If we in Zimbabwe are serious about digging ourselves out of the
economic and political hell-on-earth we are in, then we must start by paying
attention to detail on why we got into this mess. If we know and understand why
we got into this mess; knowing and understanding how to get out, will be that
much easier.
Detail matters. Indeed, detail is everything!
"I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as president of the
republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and will obey, uphold and
defend the constitution of Zimbabwe." This is the oath of office which
President Mnangagwa was obliged by law to take.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, is a universal
maxim.
The nation untrusts a lot of power and authority in the man/woman
holding the office of state president. The oath is he/her promising they will exercise
the state presidential powers for the good of the nation and never ever abuse
it.
The temptation to use the state
power for Caesar’s glory and not the good of Rome is the stuff of history. And those
who do not learn from history and their own past are destined to repeat the
same mistakes over and over again and pay dearly with each pass.
The root cause why Zimbabwe is in this economic and political hell-hole
is because Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, has repeatedly violated his
oath of office to further his selfish interests at the expense of the national
good. Zimbabwe is in economic ruins not only because of Zanu PF misrule but,
more significantly, because the nation has been stuck with the corrupt and
incompetent regime foe 43 years and counting.
Zimbabweans have failed to remove Zanu PF from power long after the
people realised the party was corrupt and incompetent because Mnangagwa/Mugabe
abused the state presidential powers to deny the people their fundamental right
to a meaningful vote, to rig elections, and thus extend the regime’s stay in
power.
Free, fair and credible elections are more than just another UN Human
Right Declaration nicety; they are the alpha and omega of peace, justice,
prosperity and good governance. Zimbabwe got into this man-made hell because
for the last 43 years we have failed to hold free and fair elections.
If we are serious about getting out of this hell-hole, we must hold free
and fair elections. But to do that we must first understanding that it is Zanu
PF that has stopped us holding free and fair elections. We must know and
understand the regime that has held the nation to ransom these last four
decades.
“The ‘new’ regime can be viewed from different angles, but the nub of it
is this: there’s a recognition that the economic fiasco of the last 20 years
was suboptimal, but Emmerson Mnangagwa and his fellow travellers will burn the
house down if they feel it necessary. Make no mistake, their will to power is
every bit as intense as Mugabe’s—as is their belief that they own the country’s
choicest fruits by right of conquest,” wrote Stuart Doran in The Strategist.
“There’s no comprehending Zimbabwe without an appreciation of that
mentality. Yet many fail to get it because they don’t read the country’s
history. In 1979, at the height of the struggle against white rule, a diplomat
who mixed frequently with Mugabe and other leaders of his party observed that
‘ZANU does not seem to attach much importance to the destruction caused by
prolonged war’. They said they were content to see Zimbabwe ‘totally’
demolished if that was the price to be paid for preventing others from ruling
it. That attitude has not changed an iota, notwithstanding the passage of 40
years and Mugabe’s departure. After all, the men who now rule wielded his
hatchets for most of that period.”
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections, just as the party has rigged past
elections. Last week ZEC acknowledged the commission had failed to produce a
verified voters’ roll, a must-have for free and fair election, but elections
will go ahead regardless.
Another rigged elections will help Mnangagwa and Zanu PF stay in power,
the glory of Caesar, but at the expense of the good governance and the good of
Zimbabwe. This is the very thing the presidential oath of office is supposed to
stop!
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections in advance and we, the people,
must condemn the process in advance. Zanu PF must be denied legitimacy fo
rigging 2023 election in fragrant violation of Mnangagwa’s oath of office to uphold
the constitution and the good of the nation.
Mnangagwa must be held to account for failing to uphold his oath of
office by failing to ensure 2023 elections are free, fair and credible and thus
deliver good governance for the benefit of the commonwealth. If he is unfit to
hold the office of the presidency now, how can he be fit to do so post 2023
elections!
It has been a tough and arduous task hammering the message Zanu PF is rigging 2023 elections and CCC are participating to give Zanu PF legitimacy in return to the few gravy train seats. At long last, a few are finally getting the message!
ReplyDeleteThey are admitting the flag ship “winning in rigged elections (wire)” strategy of mass voter registration was just hot air. CCC registered only ¼ million as of 30 May 2022 or 4% of its own target of 6 million. And yet Chamisa continue to insist in participating in the flawed elections claiming “we will win big. God is in it!” just to cover up the real reason – greed.
THE land on which Zimbabwe’s new US$140 million parliament and the planned US$60 billion ultra-modern Cyber City in Mt Hampden on the outskirts of the capital, Harare, are situated is owned by leading agro-based conglomerate CFI Holdings Limited, listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE).
ReplyDeleteOWEN GAGARE
The vast piece of land — measuring 800 hectares — is located between Old Mazowe Road (now Mao Zedong Road) and Bindura Road, from the foot of the hill where parliament is built, sprawling northwards and in a north-easterly direction.
The state-of-the-art mixed-use hi-tech park cybercity will be built on that CFI space. The Chinese-built Parliament Building is located on a 50 000-square metres piece of land in Mt Mount Hampden, which is in Mashonaland West Province in terms of administrative boundaries, about 25 kilometres northeast of Harare — largest city in the country with over two million people.
This nothing wrong with development if it is for the good of society. In Zimbabwe the rich are filthy rich and at the expense of the poor condemned to live in abject poverty. This project is for the benefit of the filthy rich with all the power and influence.
The gap between the country’s rich and poor has opened into a yawning chasm. This is socially, economically and politically unhealthy and unsustainable. The ruling elite cannot expect to live Holywood film star lifestyles whilst millions, a stone throw away, are forced to live without food, hope and dreams!
The number one priority for Zimbabwe should be end the wholesale looting, most of the beneficiaries of this suburb for super rich are the looters and use the wealth to improve the lives of the poor.
A Referendum?
ReplyDeleteThere have been suggestions that a referendum should be held as to whether this year’s general election should be postponed until conditions are more favourable for the holding of free and fair elections. Certainly, conditions at present are not very auspicious: political violence is increasing, and ZEC’s failure to conduct a delimitation in accordance with the Constitution does not inspire confidence in its ability to conduct a general election. On the other hand, there are several objections to the proposal:
· The Constitution does not envisage the holding of such a referendum.
· There is no provision in the Constitution for elections to be postponed beyond the five-year life of Parliament, so any postponement would necessitate a constitutional amendment.
· Time is now so short that it would be impossible to hold a referendum before the elections are due. What if a majority of voters rejected the proposal, and decided that elections should go ahead? It would probably be too late to give effect to their decision.
The issue of a verified voters’ roll has been on the national agenda since the 2018 elections. Team Pachedu has produced damning reports of the errors, amendments, etc. in copies of the voters’ roll they found. The very fact that ZEC has failed to produce a verified voters’ roll on which their delimitation report was based makes the later meaningless.
If a murder victim had his brains blown out and this has been established one does not ask if the victim was still breathing, had a heartbeat, etc. Why Veritas is therefore ignoring the lack of verified voters’ roll as if the elections process can still be free, fair and credible beggars belief.
If this present regime has failed to deliver free and fair elections, as did the government in the 2008 elections, any outsider, SADC last time but some other body such as the UN, must be invited to preside over the transitional arrangement until fresh elections can be held.
The idea that those who are responsible for letting the nation down by failing to carryout their constitutional duty of holding free and fair elections should be rewarded in any way by allowing them to remain in power is preposterous! It will set a bad precedence!
Zimbabwe’s repression of civil society organizations needs to stop, especially in light of the general election this year,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government needs to stop using the Private Voluntary Organization Act as a tool to silence the exercise of fundamental democratic rights.”
ReplyDeleteThe Private Voluntary Organization Act is incompatible with international human rights law standards on freedom of association to which Zimbabwe is a party, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Paul Mavhima, the labour and social welfare minister, said that registration was withdrawn from some groups because they allegedly failed to submit audited accounts for money raised from donors, while in other cases the revocation was for national security reasons, or for allegedly straying from their mandate.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and it has amassed many tools and strategies to get the job done. The 2008 elections caught the regime by surprise and it was forced to reveal the full extend of its vote rigging arsenal.
SADC leaders were right in tasking the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF vote rigging juggernaut. It is a great pity that not even one reform was implemented in five years. Mugabe bribe the corrupt and incompetent Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and the rest is history.
Worst of all, MDC/CCC have participated in these flawed elections out of greed giving Zanu PF legitimacy. They have told their simpleton followers they have winning in rigged elections strategies, all hot air, to hide their greed.
Zimbabwe will never ever have free, fair and credible elections without first implementing the democratic reforms to take away the regime’s vast carte blanche powers.
Zanu PF has passed this VO bill knowing it will be an afront to freedom of association, useful tool in rigging the elections. The regime also knew it will get away with it because MDC/CCC will participate in the elections regardless giving the regime legitimacy.
It is ironic that MDC/CCC are now the biggest impediment to democratic change; the people have risked life and limb to elect them into power on the ticket they will deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for!
@ Moyo
ReplyDelete“You don’t even know what it is yourself. No one else does anyway. It’s of no use to Africa. It has brought more poverty and unnecessary strive. We don’t need it at all.”
Whatever system of government we have in Zimbabwe, it is NOT democracy. It is therefore idiotic to blame democracy for the poverty and strive!
You admit that you don't know what democracy is but are quick to blame it for Zimbabwe's problems. But then, this is to be expected from you, you are quick to judge on matters you have no clue what you are talking about!
The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that it is people like yourself Moyo who wrestled power from the whites and have ruled the country with the disastrous consequences we see today. You blame democracy, the West, anyone else but yourselves.
Madhuku and company are attention seekers and they are fighting for relevance. Ignore them!
ReplyDeleteZEC voter registration blitz coming soon be prepared to ÷1) Register to vote for change in order to help build a new great Zimbabwe 2) Voter inspection to correct any mistakes in the voter roll.
ReplyDeleteHow do you there has been a mistake in the voters' roll when ZEC has stubbornly refused to produce the roll?
In the past these last-minute voter registration blitz have worked for Zanu PF especially when the regime knows they will be no voters’ roll verification.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and Nelson Chamisa are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections because they are after the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is offering as bait. They are keeping up the pretence they are going to win big regardless of the rigging just to hide the real reason they are participating – greed.
The morning after voting day, CCC will claim Zanu PF rigged the elections, as if they are now suddenly aware there was that possibility! It is a great pity that the people of Zimbabwe have been so naïve and, well, down right stupid to be conned into participating in flawed elections expecting a different result, even after 43 years of rigged elections. Of course, it is insane!
The army does not have the political power some people say it has! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8vnYWQYTPs
ReplyDelete@ Chitando
ReplyDelete"The army will never stop CCC President Nelson Chamisa to take over power if he wins this election. Those who cheat themselves that the army will stop power transfer which they also desperately need is naive. Regime change is an agenda in every sector of the society. The army is pinning hope on their newly slogan "DEFEND THE INDEPENDENCE THROUGH THE BARREL OF BALLPOINT PEN." Therefore it means the army knows voter registration is keep for power transfer nor the GUN" Jeffryson Chitando. Patriotic Papa JC speaks when things are not good for Citizens who want better change in Zimbabwe.”
Zanu PF is rigging these elections and you are lying that CCC’s mass voter registration strategy is going to overwhelm the rigging. You are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections out of greed and don’t care that your participation will give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the dictatorship.
Is it not bad enough that MDC/CCC sold out by failing to implement even one reform in 23 years and now you lot are compound your treason by giving Zanu PF legitimacy. The whole nation is suffering and many will die unnecessarily because of your betrayal and greed. How I wish men and women like you had never been born!
There is no denying that SA under the successive ANC governments has dragged the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss. One positive for SA is that as long as the nation remains a democracy, holding free, fair and credible elections, they can remove corrupt and incompetent leaders. The same could not be said about Zimbabwe and hence the reason we are now up to our eyes sinking into the cesspit!
ReplyDeleteDuring their party congress last year ANC made a resolution “not to allow regime change in Zimbabwe”. We all know we have been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship precisely because Zanu PF rigged elections. The very essence of free and fair elections is that the electorate hold those in power to account and, if they should so decide, remove them from office. And therefore the very notion of no regime change is an abomination making a complete mockery of democratic elections.
What right does ANC have not just interfering in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs but undermining the rule of law and the democratic will of the people of Zimbabwe. SA has successful held free and fair elections since the country’s independence in 1994 and yet is interfering to stop Zimbabwe having its first ever free, fair and credible elections. How mean is that!
The truth is ANC is preparing to impose a de facto one-party dictatorship in SA to stop the party being removed from office and is teaming up with Zanu PF, sing Zimbabwe as the template. ANC is hell bent on granting vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy in these 2023 elections and we must stop this!
@ Godfrey
ReplyDelete“I think Chamisa is being tactical - he’s being wise here - alerting the international community that he’s going to participate under protest.
There is no international support guarantee after boycott.”
CCC is participating out of greed just as they failed to implement even one reform during the GNU - out of greed.
“MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why they were there!” one SADC diplomat told The Zimbabwe Independent soon after the rigged elections of 2013.
MDC/CCC leaders have down played their blatant betrayal in failing to implement even one reform in 23 years, indeed some even pretend they did nothing wrong. They have largely got away with it because most of the MDC wildebeest herd has no clue what the reforms are about much less how they were to be implemented. How can the herd hold the leaders to account over matters they (herd) has no clue!
The common mistake the wildebeest herd is making is to assume SADC and the international community is just as naïve and stupid as them.
If we are serious about getting SADC to stop rubber stamping rigged Zanu PF elections granting the regime legitimacy then we must show SADC and the international community that there are some Zimbabweans common sense to admit MDC sold out on reforms and to see the sheer futility of participating in flawed elections!
Higher Life Foundation (HLF), a non-governmental organisation founded by telecommunication mogul, Strive Masiiwa and his wife has embarked on a 90 days of prayer for Zimbabwe’s elections.
ReplyDeleteThe programme is being done jointly with Global Intercessors, a Christian organisation.
God does not do for man, what man can do for himself!
If we want development, then we must have good governance and that means free and fair elections. Zanu PF is rigging these elections, the regime has failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll for Pete's sake!
So instead of demanding reforms and free elections, we are being asked to pray! Pray for what exactly? Pray that God implement the reforms for us or pray for Him to do the thinking for us because we are too lazy to think for ourselves?
@ Muzembe
ReplyDeleteNow that they sold out what’s the way forward my brother. The elephant is still in the room. What do you suggest is the way forward?
CCC are participating in these flawed elections out of greed and they are pretending they have winning in rigged elections strategies to hide their greed and con you into participating. By participating you will give Zanu PF legitimacy.
Of course, it is insane to keep participating expecting a different result especially after 43 years of rigged elections.
The way forward is obviously to stop the insanity of participating in an election process so flawed getting 73% was not good enough to win. SADC, EU, the Americans, etc. are on record advising MDC/CCC not to participate in the flawed elections without reforms.
It is not that Zimbabweans do know the way out of this mess, they do. What has been lacking is the common sense and the political will to do it! We are too lazy to think and must and are suffering and dying for our sins!
A Zanu-PF-affiliated organisation, Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), has deployed tens of its members in Masvingo province to collect personal voter information from each rural household, raising fears of violence and intimidation.
ReplyDeleteFAZ is a registered private voluntary organisation, whose mandate on registration was to help the needy. The organisation has been working closely with members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
The organisation was formed as a counter to civil society organisations (CSOs) which fight for the human rights of Zimbabweans, the same CSOs whose operations are now being targeted by the introduction of the dreaded PVO Amendment Bill.
Zaka Rural District councillor for Ward 19 (Citizens' Coalition for Change) Peter Imbayarwo told The NewsHawks that members of FAZ are moving from village to village in the district asking people about their voter information. He said if villagers refuse, they are threatened with unspecified action.
There are so many stories to prove Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections. What is interesting is CCC and the rest in the opposition camp are totally indifferent to the mountain of evidence the elections are flawed. They know that Zanu PF is giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate for the sake of political legitimacy. It was the similar bribes during the GNU that stopped Morgan Tsvangirai and company implementing even one reform in five years.
The challenge is for the ordinary Zimbabweans to open their eyes and see for themselves that MDC/CCC have given up on reforms and free elections and have settled down giving Zanu PF legitimacy regardless how flawed the elections get in return for a share of the spoils of power. The penny has been slow in dropping even after 43 years of rigged elections!
ReplyDeletePresident Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has started restricting operations of non-governmental organisations ahead of this year's elections as fears continue to grow that it will use amendments to the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Act to close the democratic space.
The PVO Amendment Bill was passed by the National Assembly last year despite heavy criticism by opposition legislators and it is now before the Senate.
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum executive director Musa Kika said the operating environment for NGO has of late increasingly become difficult with the government demanding a memorandum of understanding (Mou) for NGOs to access certain districts.
"The issue of MOUs in particular, is illegal; no NGO is required to have an MOU for it to access a particular district.," Kika said.
"We have received several reports from NGOs operating in different parts of the country..
Let me say it again, Zanu PF is rigging these 2023 elections and the party has so, so many ways of rigging the election, it really is naïve for anyone to argue these will be free, fair and credible elections. What is shocking, to outsiders, is CCC and the rest in the opposition camp’s indifference to the mountain of evidence Zanu PF is rigging these elections. All those familiar with Zimbabwe politics are not at all shocked by CCC’s indifference to the certainly of yet another rigged election.
Chamisa and company know that Zanu PF is giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition participate in the elections no matter how flawed the process got. Zanu PF has failed to govern and decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical rule has reduced the country into a failed state whose economy is in total ruins. The party will never win free elections and so has resorted to worse and worse ruthless measures to retain power. And so far has managed to get away with rigged elections by making sure the opposition participated in the elections no matter how flawed the process got to maintain the illusion Zimbabwe is a healthy multiparty democracy. Zanu PF has given away the few gravy train seats to entice the opposition – a small price to pay for legitimacy.
The people have been slow to awake to the reality MDC/CCC sold out by failing to implement reforms and is selling out by participating in flawed elections. They need to be roused out of their slumber!
@ Muzembe
ReplyDelete“So, you are saying they must boycott and leave Zanu PF to rule us without voicing. Are you aware prior to 2000 that was the status quo what did we achieve as a nation. In my opinion the state resources will be looted at a grand scale once we have that scenario. Zimbabwe will be like mini Russia that is what ED want. We would rather fight to have a voice.”
Elections are contest governed by rules, if one side, Zanu PF, is not playing by the rules then the other side, the people, has no choice but to stop playing especially when all they are doing by participating is give the flawed process legitimacy. The corollary is equally true, the side breaking the rules will only be encouraged to break the rules if it is certain there will be no consequences for doing so.
The situation in Zimbabwe is a bit more complex because we also have a third party, the opposition, who are ostensibly fighting on the people’s corner but have in fact stopped doing so during the GNU.
The people risked life and limb to elect MDC/CCC on the understanding once in power they would implement the democratic reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. Zanu PF bribed MDC to make sure the forgot about implementing the reforms and since the GNU to make sure they participated in the flawed elections.
Some people have refused to accept that MDC/CCC have sold out; that will not change the reality nor stop people like me speaking the truth! Zanu PF is rigging these elections, CCC are participating to give Zanu PF legitimacy in the elections out of greed and CCC supporters are participating to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of stupidity.
@ Richie
ReplyDelete“Wilbert, is there need for you to call others names just because they have different opinions to yours. I think there is no need to be emotive over other who have different viewpoints. Let’s be mature and learn to respect divergent views.”
The consequences of our failure to hold free elections are real and so why should I call the foolishness of participating to perpetuate the dictatorship anything else other than the truth and reality and not a mere opinion.
When Albert Einstein, for example, said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result; was he being emotive or saying the truth as he saw it?
I have called the people doing the same thing, participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for 43 years and counting “shallow, thick and slow”. What is the difference?
The madness of participating in flawed elections must be stopped and to it requires looking the tyrants in the eyes and telling them they are tyrants, looking sell outs in the eyes and telling them they are sell outs and looking VIs in the eyes and them they are village idiots! And tell them why they are tyrants, sell outs, etc.
If anyone out there thinks I am the village idiot, they free to say me to my face. I will challenge them to say why or dismiss their comment with the contempt it rightly deserves.
I will be damned if Zimbabwe is going to continue in this idiotic path of rigged elections and bad governance all because we have failed to call a spade a spade to message each other’s misplace egos! I am not obsessed with syntax, etc. either!
Chamisa and company are sell outs, it is a historic fact and not an opinion! Who will dare anyone to prove me wrong!
@ Richie
ReplyDelete“Is it enough for you to just be saying all this on social media. Why don’t u take that giant step and go to Zim and form an civic movement organisation (or go the Mawarire way) that will tell pple not go to vote. Talking in the comfort of your house in some first world country is not good enough and won’t change anything. Kungoita ruzha chete.”
That is certainly your opinion and you are welcome to it. Given MDC, CCC, etc. are political parties who have not only achieved fcuk-off but worse still are sell outs; there is very little to recommend forming a political party as a solution. You can go ahead and form your own party or join one of the 130 existing parties.
I have said participating in these flawed elections is a foolish idea and I don’t need a political party to say it. And so I will say it, from the comfort of my home. I don’t really care whether you like it or not. I don’t ask you where you live, it is none of my business.
What I will never tire of telling you is participating in these flawed elections or encouraging others to do so is foolishness personified! If you don’t like to hear the truth then get out of the political kitchen!