When Robert Mugabe got into power in 1980, he was cocksure his scientific socialism would bring economic prosperity to the masses, “Gutsva ruzhinji!” as he never tired of saying. Instead of build on the robust and vibrant economy he had inherit at independence he destroyed it. Instead of delivering mass prosperity he delivered mass poverty.
When President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following the November 2017 military coup; “military assisted transition”, as the coup plotters insisted in calling it; he was cocksure he would revive Zimbabwe’s comatose economy and everyone will live happily ever after! He was sure there would be a flood of investors in answer to his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” clarion call.
Sadly, there was not even a single investor much less a flood!
Mugabe’s Zimbabwe was renowned for gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness marked it as pariah state. The decades of the criminal waste of human and material resources was the root cause of the economic meltdown. The November 2017 coup had not addressed any of these underlying problems and by blatantly rigging the July 2018 elections, Mnangagwa had confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state. Investors are a shrewd and savvy lot; they were not going to do any business in a pariah state!
By the late 1990s it was clear to Robert Mugabe that his regime had failed to deliver Gutsva ruzhinji and to stay in power he resorted to the use of violence. The 2008 elections were particularly hard for Mugabe and Zanu PF as they took place at a time when the Zimbabwe economy had all but collapsed.
The collapse of the country’s agricultural sector, triggered by the seizure of the white owned farms that started in 2000, coupled with the voodoo-economic of printing money had fuelling the hyperinflation peaking at to world record heights of 500 billion percent in 2008! The Z$ was a worthless piece of paper, pensions, life-savings and investments lost their value, etc. The Zimbabwe electorate were angry with Zanu PF and were desperate for change.
“If there was Mugabe and the donkey on the ballot, people will vote for the donkey!” remarked Professor Jonathan Moyo, at the time!
Mugabe and Zanu PF were soundly beaten by Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC in the March 2008 vote. Zanu PF, notably Mnangagwa who boasted about it, stop the results being announces and ordered a recount that was to last six weeks. Mugabe admitted in a Freudian slip that Tsvangirai had garnered 73% of the votes and the recount had whittled that down to 47% to justify a run-off.
To make sure that Mugabe was going to win the run-off, Zanu PF launched “Operation Mavhotera papi!” (Operation Whom did you vote for!) This was a rhetorical question to the electorate who were being punished for having voted for Tsvangirai in the March vote.
Zanu PF mobilised the militant war veterans and the party’s militia youths, the green-bombers (nicknamed after the green fly feeds and lay its maggots on faeces) as the foot-soldiers in the reign of terror that was to follow. The Army, Police, CIO and Prison Service personal provided the plains, backup and cover to the foot-soldiers and also carried out the tougher assignments such as the abductions and cold-blooded murders.
Millions of Zimbabweans had their property destroyed, beaten and/or raped and over 500 were murdered during Operation Mavhotera papi.
“Zanu PF has declared war on the people!” said Tsvangirai when he announced his withdrawal from the run-off!
We have come a full circle!
Now that it is clear to Mnangagwa that his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” is well and truly dead in the water and the country’s economic melt is not as bad as 2008 but is sure heading that way. He knows that the Zimbabwean people are once again desperate for change and would want to see the coming 2023 elections deliver that change. His reaction is to once again mobilise the foot-soldiers and all for Operation Mavhotera papi mark 2 with a subtle difference!
Zanu PF will be going into the 2023 elections with a well-oiled vote rigging juggernaut. Unlike in 2008 when the party had to stop the counting and took six weeks cooking the vote count; the party must control every aspect of the election process and intervene early to ensure party victory. The party must deny a whole segment of the electorate, such as those in diaspora, the vote. Once again, there will be no verified voters’ roll and the party must exploit the many opportunities this gives to rig the vote; etc.
Mnangagwa is mobilising the coercive component of Operation Mavhotera papi now, 28 months before the elections.
"In our political mobilisation matrix, our women and youth leagues must not be left behind. I commend the Youth League for their recent successful mobilisation efforts," Mnangagwa told party members,” instructed his Zanu PF Central Committee meeting.
"However, much more needs to be done by the Youth League structures at provincial, district, branch and cell levels to encourage their peers to join the party as voters.
"To this end, joint grassroots mobilisation activities between leagues of the party and its affiliate organisations must now saturate the political space.
"War veterans are challenged to display their unflinching war time vibrancy and mobilisation acumen as we prepare for 2023 elections."
No doubt the Joint Operation Command (JOC) comprising the top brass in the Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services who provided the plans, backing, etc. in the 2008 Operation Mavhotera papi have the revised plans, personal, everything ready for deployment.
The early deployment of the coercive arm is to remind the voters they will be punished if the voted for the opposition. The violence will be turned down during the campaigning period when election observers are around and thus creating the impression the whole election was free of violence. This is project harvest fear!
Mnangagwa and Zanu PF have failed to revive the economy but be that as it is, the regime is making sure that there will be no regime change. There will be no reforms implemented and the will be no free, fair and credible elections in 2023.
The nation had its best chance ever to get the reforms implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were given the task of implementing the reforms took their eyes off the ball. Mugabe bribed the lot with the trappings of high office are the rest is history.
Still, the economic and social situation in Zimbabwe is desperate; 50% of the population are living in abject poverty, education and health care have all but collapsed, etc. The cup is full and overflowing. This cannot go on for much longer, change is coming.
Mnangagwa can be pushed to accept change by the nation refusing to participate in the 2023 elections until the reforms are implemented. This has been hard to do because it was none other the MDC leaders who have broken rank and participated in the flawed elections for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF was dangling.
It is almost certain that Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A and the rest in the opposition camp will be participating in the 2023 elections with no reforms in place. The task here will be to convince Zimbabweans and SADC leaders the elections were a farce and should be declared null and void. The rest of the international community will not need any convincing the elections were rigged, they know that already as their 2018 election reports clearly stated.
Declaring the 2023 elections null and void will put Zimbabwe in exactly the same political situation the country was in after the international community rejected the 2008 elections process. The country will be forced to form another GNU and, this time, make sure the reforms are implemented.
If Zanu PF continues to resist peaceful change, the party should know that it is leaving the nation with no other choice but to have violent change. And Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies will be responsible for all the death and destruction that violence will entail!
“War veterans are challenged to display their unflinching war time vibrancy and mobilisation acumen as we prepare for 2023 elections!” commanded Mnangagwa.
ReplyDeleteThe war veterans are being mobilised “to fight whom and for what?” This is a rhetorical question but to be absolutely certain everyone is clear I will answer it. The war veterans and the green-bombers backed and directed by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, the Police, the CIO and the Prison Services are all being mobilised to fight all those Zimbabweans who will dare vote for the opposition and seek regime change. As you correctly pointed out, this is operation “Mavhotera papi!” mark 2.
“What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be underdone by the ballot!” thundered Robert Gabriel Mugabe when he was commander in chief of the mobilised war veterans, green-bombers, etc.
Mnangagwa has mobilised and launched operation “Mavhotera papi!” 28 months before the elections because he wants to be absolutely certain he has the ducks lined up and victory in the bag long before the first ballot is cast. The last two months or so before elections, he wants peace and quite to impress the election observers.
What is really frustrating here is that Zimbabwe did have the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms to ensure the wanton violence of operation “Mavhotera papi!” and the blatant cheating in the March 2008 vote were never repeated ever again. Sadly Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out and failed to implement even one reform in 5 years.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections the MDC have given credibility to the process and legitimacy to the Zanu PF regime.
Why the people themselves have failed to understand that MDC leaders sold out during the GNU and have since been running with povo by day and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds by night speaks volumes about the people’s naivety!
The people should put their foot down and demand that reforms must be implemented first before elections and operation “Mavhotera papi!” mark 2 will be foiled! People capable of thinking for themselves would do that, not those who are led by the nose like cattle!
Chamisa and his MDC A friends will be participating in the 2023 elections regardless of the launch of operation “Mavhotera papi!” They will claim to have devised strategies to counter the operation – they will never reveal what the strategies are, of course!
APPROXIMATELY 2,4 million Zimbabweans in urban areas are struggling to meet their basic food needs, the latest report by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) has revealed.
ReplyDeleteIn a statement yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said the ZimVAC statistics showed that there has been a sharp decline this year in the standard of living in the country across urban communities, with 83% of urban households now below the cost of the minimum expected food items such as mealie meal, salt and cooking oil compared to 76,8% in 2019.
"The lockdowns imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 have dealt a severe blow to poor urban communities, many of whom were daily wage earners living hand to mouth. While unable to find work in cities, the ban on transport has meant that seasonal employment in rural areas is no longer an option," WFP said.
"With work opportunities disappearing, the recent report states that 42% of urban households will not be able to meet their cereal requirements this year, compared to approximately 30% for the same period in 2019.
WFP country director Francesca Erdelmann said access to nutritious food had resulted in negative impacts for many in the country.
"Families will find it difficult to put food on the table. Most of them have been stuck at home and were not able to go to work, the fortunate ones will skip meals while those without will have to go to bed on empty stomachs. For the most vulnerable people, hunger will have a lasting effect on their lives. The deteriorating hunger situation, caused by COVID-19 threatens to be their biggest challenge," she said.
Currently, the WFP is providing monthly cash transfers to 326 000 Zimbabweans across 23 urban areas, and aims to scale up the assistance to reach 550 000 people living in the 28 worst affected and food insecure areas in the country.
Zimbabwe has just had one of its best growing seasons ever; many people are expecting a bumper harvest. Sadly, the farmers and the food insecure in urban centres will not benefit because the farmers will be offered peanuts for their produce given the glut and so will not sell. They will also be reluctant to sell and be charge an arm and leg, due to inflation, a few months down the line if they should need to buy for their own needs.
The farmers are going to lose 30% plus of the produce to rats, moths, etc. because of poor storage facilities.
Ideally, the farmers should be able to sell their excess produce, be paid a realistic price and be able to buy back the produce with the money plus a small extra for storage. The buyer(s) should have good storage facilities to store the produce for years if need be. The Grain Marketing Board used to have grain solos all over the country for this but these have, like so many other facilities in the country, long fallen into disrepair.
It will not be the first time the nation ends up importing food at great expense when it had a bumper harvest! Such is the curse of having a corrupt and incompetent government!
Government has been “looking” into the conditions of service of teachers and nurses for decades now and the conditions have got worse and worse. The same government has been looking into the conditions of service of the soldiers, Police, CIO and Prison Service staff and, whilst they are not great they are significantly better than that of teachers. The same government has also been looking into conditions of service of the ruling elite and the top brass in the security sector and they live in unparalleled luxury and comfort.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is teachers, nurses and the other civil servants are being sacrificed and the wealth cream-off to feed the insatiable greed of the ruling elite and the top brass in the security services. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt incompetent and murderous tyrants able to rig elections to stay in power; nothing will change. Nothing!
Government will "look" into conditions of service of teachers and will see the conditions are getting worse and worse but will do nothing about it. Nothing will change. Nothing!