Povo should be fighting for reforms and free elections and not in rat race to win rigged elections W Mukori

 Deep down most Zimbabweans out there know that Zanu PF is rigging these elections and CCC’s claim of “winning big” is just hot air. They are fighting for a reason to justify why they are participating in these flawed elections, particularly they also know that by participating they are giving Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating their own suffering. 

Of course, they know it is insane to repeat the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. They have participated in these Zanu PF Mafiosi rigged elections for 43 years expecting Zanu PF to lose - they its another Zanu PF victory on 23 August 2023. They know they are shooting themselves in the foot by participating. What they are searching for now is some excuse for their insanity, for knowingly shooting themselves in the foot yet again!

“Boss we heard you since last year you have been posting the same thing, (Zanu PF is rigging these elections. CCC is participating to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. It is insane for povo to participate in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate their own suffering.) over and over again. Tave bhoo. (We are now fine.) Now tell us the solution. What must CCC do? What do you want us to do?” shot Nyuchi in my WhatsApp group.

Of course Nyuchi is not fine, if he was then he would not be asking what CCC and the people should do. And so I replied:

If you are asking what is the solution then you have heard the message but failed to understand it. If you had understood the message, you would KNOW not only what CCC must do but you and the rest of the masses out there must do!

Let me start by repeating the quotation from David Coltart’s book (it does contain the essence of Zimbabwe’s political paralysis today). 

“The (2013) 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,” confessed Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

There are five key points that you must focus on and understand:

1. that these 2023 elections just like the 2013 elections are “so flawed, so illegal” it is naive to think that Zanu PF can ever lose given the party has control of every aspect of the process. The only way to take away Zanu PF’s carte blanche powers is by implementing the democratic reforms. SADC begged MDC to implement reforms during the GNU and they were ignored. EU listed 23 reform recommendation in their 2018 final report and not even one reform has been implemented. Not one. So with not even a toke reform in place the “only logical step IS to withdraw”.

2. Worse still, both CCC and the people should not participate give the flawed process “credibility” and thus give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. 

3. Zanu PF was forced to go into the GNU in 2008 because the party had cheated and used wanton violence. What the party has learnt since then was that it can still cheat and use wanton violence and get away with it PROVIDED Zimbabwe’s opposition parties participate in the elections. So since the GNU Zanu PF has allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats to entice them to participate no matter how flawed and illegal the electoral process got. Mnangagwa has even added the POLAD freebies for losing presidential candidate who publicly endorse the rigged elections were free, fair and credible. 

4. So CCC and the rest in the opposition camp MUST NOT participate in these flawed elections for the two reasons in 1) and 2) above. They are participating out of greed, they cannot resist the bribe Zanu PF is offering in 3) above. Neither CCC, MDC, NCA, etc. can withdraw from this rat race “for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats,” confessed Coltart. It was the same reason - greed - that stopped MDC leaders from implementing even one token reform during the GNU. CCC are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections and it is foolish to expect them to do anything else.

5. The ordinary Zimbabweans should not participate in these elections for the two reasons in 1) and 2) above. Other than the generous bribes and looting opportunities paid to Zanu PF ruling elite, top brass in security services, judiciary and the chiefs and the crumbs and scraps thrown to low ranking security services war veterans and other minions doing the regime’s dirty work the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans get nothing from this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. Zimbabwe is a failed state and the masses are on the coal face of it all. It is insane for the masses out there to freely (many especially in the rural areas are coerced) participate in these flawed elections. Many are doing so freely because they have been conned into believing Chamisa’ s oxymoronic nonsense of having winning in rigged elections strategies even after 43 years of Zanu PF Mafiosi rigging elections. No wonder the country is a failed state, a naive and gullible electorate will never produce a competent government.

“Zanu PF is not as invisible as you think. Change is coming. We are not going to give up our constitutional right to vote and will go down fighting!” fired Nyuchi.

Both CCC and Zanu PF have one thing in common, they don’t care whether the elections are free, fair and credible as long as they win. Indeed, they really do not see what all the farce on rule of law; constitution; free, fair and credible elections; implementing reforms; etc.; etc.; are all about. 

Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies signed the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement agreeing to rules to ensure free, fair and credible elections. By the time they landed back in Zimbabwe the party had hatched a plan to deny the people a free vote. The party let it be known that if it lost the elections the bush war would continue and, contrary, to the Lancaster House Agreement, the party did not withdraw all its cadres from the field and they were used to reinforce it campaign message. It’s “One man, one vote!” promise to the people was thrown out of the window. 

MDC/CCC leaders failed to implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU because they believed they could win rigged elections. Chamisa and company have ignore the 2018 EU Observer Mission’s 23 reform recommendations for the same reason. 

“We have to be ready, prepared to win elections under the most adverse of conditions, to be able to overwhelm, overpower, overrun Zanu PF even without electoral reforms,” Professor Welshman Ncube one of the there CCC Vice Presidents to Daily News last year. 

When Mnangagwa stage the November 2017 military coup he expected to be embraced by the whole world as a democrat even after he went on to blatantly rig the 2018 elections. He still proclaimed “Zimbabwe is open for business!” and was disappointed the flood of foreign and local investor he expected to answer the call did not materialise. 

Zimbabwe is now a byword for a failed state in which mismanagement, corruption and lawlessness are rampant, the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is one key indicator of lawlessness. Who would want to do business in such a failed and chaotic nation, certainly not the shrewd, savvy and honest foreign investors. 

It is interesting to note that Nelson Chamisa expects the international community to accept these elections to be ruled free, fair and credible, regardless of the mountain of evidence to the contrary, if he was declared the winner. He too will expect the investors to flood in! Again there would be no such flood because they know a regime change will not guarantee the end of lawlessness especially when the new regime too has no respect for rule of law. 

How can anyone help Zimbabwe end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance when the people who should be fighting for the implementation of the necessary reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections are not interested in reforms because they believe they can have change without the reforms. There is no good governance without rule of law. 

Yes Nyuchi go ahead, fight on. You should be fighting for reforms and free elections but you are insisting on having the elections without reforms because you believe in Chamisa’s Winning In Rigged Elections strategies. Don’t even dare to complain on 24 August that Zanu PF rigged the elections!