Voters' roll is in a mess, admit Zanu PF - will SADC still stamp 2023 "Substantially free" regardless W Mukori

 One thing can be said about Zimbabwe’s political leaders; they are breathtakingly incompetent, and, in their blundering, have knack for shooting themselves in the foot!

When the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends failed to implement even one meaningful democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; that was mass political suicide, the preserve of cult groups. MDC lost direction and political credibility there and then and have never recovered.

Mnangagwa has just shot himself in the foot as before the start of the 2023 harmonised elections! He has just admitted that the voters roll is in a mess and needs serious scrutiny and audit for it to be credible.

"We received a report of manipulated voters rolls from different people. As such, the department conducted a mini-audit of the voters roll for Harare West. The department unearthed several anomalies, including multiple registrants on a single house and non-existent addresses,” stated the Zanu PF Central Committee report tabled at the just ended Zanu PF 7^th National People’s Congress.

"However, the time of objecting had elapsed, so we resolved to conduct a national voters roll audit, particularly in towns and cities ahead of 2023 elections."

It is no secret that ZEC, the body tasked to produce the voters roll and conduct the elections, is a department of Zanu PF in all but name. Yes, there are glaring irregularities and downright illegalities in the voters’ roll but, dig deeper, and one will find these were brought in at the behest of Zanu PF officials and with the connivance of ZEC officials who turned a blind eye.

In his Book, “The Struggle Continues 50 Years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe”, David Coltart gave a detailed account how ZEC, in 2013, made it very difficult for people in opposition strong hold to register whereas in Zanu PF strong hold the bar was not just lowered, it was removed! Zanu PF bused in its supporters from as far afield as Rusape, 100s km, to vote in Mount Pleasant as video evidence showed!

It is a historic fact that ZEC has never ever produced a verified voters’ roll in post-independence Zimbabwe and for very a very good reason too, at least as far as Zanu PF is concerned; the voters’ roll is one of the key tools in Zanu PF’s vote rigging juggernaut and producing a verified voters’ roll will give away the concrete evidence of how the party rigged the elections.

So, it really beggars belief that Zanu PF has let the cat out of the bag that the voters’ roll is in a mess. I will bet my bottom dollar the party has already set up a high-powered committee tasked to get the cat back in the bag.

However, such is the damage done by the admission nothing short of releasing the whole voters’ roll for verification yesterday, now is already too late; will change the reality that Zanu PF is using the messy voters’ roll to rig the 2023 elections.

Even SADC election observers, who endorse the 2018 rigged elections as “substantially free and fair” will have no choice but to condemn the 2023 elections as a farce. How can the elections be “substantially free and fair” when, by the regime’s own admission, the voters’ roll is in a mess?  

"Zanu-PF's admission vindicates our long held narrative that we have a problem with Zec, and one of the issues that must be resolved before the 2023 elections is the voters roll. We have proffered what Zec must do in order to conduct a credible election, and it is not imaginary, but is within the confines of the law," commented Gift Siziba, CCC deputy spokesperson.

One can always count on CCC leaders to jump in and talk with a foot in their mouth! So, CCC readily admits that the party has known that Zanu PF was rigging elections and yet has participated in these flawed elections even when ZEC had failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll!

Lest people forget, MDC (now rebranded as CCC) failed to implement even one democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU which, implemented, would have severed the umbilical cords giving Zanu PF undemocratic control over ZEC and all the other state institutions.

Yes, Mnangagwa shot himself in the foot by admitting the voters’ roll is in shambles; but we can be certain that ZEC will never ever release the roll for verification, that would be tantamount to Mnangagwa shooting himself in the head, particularly when he knows the opposition will participate and give him legitimacy. He is dumb but not that dumb.

Chamisa and company know that Zanu PF is using the messy voters’ roll as one of the ways to rig these elections. They also know that Zanu PF is giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate in the flawed elections; they have found the bribe irresistible and Mnangagwa knows that too.

The real losers here are the ordinary Zimbabweans, the country is in this economic and political mess precisely because the country has failed to hold free and fair elections. The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders on the understanding the party would implement the democratic changes and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.

It has not even occurred to many Zimbabweans that MDC has failed to implement even one reform in 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU. And they are participating in these flawed elections because the believe the nonsense CCC can win rigged elections.

So, the nation started by risking all to have reforms and free elections is now risking all to win rigged elections? MDC not only betrayed the people by selling out on reforms but, worse still, has conned them to they can win rigged elections even ones so flawed there is verified voters’ roll!

As a rule, nations get the government they deserve. We, in Zimbabwe, certainly deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the coterie of equally corrupt and useless opposition parties. If the people do not appreciate the need for something as basic as a verified voters’ roll for free elections, then we are not ready for democratic government nor deserve one!