Zimbabwe will continue using fossil fuel, says Mnangagwa - two-fingers salute to Davos and COP26 N Garikai

 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to continue using fossil fuel until Zimbabwe attains developed nation status!

"They (Western countries) developed their industries through fossil fuels and now they do not want us to use our natural resources to also develop. We will not agree to that. They should agree with us on the timeframe to shift from thermal power to clean energy. And they should also finance the
transition," he told Zanu PF supporters in Glen View.

This was in stark contrast to his November 2021 COP26 statement in Glasgow last year.

“Zimbabwe has set an ambitious objective of reducing carbon emissions by 40% per capita by 2030. The removal of illegal sanctions which have been imposed on my country will go a long way in helping to enable the achievement of this target,” announced President Emmerson Mnangagwa in his speech at UN conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, UK. 

What has changed between November 2021 and now?

President Mnangagwa and a high-powered delegation have just returned from attending the world economic forum, in Davos, Switzerland. They were there to make a fresh bid to woo investors. Mnangagwa’s mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business!” to the same Davos forum back in 2018, soon after when seized power from Mugabe, had failed no takers.  

Back in 2018 investors were not convinced Zimbabwe the musical chairs within the Zanu PF dictatorship following the November 2017 military coup had transformed the country in any meaningful way to end its pariah state. The regime’s failure to keep its promise to hold free, fair and credible elections in July 2018 - if proof nothing had changed was ever need.

There is no denying Zimbabwe’s economic situation has got progressively worse since 2018 forcing Mnangagwa to launch another bid to woo investors. A waste of time and money since nothing had change since 2018 to end Zimbabwe’s pariah state status.

President Mnangagwa is clearly under no illusions that his fresh “Zimbabwe is open for business!” will be followed by a flood of investors. His Glen View speech is his two-finger salute to COP26 and to the West in general.    

CCC will be "ipso facto enemy of the people" if accept Norway funding, says Professor Moyo - what a hypocrite n Garikai

 "Any political party that is funded or capacitated by any foreign government to contest elections or grab political power is by definition treacherous, and ipso facto an enemy of the people!" twittered Professor Jonathan Moyo.

He was responding to reports that the Norwegians are planning to bankroll Nelson Chamisa and his Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party in the 2023 elections.

One thing certain to be said about Professor Jonathan Moyo – is that he a sell sell-out par excellence. He would sell his own mother for a price and be proud he had a mother to sell! There is plenty of anecdotal evidence in his checked political career to back this up.

Zimbabwe’s late dictator, Robert Mugabe, who knew Jonathan Moyo called the Professor a “devil incarnate”; rest assured, it was not just for Moyo’s good looks alone!

Zanu and Zapu were backed by China and Russia respectively during the struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence, for example. I have never heard Professor Moyo call the two parties “enemies of the people”!

Moyo has publicly supported Nelson Chamisa and his CCC and suddenly party is now “treacherous, and ipso facto an enemy of the people” just because the Norwegians are offering to fund it. What a truck load of bull!

My bone of contention with anyone, foreigner or local, giving moral, military and/or financial support to an individual, political party, NGO or whatever knowing fully well the latter’s work is undermining the wellbeing of the country. And anyone damaging the wellbeing of the public is an enemy of the people. The question is why anyone would knowingly support the enemy of the people?

It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who revealed in a leaked cable back to Washington that the late Morgan Tsvangirai was “flawed and indecisive character who, should he ever got into power, would become an albatross round the nation’s (Zimbabwe) neck!”

More leaked cables showed that the US Ambassador had an equally low opinion of the other MDC leaders. So, MDC was but a flock of flawed and indecisive wondering albatrosses the people of Zimbabwe had to be wary of.

Lo and behold MDC did got into power notably into the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU). The party had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms which would have ended the Zanu PF dictatorship. They wasted the opportunity and failed to implement even one token democratic reform. Worst of all by participating in the flawed elections MDC are now giving Zanu PF legitimacy and thus help perpetuate the dictatorship.

MDC cum the rebranded CCC has become the albatross round the nation’s neck, as Ambassador Dell had predicted.

And yet it was none other than the Americans and their western allies who have generously funded Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends’ political activities throughout the period 1999 to 2013. The West knew MDC leaders are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless, an albatross dragging the nation into the crashing abyss.

None of these western nations would tolerate such mediocre leaders in their own countries and yet rolled out the red carpet to underline the high regard they hold MDC leaders! The moral and financial backing of the West gave leaders like Tsvangirai enormous power and influence especially amongst the ignorant and naïve masses.

It is a historic fact that many thinking Zimbabweans and a few SADC leaders made a concerted effort to get the MDC albatrosses to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU, for example. It is infuriate to note that western nations, who clearly had more influence over the MDC albatrosses, they bankrolled and fed them, never lifted a finger to get MDC to implement reforms.

It was only after the 2013 elections when it was clear MDC had failed to implement even one reform during the GNU that many of their western backers deserted the party in droves. It was too late the damage was done, Zimbabwe had wasted one golden opportunity to implement reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship.

Since the 2008 to 2013 GNU debacle a head of steam has been building up to show the MDC/CCC’s continued participation in these flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy as the root cause of the nation is now stuck in this political paralysis. Norway’s decision to bankroll CCC’s political activities will undermine efforts to end the insanity of rigged elections and give Chamisa’s oxymoronic foolishness of “winning in rigged elections” fresh legs! What a nightmare!

Zimbabwe, like most African countries, is caught between the rock and the hard place. We are caught between the corrupt and tyrannical ruling party who are bankrolled by the Chinese for the sole purpose of exploiting and looting the country, on the one hand. On the other, are flawed and utterly useless opposition who are bankrolled by the West in the vain hope some good will come of it.

Tanzania is one of the African countries that has been held back after decades of West, notably the Scandinavian countries, bankrolling the late President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s misplace socialism. The socialism experiment was finally abandoned but by then a lot of damage had been done.  

Of course, nothing good will ever come out of Norway funding CCC to participate in flawed elections to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the dictatorship. Nothing! The only ones to benefit from this folly is Zanu PF who are keen to see CCC participate in these flawed elections and get legitimacy!

Norway to bankroll CCC participation in rigged elections - condemned never to aspire for free elections W Mukori

 

“Opposition leader Mr Nelson Chamisa and his surrogates yesterday attended a dinner hosted by the Norwegian embassy in Pretoria South Africa where they discussed how the European country can assist CCC ahead of next year's elections,” reported The Herald.

“In an apparent invasion into the affairs of Zimbabwe, the Norwegian Chaerge' d' Affaires, Dr Stain Christensen requested for Mr Chamisa's attendance of the dinner held on Monday, in collaboration with the Southern African Liaison Office (SALO), which is listed as a not-for-profit civil society organisation that among other things seeks to influence the current thinking and debates on foreign policy, especially regarding African crises and conflicts.”

Put aside the hypocrisy of The Herald, pontificating against anyone funding the opposition which it condemns as interfering in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs and yet has never criticise the Chinese, amongst many others, for bankrolling Zanu PF’s political activities. I am concerned about Norway bankrolling Zimbabwe’s flawed and illegal electoral process at the very time when there is a crying need to starve the key players of funds and political credibility and legitimacy.

The Norwegians must know that Zimbabwe has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections since the country’s independence in 1980. The country was given a golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU) to implement the democratic reforms which would have ended the curse of rigged elections. Sadly, the MDC now rebranded and named CCC failed to implement even one meaningful reform in five years of the GNU.

The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) who had sponsored GNU begged MDC leaders not to participate in the 2013 elections without first implement the reforms. The pleas fell on deaf ears. By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC was giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and, most infuriating of all, the MDC leaders knew this too.

“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 (2023) elections,” confessed David Coltart in his book The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“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.”

Senator Coltart was an MDC Ncube minister in the GNU and right now he is the Treasurer General in Nelson Chamisa CCC party.

MDC participated in the 2013 elections knowing fully well Zanu PF was rigging and that participating will give Zanu PF legitimacy for the same reasons they had failed to implement even one reform during the GNU – incompetence and greed.

Four of the main MDC factions plus three other opposition parties did form a coalition, the MDC Alliance (MDC A) with Nelson Chamisa as the leader, just before the 2018 elections. MDC A participated in that year’s elections knowing, as before that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and participating will give Zanu PF legitimacy. They participate for the same reasons – incompetence and greed.

The ordinary Zimbabweans had risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party would implement the democratic changes to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. During the GNU, Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and with their snouts in the feeding they forgot about the reforms.

Ever since the GNU debacle MDC leaders have accepted they wasted the golden opportunity to implement reforms and have settled for participating in the flawed elections for whatever Zanu PF gives away to entice them.

Norway must be aware that the European Union sent a 246 strong Zimbabwe 2018 Election Observer Mission. The final report condemned the election process for “failing to meet international standard”! The country had failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, for Pete’s sake. The final report gave a comprehensive list of reforms Zimbabwe was to implement before the 2023 elections.

Germany MEP Elmar Brok, chief of the 2018 EU Election Observer Mission, has just been in Zimbabwe to review progress on implemented reforms. Not even one of the reforms has been fully implemented. Not even one!

The primary reason why Zanu PF has continued to ignore calls to implement meaningful democratic reforms is self-evident – as long as the party is assured of opposition participating in the flawed election to give it legitimacy. Why, indeed, would Zanu PF risk losing power by implementing reforms when the party does not have to!

By bankrolling CCC’s political activities there is no pressure on Chamisa and company to stop participating in the flawed elections for whatever share of the spoils of power the party can get from Zanu PF and continue selling out on reforms and free elections.  

It is the ordinary Zimbabwean who is the loser here. There is no hope of getting out of the political and economic mess the country is in since the nation is stuck with the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime getting its legitimacy from opportunistic opposition bankrolled by the Norwegians!  

The most rational outcome for the long suffering people of Zimbabwe is to have the flawed and illegal 2023 elections declared null and void and deny Zanu PF the legitimacy. This will create the opportunity to appoint a new GNU. Only this time, competent men and women will be appointed to implement the democratic reforms and thus end Zimbabwe’s curse of rigged elections and bad governance.

By bankrolling CCC’s continued participation in flawed elections, so flawed there is not even a verified voters’ roll, is Norway insinuating these are the highest electoral standard Zimbabwe will ever attain and should not even be encouraged to aspire for anything more? Well, some of us, find that very patronising, to say the least!

Mnangagwa back in Davos to relaunch 2018 "Zimbabwe is open for business!" - lead balloons don't fly P Guramatunhu

 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is back in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum for the express purpose of relaunching his 2018 “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra.

“President Mnangagwa and his delegation arrived here this morning for this year's World Economic Forum, where he is expected to network with other world leaders in line with the country's engagement and re-engagement policy thrust,” reported the Zanu PF mouthpiece, The Herald.

Like all Zanu PF re-engagement policy thrusts, no expense will be spared. We can be 110% certain that this thrust will be no exception. The country is failing to pay for even the most basic needs such as pain killers, chemicals for drinking water, etc.; the nation will spend millions of dollars (US$ not Z$) on transport, accommodation and per diem for the President and his high-powered delegation.

President Mnangagwa’s 2018 “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra was premised on the ethos that Zimbabwe’s November 2017 military coup (Mnangagwa insisted on calling it a “military assisted transition” just as Russia’s Vladimir Putin is insisting on calling his war of invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation”) had transformed Zimbabwe from closed pariah state into a democracy “open” for business.

The military coup was just the climax of an internal power struggle within the party. The party remained a ruthless dictatorship and the country remained a pariah state, or be it under new management. No one, particularly the shrewd and savvy investors, were not fooled by the musical chair and kept away from doing business in Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe is open for business!” was a lead balloon that never took off back in 2018 and, as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, will never take off. So, what is Mnangagwa and company doing back in Davos to launch the lead balloon!    

It was American comedian W C Fields who famously said, “If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”

President Mnangagwa, just like Robert Mugabe before him, has all but given up on dazzling anyone with brilliance; baffling with bullshit, is his forte. Hectic activity suggests productive and creative and the greater the expense the greater the deceit.

Still, trying to relaunch “Zimbabwe is open for business!” lead balloon takes the biscuit! These savvy Davos investors were not fooled the first time back in 2018, they know a lead balloon will never fly!

Mnangagwa wasting time and resources stalking WEF investors who are wary of doing business in a pariah state like Zimbabwe. “Mnangagwa arikunyangira yavona!” as one would say in Shona.  

Canceling CCC congress will not only "keep infiltrators stewing" but citizens and democracy itself too W Mukori

 

“KEEP THEM GUESSING & TOSSING, STEWING & ROASTING! THROW THEM OFF BALANCE … Remember they infiltrate, manipulate and capture using 4 things ..1.Structures 2. internal Processes 3. Law-fare 4. Ambitious/hungry characters. Be so unpredictable so they can do nothing but assume.” Twittered Nelson Chamisa.

He was in reply to calls for CCC to hold primary elections elect candidates for the upcoming 2023 elections. A few weeks ago, he similarly dismissed calls for the party to launch its constitution and hold a party congress to elect the leaders giving the same reason – he is fearful of infiltration.

When Chamisa launched the party in January 2022, he insisted it was not rebranding MDC Alliance because the Citizens Coalition for Change was a democratic and people’s party as the name implied. What does a people’s party mean?  

It was the Greeks who proposed democracy as a system of government in which the citizens themselves instituted the rules governing how society would live, enforced the rules and for their own benefit. Hence the reason democracy is defined as government of the people, by the people and for the people.

The greatest threat to democracy comes from within as human history would testify. It is irrelevant how one got into a position of power and authority but having got there they primeval instinct is secure power for themselves. Even those who had praised the merits of democracy and even benefit from the system will suddenly develop the jitters concerned by the consequence of ordinary people making key decisions.

Of course, the Greeks too were concerned the dangers of democracy producing an amateur government. And, instead of the country excelling in every field of human endeavour as Greece did, the Golden Age; see the country dragged into misery or worse because of the mediocre governance. The resolved to save themselves from amateur government in two ways;

1)     First and foremost, they placed great emphasis on the need to educate all their citizens and what better vehicle to achieve that than freedom of the individual, freedom of expression, open debate and meritocratic competition – the essence of the Olympic games.

 

2)     Second, no one individual or group was ever entrusted with absolute power and authority and, even when, for whatever reason, someone was granted or seized absolute power, the whole society was restless to have power restored the back to the rightful owners – the people.

 

For all Chamisa’s claims that CCC is a people’s party he is clearly hell bent in ensuring that it is not by adopting the very measures that would make it a people’s party. When the Greeks wanted citizens   educated Chamisa is busy stifling all discuss and debate. The decision not to hold the party’s congress was made by him alone as there is nothing to suggest even the interim leadership was consulted.

Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess precisely because the country has had the great misfortune of have political leaders with not aa drop of democratic blood in the veins. Mugabe stifle debate and competition at a party level and surrounded himself with utterly useless individuals who said nothing when the dictator pursued voodoo economic policies and even when he committed such heinous crimes as Gukurahundi massacre.

At a national level Mugabe imposed the de facto one party dictatorship that stifle all debate and democratic competition driving away all quality men and women out of politics and hence the country’s political paralysis. There are no quality leaders in both the ruling party and the opposition.

As much as Nelson Chamisa would want to claim to be a democrat, his track record tells its own different story. By stopping party elections and congress you are not only keeping infiltrators stewing and roasting most important of all the citizens too!

Just as a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. So far there is nothing in CCC to suggest it is a citizens’ party, a people’s party. Nothing!     

Chamisa assures Junta their looting rights are safe - "Change Champion in Chief" will deliver zero changes N Garikai

 

Ignorance is a curse worse than death! The dead are not tormented by anything whereas the ignorant are forever blundering from pillar to post; excited, it does not take much to get this lot excited, one minute and disappointed the next as the consequences of their folly come home to roost.

Zimbabweans are an ignorant and easily excitable lot. The country’s worsening economic situation has shaken the nation like bee-hire everyone is desperate for change. Other than the broad-brush regime change and economic recovery, they have no clue what has to change much less how these changes will be brought about. None!

It is their ignorance, their lack of detail and in-depth knowledge, that is the Achilles’ heel. Ignorance has left them lose like fallen leaves, even the lightest of breezes will have them on the move going nowhere or swelling round and round.

Nelson Chamisa and his CCC has clearly captivated the Zimbabwe public’s imagination judging from the euphoric reception he is getting at his rallies. The public believe he is the very embodiment of the change the nation has been dying for these last 42 years! The cold reality is Chamisa is not offering the nation any changes, on the contrary, he is going out of his way to reassure the Zanu PF ruling elite, who are the ones holding the nation to ransom, that nothing will change.

“The CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has reassured the military that their jobs will be safe after winning the 2023 elections,” reported Zimeye.

“Addressing his party supporters in Gweru Sunday, Chamisa said all the top Junta would remain.

“Posted CCC on social media: 16/21 #MkobaRallyHighlights Change Champion in Chief @nelsonchamisa assured the military, police, CIO, prison officers & all civil servants (juniors &seniors) that their positions & welfare will be safe under his government as we usher in professionalism & constitutional order.”

It is no secret that top brass in the Army, Police and CIO are the beneficiaries of the wholesale looting of the Marange and Chiadzwa diamonds. The Zanu PF regime has granted these security services bosses mining concessions so they do not have to declare the quantity and quality of diamonds, to whom the diamonds are sold and for how much and who are the beneficiaries and how much they get. With no tracible record of earnings all those involved on have no corporate or person tax obligations. None! Of course, this is a licence to loot!

Zanu PF has since expanded the security services diamond looting licence to other areas. Other key players such as judges, senior civil servants and chiefs have been rewarded with generous salaries, farms, etc. These have all been down payments by Zanu PF ruling elite to buy the blind loyalty of the securocrats, judges, etc. in pushing the party’s agenda of making sure Zanu PF stays in power regardless of the democratic wishes of the populous.

Mismanagement and rampant corruption are the prices the nation is paying for the Zanu PF dictatorship.

What Chamisa is saying is he will leave untouched the costly, corrupt and wasteful social order that has helped Zanu PF retain its iron grip on power as long as those involved switched their blind loyalty to supporting him!

Of course, there will be no meaningful political change or economic recovery as long as nothing is done to end the mismanagement and corruption. This is stating the obvious but clearly the masses attending CCC rallies. These people heard what Chamisa said but hearing is one thing and comprehending is another, especially for one whose understanding of even the most basic ideas is superficial at best.

MDC/CCC will never deliver any meaningful change in Zimbabwe. The party had its golden opportunity to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and wasted it. Even since the GNU MDC/CCC leaders have given up on reforms, free elections and dismantling the Zanu PF dictatorship and, instead, accept the dictatorship as fait accompli.

To Nelson Chamisa and company Zanu PF ruling elite have the right to rig elections and to loot as they see fit. The opposition participate is these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy, first and foremost, and for whatever share of the spoils of power Zanu PF leaders decide to give away to entice the opposition to participate.  

Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess today because we have some of the most ignorant and naïve people on earth who have repeatedly ignored the reality before their own eyes in pursuit of a rosy but imaginary world. There was public euphoria in support of the November 2017 military coup, for example, although it was self-evident this would never deliver any meaningful change.

Today the same gullible public is embracing Nelson Chamisa as Change Champion in Chief and yet MDC/CCC has failed to deliver even one reform in 22 years and, to win the Zanu PF ruling elite’s support, is openly admitting will not seek any meaningful change. These people are seeing change where there is no change, a costly aberration common amongst those who understanding of the subject matter is superficial, at best.

There is no 'my vote is my secret'. "Death leaves no track record, voters do." - giving Zanu PF legitimacy is now treasonous P Guramatunhu

 “SaBuku pamberi, (Zanu PF) district chairman shure navanhu, councillor aripovo. Kwava kunovota.” (Village headman will be in front, (Zanu PF) district chairman behind with the people and the local councillor will be there too. People will then go and vote!) explained President Emmerson Mnangagwa is a leaked audio video. See facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=search&v=1050575252264830

“Tinoziva Polling Station imwe neimwe inemarisuti ayo. Tinoziva kuti paPolling Station vanhu vaabvepi, vapinda napapi. Rufu haruna zhira, a vota anezhira!” (We know the voters registered at each Polling Stations. We also know everyone who votes came from. Death does not leave a tracible track record, voters do!)

Zimbabweans have known that Zanu PF has reduced many voters, especially in the rural areas, into medieval serfs totally beholden to the Zanu PF leaders and their proxy village heads, chiefs, war veterans, etc. Frog marching people to attend Zanu PF rallies and then to vote for the party is just one of the many ways Zanu PF is rigging these elections.

In the watershed March 2008 elections Zanu PF was forced to implement many reforms making these elections the nearest the country had ever come to holding free, fair and credible elections. Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 73% of the votes in the presidential race, according to Robert Mugabe’s Freudian slip. Zanu PF stopped ZEC announcing the results. The results were finally announced after six weeks. Tsvangirai’s 73% had been whittled down to 47%, enough to force a run-off.

The run-off saw the worst cases of election related wanton violence. Zanu PF unleashed party youths and liberation war veterans, foot soldiers, to destroy property, harass, beat and rape the people; punishment for rejecting Zanu PF in the March vote. The heavy duty stuff of abducting and killing was carried out by Police, Army and CIO personal deployed in “Operation mavhotera papi” (whom did you vote for), as the party called it.

“What was won by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot!” thundered Robert Mugabe, cheering and applauding the wanton violence!

Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw from the race and Mugabe won the one-horse race with 84% of the vote.

SADC and the AU, who had always turned a blind eye to rigged Zimbabwe elections until then, joined the rest of the international community is condemning the 2008 elections for the blatant cheating and wanton violence. No one would recognise Zanu PF as the legitimate government forcing the party to sign the SADC proposed 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA).

Zanu PF agreed to the need for the country to implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the rule of law and stop a repeat of the blatant cheating and wanton violence in future elections. A Government of National Unity (GNU) comprising Zanu PF and the two MDC factions was formed and tasked to implement the reforms.

The GNU failed to implement even one token reform in five years of the GNU. 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.

The failure to implement even one reform in five years and thus waste this golden opportunity to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance constitutes one of the darkest chapter in Zimbabwe’s history. Worse still, we have clearly learned nothing from MDC leaders’ betrayal because we continue to trust they, blindly.

When SADC leaders realised that not even one meaningful reform was implemented, the advised Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends not to participate in the 2013 elections until reforms were implemented. “If you go into the elections next month, you will lose. The elections are done!” SADC leaders told MDC leaders to their faces at SADC summit in June 2013.

As we know, MDC leaders paid no heed to the SADC leaders’ warning. By participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders have given SADC leaders the excuse to once again turn a blind eye to Zanu PF rigging elections as one of the MDC leaders, David Coltart, confessed 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,” confessed Coltart, in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“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.”

It is nearly one decade since the June 2013 SADC summit and warning of the sheer folly of MDC participating in a flawed and illegal election process. Boycotting the election was the “obvious” thing to do back then; today high treason to continue participating in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the people’s suffering and deaths.

As we can see Zanu PF has become even more arrogant in its blatant cheating and use of violence to secure electoral victory. As long as the party knows that the opposition will participate, out of greed, and give the regime legitimacy Zanu PF will continue to blatantly frog marching the voters, denying 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote punishment for the western imposed sanctions, etc., etc.

Here are the three main reasons why continued participation in flawed elections cannot be justified:

1)     1) When the process is so flawed and illegal and participating produces no significant gain.

 

2)    2) When participating gives legitimacy to the flawed process and results and thus help perpetuate the tyrannical oppression, especially after 42 years and counting of Zanu PF rigging elections.

 

3)     3) When one is participating out of selfish gain and offering feeble excuses as cover. The argument that CCC must participate or else Mwonzora will and give Zanu legitimacy is nonsense because Zanu and Zapu boycotted Ian Smith’s 1978 internal settlement and denied him legitimacy although Muzorewa and others participated. Mwonzora is just the modern-day Muzorewa. Besides, one will not participate in flawed process out of principles regardless of what others are doing.

 

All the three conditions are true in Zimbabwe today. What is Nelson Chamisa and his CCC friends’ excuse for participating in these 2023 elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF is blatantly rigging these elections.

Why others will land man on Mars whilst we still "struggle to cross the street!" W Mukori

 

“And we (in Africa) are still struggling to cross the street!” was the spontaneous respond of “Mwalimu” (Teacher) Julius Kambarage Nyerere, then President of Tanzania, when he learnt the American had just successively landing a man on the moon in 1969.

In Zimbabwe, many of the streets, hospitals and other infrastructure we inherited from the white at independence in 1980 are full of potholes and other signs of rot and deny. We could not look after what we inherited much less build anything new and original.

In Harare, as with many other cities in the country, children celebrate whenever there is running water from the taps and electricity supply because having no running water and electricity is the norm. The country’s health care and education, especially in the rural areas, have all but completely collapsed after decades of being systematically starved of funds.

Zimbabwe’s economy has collapsed spending unemployment soaring to 90%. According to a recent World Bank report 50% of Zimbabweans now live in abject poverty.

Ironically it was the insightful President Nyerere himself who called Zimbabwe “the jewel of Africa” in 1980 because the country has everything going for it and had the economic potential to become the South Korea of Africa. He reportedly told Robert Mugabe, the Prime Minister of newly independent Zimbabwe, to look after the jewel. Poor Mwalimu, he was just wasting his breathe!

Mugabe blatantly denied the ordinary Zimbabweans a meaningful vote in the 1980 elections by threatening to continue the bush war if his party, Zanu PF, lost the elections. That was the first sign Zimbabwe would become a North Korea failed state not a South Korea economic powerhouse.

Many African countries have been in social and economic decline since independence and thus regard the colonial days as their golden age! This is the space age, for Pete’s sake! You would not think so to look at Africa.

So, why has Africa struggled to cross the street, as Mwalimu would put it?

Intellect!

If you give a man fish, you give him a meal. To sit back and expect others to provide is the default setting in that it requires no effort on the dependent’s side.   

A man of intellect would quickly realise if he is to be certain of his next meal, then he must learn to fish and not have to rely on the generosity of others. This is a quantum leap requiring both mental and physical effort on one’s part.

The real intellectual break through comes with the realisation that not everyone can be a good fisherman and/or fishing is not the only way to earn a living. One must have an open mind and willingness to learn and explore and specialise.

One has only to look at Robert Mugabe and the Zanu PF cronies around him to know, under that lot, Zimbabwe was doomed to be a failed state. These were all individuals with very little intellectual prowess and no respect of the rule of law. They masqueraded as freedom fighters and liberation heroes, indeed they still do to this day, but only to deny the people their freedoms and rights to become the next oppressors.

Mugabe and company did not have the common sense to rise above the dependant and so abused their position of power and authority to loot.

Within weeks of getting into power, Robert Mugabe replaced the ministerial Peugeot 405, standard issue in Ian Smith’s out going government, with E-class Mercedes Benz. The limos were not budgeted for, and this was not a cabinet decision either. It was a bold Mugabe statement “There is more where that came from! Stick with me!” It worked.

In all his 37 years in power, Mugabe pampered his cabinet and not even one cabinet member has even questioned any of his decision much less rebelled. Mugabe extended his political patronage to MPs, top civil servants, top brass in the security services, parastatals, etc., etc. with scant regard to merit, loyalty to him and his continued stay in power was the only he cared about.

Zimbabwe had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship, most notably during the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU). Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and they forgot about implement the reforms.

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the trappings of power, they will not rock the boat!) boasted one Zanu PF crony, himself a long time beneficiary of the political patronage system, when asked why MDC leaders not implementing the reforms.  

By roping in the top brass in civil service, security services and most recently in the opposition; Mugabe/Mnangagwa knew he could count on ZEC, judiciary, Army, Police, CIO and now the opposition to do whatever the party directed them to do to ensure Zanu PF remained in power at all costs. And so far, they have all cooperated; proof none of our judges, politicians them have any moral fibre, common sense or mental intellect.    

The political patronage system is the root cause of the mismanagement and corruption that destroyed the Zimbabwe economy.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!" the awe inspiring and uplifting words Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the Moon.

Human knowledge of space and technology has grown exponentially in the 50 years since the moon landing. The American has sent unmanned spacecrafts to explore all the planets in our solar system and built telescopes to look deep into space and in time to the birth of the universe. Back on earth scientists are split matter down to its constituent subatomic level and have use this knowledge to produce corona virus vaccines, for example, in record time.

Whilst most of the world has progressed in leaps and bounds, we in Africa have benefited from the advances mainly as consumers, otherwise have regressed. And as long as we retain this dependent mentality others will be landing on Mars, certain to happen before the end of this century, and we, in Africa, will still be struggling to cross the street!

In Zimbabwe we have spent the last 42 years trying to figure out what constitute free, fair and credible elections and have since given up. We are now trying to “win” rigged elections. Talk of someone having the intellect of a midget – well, what more can I say!

Chamisa welcomed "rotten apple" Khupe to "help unseat Zanu PF" - so the rot continues guaranteed P Guramatunhu

 

“Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday welcomed Thokozani Khupe saying the opposition party wanted to work with everyone to unseat Zanu-PF,” reported News Day.

"I know that people complain that Khupe caused a lot of problems for us but we say, Khupe come; and everybody else. The difference between CCC and Zanu-PF is that CCC represents the future and Zanu-PF the past," Chamisa said.

It was none other than Chamisa himself who called “bad apples” Madam Khupe and all those who had remained in the MDC-T after the March 2020 High Court ruling stripping of him the party leadership. “Thank you, Zanu PF, for helping us identify and get rid of bad apples!” He said when he launched CCC in January 2022, hardly three months ago!

So, three months later, Chamisa has already forgiven and/or forgotten Khupe was a bad apple! Either the accusation was frivolous, and one has to question the intellectual prowess of the accuser.

Or Khupe is indeed a bad apple and in his desperate bid to win power Chamisa is welcoming her back in CCC. MDC’s pathetic track record bespeaks of a party of corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent individuals, truck load of rotten apples. Both Khupe and Chamisa have been senior party leaders and have played their part is the said pathetic track record.

So, is it just a matter of Nelson Chamisa, rotten apple in his own right, welcoming back  fellow rotten apple, Dr Khupe!  

"Zanu-PF is a minority. The majority are the citizens. Why would you continue to vote for a party that has made you suffer since 1980? They stole the votes from Father Zimbabwe Joshua Nkomo in 1980…and all those other years and they want to come back again in 2023 to steal the votes,” continued Chamisa.

"This time it will not happen.

"CCC is a small baby and only 3 months old but fighting a big old man and we managed to beat him in the recent elections."

How naïve!

The overwhelming majority of the CCC candidates in the 26 March and 7 May 2022 by elections had won these seats in the 2018 elections under the MDC A led by Nelson Chamisa ticket. They were recalled for refusing to switch allegiance to either Madam Khupe or Douglas Mwonzora when 2020 High Court ruling stripping party leadership from Chamisa.

CCC is the rebranded version of MDC A and it is farcical to pretend otherwise! The only reason Chamisa and company are keen as mustard to severe all connections with their MDC past is because their don’t want their track record of failures and betrayal to follow them.   

MDC had many golden opportunities, especially during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, to implement the democratic reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging elections once and once for all. To add insult to injury, MDC/CCC has insisted on participating in these flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship.

“MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” Chamisa said, to justify participating in the 2018 elections with no reforms.

"This time it will not happen!” Of course, this is just another feeble excuse to justify participating in the 2023 elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy!   

There will be no meaningful economic and political changes in Zimbabwe as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by this corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging Zanu PF dictatorship.

Since the 2008 to 2013 GNU Zanu PF has twinged the dictatorship to allow the opposition to win a few seats to create the impression Zimbabwe is now a healthy multiparty democracy. MDC/CCC have participated in these flawed elections giving Zanu PF the legitimacy in return for a few gravy train seats.    

The Zanu PF and MDC/CCC political partnership is well established, there is no stopping the two participating in the 2023 elections. What we can do is make sure the process is seen by all for what it is, a flawed and illegal process, and condemned.   

Declaring the 2023 elections null and void will give Zimbabwe the golden opportunity to appoint an interim government, comparable to the 2008 to 2013 GNU. This time, competent men and women will be appointed to ensure all the democratic reforms are implemented.

Zanu PF has landed the nation in this hell-on-earth of a failed state. The corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders have helped Zanu PF remain in power by failing to implement the reforms. Rebranding the party as CCC has changed nothing as the participation in flawed elections shows.

The key out of this hell-hole is implementing the reforms. The worsening economic situation and the tragic human suffering and deaths underlines the critical importance and urgency of implementing the reforms. After 42 years of rigged elections it is insane to allow this madness to continue!

"Need pact and reforms to avoid another disputed elections" No, need to end CCC selling out and confusion galore N Garikai

One says this, another says that and a third says something else that is neither this nor that. Indeed, in Zimbabwe politics the same individual will say one thing now and say the exact opposite in the next breath. There is confusion galore and hence the reason the country is in a serious mess!

The people of Zimbabwe have risked everything to elect Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends into power to bring democratic changes, as the party’s name implied, and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Simple enough. Yeah, but not to MDC leaders, they have a knack for turning molehills into mountains so high no mortal can surmount!

Tsvangirai and company failed to implement even one meaningful reform in five years of the 2008 to 2013 GNU because of greed, yes; but most important of all because of ignorance and confusion. Most of the MDC leaders did not know what the democratic reforms were much less how they would be implemented.

Even today, with the benefit of hindsight, Chamisa and his cronies still have no clue what the democratic reforms are and how they should be implemented. Hence the reason why they talking of political dialogue to implement reforms with only a year and half before the 2023 elections.  

Last week Nelson Chamisa, leader of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) called for political dialogue “about reforms & the road to 2023 not a GNU”.

“As Zimbabweans, we must find each other to avoid a yet another disputed election and all it's undesired consequences. We need a Pre-Elections Pact on Reforms (PREPARE),” he argued.

So, the pact going to implement reforms or was it a pre-election agreement on the need to implement reforms after the elections? If the 2023 elections went ahead with no reforms implemented then how will the nation avoid the disputed results since Zanu PF will rig the plebiscite, as usually, which is the root cause of the disputations?

Nelson Chamisa and the party’s deputy spokesperson had another bite of the cherry to clarify the purpose of the proposed dialogue and pact.

"We need a national dialogue with political parties on the pre-election pact and electoral reforms so that we put an end to the past of contested elections.  We don't want violence in the next elections, and we don't need the abuse of State institutions at all," said Siziba, the deputy spokesperson.

Well, everything is now as clear as mud!

Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said there was need for Chamisa and Mnangagwa to engage in dialogue to end socio-economic problems bedevilling the country.

"The socio-economic and political challenges facing the country cannot be unlocked by political science. After every war, people engage in dialogue. Even after independence, we engaged in dialogue. Zimbabwe needs dialogue," chipped in Maxwell Saungweme, a political analyst.

Zimbabwe’s war of independence ended back in 1980 for Pete’s sake! Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections. The nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for the last 42 years because Zanu PF rigged elections.

The country had the golden opportunity during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform. Worse still, MDC leaders have participating in these flawed elections for the same selfish reasons they failed to implement reforms – greed and incompetence – only to give Zanu PF legitimacy.

So, MDC have failed to implement even one reforms all these years so they can have dialogue with Zanu PF? How absurd!

"Chamisa is not refusing to engage in dialogue, but he is refusing the terms of reference for the dialogue. He is simply saying that President Mnangagwa is part of the problem and cannot be part of the solution, and cannot be the convenor of the dialogue.  That is the major reason he is refusing to talk to Mnangagwa. If there is no dialogue, we are going to continue to see the same problems," argued another political analyst, Sydicks Muradzikwa.

News Day is supposed to play its part of informing the public and not brainwash them! Why does the paper keep digging up these dug political analysts!

Of course, both Mnangagwa and Chamisa are happy to see the 2023 elections go ahead without a single reform implemented. Zanu PF will rig elections secure the usual 2/3 majority and the presidency and secure political legitimacy, by virtue of CCC participating. Chamisa will win the 1/3 so gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait and the corresponding share of annual Political Party Finance Act budgetary allocation.

Chamisa will make a big song and dance about Zanu PF rigging the elections, to justify why he lost. He will renew his call for reforms; just paying lip service to the issue to plicate his naïve and gullible followers. He knows that MDC wasted its golden opportunity to implement reforms and has long since given up on reforms and free elections.

“We need national dialogue, pre-elections pact and reforms” Confusion galore, not even CCC know what they want. Fortunately for Chamisa and company the majority of Zimbabweans have no clue what is going on; a licence for the opposition continue to blunder and sell out and get away with it scot-free!