SADC summit congratulate ED "for exemplary 2023 election". They know he rigged and condemned us to violence and chaos. W Mukori

 On this day, 31st October 2023, all SADC nationals should hang their heads in shame, all flags in all the SADC countries should fly at half mast, because on this day our SADC leaders have decided to endorse vote rigging Zanu PF as the legitimate winner of 23 August 2023 Zimbabwe elections. This is contrary to the region’s own election observer team’s findings. 

"Your Excellencies allow me congratulate President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe and His Majesty King Mswati III, the King of Eswatini for the exemplary elections that were recently conducted in your countries where tranquility and the orderly manner in which they took place constituted major victory of democracy and a contribution to peace, stability and harmony among all living forces of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Eswatini.” Announced SADC Chairperson and President of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço during the opening of the SADC Extraordinary Summit held virtually this morning. 

This is a far cry from the SADC Election Observer Mission (SEOM) damning report!

“Conclusion 13.3

The SEOM noted that, as detailed in sections 6 and 7 of this report, some aspects of the Harmonised Elections fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021),” stated the report. 

Some people would argue that this is not new, SADC has endorsed rigged elections in the past. True! The subtle but important difference is that this is the first time the SADC leaders have defied their own election observer. SEOM condemned Zimbabwe elections as flawed and illegal and the regional heads are sweeping the report under the carpet to grant Zanu PF political legitimacy.

What is the point of having the SADC principles and guidelines on democratic elections if there are no consequences for disregarding them? The decision by SADC leaders to grant vote rigging Zanu PF regime legitimacy will have far reaching disastrous consequences for Zimbabwe and the rest of the region for generations to come. 

Very few countries in the region have a history of holding free, fair and credible elections and Zimbabwe is one of those countries. After this foolish decision by SADC leaders, many more countries will be encouraged to rig elections.

Zimbabwe is a failed state precisely because the nation has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections. Yes, the country has had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chance coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and we wasted that opportunity. Alas! we have wasted everyone of these opportunities. 

In condemning these 2023 elections, SEOM had offered the nation a life-line out of this vicious cycle of rigged elections and bad governance. By disregarding the SEOM report and granting Zanu PF legitimacy, SADC leaders, in their collective stupidity, have just cut that life-line setting Zimbabwe adrift in the middle of the flooded and rough Zambezi River.

Another five more years of the this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship is unthinkable. What a nightmare!

Worst of all, this is nothing to hope for at the end of the five years because no meaningful democratic reforms will be implemented and the 2028 elections will yet another rigged election! Chamisa and his opposition friends will participate in the flawed 2028 elections for the same reason they participated in the 2023 and past elections -greed. And it is not as if they do not know what they are doing. They know it. 

“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 David Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

Now that SADC leaders have snuffed out any hope of the regional body forcing Zanu PF and their side kick CCC to hold free and fair elections; there is only one hope for breaking this deadlock - violence. 

Rigging elections has delayed regime change but not stopped. Change is unstoppable. Those who stifled peaceful and orderly democratic change have, per se, opted for violent and disruptive change. And God only knows how that will end! This is the poisoned cup every one in his right mind would avoid but Zimbabwe is now being forced to drink, thanks to the breath-taking stupidity of our SADC leaders!

“Congratulate President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe for the exemplary elections that will bring peace, stability and harmony!” Expect we all know the elections were rigged and Zimbabwe is now a sitting duck awaiting for the violent street protests and/or another coup, the only option left to bring about regime change in Zimbabwe!

CCC will not participate in "Muppet Show" by-election to fill recalled MPs - after participating in flawed August show! W Mukori

 “Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has labeled the upcoming by-elections, which aim to fill 14 National Assembly vacancies and 17 local authority seats, as a farcical "Muppet Show." He announced in an interview released on Wednesday that his party intends to boycott these elections,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Chamisa's stance might create friction with some of his party's representatives who were controversially removed from their positions by an individual claiming to be the party's interim secretary general. This person, Sengezo Tshabangu, was dismissed as an imposter by Chamisa but has effectively taken control of the party. This week, Tshabangu wrote to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, asserting that only he and two others have the authority to approve CCC candidates for the by-elections scheduled for December 9.

“When asked whether the recalled MPs and councillors would participate in the election, Chamisa stated, "We have no interest in engaging in sideshows; the primary focus should be on establishing a legitimate government and conducting proper elections in Zimbabwe. All these other activities are distractions. Do we appear to be individuals who would take part in a circus-like 'Muppet Show'? 

“We should not waste time on unconstitutional and criminal actions. We do not engage in unlawful activities. It would be a different situation if this scenario had arisen through a lawful process. However, one cannot unlawfully create an imposter, a fraudster, or a fake recall that has no association with the CCC.”

If the recall of the MPs was illegal; how much worse is the participating in a flawed electoral process; “so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw,” as David Coltart so aptly put it?

It is Chamisa and company who engaged in an utterly meaningless side show. They have forgotten why the people of Zimbabwe elected them into office and clearly needs to be reminded why!

The primary purpose for the MDC/CCC was to deliver the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections and end the dictatorship. The party's original name said it all - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the party to deliver change. 

It is very unfortunately that most ordinary Zimbabweans have never taken the trouble to know what these democratic change were much less how these changes were to come about. Many have clamoured for change but that was just a empty slogan for slogan’s sake. And so whilst MDC/CCC leaders sold out by failed to bring about even one token reforms in 23 years, the masses have not even notice! 

MDC leaders had the golden chance to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and they failed to get even one reform implemented. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and the rest was history. 

In the last parliament, the 2018 to 2023, MDC A were totally ineffective as they were dogged by the in fighting over the party leadership. A High Court judged ruled that Nelson Chamisa’s takeover of the party following the death of Morgan Tsvangirai was had violated the party’s constitution. The party leadership went from Chamisa to Thokozani Khope and then to Douglas Mwonzora. Each leadership change resulted in many elected MDC A officials being recalled as each new leader weeded off those whose loyalty to him/her was questionable. 

When Nelson Chamisa launched his new political party, CCC, in January, he lauded the very fact that he had given up the old party name, party office, everything to have a fresh start. He clearly thought the utterly pointless bickering of the last parliament was behind him. Getting rid of the corruption and breath-taking incompetence of the GNU years was a tail order since these are in the DNA of the Chamisa and his colleagues. As it happened the pointless bickering started off straight away with the recall of 15 CCC MPs and a number of councillors.

The truth is MDC/CCC leaders have all but given up on implementing any democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections. Ever since the GNU they have participated in flawed elections knowing doing so would give Zanu PF legitimacy. They still participated regardless out of greed; they knew Zanu PF was offering a few gravy train seats as a bait and one they found irresistible. 

MDC/CCC have got away with failing to implement even one token reform in 23 years purely because the people of Zimbabwe have failed to understand what reforms are much less how they are to be implemented. Even now with the benefit of hindsight, they still have no clue. The democratic reforms are common sense, not rocket science, and therefore the failure to have a working understanding of the reforms, at the very least, is unforgivable.

A healthy and functioning democracy demands an informed and diligent electorate. Zimbabweans are by and large an ignorant and naive lot and deserve this dysfunctional Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the corrupt and incompetent MDC/CCC side kick.

Zimbabwe is a failed state and the nation is desperate for real political and economic change. The nation is desperate to end the economic ruin, the political paralysis and the tragic human suffering the failed state has brought. Instead of MDC/CCC delivering the democratic changes all the nation will ever get from MDC/CCC leaders is the selling out and endless bickering. What a nightmare! 

SADC 31 October Summit may well be game changer Zimbabwe has been dying for to restore rule of law. W Mukori

 Rule of law is a three legged stool:

1. first leg is the law itself must be straight forward, concise and rational

2. Second, those entrust to enforce the law must do so without fear or favour, hence the reason lady Justice is often depicted with a blind fold.

3. Third, no one, absolutely no one is above the law. 

Take off one or more of these three legs and the stool is unusable. 

The SADC and AU elections observer teams to the 2023 Zimbabwe elections were crystal clear - the election process was a sham. 

 

“Conclusion 13.3

The SEOM noted that, as detailed in sections 6 and 7 of this report, some aspects of the Harmonised Elections fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021),” stated the SADC observer team final report.

The regime failed to produce some thing as basic as a verified voters, an outrage given the shambolic condition of the voters roll as earlier work by Team Pachedu had revealed. The whole election process was so shameful there is question of it being flawed and illegal is really beyond debate. 

The regional and continental election observer teams have done their bit in condemning the election process, it is now for the SADC Heads of State and Government to do their bit - uphold the law. 

In the past both AU and SADC election observer teams have reported of the election process being “substantially” free fair and peaceful although the same flaws and illegalities noted in the 2023 elections were present in the past elections. SADC elections observers had done this deliberately, many have argued, after the 2008 to 2013 GNU had failed to implement even one democratic reform, mainly because Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold out. SADC leaders had given up in despair and disgust at  Zimbabweans’ willingness to fight for reforms and rule of law. 

Still, for whatever reasons, both SADC and the AU election observers teams ignore Zimbabwe’s sell out opposition’s past and present, the opposition were participating in these elections knowing fully well that the process is flawed and that participating was used as an excuse to grant vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy for the same reasons they had failed to implement reforms in the past - greed and breathtaking incompetence. Not so this time, the teams focused on the overwhelming evidence proving the election process was flawed and illegal and condemned it accordingly. 

Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime ever since the country’s independence in 1980. Whilst the nation came to the conclusion that Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies were thugs as far back as late 1990s, at the latest, the nation has failed to remove the party from power because Zanu PF thugs rigged elections. And 43 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption brazen lawlessness have left the country in economic ruins and a failed state. 

Zimbabwe is a pariah state, a failed state, because the country has been ruled these last 43 years by this tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, that has usurped the people’s democratic freedoms and rights placing itself above the law. Both the country’s opposition parties, notable MDC/CCC, and the regional body SADC have connived in granting voting rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship. 

The SADC Heads of State and Government’s Extra-Ordinary Summit on 31 October 2023 will be a historic occasion the regional grouping and for Zimbabwe in particular. If the summit upholds the damning 23 August 2023 Zimbabwe election report and deny Zanu PF political legitimacy; the leaders will restore SADC’s lost political credibility. Whilst SADC had often failed to enforce the laws and principle of democratic elections in the past, the decision on Zimbabwe will send a clear message the regional body will, hopefully, from now on take its obligation on the matter will the seriousness the matter demands.

As for Zimbabwe, denying Zanu PF and their CCC side-kick political legitimacy will clear the deck and give the country another chance to implement the democratic reforms, end this dysfunctional dictatorship, and restore the rule of law. The 2008 to 2013 GNU was supposed to implement the reforms but, as we know, not even one token reform saw the light of day. 

So this would be our second golden chance to implement the reforms and set the nation on a democratic footing - we must make it count! No if, no but!

"Surprised ED is imposing RGTS when NOT managing monetary affairs properly." Trying to make silk purse from sow's ear!

 Last week I wrote 2000 words on why it was not in our national interest to continue with the use of foreign currencies for domestic settlement,” wrote Eddie Cross in his latest rendition of Zimbabwe’s economic situation. 

“I thought the case was strong but I was surprised when our President took up the issue at a major meeting and stated quite clearly that we were going back to use of our own currency. I pointed out that when we managed our monetary affairs properly, the US dollar was always worth less than our own currency. I further pointed out that all the countries in our region had done this successfully.

“What the President said was that no country had been able to develop its own economy without using its own currency. I happen to agree. The question is how to affect the transition from what we have now and what has to prevail once the deed is done? That is neither easy nor uncomplicated.

“So here goes. First we have to have an alternative. The Reserve Bank has issued “gold backed tokens” for use as a currency that will retain its value. This is just another form  of Bitcoin – a currency without any real support. You buy it on faith and believe me that is no reason to buy anything. We do not have any significant gold reserves, or reserves of anything to back what the Bank is trying to do. My grandson pointed out that the first sale of these tokens was taken up entirely in local RTGS dollars – another currency that has no backing or real value.”

The real surprise here is that Eddie Cross was surprised President Mnangagwa took off at a tangent - demanding the use of local currency when the country is clearly NOT managing its monetary affairs properly! 

I have often found Eddie Cross pedantic to the point of utter uselessness. It is no secret that we have NOT been managing our monetary affairs properly for decades and hence the reason we are in this mess.

Indeed, it is naive, to say the least, to expect Zimbabwe to manage her monetary affairs when our political affairs are in a mess! 

“Seek you first the political kingdom and the rest will follow,” advised Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of independent Ghana. Zimbabwe has been stuck in this hell-hole for decades because naive people like Mr Cross have been trying to achieve the impossible - retain the Zanu PF dictatorship and still deliver the economic recovery and even economic prosperity. 

The man, Eddie Cross has been advising on monetary matters, President Mnangagwa, was in Victoria Fall last week telling a tale!

“I’m frightened that I'm meeting CEOs, people who have succeeded in life and are at the top,” he told his audience at the CEO Conference.

“But, of course, without election, which is good because elections you rig. I doubt whether there's any rigging with the CEOs, it's on merit.” 

Talk of sick joke, this was a sick. Zimbabwe is a failed state precisely because we have failed to hold free, fair and credible elections and the man responsible for rigging the elections thinks that is a joke!

Of course, Zimbabwe is a failed state! We have been stuck these last 43 years with a corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless Zanu PF regime. 43 years of voodoo-economics, corruption and murderous tyrannical rule have left the country in economic ruins and a pariah state in which it is near impossible to do business! But not so for Mr Cross, he is hell bent on proving Dr Nkrumah was wrong.

Mr Cross was one of the senior MDC leaders and the late Dr Morgan Tsvangirai’s advisers throughout the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The party failed to implement even one democratic reform to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship presumably because people like Eddie Cross believed Zimbabwe would still prosper without dismantling the dictatorship. 

Ever since Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following the 2017 military coup Eddie Cross led from the front the “Give ED a chance!” brigadeHe has predicted one economic boom after another under this Second Republic or be it on the ground the economy has sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Has the penny finally dropped that Zimbabwe will never ever enjoy any meaningful economic recovery, much less economic boom, as long as the country remains a pariah state that can not hold free, fair and credible elections. To have sound economic policies we must have good governance and we cannot have that whilst we remain stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical regime that is rigging elections to stay in power!  

Until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance there will be no meaningful economic recovery in Zimbabwe. And no amount of statutory instruments to force people to use the inflation prone local currency will make Z$ strong and stable! This is not rocket science, it is common sense!

"Release of SEOM close chapter on 2023 elections." Nonsense, SADC heads have yet to digest the damning report. W Mukori

 “In a significant move that underscored its independence from CCC leader Mr. Nelson Chamisa and his Western supporters, SADC released its conclusive report on the Zimbabwean elections on Thursday. Notably, this report omitted the biased statements found in the highly discredited initial assessment from the SADC Election Observer Mission (SEOM). With this release, the chapter on Zimbabwe's 2023 election has been effectively closed, leaving the opposition and their Western supporters grasping for alternative narratives,” read the article in Bulawayo 24.

My immediate response was to laugh! The propaganda war of misinformation and downright threats and blackmail is reaching its crescendo and the Zanu PF regime and its operatives and getting pretty desperate.  I scrolled to the bottom of the article to confirm its source - The Herald. Just as I thought!

The Herald is deliberately misleading the public by attributing the report released last week to SADC, the regional body, when it is the final report of the observer team SEOM. 

All the SADC leaders will now read, digest the damning SEOM report. They all know what the Zanu PF government has ignored the damning report and gone ahead with presidential inauguration, swearing in of MPs and senators, appointment of ministers, etc., etc. It is business as usual as far as Zanu PF and its surrogate opposition parties partners are concerned. SADC leaders must now decide whether Zanu PF regime can be let off the hook in the light of the damning SEOM report. 

“With this release, the chapter on Zimbabwe's 2023 election has been effectively closed!” That is certainly premature and wishful think! Zanu PF and its apologist are not SADC and, per se, must not be so presumptuous as to bully and dictate to the regional body. 

The is no question about it; the SEOM report is damning, alright!

“Conclusion 13.3

The SEOM noted that, as detailed in sections 6 and 7 of this report, some aspects of the Harmonised Elections fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021),” stated the SEOM report.

The SEOM report gives details of how ZEC had given one feeble excuse after another for failing to produce a verified voters’ roll, for example. And thanks to the excellent work of such groups as Team Pachedu, who have already shown the shambolic condition of Zimbabwe’s voters’ roll. The shambolic condition of the voters’ roll was not confined to a select few voters, or affected a few wards or constituencies; this was a wholesale failure affecting the whole country! 

“While the final report did raise concerns about certain aspects of the August 23 harmonised elections, such issues are not unique to Zimbabwe,” argued The Herald. Yeah right! The arrogant and dismissive statement from a regime that has never respected the ordinary people’s right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country! 

Of course SEOM report is spot on; Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections “fell short” of Zimbabwe’s own constitution, electoral laws and disregarded SADC’s own principles and guidelines on elections. How anyone can still pretend such a blatantly flawed and illegal electoral process can ever produce a legitimate result and government beggars belief. 

SADC as a regional body, has yet to decide either to do the honourable thing and uphold SEOM’s damning report and deny this Zanu PF regime political legitimacy. Or do to the despicable; ignore the damning report and grant the regime legitimacy. 

Cantankerous apologist protest Mumba "criminal record" yet accept Zanu PF with live vote rigging agenda. W Mukori

 “A Zanu-PF-affiliated organisation called the Citizens has expressed its desire to see the head of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Election Observer Mission (SEOM), Nevers Mumba, face sanctions due to his critical election report on the August elections,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Speaking to the press in Harare, a representative of the Citizens, Lloyd Machacha, stated that the organisation would gather signatures for a petition against Mumba and later submit it to SADC.

“According to Machacha, "The report by Mumba violates a number of clauses within the guidelines of SADC. The mission was also headed by someone with a criminal record, violating its 14.3(k) of its guidelines. The profile of someone who is supposed to head this delegation is not supposed to have any criminal record. The only report that we can acknowledge is the European Union report because it was clear and straightforward.”

Some people are penny-wise but pound-foolish, this is one extreme case of that! And when you have enjoyed absolute power for 43 years as these Zanu PF thugs have done, you become pound-foolish, arrogant and cantankerous to boot! 

Zimbabwe is a failed state, its economy has collapse forcing millions of our people to leave the country and millions who have remained live in abject poverty all because the country has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF has remained in power these last 43 years because the party rigged elections and 43 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule has left the country in total economic ruins and political paralysis. 

Dr Nevers Mumba and his SADC election observer team dismiss the 23 August 2023 Zimbabwe elections as flawed and illegal, which is all true and factual; opening the door for Zimbabwe to deal with this curse of rigged elections. Instead of welcoming this new opportunity and be grateful to Dr. Mumba’s team Zanu PF and it apologists have mounted one wave after another of attacks on the person of Dr Mumba and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia who appointed Dr Mumba. The regime could not deny the 2023 elections were flawed and illegal and so they attacked the messenger, Dr Mumba, for daring to report the truth.

“The mission was also headed by someone with a criminal record, violating its 14.3(k) of its guidelines,” Machacha argue. 

Zanu PF has just violate the constitution of Zimbabwe by failing to hold free, fair and credible elections (not for the first time either) whose consequences affect millions of Zimbabweans now and for decades to come. You ignore that to focus of Dr Mumba’s criminal record even though the said record did not stop him doing the right thing! 

These Zimbabweans zealots (shame on us all who have said nothing to condemn it) who are persecuting Dr Nevers Mumba for not just doing the right thing but saving the nation on the Sabbath. This gives a totally different meaning to “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” 

Of course, every thinking Zimbabwean would welcome a truthful SEOM report with Dr Mumba and his criminal record than another false election report by someone who has never said boo to a fly!  

In a way it is good that SADC leaders should hear about Machacha and company’s idiotic persecution Dr Mumba; it will underline the hell ordinary Zimbabweans have been living in all these years under this Zanu PF dictatorship. If these Zanu PF thugs can make Dr Mumba’s, a prominent figure, life hell how much worse an unknown person who dares cross swords with these thugs. 

On 31 October 2023, the SADC leaders extraordinary summit must uphold the SEOM’s report, deny this corrupt, tyrannical Zanu PF regime legitimacy and appoint a National Transition Authority (NTA). The NTA will tasked to implement the democratic reforms and thus end the Zanu PF dictatorship.

If SADC leaders fail to uphold the damning election report then they would be betraying Dr Mumba and his team’s hard work and the abuse he has suffered from Zanu PF thugs would have been for nothing. But worst of all, their failure  would be betraying the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who have been subjected to the Zanu PF thuggery for 43 years and counting.