning Anjin's return, the author falsely claims the Chinese government is somehow involved in Anjin's business deals and conflicts in the country, which is a distortion and smearing of the Chinese foreign policy towards Zimbabwe,” reported News Day,

“The piece is full of unfounded accusations, conjectures and sheer lies, proving nothing but an appalling lack of common sense and self-confidence.”

It is no exaggeration to say corruption is the root cause of all Zimbabwe’s political, economic and social problems. And nothing epitomises the sheer extend and depth of the rampant corruption than the wholesale looting of the country’s Marange and Chiadzwa diamonds. The wealth from the sell of diamonds, valued at US$ 2 million plus a month, should have been used in the country’s developed is instead going into the pockets of the few ruling elite. Worst of all, the looted wealth is being used to bankroll the Zanu PF dictatorship and thus keeping it in power against the democratic wishes of the people. 

The Chinese company Anjin has been at the very heart of the looting of diamonds in Zimbabwe. It is laughable that the Chinese Embassy should now try to disown Anjin! 

China’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe is premised of the later paying back China for the military and other assistance Mugabe received before independence and thereafter. Anjin is one of the many Chinese companies who have benefited from this policy. 

Indeed, Anjin’s diamond mining operations were terminated and the company booted out of Zimbabwe by the late Zanu PF dictator, Robert Mugabe, after he publicly complained of nations that have made promises that they have failed to honour. 

The people of Zimbabwe remember, no doubt the Chinese Embassy officials don’t remember and need reminding, of the many “mega deals” Mugabe signed with China. Deals that were never honoured.

Patrick Chinamasa, then Minister of Finance and a member of the high powered delegation accompanying Mugabe to China, admitted that the Chinese had complained of Zimbabwe’s failure to pay its debts. 

“Shǒuxiān chánghuán zhàiwù!” (First pay your debts!) the Chinese told Mugabe to his face! 

No doubt, Mugabe did not take the demand to pay up seriously; after all he, of all people, knew that ever since the country’s independence whatever the Chinese had given to Zimbabwe with one hand they always took away took back and more with the other hand. Mugabe’s fallout with the West; he has maintained it was over the seizure of white owned farms to give to blacks, but the truth is it was over the failure pay debts; forcing him to adopt the “Look East!” policy. The move left Zimbabwe totally dependent on China and  with the greater dependence came greater exploitation!

So when China insisted on Zimbabwe paying its outstanding debts before it would spend one more Yuan on the “mega deals”; Mugabe’s knee jerk reaction was to booted out Anjin! 

A few moon after Anjin was booted out of Zimbabwe, Mugabe was himself booted out of office in the November 2017 military coup; history will reveal what role China played in this. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, signed an impressive list of “mega deals” forming the skeleton Zanu PF’s 2018 election manifesto. 

Mnangagwa disregarded his own earlier promise to hold free, fair and credible elections and, instead, blatant rigged the July 2018 elections. What further role, beside the mega deals promise, the Chinese played in the rigged elections, time will tell. Anjin was back in Marange and Chiadzwa soon after the July 2018 elections; no doubt Mnangagwa thanking the Chinese for their help in getting him into State House.

Needless to say, most of the “mega deals” Mnangagwa signed with China have not materialised nor are they likely to ever materialise. And we all know why. “Shǒuxiān chánghuán zhàiwù!” That’s right!

It is not likely that Mnangagwa will dare vent his frustration with the Chinese’s refusal to bankroll at least one of the mega deals and give him something to boast about. The western nation is dismissal of the July 2018 elections as a farce and his government as an illegitimate and pariah state has left Mnangagwa high and dry. 

The country’s worsening economic situation has made the ordinary people more restless and desperate for real change. To hang on to power, Mnangagwa has resorted to brute force. The pressure for meaningful change is mounting and it is as clear as day, that change is coming. It would be unwise to boot out Anjin out of Zimbabwe and earn the wrath of the Chinese. 

“Chinese government is NOT involved in Anjin's business deals or Zimbabwe’s internal affairs. To suggest otherwise is a distortion and smearing of the Chinese foreign policy towards Zimbabwe!” Nonsense, China is but Zimbabwe’s new colonial master and corrupt one-side business deals and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs to keep Zanu PF in power at all cost are core pillars of China’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe! 

"We following WHO guideline in fighting covid-19" says Minister - but only to protect chefs' lives P Guramatunhu

 "Sadly, I too tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. This virus is real and we need to fight it by following the guidelines that our Government has given us which is in line with the WHO regulations," said Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Peter Haritatos.

Deputy Minister Haritatos, you were tested for covid-19 as soon as you suspected of catching the virus; possibly as soon as you learned your boss, the late Minister Perrance Shiri had the virus. 

Do you know that there are hundreds of thousands of frontline workers, like nurses and doctors, who work with covid-19 patients without the recommended WHO PPE, not even the most basic face mask? 

Deputy Minister, do you also know that WHO has recommended that frontline corona virus workers must be tested on regular bases? In Zimbabwe, many of the nurses and doctors let alone the ordinary people with the corona virus symptoms, are not being tested.

As soon as you learned you had the corona virus, you went into isolation to protect your family and friends. Has it ever occurred to you that all those poor Zimbabweans who have the virus but don’t know it because they are denied a US$6 test would too want to go into isolation to protect their family and friends? 

Zimbabwe has carried out a total of 145 000 tests as of the end of July, that is 1 in 110 people tested. Compared to SA that has done 3 million tests which 1 in 20. This is contrary to the WHO clarion call to “Test! TEST!! TEST!!!”

There is a sinister reason why Zanu PF is not testing aggressively, at least not testing povo. The regime is hiding its blundering incompetence in the handling of the pandemic by sweeping the grime reality under the carpet. 

Zimbabwe’s confirmed covid-19 cases and deaths is one of the lowest per capita in the world. Whilst other nations have earned the accolade by stamping out the virus Zimbabwe is cheating. Of course, if you do not test you will keep the confirmed cases and deaths very low. 

The price of not testing is that many, many infected people who should be in isolation remain in the community spreading the virus far and wide. It is the povo, not the ruling elite, who are paying with their suffering and deaths for Zimbabwe’s rigged corona virus statistics! 

Zanu PF is blatantly rigging the corona virus statistics, just as the regime has rigged the country’s elections, with the usual callous indifference to tragic suffering and deaths the spreading corona virus is causing to the ordinary people. Deputy Minister Haritatos, please, please spare us the your insulting lies that this Zanu PF government’s criminal negligence and dereliction of duty to save lives is what WHO ordered

Mnangagwa will never solve substantive Gukurahundi issues - it's cynical distraction and divide and rule W Mukori

 “The Government will also start issuing birth certificates to children of some of the people who were killed during the disturbances and have been failing to get the documents and death certificates of those who died,” reported Zimeye.

“The government will next month start exhuming and burying bodies of victims of Gukurahundi.

“The recommendations were part of a high level third (closed door) meeting between President Mnangagwa and civil society groups under the banner of Matabeleland Collective at State House in Bulawayo yesterday.”

It is pleasing that those who have not been able to get birth and death certificates and all the other routine stuff done because of what happened during the madness Gukurahundi are finally going to do these things. It is shocking that it has taken nearly 40 years to have these matters sorted out.

Still, I have to question this Zanu PF government’s competence in the handling of any of the other substantive matters such as the reburial of Gukurahundi massacre victims, paying compensation to the victims, etc. To start with, these matters should be done after all the reports done so far on Gukurahundi have been released and the reburials, etc. are carried out as follow up processes.

There have been at least two official investigations, the Chihambakwe Commission, requested by Mugabe, and when Mnangagwa took over following the November 2017 coup he too set up a body to look into the matter. The two reports must be made public and only then must Zanu PF state publicly what the party propose to do next. 

The path Zimbabwe has followed this last 40 years was defined, for better or for worse, by what happened during 1983 to the signing of the Zanu PF and PF Zapu Unity Accord - the Gukurahundi massacre years. Up to now, what happened has remained cloaked in shroud of secrecy and mystery. The shroud must now be lifted and the matter dealt with in an open and transparent manner. 

Since Emmerson Mnangagwa and many of those in his Zanu PF government were the principle players in the Gukurahundi saga, it is very doubtful they can be trusted to let the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth come out. It would be better to do nothing regarding Gukurahundi at this point than to open up the old wound and make a complete mess of it! 

The other point is; the timing of bringing up the substantive Gukurahundi issues is all wrong give the country is facing a very serious and immediate threat in then form of the corona virus pandemic! With out adding a new distraction, in the form of Gukurahundi, this Zanu PF government is already failing, once again, in its primary duty as the government of saving human lives. 

This government's blundering incompetence and deliberate acts of deception in the handling of the corona virus is putting hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean lives at risk. This is a humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding here and now and demanding our urgent attention!

Zororo Makamba, the country’s first corona virus victim, was allowed to mix freely with the public because a senior Zanu PF official overruled an Immigration Official who wanted Makamba placed in isolation.

South Africa’s corona virus infection rate will be similar to that of Zimbabwe, given the heavy human traffic between the two. SA has 12 843 covid-19 deaths, for example, and Zimbabwe, with 1/4 the population, should therefore have 3 210 deaths. Instead, Zimbabwe has, officially, 151 covid deaths; 20 times lower!

As of end of July 2020, SA had done 3 million test or tested 1 out of every 20 (1:20) of its 60 million population. In the same period Zimbabwe carried out only 145 000 tests out of a population of 16 million or 1:110! 

In April the Zanu PF government promise to ramp up the country’s testing capacity and test health care workers regularly. It has not done so and hence the reason some health care workers are yet to have the first test! The biggest price the nation pays for failing to test aggressively is that many people with the infection and should be in isolation will remain to interact freely and thus spread the virus far and wide. 

By the time there is a corona virus vaccine and/or cure, in a year or so time; Zimbabwe’s official covid-19 death rate would 2 000 or so. The real figure would probably have soared to a few hundred times higher than to official figure. The corona virus pandemic has the potential to kill 400 000 plus Zimbabweans!

So after 37 years, Zanu PF is finally doing something for the Gukurahundi dead. The tragedy is in attending to the long dead the regime is fostering on the nation a new national catastrophe even costing the nation 20 times more human lives than the Gukurahundi massacre! 

The corona virus pandemic constitutes the greatest of our generation threat to human lives and livelihood for not only Zimbabweans across the board but the world over. Zimbabwe’s performance so far in stopping the virus entering our borders and, once in, containing it; is one of the worst in the whole world. Keeping this corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF regime focused on the immediate task of saving Zimbabwean lives and livelihoods from the corona virus and the disruption it is causing is going to be tough. 

Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies must be told in no uncertain terms ramp up the corona virus testing and all the other activities to help stop the spread of corona virus. The regime and the nation is ill equipped to deal with such matters as substantive Gukurahundi issues at present. 

Indeed, Mnangagwa is bring up the substantive Gukurahundi issues to distract the nation from the urgent matters of the worsening economic meltdown, the growing social unrest and most pressing of all the soaring covid-19 infections and deaths! The need for all Zimbabweans to focus on the need to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance has never been greater than it is today because until we end the curse all these problems will only get worse! 

Zimbabwe's 5 745 confirmed covid-19 cases is an artful aberration with a humongous penalty to pay P Guramatunhu

 “There were 102 new covid-19 cases and one death in the country bring the total to 5 745 confirmed cases and 151 deaths,” reported Ministry of Health and Child Care..

The people of Zimbabwe like to be led by the nose like a bull at the market! The country is in this economic and political mess because for the last 40 years Zanu PF has ridden over this nation roughshod, denying the people the freedoms and rights and robbing the nation blind. The nation’s economy is in total ruins and 34% of the population now live in abject poverty. 

Zimbabwe’s 5 745 confirmed covid-19 cases and 151 deaths with 16 million population puts the country in the same league, in terms of containing the virus, as New Zealand and South Korea with 1 671, 22 and 5 million and 17 002, 309 and 52 million confirmed cases, deaths and population respectively. Whilst New Zealand and South Korea are known for their very strict quarantine measures and very aggressive test, trace and track regimes respectively; Zimbabwe has done nothing of note to contain the virus. Absolutely nothing! 

Zimbabwe’s covid-19 figures should be comparable to those of South Africa with 603 338 confirmed cases, 12 843 deaths and a population of 60 million. One reason why Zimbabwe’s covid-19 figures are low is because the country has not been testing as aggressively as it should. 

As of the end of July 2020, SA had done 3 million tests (no where near the aggressive testing of South Korea) and Zimbabwe with 1/4 the population should have done 750 000 tests to keep pace with SA. In reality Zimbabwe had done only 145 000 tests or 20%. 

“Test! Trace! Track!” has been the World Heath Organisation’s clarion cry to the world! 

It is only by testing, tracing and tracking that one will know of corona virus outbreak and by forcing all the infected into isolation and, if necessary, placing a whole city, region or even country into lockdown, to contain and stop the spread of the virus. If one does not test at all, which is the extreme case, then one will have zero confirmed cases and zero deaths. 

The tragedy of doing few tests or zero tests is the nation has no clue how the virus is spreading and therefore will not take even the common sense measures such as isolation to contain and stop the spread of the virus. There have been hundreds if not thousands of covid-19 deaths in Zimbabwe and the people have been forced to bury their dead without taking the precautions to stop getting the virus. 

There should be teams of well trained and equipped tasked with the responsibility to bury all covid-19 victims in every district across the land. There are no teams to test suspected covid-19 cases much less team to bury covid-19 dead! None!

There is overwhelming anecdotal evidence to show that corona virus is more widespread than the Ministry of Health and Child Care reports would have us believe. Zimbabweans are chasing to believe the official reports and not their own eyes because they are used to being led by the nose like a bull at the market! 

"Military political role cannot be wished away" says Biti - you paid lip service to democratic change W Mukori

 “Biti says military role in Zimbabwe politics cannot be wished away!” screamed the headlines in Bulawayo 24.

"There must be dialogue that takes care of military concerns. In 2008 after the MDC won the elections, the military sent envoys to talk to Morgan Tsvangirai and they raised six key issues, including concerns about transitional justice,” said Biti according to Daily News.

"They wanted to know if a future government would not prosecute them for crimes they had been made to commit in the past, and we gave them assurance on a transparent programme of transitional justice.”

“Politics must lead the gun; the gun must not rule Zimbabwe!” is an adage that Mugabe himself had repeated several time in the early years. It was Mugabe himself who abandoned the adage when he invited the Army, Police and CIO to commit serious human rights violations notably during Gukurahundi and during elections to consolidate Zanu PF’s iron grip on power. As a reward for doing Zanu PF’s dirty work, Mugabe gave the top brass in the security services a share of the looted wealth. 

Mugabe formed the now infamous Joint Operation Command (JOC) amassing the top brass in the Army, Police, CIO and Prison Service plus a select few from Zanu PF headed by Mugabe himself with Mnangagwa as his deputy. 

The primary purpose of the junta was to keep political power firmly in the hands of Zanu PF, the public face of the junta.  JOC would establish various task forces to ruthlessly crash all Zanu PF’s critics and opponents. The junta will also facilitate and coordinate the wholesale looting of the nation’s resources for the benefit of the ruling elite.

JOC has become a Mafia looting and committing all manner of lawlessness to protect the members’ selfish interests. JOC called November 2017 military coup that toppled Mugabe “Operation Restore Legacy!” because the coup consolidate the Junta’s struggle hold on power. “Chinhu chedu!” (Our thing!) is the buzz word among the junta.

It has been impossible to stamp out corruption because the JOC members are the Godfathers of corruption. They sense of entitlement is so strong and pervasive they have ring fence the Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields and many other lucrative economic activities as “untouchables”. 

There is no doubt they would key posts in the civilian government ring fenced for ex- military personal just as an insurance to guarantee their interests. What JOC must understand is the rotten political system is the root cause of the country economic and political mess. And that for the sake of saving the nation from any more tragic human suffering and deaths; the rotten system must be dismantled.   

40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption, rank lawlessness and barbaric oppression have left the country in economic ruins and with over 30 000 murdered for political gain alone. 

34% of Zimbabweans then, according to a 2019 WB report, were living in extreme poverty; i.e. they could not afford one decent meal a day much less other basic necessities such as education for the children and health care. All the other countries in the region has single digit figures living in extreme poverty. 

The corona virus outbreak has made life in Zimbabwe hell on earth because the country economic meltdown and collapse health care meant the country was the least prepared to deal with the pandemic. The disruption of the little economic activity going on means the proportion of Zimbabweans now living in extreme poverty has surged way above 34%. 

Zimbabwe’s political and economic status quo of the last 40 years has failed the nation and it must change. 

Zimbabwe is not the first country in the world to find itself in a situation where the status quo is unsustainable and with those in power fearful of change because they have looted wealth to guard and, worst of all, many skeletons they do not want uncovered. There are no easy answers. 

However, what must be stated clearly here and now is that these fears must not be allowed to stand in the way of change because the status quo is unbearable. Every day change is delayed is one more day of heart breaking hardship, God knows how many more lives lost, the deeper the nation will sink into this morose and the harder it will be get out.

Those tasked to overhaul Zimbabwe’s rotten political system, there is no denying it is rotten to the core, must have the vision and courage to reaffirm the common sense adage that politics and not the gun must rule Zimbabwe. The formation of JOC and thus allowing the gun to rule the country by the back door was a fatal mistake that must now be stamped out once and once for all.

The only reason why the army have played and continue to play the dishonourable role as Zanu PF’s partner in the looting and tyrannical oppression; is because of Zimbabwe’s rotten political system that is forcing them to. The irony is the people risked life and limb to elect Tendai Biti and his MDC friends to implement the democratic reforms designed to break Zanu PF’s struggle hold on the military and other state institutions. It is now clear why Biti and company failed to implement even one reform - they never believed they could change anything! 

“Military role in Zimbabwe politics cannot be wished away!” You never believed in democratic change!