"Africans manage poverty while others wealth!" - SA has hope for change, Zimbabwe none N Garikai

Dear Lindiwe Sisulu

Your article in Bulawayo 24 “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?” was a good read. It raised many important questions that demand serious debate, even if there are no ease answers. Thank you!

As a black Zimbabwean, I would say Robert Mugabe, if he was alive today, would have taken great comfort from this article because he has taken back the land from the whites and did a number of things you are arguing black ruled South Africa must do.

 “Their (white colonialists) purpose was rooted in the philosophy of white supremacy and entitlement to everything, including the bodies of those they falsely believed to be inferior. It was simply to take and colonise and defend, for kith and kin. It was about power. Economic power, political power, military power, and social power.”

The purpose of Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies was to seize political power and to loot the nation’s wealth.

Nelson Mandela has been heavily criticised for failing to give back the land to blacks and end black poverty; the criticism is founded if one considers that these economic realities are true. I would argue that Mandela did not end black poverty but he did the next best thing- he created democratic South Africa in which every black have a voice.

As long as SA remains a healthy and functioning democracy, in which people like Ms Sisulu has the opportunity to express their views and there is open and vigorous debate, the country has the opportunity to address its problems in a rational and systematic way. A luxury a country like Zimbabwe was denied by Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies.

Nelson Mandela’s legacy for SA was to make sure the country had a democracy constitution and strong and independent democratic institutions. The same solid democratic foundation that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others gifted America.

“In our beloved South Africa, a new constitution in 1994 and the rule of law took on a new lofty meaning after the deck had been heavily stacked against the victims of the "rule of law." It was a new dispensation of justice after centuries of a vicious oppression of the indigenous of the land by invaders. But what has this beautiful constitution done for the victims except as a palliative (Panadol)?” argued Ms Sisulu.

“But it seems today we have legitimised wrongdoing under the umbrella of the rule of law. Many years down the line, Africans manage poverty while others manage wealth.”

America started a half free and half slave but the country’s democratic constitution has served them well. SA has started half rich and half poor, one hopes its democratic constitution will serve it well too. As for Zimbabwe we started with no democratic constitution, we are a house without a foundation, are in deep, deep trouble.

Once again, thank you my sister for the thought-provoking article.

Nomusa. 

ANC call for "lifting sanctions" against Cuba, etc. but not Zimbabwe - new awakening extend to rigged elections P Guramatunhu

 "The #January8statement at @MYANC's 110th anniversary by @CyrilRamaphosa called for the unconditional lifting of sanctions against Cuba, solidarity with Palestine and Western Sahara, but was silent on #ZimSanctions: @MYANC/@ZANUPF_Official relations are now in smoke," revealed Professor Jonathan Moyo, the self-exiled former Zanu PF Cabinet Minister, on twitter.

If SA is finally waking up to the reality that Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is not cause by sanctions, as Zanu PF would have everyone believe, but decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness that has the country labelled a pariah state. One hopes that SA is also waking up to the reality that Zanu PF has been rigging elections to stay in power.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections “went well”. He was lying, of course. How can an election process that failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll be anything but a farce!

If SA was to refuse to endorse Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections, which Zanu PF is rigging already by denying 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote “until the West imposed sanctions are lifted”, for example. It is a feeble excuse; why should Zimbabweans in the diaspora be denied their fundamental right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country over a matter in which they had no say. Worse still, why deny the vote to Zimbabweans in SA and other nation that have not imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Considering Mnangagwa “won the 2018 elections with 2.4 million vote or 50.8% of the cast votes. The 3 million diaspora vote is very significant: 3 out of a possible 8 million registered voters or 37% of the electorate. How can the elections be anything else but a farce if one of the contestants is allowed to cherry pick and deny 37% of the electorate the vote!

If SA and one or two other SADC countries were to refuse to endorse Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections as a free and fair process and thus endorse Zanu PF’s legitimacy this will put Zimbabwe back in the situation it was in after the 2008 rigged elections. Zanu PF was forced then to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement, agreeing to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights of all Zimbabweans including the right to free, fair and credible elections.

Alas, the 2008 to 2013 GNU comprising of Zanu PF and the two MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara failed to implement even one reform in five years. The world can be rest assured no stone will be left unturned to make sure competent men and women are given the task of implementing the reforms this time! 

"Zimbabwe is a failed state aand we must mobilise for action" argued former ZCTU President - no wonder we are stuck W Mukori

 “Zimbabwe is a failed state!” Peter Mutasa, outgoing President of ZCTU to News Day in an interview.

“Our solutions come from clear problem identification. We are now a failed State,” he explained.

“The reasons for State's failure are known. It is dictatorship. Dictatorship has led to political disputes because of violent and disputed electoral processes and results and has led to the subversion of the Constitution and rendered all the constitutional institutions and instruments dysfunctional.

“The first step in resolving the Zimbabwean crisis is, therefore, to end the military dictatorship and transition to democracy. All other solutions are hinged on transitioning from this mode of governance and require Zimbabweans to address this problem.”

Agreed with you 100%!

“Citizens have no option, but to mobilise for collective action and the Constitution grants citizens such political rights. It is not simple, but through civic and political education and exposing the effects of dictatorship, citizens may agree on the necessity of the struggle,” he continued.

Could not disagree with you more! This is the same nonsense of “if we mobilise and take collective action we will not be defeated” recycled and regurgitated from such sources as the MDC leaders!

Yes, Zimbabwe is a failed state!

Yes, the root cause of Zimbabwe being a failed state is the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections which has left the country stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship.

But no, the solution to stopping Zanu PF rigging the elections is not “mobilising people to register to vote, voting in numbers and then defending the vote”, as Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends have argued a thousand times. This is one of many similar variations to the opposition’s “winning in rigged elections (WIRE) strategies”.

MDC leaders have tried these WIRE strategies ever since they failed to implement even one meaningful democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when the nation had its best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.

MDC leaders had the chance to implement the reforms and stop the vote rigging; they failed to implement even one reform in five years of the GNU. And ever since, they have argued the reforms are not necessary because they have WIRE strategies. All nonsense because we all know what Zanu PF’s voter rigging juggernaut is capable of.  

In the March 2008 elections, SADC leaders had pressured Zanu PF to switch-off its vote rigging juggernaut, for the first time since the country’s independence. Tsvangirai garnered 73% of the votes.

However, when Zanu PF realised that MDC was heading for landslide victory, the party switched the vote rigging juggernaut back on in time to stop ZEC announcing the results. The party then spend the next six weeks “recounting” the 5 million votes and Tsvangirai’s 73% was whittle down to 47%, enough to force a runoff. And during the runoff Zanu PF used wanton violence to punish the voters for rejecting the party in the earlier vote. Mugabe “won” the runoff with a whopping 84%!

Failing to implement even one meaningful reform when they had the chance to do so in one of the most foolish mistakes MDC leaders have ever done. They have only compounded their treasonous betray of failing to implement reforms by insisting in participating in flawed and illegal elections under the pretext of these WIRE strategies.

Zanu PF has blatantly rigged and win the 2013 elections and all these that that have followed. Zanu PF is set to blatantly rig the 2023 elections; all these WIRE strategies are just hot air.

Indeed, by mobilising and participating in these flawed elections, MDC is giving the flawed process credibility and the vote rigging Zanu PF regime legitimacy.

In the 2018 elections Nelson Chamisa claimed that he was the winner polling 2.6 million votes to Mnangagwa’s 2.4 million. Chamisa failed to produce the V11 forms, the vote count summary sheet produced by each Polling Station. To be fair to Chamisa, ZEC too failed to produce all the V11 forms, hence the reason why ZEC had three different tallies of the votes which it could not reconcile.

The whole election process could not be trace and verified because ZEC had failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll. There will be no verified voters’ roll in 2023 either, ZEC has done nothing to produce one and, with less than a year and half to go, it is too late to do so now.

So Chamisa will be calling on his supporters to “defend” a result he cannot substantiate or verify!

The sheer stupidity of MDC A’s position is mind boggling: MDC A, against all advice, are the ones insisting in participating in flawed elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF will rig the elections and by participating MDC A is giving Zanu PF legitimacy. The MDC A is then hoping to wrestle power from Zanu PF by staging street protests!

After 42 years of rigged elections and the country in a serious economic and political mess one would think, everyone has finally had enough of trying to win rigged elections and are ready for a more rational solution – implement the democratic reforms and stop anyone rigging the elections.

Chamisa is contesting elections for "leader of opposition" bragging right - that's a curse to povo W Mukori

There is nothing to be excited about the 26 March 2022 by-elections or the 2023 national elections because with not even one meaningful democratic reform implemented Zanu PF will rig the elections, guaranteed! For the last 22 years the people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will implement the necessary democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections.

MDC leaders have been in power and had many golden chances, especially during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, to implement the reforms. Sadly, they have failed to get even one reform implemented and wasted the many opportunities.

Worse still, by insisting on participating in flawed and illegal elections, MDC leaders have given vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and thus help the regime stay in power.

It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said in a leaked cable back to Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai is “a flawed and indecisive character who will become an albatross round the nation’s neck if he was ever to get into power!”

What the ambassador about Tsvangirai was true of the entire MDC leadership. MDC has been in power with elected public officials for the last 22 years, 5 of which, 2008 to 2013, GNU. As noted above, the MDC leaders have failed to implement even one reform because they are turned out to be breathtakingly corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Zanu PF has bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about implementing the reforms.

Since the 2008 to 2013 GNU debacle, Zanu PF has enticed MDC leaders to participate in flawed and illegal elections with a promise of a share of the spoils of power. Zanu PF needed the opposition to participate to maintain the façade Zimbabwe was a healthy and functioning multi-party democracy and not the corrupt, tyrannical and vote rigging de facto one-party dictatorship of the pre GNU.

So, MDC leaders not only failed to implement the democratic reforms necessary to end the Zanu PF dictatorship but worse still have been participating in flawed elections to keep up the appearance Zimbabwe was no long a pariah state. No one except MDC’s naïve and gullible supporters were fooled by façade, especially the savvy and shrewd investors whose money was needed to kick-start its economy that has been in a comatose state since the late 1990s.

As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state governed by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging lawless thugs; the will be no meaningful economic recovery.

MDC leaders have all but given up the fight to implement the democratic reforms, the pre-requisite for free, fair and credible elections and ending the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. MDC leaders have convinced their naïve and gullible followers reforms are not necessary as the party has devised “winning in rigged elections strategies!”

A feeble excuse for participating in flawed elections especially after the watershed 2008 elections in which Morgan Tsvangirai had garnered 73% of the vote in the March vote, before the Zanu PF vote rigging juggernaut was switched back on. The 73% was whittled down to 47%, enough to force a runoff. The party then used wanton violence to punish the people for daring to reject the party in the earlier vote.

The democratic reforms are meant to take away Zanu PF’s carte blanche powers to cheat and use violence to secure electoral victory. Without reforms MDC’s “winning in rigged elections strategies” are just hot air, an oxymoron!

MDC is “exactly what the doctor ordered”, as far as Zanu PF, is concerned because the Chamisa and company have allowed Zanu PF to keep all its dictatorial powers, rig the election and still keep its façade of democratic legitimacy. For the ordinary Zimbabweans they have found themselves stuck with the Zanu PF dictatorship whose misrule, now disguised as a functioning democracy thanks to MDC leaders’ deceit and betrayal, is dragging the nation deeper and deeper into the crashing abyss!

As long as the people of Zimbabwe continue to believe in MDC leaders’ nonsense of “winning in rigged elections strategies” they will continue participating in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy. As the USA ambassador rightly predicted; MDC leaders are the milestone round the nation’s neck dragging us all into the abyss.

Elections should be about the people having a meaningful say in the governance of the country but only if the elections are free, fair and credible. Rigged elections, as is the case in Zimbabwe, are a farce to rubber stamp a predetermined result.

Nelson Chamisa and Douglas Mwonzora know Zanu PF is rigging these elections to secure 2/3 parliamentary and senate majority and the presidency leaving them to over the remaining 1/3 of the seats and bragging rights to “Leader of Zimbabwe’s Opposition Party”!

There is no deny that Zimbabwe’s economic and political woes have multiplied and will never go away as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state. The people have risked life and limb to get the democratic reforms implemented and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. MDC leaders have sold out, they have cut a deal with Zanu PF, they have implemented no reforms in return for a share of the spoils of absolute power and the looted wealth.

If we want an end to our economic suffering and tyrannical oppression then we must revert to our original demand of democratic reforms to restore the basic freedoms and rights of all including the right to free, fair and credible elections. Just because MDC leaders sold out on reforms does not mean reforms are untenable, they are and are more urgent now than ever!

Whilst we cannot stop Zanu PF going ahead with these meaningless elections – without first implementing the reforms to stop the party rigging the elections, they are indeed a farce. We cannot stop the MDC leaders participating in these flawed elections – they do not care that the elections are rigged as long as they get a share of the spoils.

What we, the ordinary Zimbabweans, can do is play no part in these flawed and illegal elections and denounce them for what they are, a farce, here and now – not have to wait until the results are announce. These elections are being rigged in advance and must be denounce in advance. No stone must be left unturned to make sure Zanu PF does not get legitimacy regardless of MDC’s participation! 

Mnangagwa uses divide and rule tactic to force Chamisa to abandon #PRICECAMPAIGN P Guramatunhu

 Divide and rule, it is a tried and tested tactic as old as human history that has worked, particularly in conquering those easily divided!

 

Talk of easily divided, it really does not take much to divide the MDC. Ever since the party’s formation in 1999, the party has divided, subdivided and merged and divided again and again. Each time the party has divided the members have lashed out at each other with more venomous hatred than they have ever shown to Zanu PF, the opposition’s main political opponent.

 

When Tendai Biti and 8 other MPs broke away from Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC-T in 2014, Biti said it had been easier to work with Mugabe than with Tsvangirai. Biti was Secretary General of the party and MDC-T Minister of Finance in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Tsvangirai recalled the 9 MPs out of spite knowing fully well MDC-T was not going contest the by-elections to at least try to win back the seats.

 

Of course, Robert Mugabe was well aware there was no love lost between the MDC leaders and he was not one to miss the opportunity to exploit this.

 

In the bloated GNU cabinet, the smaller MDC-N faction led first by Arthur Mutambabra and then later by Welshman Ncube had more ministers and deputy ministers then warranted by the party’s elected MPs. The leaders of the two MDC factions were falling over each other in their zeal to praise Mugabe forgetting that their primary task was to implement the democratic reforms.

 

Biti called Mugabe “unflappable, fountain of wisdom and father of the nation!” Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, MDC-N Minister in GNU was so impressed with Mugabe, she was “speechless!”

 

When SADC leaders pressured the two MDC faction leaders not to participate in the 2013 elections until meaningful reforms were implemented to ensure free and fair elections. Mugabe defied SADC leaders and played his tramp card!

 

Mugabe was confident that the mistrust between the two MDC factions was so deeply rooted they would not trust each other to boycott the elections although that was the “obvious” thing to do as one MDC leader readily admitted.

 

“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 (2013) elections,” admitted David Coltart in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe. Coltart was a MDC-N minister in the GNU.  

“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.”

 

Mugabe got his wish; the two MDC factions participate in the 2013 elections regardless all the evidence Zanu PF was rigging the elections and thus giving Zanu PF legitimacy. The MDC has since been participating in the flawed and illegal elections giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

 

If there is a lesson Mnangagwa has learned from his old mentor, Robert Mugabe, it is the importance of dividing the opposition to keep them fighting each other instead of fighting Zanu PF.

 

Mnangagwa created the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) grouping all the losing candidates in the 2018 presidential race. The primary purpose of POLAD was to reward with perks the candidates participating in the elections, doing their bit to give the flawed election process credibility and thus encourage them to participate in future elections. Mnangagwa has used POLAD to pressure Chamisa and a few others to join.

 

There is no doubt that Nelson Chamisa’s succession following Tsvangirai’s death in 2018 was unconstitutional and a High Court judgement to that effect has led to the breakup the Chamisa MDC A. A number of the party’s elected officials were forced to switch allegiance to the Mwonzora led MDC-T and those who did not were recalled last year, 2021.

 

We can be certain that Mnangagwa has taken full advantage of Chamisa’s troubles. ZEC has stopped the by-elections to fill the recalled elected official much to the anger of Chamisa and company.

 

President Mnangagwa has since announced the long-delayed by-elections will finally take place on 26 March 2022. Within hours of making this announcement the social media was buzzing with the news that Douglas Mwonzora had met President Mnangagwa at State House. This is a follow up to MDC-T’s call for interparty dialogue, possibly leading to the formation of a new GNU.

 

“President Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by Zanu PF Secretary for Finance Mr Patrick Chinamasa and Acting Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr George Charamba, promised to respond to the MDC-T’s final position as soon as possible after their own internal consultations within the government and their party,” MDC-T spokesperson Witness Dube said in a statement.

 

There has been talks of Chamisa and his MDC A grouping were considering boycotting the 2023 elections following the party’s recent #PRICECAMPAIGN demanding reforms before elections.

 

The announcement of the by-elections were going ahead will have forced MDC A to reconsider the boycott. The report of Mwonzora, MDC A’s number one advisory, hobnobbing at State House has left Chamisa and company fuming at the prospect of Mwonzora and company participating in the elections and becoming the country’s main opposition party.

 

So, President Mnangagwa is going into these by-elections and 2023 national elections confident that the divided opposition will participating giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

Chamisa, Mwonzora and the rest in the opposition camp have to be content sharing the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is giving away as bait. They are betraying the masses for thirty pieces of silver!

 

The real big losers are the ordinary people who continue to be denied their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and continue to suffer the ill effects of being stuck with this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. They are conned by the opposition to participate in the flawed elections under the false claim the opposition have “winning in rigged elections strategies”! Until the masses wise up, they will suffer! 

Mnangagwa condemns "chicanery" in Zanu PF elections - hypocrite orchestrated wanton violence in national elections N Garikai

 "Irregularities and political chicanery across party structures must be decisively dealt with and expunged from the party," said President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He was referring to the recent Zanu PF elections which were marred by violence and rigging.

 

What a hypocrite!

 

The irregularities and political chicanery in the Zanu PF party elections were nothing compared to the blatant cheating and wanton violence of Zimbabwe’s watershed 2008 national elections. President Mnangagwa should know this because he was the one who supervised Operation “Mavhotera ani!” (Whom did you vote for!)

 

When it was clear that Zanu PF was losing the March 2008 vote the Joint Operation Command (JOC); a junta comprising the top brass in Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services plus a few others from Zanu PF headed by Robert Mugabe and assisted by Mnangagwa; stopped ZEC announcing the election results.

 

It took six weeks to recount 5 million votes; read, to cook up the figures. Morgan Tsvangirai had garnered 73% of vote, according to Mugabe’s Freudian slip; this was whittled down to 47%, enough to force a runoff.

 

Operation Mavhotera ani picked in during the runoff. Of course, JOC knew whom the people had voted for, this was a rhetorical question; the operation was about punishing the people for rejected Zanu PF and Mugabe in the March 2008 vote. And punish the people is exactly what JOC did; the country witnessed the worst wanton violence ever.

 

“Zanu PF has declared war on the people!” said Tsvangirai as he announced his withdrawal from the runoff.

 

For once, even SADC and AU, known for turning a blind eye to rigged Zimbabwe elections in the past, refused to accept Zanu PF as the legitimate winner of the 2008 elections given the blatant cheating and wanton violence.

 

SADC leaders forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to agree to the implementation of the raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The 2008 to 2013 GNU was tasked to implement the democratic reforms and “expunge” the cheating and wanton violence.

 

Sadly, not even one meaningful reform was ever implemented. Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms.

 

There is no denying Zimbabwe is in a serious economic and political mess; 41 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness that have earned the country’s pariah state status have left the country in economic ruins and political paralysis.

 

The economic meltdown has resulted in the collapse of basic services such as education and health care and left millions of our people living in abject poverty. The economic meltdown has not spared the Zanu PF ruling elite either, many Zanu PF grandees like the late Nathan Shamuyarira lost their seat at the top table and lived thereafter and died as poor as the proverbial church mouse. It is the fear of the rising tide of poverty that is fuelling the dog-eat-dog fight for power in Zanu PF.

 

If there are no hold-barred in the Zanu PF member on member fight, these Zanu PF members will ruthlessly crash their opposition opponents.   

 

"I urge the party leadership to always listen to the aspirations of the people at every level.  It is equally important that the party leadership and membership in general work concertedly to achieve a better quality of life for our people," continued Mnangagwa.

"It is after all the people who have entrusted us with the mandate to govern our great country.”

 

Yeah right! Zanu PF has retained its iron grip on absolute power for over 42 years now by blatantly cheating and, if need be, using wanton violence. The party has managed to get away with rigged elections because the opposition have participated in these flawed elections, the few gravy train seats offered as bair, giving the process some modicum of credibility.

With no reforms, Zanu PF is rigging 2023 elections and MDC A is hell bent on giving Zanu PF legitimacy P Guramatunhu

 Zanu PF is blatantly rigging the 2023 elections!

“Zanu PF bigwigs, Chief Serima and members of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organization have instructed the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to transfer a Gutu teacher for allegedly denouncing Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa,” reported Zimeye.

“Zanu PF MP for Gutu West Constituency, John Paradza also claims the teacher, Batsiranai Ngugama of Serima High School, is mobilizing the local community to vote against him.”

This is not only common occurrence, but worse things have happened to those considered a threat to Zanu PF’s strangle hold on power. Many opponents of the regime have been beaten, raped, had property destroyed and some have been murdered in cold blood.

In November last year, Nyasha Zhambe, a MDC activist was murdered by Zanu PF operatives for attending an MDC rally at Mupandawan Growth Point, less than 30 km from Serima High School. Nyasha named his assailants and yet to date no one has been arrested.

Rural areas are Zanu PF strongholds for no other reason than that the party has total control over the people’s lives, they are nothing short of medieval serfs beholden to the overbearing Zanu PF lords. The rural voters constitute 50% plus of the electorate.

How can the elections be free, fair and credible when 50% plus of the electorate are frog marched to vote one way?

The Police and CIO should not be turning a blind eye to Zanu PF thuggery much less be actively involved in the lawlessness. Zimbabwe’s elections should not be taking place without first implementing the democratic reforms to ensure the Police, CIO, etc. are free to carry out their duties of maintaining law and order and guarantee free and fair elections.  

Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were tasked to implement the reforms turned out to be breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent. They failed to implement even one reform in five years. Not even one reform!

Worse still, MDC leaders are the ones who have insisted in participating in these flawed and illegal elections in which rural voters are frog marched to vote for Zanu PF, with no verified voters’ roll, when 3 million (in 2023) Zimbabweans in the diaspora are denied the vote, etc.

By participating in these flawed elections, MDC has given Zanu PF legitimacy.

What has made this situation totally intolerable is that MDC leaders have known all along the futility of participating in flawed elections and readily admitted it.

“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 (2013) elections,” admitted David Coltart in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe. Coltart was a MDC-N minister in the GNU.  

“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.”

Four of the main MDC factions plus three other opposition parties did form a coalition, the MDC Alliance, and still participated in the 2018 elections. Proof it was greed not the failure to form a coalition that was forcing the MDC leaders participate in flawed elections.  

Indeed, it was greed that had stopped the MDC leaders implementing even one reform during the GNU.

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the spoils of power and not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms.

MDC leaders have repeatedly claimed that they have “winning in rigged elections strategies”; all hot air, of course. They said it to justify why they have been participating in the flawed and illegal elections and cover the real reason – greed.

With not even one token reform implemented since the 2018 elections; of course, Zanu PF is blatantly rigging the 2023 elections just readily as the party rigged the 2018 elections! The elections should be declared null and void and Zanu PF denied legitimacy.

However, there are some Zimbabweans who are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections; hell bent on giving Zanu PF legitimacy. Still, come the morning after the 2023 elections, no Zimbabwean with half a brain should ever be in any doubt about the following three things:

1)    1)  That Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2023 elections, the whole election process was not free, fair and credible. 

2)    2) That MDC leaders insisted in participating in these flawed elections out of greed; they knew their “winning in rigged elections strategies” were all hot air. 

3)    3) That by participating in the flawed elections Zimbabweans gave vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and thus extended the Zanu PF dictatorship’s rule – pretty dumb thing to do in this day and age, especially after four decades of rigged elections.