Only three or so SADC heads of State and Government out of a possible 15 attended Mnangagwa’s inauguration. There were heads of State and Government from the rest of Africa or further afield. For one very good reason - it is widely accepted that Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections were flawed and illegal, so much so the process could not produce a legitimate winner.
There is nothing new in Zimbabwe’s elections being condemned, one would argue. The EU, Americans, Commonwealth and most other western election observers condemned Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections, for example. Well these 2023 elections were different in that Zimbabwe’s regional and continental bodies, SADC and AU, known for rubber stamping Zanu PF’s rigged elections in the past; led from the front in condemning the 23 August 2023 elections.
A select group of SADC Panel of Elders were invited to come to Zimbabwe last week to meet with the SADC Election Observer Mission (SEOM), minus the mission’s head, Dr Nevers Mumba from Zambia. The purpose of the Elders was to sweet talk SEOM into watering down their damning report so the process can produce a legitimate result.
After a week of quiet diplomacy the SADC Panel of Elders left Zimbabwe without saying anything. SEOM’s damning report stood!
So proclamation of Emmerson Mnangagwa as President of Zimbabwe was null and void since the 23 August 2023 election process was declared so flawed and illegal it could not produce a legitimate result. The 4 September swearing in ceremony was illegal and in defiance of SADC and AU’s pronouncement on the matter.
Whilst many SADC, AU and other nations shied away from the Mnangagwa swearing in ceremony the one country that did not shy away was SA. President Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and many other ANC government/party officials were there. When the history of the last few months is final known and written it will be no surprise to know that ANC played a major role in trying to get the SEOM report censured to secure Zanu PF legitimacy.
SA’s ANC led government has emerged as Zanu PF regime’s staunchest supporters, particularly in the last two or three years. Last year in November the party resolved that it would not allow regime change in Zimbabwe, an outrageous resolution since this is ordinarily the exclusive right of the Zimbabwe electorate in a free, fair and credible elections.
Of course, President Ramaphosa and his ANC colleagues were aware that with not even one token democratic reform implemented since the rigged 2018 elections it was certain Zanu PF would once again rig the 2023 elections. The message from ANC to Zanu was clear enough, “You go ahead and rig the 2023 elections and we will see to it that Zanu PF is granted political legitimacy!”
There is no doubt that ANC government was shocked and disappointed by both the AU and SADC’s damning reports of Zimbabwe’s elections. But why is this ANC government bending over backwards to keep Zanu PF in power?
After all SA did play a major role in forcing Zanu PF to accept the 2008 GNU after both SADC and AU had condemned that year’s elections process just as they have done again this year. What has changed?
Put simply, ANC is fighting to stop regime change in Zimbabwe for selfish reasons.
After 30 years of ANC rule, South Africa is well on its way to becoming just another failed African state. Zimbabwe’s status as a failed state is well established and confirmed, after decades of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. And the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and political paralysis in the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections; the nation has been stuck with the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF for 43 years.
The ANC government knows the cure to Zimbabwe’s failed state is for the country to break the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. The SEOM damning report has denied Zanu PF political legitimacy is giving Zimbabwe a second chance to get the democratic reforms necessary to end the vote rigging finally implemented. President Ramaphosa know all this but are standing in the way by imposing the Zanu PF regime on Zimbabwe for purely selfish reasons.
ANC is worried that if the people of Zimbabwe are able to finally booted Zanu PF out of office because the 23 August elections were free and fair or by denying Zanu PF legitimacy because the party rigged the elections; this would encourage South Africans to seek regime change too in that country’s next year, 2024, elections. The temptation to seek regime change would be overwhelm if Zimbabwe’s economy was to register any signs of economic recovery - the very thing SA would want to stop their own 30 years slide in become another failed state.
Many South Africans have become increasingly aware of the sinister role ANC has been playing in propping up Zanu PF to the economic detriment of Zimbabwe, South Africa and the whole SADC regime. South African will soon know that ANC attended Mnangagwa’s inauguration prop up the illegitimate regime and in defiance of SADC and the AU. Zimbabweans will see to it that are aware of these facts especially when they vote in next year’s elections.
This Mnangagwa regime is illegitimate and both SADC and the AU must not relent on this. If Zanu PF was to be deprived of the political backing of ANC government because the party was booted out of office, this Zanu PF regime will collapse if it should last that long!
@ J Chitando
ReplyDelete“SADC is wrong. AU is wrong. Eu is wrong. Only ZanuPF is right. This mentality will crush the economy. We have no friends just because we prioritize power more than the people. ZanuPF is a true terrorist organization which doesn't believe in human life but power. Election is a 5 year constitutional formality but the winner is determined before you cast the vote.!!”
Well, well, well! Look who is now finally admitting the Zanu PF rigs elections! J Chitando, the idiot who was hell bent on participating in the 23 August elections insisting CCC will win big because the party had winning in rigged elections strategies. You had your beady eyes on one of the senator seats in Masvingo Province.
Zanu PF did rig the elections will 23 out of the 26 seats. You will be very lucky to get the one of the CCC senator seats and hence the reason you are bitter.
Just remember you were in the GNU that failed to implement even one reform in five years because you lot are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless.
Now that SADC and AU have condemned these flawed elections I hope you CCC idiots are not going to undermine AU and SADC by taking your parliamentary seats in this illegitimate regime!
@ Chidawanyika
ReplyDelete“If CCC didn’t participate and expose the flaws, there wouldn’t be any SADC report detailing the flaws and Mnangagwa would have been endorsed by Madhuku and Mwonzora gaining all the legitimacy of a duly elected democratic leader.”
The 2008 elections were a water shed elections in that Zanu PF showed the world the blatant cheating and wanton violence never shown in Zimbabwean elections. Both SADC and AU were forced to condemn the elections and to deny Zanu PF political legitimacy forcing the regime to agree to the need to implement reforms to end the cheating and violence.
The primary purpose of the 2008 to 2013 GNU was to implement the reforms. It is shocking that even now with the benefit of hindsight some people still do not know that the primary purpose of the GNU was to implement the reforms.
Indeed many do not even know what these reforms are much less that MDC leaders sold out by failing to implement even one reform in 5 years!
MDC/CCC leaders sold out by failing to implement even one reform in 23 years and to compound the situation have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. They knew Zanu PF is offering a few gravy train seats plus the POLAD freebies to entice the opposition to participate no matter how flawed the process get.
So now we are to be thankful to MDC/CCC leaders for selling out on reforms and participating in flawed elections to perpetuate the dictatorship because that helped expose Zanu PF cheating and violence. The same cheating and violence exposed in 2008 which should have been stamped out if MDC/CCC leaders had not sold out. The sheer stupidity of the argument is breathtaking.
Of course, we want the reforms implemented and the rigging stopped! How can anyone be so dum and stupid to even suggest we should thank MDC/CCC leaders for selling out! No wonder Zimbabwe is a failed state; we have some really dum and stupid people!
AHEAD of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's inauguration today in Harare which will be attended by some regional leaders after his controversial and hotly-disputed re-election, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, in his capacity as South African Development Community (Sadc) organ on defence, politics and security cooperation chairman who deployed the Sadc election observer mission to the country's recent elections, has showed great courage and commitment to the Sadc Treaty and Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
ReplyDeleteThis comes as the Sadc election observer mission head Nevers Mumba has handed over the final report on Zimbabwe's flawed polls to Hichilema.
Mumba has spoken widely on the issue, explaining the process, its objectives and justifying his team's findings which have caused a political stir in Zimbabwe and ripples across the region.
The report has left Zimbabwe and Sadc countries deeply divided.
Mumba says he had a brief from Hichilema to make sure "Zimbabweans have a free, fair and credible election" by assisting the process as an observer with a Sadc mandate
The Zimbabwe elections are flawed and illegal, all along SADC elections observers have chosen to turn a blind eye these realities. Dr Nevers Mumba and his team decided to report truthfully on what it on the ground and now the truth is out no one has been able to shoot the report down.
South Africa’s ANC government has decided to ignore the SEOM report and grant Zanu PF legitimacy regardless out of selfish greed. ANC does not want regime change in Zimbabwe for fear South Africans would want regime change too and boot ANC out of office.
AHEAD of the recent harmonised elections, the European Union (EU) extended US$3 million to CCC leader Mr Nelson Chamisa to build a war chest for the polls, but he sat on the money and is now facing a rebellion from his already disgruntled followers.
ReplyDeleteThe financing of the CCC campaign, ostensibly for paying polling agents, has brought to the fore the EU duplicitous role in the recently concluded elections, as it was both a referee and a player.
Government says the revelations, which were made by diplomatic sources, warrant the dismissal of the bloc's preliminary report. According to the diplomatic sources in Brussels, the EU handed Mr Chamisa US$3 million when he visited the Netherlands before the elections, which were overwhelmingly won by Zanu-PF.
However, instead of paying polling agents at the more than 12 000 polling stations across the country, the funds mysteriously vanished. Apart from creating fresh cracks in the opposition party, this has exposed Mr Chamisa's dictatorial inclinations.
The Americans reportedly refused to fund his political campaign because he had no structures and the party was using his personal account for transactions.
Diplomatic sources said the EU tried to sanitise its clandestine funding of the opposition when it sought to co-opt Zanu-PF and other political parties in the scheme by promising to dole out US$1 million to help pay for polling agents.
Just a week before the elections, Zanu-PF through its treasurer-general Cde Patrick Chinamasa, exposed the EU's hand and the plan collapsed. Mr Douglas Mwonzora, who leads the MDC, cried foul after the EU was forced to withdraw the funds.
If this is true, then Chamisa will have a difficult day to account for this mess.
Still, I find it outrageous that the West have bankroll the opposition even when they had all the evidence the opposition is corrupt and incompetent. This willingness to bankroll mediocre opposition leaders has only encouraged poor leadership. The west has not done us any favours by setting us up to fail by making sure we have corrupt and incompetent leaders!
@ Chitando
ReplyDelete“Mnangagwa is illegitimate. SADC Observer Mission declared Mnangagwa as illegitimate. SADC and AU heads of states and governments snubbing Mnangagwa's inauguration was a clear declaration that he is illegitimate. Millions of Zimbabweans in diaspora be organized and make sure an illegitimate leader does not attend a meeting in the country you are refugees. Enforce the SADC resolution that Mnangagwa is illegitimate . Block an illegitimate leader from imposing himself into meetings . Act as bouncers , so that the clean enjoy their meetings without disturbances by political impostor.!!!!
🇿🇼☝️🇿🇼 Patriotic Papa JC speaks when things are not good for Citizens who want better change in Zimbabwe.”
Meanwhile what will Senator (assuming you are one of the few CCC leaders to win the caveatted gravy train seats) Chitando do? Take up his seat in the senate and give some modicum of legitimacy to the government he is denouncing as illegitimate so he can get his US$ 60 000 car allowance, US$ 40 000 housing loan and the generous salary and perks.
Zimbabwe will not be messing around with the curse of rigged elections and stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship if you and your MDC/CCC fiends had not sold out by failing to implement even one democratic reform in 23 years, 5 of which in the GNU. The truth is you lot have given up on reforms and are helping to keep Zanu PF in power for a share of the spoils of power. This is the political reality ordinary Zimbabweans have yet to realise!
Most Zimbabweans have no clue what democratic reforms are much less that MDC/CCC leaders sold out by failing to implement even one reform. As long as the country has a naive and gullible electorate who hardly know their left hand from the right, this country will remain a failed state.
@ Tichi General
ReplyDelete“Wilbert, what I have noticed was not criticism on Chamisa but an incorrigible vendetta. One thing you should know is that as much as you respect Mnangagwa for the gigantic stolen votes you should also Respect Chamisa, because of his Gigantic Respectable votes from Zimbabweans. Know this and know it for good that the Struggle that was fought and brought independence in 1980 was for liberation and a liberated mindset.
So what am I telling you is that ZANU PF failed to Liberate us from the economic quagmire we are the liberated strugglers, and hustlers. This Chamisa Era we are fighting also to Liberate the nation from the Economic devastation and deprivation. So respect that and let's start fighting together to have the Zimbabwe that we want as citizens not the Zimbabwe that ZANU PF wanted.”
The mindset we must fight against is one stopping us from seeing leaders, be they Zanu PF or MDC/CCC, as mere mortals who must be held to democratic account for their deeds whilst in public office. Everyone in public office MUST be held to democratic account, there are no sacred cows, and that is NOT negotiable.
MDC/CCC were elected into office on the promise they will deliver democratic changes to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, as the party’s original name implied - movement for democratic change. They have not only failed to implement even one reform in 23 years but worse still they are now keeping Zanu PF in power by participating in flawed elections out of greed.
Only a village idiot can be so dum and stupid not to see what is going on here and worse still try to stop others holding MDC/CCC leaders to account for their treasonous betrayal. I will never respect your stupidity and the foolish notion that CCC are liberating the nation when they are selling out!
@ Hungwe
ReplyDelete“You used to be too vocal now you have realised that CCC did a God thing by going in these elections ,Zanu of has expressed itself to the whole world.”
So MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one democratic reform to end the Zanu PF dictatorship for the purpose of perpetuating so that SADC and AU election observers have flaws and illegalities to find and report about. They reported on the same flaws and illegalities in 2008 and MDC were given a golden opportunity to implement the the reforms. They did not implement even one reform so that SADC and the AU can find the same flaws and illegalities.
Zimbabwe would be a healthy and functioning democracy as from the 2013, at the latest, and millions of our people who have been save the heartbreaking suffering they are facing on the coal face of this failed state. But that was not to be because MDC/CCC sold out on reforms and only a village idiot would consider they betrayal “a God thing!” No wonder the country is a failed state, we really have some stupid people in Zimbabwe.
ANC is all out to prop up the illegitimate Zanu PF regime in the hope that by stopping regime change in Zimbabwe they will stop regime change in SA. A very reckless gamble since Zimbabwe's continued economic demise will drag down SA and the rest of SADC. But worst of all, ANC has no right to deny Zimbabwe a meaningful say on who governs Zimbabwe!
ReplyDeleteAll South Africans must never ever forgot the sinister role ANC has played in Zimbabwe, SA and SADC's economic demise and political chaos!
https://www.zimeye.net/2023/09/05/sa-was-over-represented-at-eds-illegal-inauguration-anc-vowed-to-stop-regime-change-sa-must-remember-that/
@ JC
ReplyDeleteHas it ever occurred to you that if MDC/CCC had not sold out and implemented the democratic reforms Zimbabwe would be a healthy and functioning democracy? So instead of holding them to account for their treasonous betrayal you are praising them for keeping the Zanu PF dictatorship in power! How any one can call that a rational argument beggars belief! No wonder Zimbabwe is a failed state!