Distraught refugees pouring into Zimbabwe - austere reminder of our own bad governance W Mukori

Distraught! Here was this woman, probably in her early twenties but she already three times as old, whose hut had just burnt down with all she had in this world. She and her son were lucky to escape the inferno. She sat there in a heap.

She was crying but without shedding a single tear. Once in a while she heaved a huge sigh as if the sheer weight of her trials and tribulations were crashing the last breath out of her and the heap was being flattened before our own eyes.

The next time I was to see another heart-breaking scene of human misery and hopelessness was in a Refugee Camp for Mozambicans fleeing the fighting in their country. These refugees had lost all their material possession, their relatives and family, their self-belief, everything. They had lived through horrible things, few of us cannot ever image possible.

So, when I read of the wave of refugees from Mozambique, all I could think of “Not again!”  

“The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of a possible influx of Mozambican refugees in Zimbabwe following indications that there are already over 6 000 refugees camped at the buffer zone between the two countries waiting to be relocated to Tongogara Camp in Chipinge,” reported Zimeye.

“The WFP reports that the number of refugees who have entered Zimbabwe increased in 2017 due to violent clashes between the Mozambican government forces and Renamo.

“Reports also indicate that there is renewed insecurity in the Kasai Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a development which could also increase the number of refugees in the country.”

Zimbabwe has produced millions of economic and/or political refugees, not all refugees are in refugee camps.

Africa's endless problems of refugees, famine, disease epidemic, economic collapse, rigged elections, military coups (euphemistically called “military assisted transition” to soften treasonous act), civils wars, etc., etc. can all be traced back to one cause – bad governance. Africa is one of the richest continent on earth in terms of natural resources and potential what we have lacked are the leaders who would harness these resources for the benefit of us all.

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” said Sir Winston Churchill. His words ring true for Africa and we, in Zimbabwe, must listen and pay heed.

In 1980, when the country gained her independence, Zimbabwe had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa, a free, justice, prosperous and proud nation. Four decades of incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule has turned us into the poorest nation on the planet! We have stuck with our bad government for 38 years because Zanu PF rigged the elections to stay in power.

We have had many opportunities to do something to end the Zanu PF dictatorship but have wasted each and every one of these chances. The best chance by far was during the GNU when all Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were tasked to do was to implement the democratic reforms SADC leaders had already managed to get Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs to agree to. MDC failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.

We, the people, let ourselves down because we should have been on MDC leaders’ cases to make sure they implemented the reforms. The GNU had allowed some economic reforms ending the food shortages and the economy grew by 12% after a decade of economic decline. We were overjoyed with the economic recovery, we took our eyes of the ball – implementing the democratic reforms to end the bad governance.

At the end of the GNU in 2013, SADC lost its supervisory role as the guarantor of Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement Of course, and the chance to get the reforms implemented was lost. But whenever the devil closes the door of opportunity somewhere the Lord open a window of opportunity.

Almost immediately after its return to power following the rigged 2013 elections, a dog-eat-dog fight broke out in Zanu PF over who was to succeed Mugabe as party leader. Before the party’s 2014 elective congress in which Joice Mujuru was set to win the VP post putting her in pole position to succeed Mugabe, she and 150 or so senior party members were booted out of the party. They were accused of plotting to assassinate Mugabe among other frivolous charges. As soon as they were booted of the party and posed no further political threat, the charges were brought and forgotten.

But before the dust of booting out Mai Mujuru and her supporters had settled; another dog-eat-dog factional war broke out pitting Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Lacoste supporters against Grace Mugabe and her G40 supporters.

President Mugabe has relied on Mnangagwa and Joint Operation Command (JOC) members, a junta comprising top brass Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services plus a select few from the party and government, to mastermind and ruthlessly execute the devious plans, including beating and murder of political opponents and civilians, to create and retain the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship. Most of the JOC members belong to Mnangagwa’s Lacoste faction.

As the ones who had done the heavy duty of imposing the dictatorship on the nation the junta felt they should be the ones to succeed Mugabe. They therefore viewed Robert Mugabe’s moves to have his wife as the successor as an act of betrayal.

In November last year the junta stage the military coup that forced Mugabe to step down and allow Mnangagwa to takeover.

Zanu PF has imploded, the party is weak and divided; there are Mujuru and G40 supporters who are wearing the party regalia with Mnangagwa’s portrait but hate the man with a burning passion. The November coup makes this Zanu PF regime illegitimate in the eyes of the international community. There is a window of opportunity to pressure this junta to implement the democratic reforms and end the dictatorship once and once for all.

The junta’s argument that Zanu PF was transformed by the coup must be rejected with the contempt it rightly deserves. How can the dictatorship have been transformed when the junta continue to enjoy the carte blanche powers to rig elections?

The junta has gone on an all-out campaign to revive the economy with its “Zimbabwe is open for business!” clarion call. Unfortunately, the regime has very little to show for its effort because the foreign investors it is targeting can see Zimbabwe is still a pariah state, the coup swapped one dictator for another and left the dictatorship itself untouched.

Still, some Zimbabweans are arguing that the nation must accept this Mnangagwa regime, forget that it is a dictatorship and is rigging these elections.

“ED is far better than Mugabe (which is true)!” many Zimbabweans argue. “Put aside his shortcomings (his checked past and present failure to hold free and fair election); his regime is more coherent and focused than the opposition (also true)!”

But to start comparing Mnangagwa to Chamisa and who is more likely to bring about some economic recovery is to completely miss the point. We are failing to learn from history and repeat the same mistake over and over again.

Zimbabwe, like Mozambique, DRC and many, many other African countries, is stack in this economic and political mess because of bad governance. During the 2008 to 2013 GNU we had the chance to solve this problem but wasted it because we turned our attention to the economy. We were so pleased with the signs of economic recovery, 12% growth, we completely forgot about the reforms.

Our number one priority today is to get the reforms implemented only when this is done can we ever have the confidence that whoever is elected is elected by the people and, if they should so wish, they can remove him/her from office – which is the essence of free and fair elections.

No Zimbabwean should ever have to suffer the misery of abject poverty or be forced to become an economic and/or political refugee. But, unless we deal this the problem of bad governance, here and now and decisively, there will be many Zimbabweans lives will continue to be hell-on-earth!

"We will kick out the Chinese," says Chamisa - there is logic in his madness Nomusa Garikai

Some people have seen it as madness in Nelson Chamisa’s call of kicking the Chinese out of Zimbabwe. There is logic in that madness!

“Addressing hundreds of workers commemorating May Day in Dzivarasekwa Tuesday, Chamisa vowed to kick out Chinese investors from the country. "We will kick out the Chinese companies," said the MDC-T leader. It is hard to comprehend the level of irresponsibility behind these words,” wrote Charles, Harare in Bulawayo 24.

“Chamisa, the leader of an opposition party vying to become leader of Zimbabwe wants to spit in the face of a nation that is helping us rebuild our economy and is investing billions that will create countless jobs and propel our energy sector which is in desperate need of assistance.”

Nonsense, for the last two decades former President Mugabe has made it his business to spit into the faces of the British, Americans and the rest of the Western nations. Whilst going out of his way to promote Zimbabwe’s relationship with the East with his “Look East” policy. He even called China Zimbabwe’s “all weather friend”! And yet that did not stop Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown resulting in the 500 billion per cent, hyperinflation of 2008; the nauseating 90% unemployment rate of the last decade; etc. Why did the Chinese do nothing to stop the rot all these years?  

“He would chase away China's Sinohydro, the company which is investing $1 billion to expand the Hwange Thermal Power Station by 600 megawatts. Chamisa would end the expansion project at Kariba South Hydro Power Station which added two 150-megawatt units to the power plant, at the cost of US$533 million,” argued Charles.

“This expansion lifted Kariba's installed capacity from 750 MW to 1,050 MW, making it currently the country's biggest power plant.”

Charles is just a fool, he does not know the half of what he is talking about and thus makes a complete ass of himself!

The $1 billion is a freebie from Chinese; we, the people of Zimbabwe, are going to pay for it, directly and indirectly, ten or twenty fold. These secretive deals have the making of corruption and all manner of wasteful malpractice. These deals must be denounced and the people involved booted out of the country if, for no other reason, to stamp out corruption and waste.

Ian Smith had plans to upgrade Kariba South generators, Hwange PS and to build Batoka Gorge Dam and Hydro Power Station. Whilst it is true it is the Zanu PF government that is to blame for failing to implement these projects timeously. Still, one has to ask why, for 38 years, the people of Zimbabwe have clearly failed to boot out of office this failed Zanu PF regime? Look closely and you will see that it is Chinese who have kept Zanu PF in power.

Of all the foreign nations, China stands head, shoulders and torso above all the other nations in having helped Zanu PF the most to establish and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship that has dominated Zimbabwe with the disastrous consequences we see today. When Mugabe and Mnangagwa talk of China as an “all weather friend” they are acknowledging a huge debt of gratitude.  

The highlight of President Mnangagwa and his high-powered delegation state visit to China was the signing of the mega deals – a glorified wish list discussed with the animated interest of parent humouring a child with the promise to buy him a rocket to fly to the moon. The deals are all froth no beer; soap bubbles more form and no substance; “memorandum of understanding,” as Joice Mujuru call them.

President Mnangagwa is forever grateful for Zimbabwe’s lack of press freedom and meaningful public debate because close any scrutiny would have had soap bubbles mega deals popping long before his return from China. Still, even with all Zanu PF’s well-oiled propaganda machine it is becoming increasingly difficult to the soap bubbles afloat in the soaring temperature the elections.

The Chinese gave away some freebies; 15 million T-shirts, 15 million caps and 2 million wrappers for women, with Zanu PF name and logo and Mnangagwa’s portrait; to be distributed at party rallies. The T-Shirts, etc. are all made in China. The Chinese have flood the country with cheap rough-and-ready goods Zimbabwe used to make, killing off all local production and throwing even more people out of work.

The greatest gift Chana has given Zanu PF is the diplomatic We are stuck in this economic and political hell-hole because we could not remove this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship from office. Look more closely and you will see the towering presence of the Chinese propping up the Zanu PF dictatorship.

As long as the Chinese continue to interfere in Zimbabwe politics support. President Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, is ignoring all calls to hold free, fair and credible elections confident the regime will never be ostracised by the international community as long as the big brother, the Chinese, are there. Mnangagwa has dismissed calls to implement the reforms with the contempt and arrogance of one who knows he is untouchable!   

When all is said and done, one has to admit that it is next to impossible for Zimbabwe hold free, fair and credible elections as long as China is allowed to prop Zanu PF materially, financially, strategically and diplomatically. So, it has come to a simple reality that if we want free and fair elections we must first boot out the Chinese.

So, for the corrupt and incompetent Nelson Chamisa, who failed to get even one democratic reform implemented in five years of the GNU, calling for the Chinese to be booted out of Zimbabwe for interfering in our elections, even if than was not the reason he gave, is the most rational thing he has ever said!

"We will trounce Zanu PF," says MDC - tell us how you trounce rigged elections or shut up P Guramatunhu

“We Will Trounce Zanu PF- MDC!” screamed the Zimeye headline.

Former government employee Lloyd Mupfudze who is likely to contest in the House of Assembly election in Gutu Central Constituency on an MDC ticket is upbeat about victory.

“Ladies and Gentlemen I am glad to announce that my beloved party MDC T led by President Advocate Nelson Chamisa has approved my candidature for the 2018 general election.

“I will be contesting with fellow cadres in the primary elections to be held in due course.

Gutu Central is our constituency. I am confident of winning both the primary elections and the Gutu North Parliamentary Seat,” said Mupfudze.

The trouble with those MDC leaders is that they have made these election victory claims time and time again but have gone on to be trounced instead. What is at issue here is not so much that the opposition have lost the elections but that Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections. It is not so much that the individual opposition candidate or party was cheated but more importantly that the voters and the nation at large is being cheated.

Opposition candidate like Mupfudze and political parties themselves like MDC Alliance are not doing the voters and the nation any favours by failing to do everything in their power to ensure there is no cheating, the elections are free, fair and credible. Politicians should not just be concerned about the result but also in the process.

If elections are not free, fair and credible, the whole electoral system will become a meaningless farce, a worst of time and resources and the voters lose confidence in the whole electoral process. There is the important issue of denying the voters a meaningful say in the governance of the country. But worst of all, a nation that fails to nurture and guard a functional democratic system as a peaceful and orderly system of government is certain to have corrupt and tyrannical government.

Zimbabwe is in this economic mess with unemployment a nauseating 90%, our basic services such as health is such a sorry state the filthy rich ruling elite are now routinely going to SA, Singapore, etc. for all their health needs, etc. because for the last 38 years the nation has been stuck with an incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime. The party has rigged elections to stay in power.

So, the issue of making sure elections are free, fair and credible is a serious matter and, sadly, the country’s opposition has failed to treat it with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands. 

In the landmark 2008 elections when Zanu PF showed the sickening depths of political madness the party would sink to rig and win the elections. SADC leaders forced Mugabe to agree to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the sadistic barbarism of the 2008 election. 

SADC leaders were disappointed that not even one reform was implemented during the five years of the GNU. They made it very clear that Zimbabwe should not hold the elections without first implementing the reforms. 

MDC leaders dragged the nation into the 2013 elections with no reforms, convinced they will win the elections "regardless of all Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans," as Tsvangirai later confessed.

Five years after the rigged 2013 elections, still with not even one reform in place MDC leaders are once again dragging the nation into these flawed and illegal elections on the promise the party has devised "stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections"! Ask Chamisa to name even one of these measures he keeps wittering about and so far he has failed to do so. 

The only way to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections is by implementing the democratic reforms. All these talks of stringent measures to stop rigging, united opposition into a grand coalition, mobilising the voters to vote, Winning In Rigged Elections strategies, etc.; they are all feeble excuses to justify taking part in the flawed election.

If winning 73% of the vote is not good enough to win then the process is unbeatable and it must be reformed without further undo. 

The only reason MDC leaders have stubbornly refused to listen to SADC leaders' advice to demand the reform before elections is greed.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” admitted former MDC Senator David Coltart in his book.

“The 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.”

Senator Coltart was commenting on why he and his MDC contested the 2013 elections. The MDC factions have since formed the MDC Alliance but there is no talk of boycotting this year’s elections for the same reason as before – greed.

The people of Zimbabwe must condemn President Mnangagwa and his junta for refusing to implement the democratic reforms and restore the people's freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections. We must also denounce the MDC and the rest of the opposition camp for dragging the nation into these flawed elections for no other reason than greed. 

But, most important of all, the people of Zimbabwe must demand that these flawed elections be declared null and void and allow the nation to get out of this seemingly intractable and vicious cycle of rigged elections and bad governance. We need to appointment an interim administration to implement the democratic reforms and hold the nation's first ever free, fair and credible elections!

Zimbabweans are desperate to end the economic meltdown but that will never happen meaningful political reforms and that means implement the reforms. 

It is all very well Mupfudze and all the other opposition candidates boosting of “trouncing Zanu PF” and ignoring the blatant vote rigging taking place. They will all be crying foul by the end of the elections. If Mupfudze & co. cannot tell us how they are going to trounce rigged elections then they must shut up. All they are doing is making it easy for Zanu PF to pretend these are democratic election. Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged election and another five more years of incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule!