Zanu PF rigged by elections a foretaste for 2023; CCC will participate and complain as "sore losers" P Guramatunhu

 

In the 2013 harmonized elections Tendai Biti was the MDC-T candidate for Mount Pleasant, Harare constituency. On voting day, he witnessed youths being bused in to vote; they were clearly from outside the constituency and failed name even one Street in Mount Pleasant. The bused in youths can be seen in the video leaving the polling station in a huff with their faces covered. They clearly did not want to be identified.

The video of the Mount Pleasant bused youths went viral; google “Tendai Biti witnesses vote rigging in Zimbabwe”!

The Mount Pleasant incident was not an isolated case, there were reports of blatant vote rigging up and down the country especially in the rural areas. The number of polling stations in 2013 was 9 000, an increase of 450% from 2 000 in 2008, and the opposition did not have polling agents at many of them because they did not even know they were there. Busing in voters and multiple voting was widespread.

Zanu PF went on to win the usual 2/3 plus majority in parliament and the presidency. The opposition won the remaining 1/3 or so of the seats and Tendai Biti was one of the winners.

There a mountain of evidence of Zanu PF’s blatant vote rigging of the 2013 elections, many people were disappointed that MDC did not challenge the results. The success of the court challenge depended on MDC rejecting all the local, parliamentary, and presidential election results on the basis the whole electoral process was flawed and illegal.

In the video above, Tendai Biti was fuming at the blatant cheating and, no doubt, would have challenged the result if he had lost the seat. When he realised that he had won the Mount Pleasant seat, he, no doubt, thanked the MDC staff, ZEC officials and his fellow electoral challengers for their professional contact throughout the election. He had won the seat and that was all that really mattered! He was not interested in challenging the bused in voters and other blatant flaws and illegalities.

Indeed, MDC leaders knew that with no meaningful reforms implemented first, Zanu PF will rig the elections and that their participating will give Zanu PF legitimacy. Still, they participated out of greed. They knew Zanu PF would give away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate to maintain the appearance these are democratic elections.

If the truth be told and it must be told, MDC leaders had failed to implement even one meaningful democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the golden opportunity to do so for the same reason they are participating in flawed elections – greed.

The just ended 26 March 2022 by elections once again produced a mountain of evidence of Zanu PF blatantly cheat and using wanton violence for selfish political gain. This was at odds with Chamisa’s claim of having strategies to either stop Zanu PF rigging the elections and/or to win rigged elections. If the cheating and wanton violence were repeated in the coming 2023 elections, there is nothing to stop that happening, then Zanu PF will have yet another landslide victory.

It is therefore not surprising that Nelson Chamisa and his CCC friends have renewed their call for the implementation of democratic reforms before elections. Calls Zanu PF leaders and their apologies have dismissed with contempt.

“The abiding impression given by Chamisa’s opposition was and is that when his party loses an electoral context, the electoral system is both unfair and rigged; that every state organ who has a contrary opinion is captured,” argued Dr Masimba Mavaza in Zimeye.

“There is a grave concern about a man and his party who have no respect for state organs; a leader and a party who are worse than sore losers and who wants the world to believe that when they lose the whole state system must suffer denigration. How can such a man and such a party be entrusted to run a country and civil servants that he will not think twice of demeaning?”

Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends are sore losers of the worst kind, they dare not boycott elections to demand reforms since they are the ones who wasted the opportunity to implement reforms. So, they are participating in flawed elections only to give Zanu PF legitimacy and when they dare complain elections are rigged, they are ignored because everyone knows they participated out of greed and knowing the process is flawed.

The worst losers here are the ordinary Zimbabweans who have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on the understanding they will implement the democratic reforms and cure the nation of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. MDC leaders got into power but sold-out; they have not only failed to implement even one token reform but are now the ones giving Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating povo’s suffering!

The people of Zimbabwe must now wise up and realise MDC/CCC leaders have sold-out, or the nation will never ever get out of this mess! Never ever!

Holding free elections is an event; in Zimbabwe it's 42 year process and still no end date W Mukori

 

The number one reason Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The country started on the wrong foot by failing to ensure the 1980 elections were free and fair; Zanu PF rigged those elections and has amassed dictatorial powers to rig elections thereafter.

Ensuring elections are free and fair is an event but to hid corruption and incompetence on the matter, many of the key players have argued ensuring free and fair elections is a process. The tragic reality is that after 42 years of rigged elections we are no nearer delivering this fundament right to our people today than we were in 1980!

The number one task Zanu PF was asked to deliver was to bring freedom and liberty to the downtrodden black majority and “One man, one vote!” was the rallying call. To achieve this goal, the party had to end white colonialism.

However, long before the nation had even attained independence, Mugabe and his fellow black nationalists focused to ending white colonial rule with the view of securing absolute power for themselves. Their campaign message in 1980, the first elections to usher independence was that if Zanu PF did not win the bush war would continue. They throw “One man, one vote!” out of the window without so much as by your leave to the masses!

The ordinary Zimbabweans’ hopes and dreams of freedom, liberty and a meaningful say in the governance of the country were dashed before they had even tasted them and the country has remained a de facto one party dictatorship to this day.

By the late 1990s, the penny had finally dropped; the people realised that Zanu PF was not only denying them their basic freedoms and rights but was dragging the nation into abject poverty and, more significantly, that as long as Zimbabwe remained a de facto one party dictatorship in which Zanu PF enjoyed carte blanche powers to rig elections, amongst many other things, the nation will continue to sink deeper and deeper into the economic and political abyss.

The number one task for Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was to implement the democratic changes necessary to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, particularly these changes designed to stop the regime rigging elections. MDC leaders had their golden chance to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU.

Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and, with the snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms. The ease with which Mugabe achieved his objective, speaks volumes of just how corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless the MDC leaders are.

Nelson Chamisa took over the leadership of MDC when Tsvangirai died in 2018, the party’s primary task was still the same – to implement the democratic changes to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The change of party’s top leadership did not bring about any change in it’s performance; indeed it got even worse.

The party not only continue to participate flawed 2018 elections to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy but worse still, soon after the elections the MDC leaders turned on each other in a factional war of attrition. The factional war started with Nelson Chamisa’s unconstitutional seizure of party presidency following Tsvangirai’s death. The MDC-T had then split with Chamisa taking the main faction forming the MDC Alliance (MDC A) and Dr Thokozani Khupe remaining the educed MDC-T.

The High Court judgement of March 2020 confirmed that Chamisa’s seizure of power was indeed unconstitutional and that Dr Thokozani Khupe was to assume presidency reconstituted MDC-T until new leaders are elected. When Chamisa and his followers refused to re-join the party, Dr Khupe recalled all the elected leaders in a mass cull!

The Zanu PF government prohibited by elections to replace the recalled 20 MPs and 100 MDC A officials under the pretext containing the spread of the corona virus. By elections were finally cleared to go ahead on 26 March 2022, nearly two years after the recalls.

In January 2022 Nelson Chamisa launched a new political party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led mainly by MDC A the individuals who had remained loyal to him after the 2020 High Court judgement. The new party contested the 26 March 2022 by elections and retained most of the parliamentary and council seats MDC A, the forerunner of CCC, had won in the 2023 elections.

The by elections were marred by the usual Zanu PF inspired political violence and blatant cheating; CCC rallies were disrupted, CCC supporters were tear gassed by the Police and assaulted by Zanu PF thugs, ZEC failed to produce verified voters’ roll, many voters failed to vote because their details were removed from the 2018 voters’ roll, etc., etc. CCC leaders were clearly concerned about these flaws and illegalities before and during the voting process, however when the results were announced the party leaders and supporters promptly forgot about them.

The March 2022 by elections has left Chamisa and his CCC friends more convinced now than ever that they can “winning rigged elections”, they are hell bent on participating in the 2023 elections knowing very well Zanu PF is rigging and that by participating they will give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.

It pays in the end to get the best in the beginning.

The price of failing to hold free and fair elections is 42 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorships that has the country’s once upon a time thriving economy in ruins and 50% of our people now live in abject poverty with basic services such as health care and education all but collapsed. The situation is unsustainable.

Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged 2023 elections followed by another five years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship.

Whilst there is nothing one can do to stop Zanu PF going ahead with the flawed elections and we cannot stop Chamisa and company participating to flawed elections. What we, the ordinary Zimbabweans, can highlight the flaws and illegalities in the election process and make sure no one is left in any doubt these elections are rigged and the results have no democratic legitimacy.

By denying Zanu PF democratic legitimacy we will break the now 42 years tradition of rigged elections, give ourselves a chance to finally implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabweans have been denied their right to a meaningful vote by the white colonialists and then by this Zanu PF dictatorship. How many more years and generations must they wait!

Zanu PF is blatantly rigging by-election, a forewarning of 2023, none of Chamisa's strategies are working N Garikai

 

Zanu PF is rigging these by-elections; none of Nelson Chamisa’s “winning in rigged elections strategies” are working.

“Saturday's by-elections could be reduced to a sham after it emerged Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) polling agents are withdrawing their participation after receiving unspecified threats,” reported Bulawayo 24.

"We are getting a worrying trend with regards to our polling agents. Particularly you go to Marondera East, Murewa South and also Mwenezi South, where we are having our polling agents being intimidated to an extent that some actually withdrew out of fear and that culture of fear is going unabated," said Ellen Shiriyedenga CCC deputy secretary for elections.

Social media has been buzzing all day with reports of Zanu PF vote rigging and thuggery.

“Lawrence Primary School, Ward 23 of Marondera East our agents are being denied entry into the polling stations alleging that they’re not registered with @ZECzim.” Reads one tweet from @CCCZimbabwe.

“Zanu PF is busing voters in Harare East & Kwe Kwe Central” reads another tweet from the same source.

“In Ward 22 and 26 Chivi South, our agents including those who trained with ZEC have been denied entry” tweeted @advocatemahere.

“In Epworth @PoliceZimbabwe has chased away our agents manning Pamhandu p/s. We won’t accept this! We urge citizens to be vigilant, we are here to defend our vote” tweeted Gift Ostallos Siziba, senior CCC leader.  

How naïve, conceited, and arrogant! Zanu PF is blatantly rigging these elections and you continue with your grandstanding and posturing and yet are helpless to do anything to stop the rigging!

By participating in these flawed elections, CCC are giving Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship and the tragic human suffering that has brought.

Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the nation has stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime, unable to remove it from office because the party rigged elections. The way out of the mess has been clear as day all along; implement the democratic reforms and curse ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance.

After 42 years of rigged elections, why is it that the penny has not dropped so we can finally see the sheer futility of participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy? This is the elephant in the room we have ignored for decades but must now address as a matter of urgency – the country’s stability and survival are at stake.

Zimbabwe has had many opportunities to implement the democratic reforms and end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance, the best chance coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Alas! The nation was wasted everyone one of these chances!

During the 2008 GNU, the task of implementing reforms fell on Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends, including Chamisa and the other CCC leaders. The late Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and with their snouts in the feeding trough they forgot about the reforms.

SADC leader advised MDC not to participate in the elections without the reforms and the advice fell on deaf ears – ears stuffed full of the gravy train good living. Indeed, Zanu PF has offered a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate in the flawed elections; MDC/CCC have found the bribe irresistible.

Zanu PF has 2/3 majority in parliament already and does not need to win any of the 28 seats at stake in today’s by-elections. The blatant cheating and wanton violence are just a foretaste and forewarning of what is coming in the 2023 elections when the party has a lot more at stake and if its hold on power should be threatened.

It is clear we are not going to stop Zanu PF rigging the 2023 elections especially when the party knows that CCC and the other opposition are hell bent on participating to guarantee Zanu PF legitimacy. The real challenge is make sure every Zimbabwean out there knows the sheer futility of participating in these flawed elections and why people like Chamisa and his CCC friends are participating out of greed.

Ordinary Zimbabweans must stop participating in these meaningless elections and demand the implementation of reforms before elections. Enough is enough!

The 2023 elections must be declared null and void and Zanu PF must not get legitimacy. Zimbabwe must implement the democratic reforms and cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and that must start with denying vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

"National day of prayer for peaceful and free elections" was Chamisa "putting God to the test!" P Guramatunhu

 

At the end of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Masvingo Star Rally, Nelson Chamisa, the party President, called on his party followers to make Wednesday 22 March 2022 a “National Day of Prayer for Peace!”

“Wherever you are, we are praying for:

·        Peace in Zimbabwe

·        A true revelation of the will of God

·        God’s presence in our national processes

·        Healing and restoration

·        Revival, repentance and readiness (preparedness)

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.” Announced a poster circulating on social media.

Judging from the activity on social media, many Zimbabweans heeded Chamisa’s call to prayer, adhan, azan.

But what, exactly, is Chamisa asking Zimbabweans to pray for?

It cannot be praying for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections because Chamisa and his MDC friends have had 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, to implement the democratic reforms necessary for peaceful and free elections. They have not only failed to get even one meaningful reform implemented but worse still have compounded the problem by insisting on participating in flawed elections to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

Of course, it is nonsensical to pray for peaceful and free elections when one has wasted many golden opportunities to end the curse of rigged elections and is the one perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship.

Chamisa is not praying for peaceful and free elections but rather putting God to the test – testing if God will deliver peaceful and free elections regardless of MDC/CCC’s repeated failure to implement reforms necessary for such elections!

Indeed, we already know that without reforms Zanu PF is rigging these elections. The party has already denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote insisting the West must lift the sanctions imposed of a select few in the party. A feeble excuse since the Zimbabweans in the diaspora have no say in the matter!

There is no peace1 Two CCC supporters were hacked to death with dozens other seriously injured by machete welding Zanu PF thugs early this month. There will be more wanton violence as the 2023 nationwide elections kick-in.

Chamisa is summoning the nation to pray for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections knowing fully well he and his MDC/CCC friends have undermine every opportunity the nation had to make such elections possible. This is not a prayer for peace but a poly to test God!   

Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Matthew 4:7

If we are serious about ending the curse of rigged elections and bad governance all we should do is implemented the democratic reforms. The fact that Chamisa and company have turned out to be corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent and failed to implement even one reform in 22 years does not mean no other mortals can. I for one, subscribe to the view that God does not do for man what man can do for himself!

More "local think-tanks" confirm Zanu PF is rigging 2023 but none dare advise CCC "postpone elections until reforms" P Guramatunhu.

The evidence that Zanu PF is rigging these by-elections and the upcoming 2023 elections is mounting.

“Local think-tank Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) and election watchdogs - Election Resource Centre (ERC) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) - yesterday described the run-up to next week's by-elections and next year's general elections as heavily manipulated in favour of Zanu-PF, with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) reportedly ‘placed at the epicentre of the electoral manipulation machinery’,” reported News Day.

"For example, Bulawayo, an opposition dominated province, has been allocated 152 voter registration centres while the Zanu-PF stronghold Midlands province was allocated 354 voter registration centres. It should be noted that the opposition got 11 parliamentary seats while Zanu-PF got zero seats in Bulawayo in the 2018 election whereas, in Midlands Zanu-PF got 22 seats while the opposition got six seats. When ZEC increased voter registration …there is no doubt that it deliberately aimed at enabling more Zanu-PF supporters to register while suppressing registration of opposition supporters," quoting the ZDI report.

"The ruling Zanu-PF party, using its control in government, is creating an uneven environment ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections. By denying aid to people who do not support Zanu-PF, the goal is to abuse the people's vulnerability for political gain, which is unfortunate and against the law. In addition to politicising aid, Zanu-PF politicians in Mashonaland Central province held meetings where they issued threats to villagers who did not support the party," reported Zimbabwe Peace Project.

"Like always, President Emmerson Mnangagwa's party, Zanu-PF takes a lead in human rights violations recorded this month at 41% and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, which is under his command as the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, comes second after contributing to 37% of human rights violations recorded in February 2022."

Team Pachedu, another local group specialising in voters’ roll analysis revealed that ZEC had illegally transferring about 170 000 voters from their original constituencies and wards in the voters' roll to be used for the March 26 by-elections.

There is no denying that Zanu PF is rigging these elections. What has been lacking is the answer to; what to do about it?

Nelson Chamisa is calling for a press conference tomorrow 16 March 12.30 at the Media Centre to “demand electoral reforms”.  Of course, Zanu PF is used to these MDC/CCC demands and will rightly ignore. Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to deal with the problem of rigged elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and it was none other than MDC leaders who wasted that opportunity.  

Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections were a watershed in that we learned the extend of the political rot in Zimbabwe. Both SADC and AU, who had turned a blind eye to Zanu PF rigged elections in the past, refused to rubber stamp the 2008 election results and to recognise Zanu PF as the legitimate government. SADC forced Zanu PF to agree to democratic reforms to stop the repeat of the 2008 blatant cheating and wanton violence.

It is a great national tragedy that not even one meaningful reform was implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders advised that the 2013 elections should be postpone until reforms are implemented but their advice fell on deaf ears, Zimbabweans would not listen.

It is nonsensical that Chamisa and his MDC friends should be “demanding reforms” when they were in the GNU themselves and should have implemented the reforms if they had not sold out!

MDC/CCC are participated in these flawed 2013 elections and all other elections since for the same reason they failed to implement even one reform during the GNU – greed. By participating in the elections MDC/CCC are giving credibility to the flawed process and legitimacy to the regime.

What is really infuriating in all this is that MDC/CCC leaders know that they are selling out, as David Coltart readily admitted in his book.

“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 (2013) elections,” wrote 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.”

The MDC/CCC leaders have continue to sell out to this day knowing they will get away with it because most Zimbabweans out there have no clue was the GNU was about much less that MDC leaders sold out big time. And so, MDC/CCC continue to enjoy public support with Chamisa even becoming something of a cult leader!

As we can see, Zanu PF is rigging these elections and many Zimbabweans believe the CCC nonsense of “winning (Zanu PF) rigged elections!” Of course, it is an oxymoron! Of course, it is insane, especially after 42 years of rigged elections!   

It is both ironic and tragic that all these organisations ZDI, ERC, ZESN, ZPP, Team Pachedu, etc. have all come to the same conclusion that Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and yet none of them had guts to do what SADC leaders did in 2013 - advise that elections must be postponed until reforms are implemented. They all know that Nelson Chamisa and co are hell bent on participating and they will not dare speak truth to power even when the very survival of the nation is at stake.

ZDI a “local think-tank!” Yeah right! Thinking is not exactly a virtue one would associate with a “sink-tank” or insanity!

Every thinking Zimbabwean out there – clearly there cannot be that many – must be hanging his/her head in shame. Zimbabwe is not just a failed state but has become the text-book case of a nation that has completely failed to govern itself because we cannot think. We have blundered from pillar to post, we have no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections; in this day and age! Simply unbelievable! 

"Don't interfere in our internal affairs" diplomats warned - worst interference is SADC rubber stamping rigged elections P Guramatunhu

 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa warned the 50 diplomatic headers accredited to Zimbabwe not to meddle in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

“As we begin yet another year in our relations, I challenge you, the diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe, to look through the lenses of possibilities and focus on those matters which unite us, as opposed to our areas of differences. It is most unfortunate, however, that as Zimbabwe prepares for the 2023 harmonised elections, some forces are already seeking to influence the national discourse and destabilise the peace and stability we are enjoying as a country,” said Mnangagwa.

“Sadly, this is not new to us and is part of the decades-old regime change agenda. Those of you who may be inclined to perpetuating this blatant interference in the internal affairs of our country are urged to introspect and stop this unbecoming practice. Let the people of Zimbabwe enjoy their unfettered right to choose their leadership. It is our democratic rights, a right which we fought for, and a right which we will protect, respect and uphold to the letter.”

The Zanu-PF government has on several occasions accused Western powers, particularly the United States and Britain of funding opposition parties to pursue a regime change agenda.

The really infuriating thing is that Zanu PF has ruthlessly denied the ordinary Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. The people’s cry for free, fair and credible elections have been ignore under the pretext that no ordinary Zimbabwean want that only foreigners and their local puppets seeking regime changed wanted free elections.

For the first time ever in the country’s history both SADC and AU refused to rubber stamp the 2008 Zimbabwe elections as a free and fair process and thus forcing Zanu PF to accept the need to implement a raft of democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

Sadly, the task of implementing the reforms were given to the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. They sold out and failed to implement even one reform in five years.

SADC proposed that the 2013 elections should be postponed to allow the reforms to be implemented. SADC leaders told Tsvangirai and company to their faces; “If you participate in next month’s elections, you will lose. The elections are done!” MDC leaders ignored the advice. And SADC leaders have since given up on getting Zimbabwe back on a democratic path.

Zimbabwe’s worsening economic and political situation has made the country unstable and now threatens to drag the rest of the region into the abyss. SADC leaders have no choice but to sit up and try find a solution to Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess.

Zanu PF has rigged Zimbabwe elections starting with the 1980 when the party made it clear the bush war would continue if the party lost the plebiscite. Except for the 2008 elections SADC and AU have turned a blind eye to the rigging and rubber stamped the results giving Zanu PF legitimacy. This constitutes interference in the internal affairs of the country is the most negative way possible by helping to perpetuate the culture of rigged elections and bad governance.

Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections – the regime is refusing to produce a verified voters’ roll, it has denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, the wanton violence of 2008 is back, etc., etc. The long suffering people of Zimbabwe are asking SADC leaders to call out the real 2023 election results based on the observed evidence, for a change – that is not too much to ask.

Pachedu condemns failure to produce verified voters' roll but not CCC for participating in flawed elections N Garikai

 

A few weeks ago, Team Pachedu, a group of IT savvy Zimbabweans, revealed some pretty shocking irregularities and illegalities such as the transfer of some voters from one Polling Station to another although the individual physical address had not changed.

It took some IT expertise to extract the irregularities and illegalities the raw voters’ roll data Team Pachedu had received from ZEC. It should be noted that ZEC has never ever produced a verified voters’ roll in the country’s 42 years since independence. And ZEC has never ever produced a voters’ roll in the format suitable for analysis and auditing although this is a legal requirement.

The European Union had a 246 strong team of election observers for the 2018 Zimbabwe elections. The team was not impressed with ZEC’s conduct of the elections.

“The electoral commission (ZEC) 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. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards,” state the EU Observer Mission final report.

Team Pachedu’s findings was the smoking gun the EU Observer Mission report lacked!

ZEC was clearly surprise at the detailed revelations uncovered by Team Pachedu and the commission’s knee-jerk reaction was to discredit Team Pachedu.

“We would like to put it on record that Team Pachedu has, indeed, submitted our concerns to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and it has not responded,” said Team Pachedu in a statement.

“We have also personally sent it requests for various information which it has ignored. (We had asked for a full list of candidates from the January 26 nomination court, as well as a full list of accredited observers for the March 26 by-elections). ZEC has not responded to our request.

“ZEC’s claim that it is only accountable to Parliament is also false. The Electoral Act requires ZEC to keep voters and the general public informed.

“One such way to do that is to gazette any changes it makes to the voters roll which have not expressly been requested by the voter.

“ZEC has never gazetted a list of the changes it made.”

ZEC has since fired most of its IT personal. They will be replaced by the Israel NIKUV vote rigging experts or some such experts.

Team Pachedu will find it very difficult to get any voters’ roll data from ZEC and even if they get any data, it will be near impossible to decipher.

ZEC is obliged by law to produce a verified voters’ roll but we can be 100% certain that, once again, ZEC will not produce one. We can also be 100% certain that Zanu PF is rigging these elections.

Ironically, we are also 100% certain that the MDC/CCC will participate in the 2023 elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF is rigging the elections and that by participating they are giving Zanu PF legitimacy. Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends are participating for the same reason they did not implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the golden opportunity to do so – greed.

Robert Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office they forgot about implementing reforms. “Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life; they will never rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms during the GNU.

Zanu PF has since learned that the MDC/CCC will participate in the elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy regardless how flawed the process got as long as they are assured of winning a few gravy train seats. Since the 2018 elections Mnangagwa has sweetened the bribe by offering all presidential race candidates additional perks and benefit if they joined POLAD.

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," Nelson Chamisa assured his 40 000 strong supporters in Gweru last weekend.

Before the 2018 elections Chamisa made a similar claim. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections” he said in Mutare. It was all just hot air as Zanu PF blatantly rigged that election. Likewise, Zanu PF is rigging these 2023 elections.

As much as Team Pachedu would want 2023 elections to be free, fair and credible; to have a clean and verified voters’ roll, at least; it is clear that will never happen when ZEC is ignoring request and legal obligation to gazette voters’ roll changes, produce a verified voters’ roll, etc. Team Pachedu know that Zanu PF is rigging these elections and they also know that Nelson Chamisa and company are determined to participate in these elections regardless hence the reason why Team Pachedu have questioned ZEC’s refusal to produce verified voters’ roll but will not question CCC’s folly in insisting in participating in the flawed elections.

"Zanu PF will not rig 2023 elections!" - 40 000 in Gweru believed it no questions asked W Mukori

 

Mankind is supposed to be a creature of reason, of rational behaviour and can think. In Zimbabwe many of us have taken leave of their senses and rational thinking and hence the reason the country has blundered from pillar to post these last 42 years!

Ask anyone of the 40 000 Zimbabweans who attended Nelson Chamisa’s CCC Mkoba rally in Gweru, for example, what changes they expected from Chamisa and each would have produce a list a mile long. With the economy in total meltdown, unemployment rates a nauseating 90%, basic services such as education and health care all but collapse, etc.; the wish list is bound to be long!   

The rally attendees know that before Chamisa can attend to their problems, he must first wrestle political power from Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling party, Zanu PF party - something the opposition have so far failed to do.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders (the forerunner of CCC before Chamisa changed the party name and colours in January 2022) on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. MDC, Movement for Democratic Change, as the party name implied was supposed to deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for.

Sadly, after 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement even one token democratic change. Not a sausage!  

Ask anyone of those CCC rally attendees to name just one democratic change the party has brought in the last 22 years, and you will be greeted with thousands upon thousands of blank faces. The blank faces are an echo of the empty heads!

However, if one was to ask the 40 000 rally attendees to name just one change MDC had delivered in the last 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Not even one would answer because there is not even one meaningful change MDC have delivered. 40 000 blank faces a reflection of the empty head!

At all these CCC rallies Nelson Chamisa has made the usual empty promises of fixing the nation’s economic and political problems including the all important and critical problem of stopping Zanu PF rigging the elections.

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," Nelson Chamisa told the 40 000 attending the rally in Gweru.

An empty promise, since Zanu PF has already decreed the regime will deny three million plus Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, for example. Chamisa was not doing anything to avert that one.

In September 2018 President Mnangagwa announced that Zimbabweans in the diaspora would finally have the vote they had been campaigning for decades. Sadly, this was just one of the many promises he has made but failed to honour since taking over from late Robert Mugabe in the November 2017 military coup.

The willingness of thousands of CCC supporters to believe Nelson Chamisa would solve the myriad of their problems, no questions asked, even when MDC has failed to implement even one token political reform in 22 years; is at the very heart of why Zimbabwe is in this economic mess and political paralysis. The failure to cross examine Chamisa and company’s pathetic record of corruption and incompetence shows the people themselves have, at best, a superficial understanding of the big issues of quality leadership, free and fair elections, good governance, etc.

There is no denying Zimbabwe is a failed state; 42 years of economic decline and political paralysis - for neither the ruling party nor the multitude of opposition parties have a clue what is going on much less how to get the country out of this mess – would testify to that.

We are in this mess because the ordinary Zimbabweans themselves have allowed this sorry state of affairs to prevail all these years by their failure to think and asset their rights to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.  

Zimbabwe was not doomed to end up as the failed state we are today. Whilst we remain the naïve and gullible people who will believe Chamisa’s word that Zanu PF will not rig the elections even all the evidence points to the contrary, for example; we will remain a failed state. Real change, from a failed state to a healthy and functioning democracy, will come after the metaphoric transformation from a naïve and gullible people to a thinking and question citizen.  

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging!" said Chamisa - enough nonsense, let's implement reforms P Guramatunhu

 

When I heard Nelson Chamisa tell the 40 000 of his supporters in Gweru on Sunday that he will stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, I felt sick! I have heard the same promised before and knew then as I know now that it is all lies!

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," said Nelson Chamisa in Gweru.

Zimbabwe’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is at the very heart of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess because the nation has been stuck with the vote rigging, corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime for 42 years and counting. And as long as Zanu PF retains its carte blanche power to rig elections, as graphically exercised in the watershed 2008 elections, there will be no meaningful political change in Zimbabwe.

SADC leaders refused to recognise Zanu PF’s election victory after the blatant cheating and wanton violence in the 2008 elections. The regional leaders forced Robert Mugabe to accept the need for implementing a raft of democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers, a prerequisite for free, fair and credible elections.

The task of implementing the reforms were entrusted to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends, including Nelson Chamisa and most of his CCC leaders. Sadly, MDC leaders not only failed to implement even one token democratic reform during the five years of the GNU but worse still have insisted on participating in the flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

In 2018 Nelson Chamisa insisted in participating in the elections against all advice not to until the democratic reforms are implemented. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he claimed. Everyone knew he was lying and, as expected, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.

What is so, so frustrating is that not only is Zimbabwe still stuck with the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship but to add insult to injury, it is MDC/CCC leaders who not only sold out on reforms but are now giving Zanu PF legitimacy by insisting on participating in flawed elections. The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC/CCC into power to implement reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship not to foil reforms and perpetuate the dictatorship!

The very idea of “winning rigged elections”, especially Zanu PF rigged elections given the party’s carte blanche powers, is an oxymoron. After 42 years of rigged elections, the nation should just bite the bullet and implement the democratic reforms.

Just because MDC/CCC have turned out corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent and hence failed to get even one reform implemented does not meaning no one else can do it! Until we implement the reforms to ensure free and fair elections; Zimbabwe is not going to get out of the political and economic mess Zanu PF landed us in.

"SADC must act to stop repeat of 2008 bloodshed!" pleads Chamisa - MDC greed back to haunt him and us all W Mukori

 

“You never want to do anything that you don't want your mother to see, because it will haunt you and eventually come back to bite you!” advised the TV personality and author, Kimora Lee Simmons. Advice that served the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC cum CCC friends the trials and tribulations of the past coming back to haunt them.

Zanu PF’s blatant cheating and, worse still, the wanton violence of 2008 Zimbabwe elections should have been dealt with during the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU). SADC leaders played the motherly role of forcing Zanu PF to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement, agreeing to the need for Zimbabwe to implement the raft of democratic reforms to ensure cheating and wanton violence would not the repeated ever again.

The task of implementing the reforms was left to Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. Credit where credit is due, SADC leaders notably SA’s Lindiwe Zulu, did their best to remind the MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms throughout the GNU but were ignored.

When it became clear that Zimbabwe was going into the 2013 elections with not meaningful reforms in place, SADC leaders stepped in and tried to have the elections postpone.

“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza told Journalist Violet Gonda.

“I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws.

“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the (2013) elections are done’.”

As we know MDC leaders ignored the last plea by the SADC leaders just as they had ignored the advice to implement the reforms. Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the 2013 elections, as SADC leaders had feared would happen.

Again, MDC leaders have ignored the call to implement the reforms before holding the 2018 elections. As expected, Zanu PF again blatantly rigged the 2018 elections too.

In the 2013 and 2018 elections, Zanu PF was fairly confident of winning these elections.

However, Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation has left the country’s basic services such as education and health care in total collapse and millions are now living in abject poverty. The people are desperate for change and Zanu PF is definitely feeling the political pressure for change. And Zanu PF’s response is to step up the blatant cheating and wanton violence to the same levels as 2008 or worse.   

MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and stop Zanu rigging elections; they wasted the opportunity. And now the blatant cheating and wanton violence is back to haunt the nation!

“It is now a political tinderbox, the political situation in the country is worsening, the dark cloud has once again formed and you can see the whole purpose is intended to plunge the country into bloodshed, vulnerability, incessant instability and of course that paves way for those who would want to raid state coffers and those who would want corruption to thrive,” admitted Nelson Chamisa, the leader of CCC following the wanton violence in Midlands over the weekend.

The Police had used teargas and water-cannon to disrupt the CCC rally on Saturday. The following day CCC supporters were attached with stones and machetes. Two people were killed, and several were seriously injured.

“They (Zanu PF) wanted bloodshed and I was informed prior that they wanted to do this. I am reliably informed that the police were aware.

“We cannot have a repeat of 2008. We cannot have a repeat of the scenes we have seen in the region where there is instability. To our church, I urge you to pray so that we don’t have the demon of violence does not engulf our country. We don’t want bloodshed.”

Chamisa also called for the African Union (AU) and SADC to “immediately act before Zimbabwe is plunged into bloodshed”! He did not say what exactly he wanted SADC to do.

Indeed, what can SADC leaders do; given MDC/CCC leaders are not exactly the repented prodigal son.

What SADC leaders can do, is repeat the sound advice they gave MDC leaders in 2013: postpone the 2023 elections until democratic reforms are implemented to stop the cheating and violence. This is the advice MDC leaders did not want to hear back in 2013 and don’t want to hear now for the same reason – greed.

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 to 2013 GNU, readily admitted that boycotting the elections, as SADC leaders had advised, was the “obvious” solution. He confessed that greed had trumped reason!.

“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 (2013) 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.”

For the record, four of the main MDC factions joined three other parties to form the MDC Alliance (MDC A) before the 2018 elections; they went on to participate in the elections, the possibility of boycotting the elections was never even mentioned. The rump of the MDC A has gone on to form CCC and everyone is determined to participate in the 2023 elections and will not listen to any talk of boycotting the elections for the same reason as before – greed.

As Coltart rightly pointed out, by participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders were undermining SADC leaders’ ability to pressure Zanu PF to implement the reforms and stop the curse of rigged elections. By participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders were giving “credibility” to the flawed process and thus legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.

“SADC must act immediately before Zimbabwe is plunged into bloodshed!” What can SADC leaders do to force CCC leaders to stop participating in the flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy?

What can SADC leaders do to team Chamisa and company’s greed? Chamisa and company’s greed has come back to haunt CCC and us all!

Opposition "using mistakes to shape the future" - metaphor for oxymoronic "winning Zanu PF rigged elections!" W Mukori

 

The Greek Athenians went the extra mile to ensure the City State’s citizens were well educated and informed as the only sure way for democracy – the government of the people, by the people and for the people – to work. The Athenians embraced freedom of expression, encouraged the people to ask questions and to think for themselves as a way of acquiring knowledge.

After 42 years of independence Zimbabwe is blundering for pillar to post, we are a failed state, and our democratic experiment is going nowhere. Ignorance instead of knowledge rules the roost!

“For past 22 years, the journey and struggle for democracy has not been easy. We have fallen in the process as well as erred on a number of occasions. We made mistakes collectively, myself included, and it’s high time we acknowledged that; use mistakes to shape future,” commented Dr Thokozani Khupe in Zimlive.

Ignorance does rule the roost, indeed, and no wonder the country is in a real mess! The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect madam Khupe and her fellow MDC leaders into power for the express purpose of implementing democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. In the 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement even one token reform.

During the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms; Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trapping of the gravy train lifestyle, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough the MDC leaders failed to implement even one token reform in five years!

Of course, MDC leaders sold-out big time by failing to implement even one reform during the GNU. Worse still they have continued to sell out to this day by participating in flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF was offering to entice them to participate.

“Mistake!” How can the deliberate and calculated betrayal of the people’s cause of implementing reforms to secure free, fair and credible elections for selfish gain – a share of the spoils of power – be dismissed as merely a mistake?    

Indeed, madam Khupe and her MDC/CCC accept they made mistakes because they cannot deny the reality of the ground; that they cannot name even one meaningful reform they have implemented in 22 years, for example. Acknowledging the reality of one is lost does not necessarily mean one knows where they are much less now knows where they are going.

After the debacle of the GNU sell-out, in their ignorance Madam Khupe and her fellow MDC/CCC colleagues have been compounding the sell-out by participating in the flawed and illegal elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the dictatorship. “Use mistakes to shape future!” as she unwittingly and yet ironically put it!

The people of Zimbabwe had risked life and limb to elect the MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 22 years of MDC on the political stage, the Zanu PF dictatorship is still firmly in position or be it their now have a junior partner.

Zimbabwe is stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical political system that has destroyed the country’s economy forcing millions to live and die in abject poverty. Stuck for 42 years and counting because Zanu PF rigs elections to stay in power.

On the one hand, we have Zanu PF whose track record is so bad party will never win a free, fair and credible elections and so has no choice but to rig elections. On the other hand is MDC/CCC whom the nation had entrusted the task of implementing the reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. They had not only wasted the many golden opportunities to implement reforms but are now participating in flawed elections for the share of the spoils of power.

As the senior partner in this political marriage of convenience Zanu PF and want to retain absolute power at all cost and MDC are fighting for as many scraps as they can wrestle from Zanu PF. Both parties do not care that the culture of political violence has stifled only debate and democratic competition – the prerequisite for sound policies and good governance – and, worse still, is causing untold human suffering and deaths.

2 500 years after the Greeks civilization gave mankind democracy, government of the people, by the people for the people, as the answer to the age-old question of best a society, nation, etc. can self-govern. We are not asked to reinvent the wheel; only to adopt it for our own benefit. It is most disheartening that we have proven to be so incompetent and inapt we cannot even hold free, fair and credible elections.

Zanu PF has failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters roll, blatant cheating and wanton violence have become the norm, etc. and yet the regime maintains the elections are free, fair and credible. The MDC/CCC has participated in the flawed elections out of greed telling its ill-informed followers they have “winning in rigged elections strategies”!

It is insane that 42 years after independence, 2 500 after the Greeks, we are still dragging ourselves through what can only be described as a mockery of a democratic elections. This is the equivalent of one using a triangle in place of the circular wheel! When are we ever going to come to our sense and finally get it right and implement the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections?