Wednesday 8 March 2017

Diasporans contesting in flawed elections are mudding the political water then migrate away. P Guramatunhu

There are many Zimbabweans in the diaspora who are genuinely interested in seeking meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe but we must be wary of the few whose only interest is and has always been to feather their own nest. Zimbabwe political discourse is now being dominated by these diaspora political opportunists, the tourist politicians or "Mashohori" (migrant stock), as my Auntie calls them; mudding the political water and confusing the nation.

The blatant vote rigging by Zanu PF has reached the point where boycotting elections is the obvious and logical thing to do as Senator David Coltart readily acknowledged.

“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,” stated Senator 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.”

The question then arise: why was this issue not even discussed in the opposition camp?

The pressure to contest the flawed elections regardless came from Mashohori would were converging from all corners of the world ready to muscle in and win a seat on the country’s infamous gravy train. They were not interested in whether the elections were rigged or not as long as they get a seat on the gravy train.

At least 500 Mashohori contested in the various political party primaries and a number went on to contest in the 2013 elections. Those who failed to make it past the primary, flew back to Europe, America or wherever they had come from. As we know the election was rigged and many opposition candidates failed to secure a gravy train seat; triggering yet another wave of diaspora migration to hide and leak their wounds and leaving the local people to deal with the tragic consequences of the rigged elections.

The migrant stock visit Zimbabwe during the rainy season to feed on the locust, lizards or whatever other mussels it can get. At the end of the season they fly back to Europe where they nest and bring up their young leaving the local birds to tough it out during the dry season.

 Zimbabwe’s electoral season has gone full cycle and Mashohori are back. Zimbabwe has over 50 registered political parties and, needless to say, many of them have a large contingent of diaspora Zimbabweans, keen to contest the elections regardless of all the electoral flaws. They have formed their own parties because they know their parachute candidate image stinks! By forming their own briefcase parties, they know the competition for seats is not so great.

“Election fever has caught on. There is a tangible expectation in the air for 2018 elections and it appears reforms have all been but forgotten. Rush to register! Says the endless banners,” wrote Vince Musewe in one of his rare insightful observation.

“Register with who and for what is my question.

“If we think numbers will overwhelm Zanu-PF while they are in control of the machinery we must be both stupid and naive. The only election that can be fair is one that is independently administered or one where we the people are involved. ZEC will never deliver a zanupf defeat.

“I will say it again and again. Zanu-PF are poised to win their elections supported by the army the police the cio and the ZEC.”

What Musewe is doing is force those in the opposition camp especially Mashohori to debate the serious issue of vote rigging. What makes the refusal by the diaspora opportunists to discuss vote rigging particularly obnoxious is that many of them are living in countries like USA, Australia and Western Europe, with well establish tradition of holding free and fair elections. These Zimbabweans know Zimbabwe’s elections are but a mockery of what democratic elections should be. These diaspora vultures are pretending not to know what constitute free and fair elections just to win the few seats Zanu PF gives away!

To call these diaspora political opportunists mashohori is being generous, stock perform a useful service to the local people by helping to keep the locust population, that would otherwise destroy the crops, down. The diaspora politicians who continue to contest the flawed elections are vultures who kill and eat the farm animals especially the young and sick ones.

“When they (Zanu PF) win we shall all be in mourning once more and those encouraging a rush to unreformed elections will keep quiet or go into hiding,” concluded Musewe. 

We know exactly where many of them are hiding too, back to their diaspora home!


It is incumbent on all thinking Zimbabweans to demand the implementation of all the democratic reforms so we can have free, fair and credible election. Until we hold free and fair elections, this country will never ever get out of the hell-hole President Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs have dragged us into. Whilst still at it, we must hold to account the opposition politicians, especially mashohori, who continue to contest the flawed elections giving illegal Zanu PF regime the legitimacy it does not deserve!

9 comments:

Patrick said...

@ Tano

“I fear that the US President, who fancies himself as media savvy, will get terribly disappointed because a true media is honest to reality and facts,” wrote Tanonoka.

“And the US media will never leave him alone as, already, they have dug up lots of dirt and can smell much more down the tunnel.”

The great fortune for America is that the media is independent and not for sell to the whims and caprice of those whose business is to keep the people ignorant and brain washed! I agree, President Trump will not intimidate the media into silence.

Patrick said...

@ Chenhamo

Who said the media are perfect? Indeed, whilst some of the media had supported the war in Iraq on the basis of false information, they were the first to admit the information given to justify the war was false.

A free media is an important pillar of a healthy and functioning democracy and it has served America well. Those who fall for President Trump's cheap "fake news" accusation which he has failed to substantiate much worse tyrants like Mugabe's outright gagging of the media fail to see what really matters. You are like the idiots who think we should burn down the library because they have Playboy magazine when that section constitutes but an insignificant part of what the library hold!

Patrick said...

@ Tano

Nhamo inhemharo! Our friend here and many others like him/her have been brainwashed by the Zanu PF regime to the point they are now defending the very system that is oppressing them and millions of others! To fight the oppressive regime and free these people you will have to fight them first because they are defending the regime!

Patrick said...

@ Zhangazha

Zimbabwe has a serious vote rigging and political violence culture and the problem is not being dealt with, with the seriousness and urgency it demands. The use of the new voting system will not solve anything without carrying out the fundamental reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s undemocratic control of the whole electoral process and restore public confidence in the election.

“The onus will be largely on ZEC and civil society to prove that the BVR process is non-partisan and legitimate in the eyes of the ordinary voter.  And that the taking of pictures, fingerprints is essentially in order to register and not to victimise anyone in the event of an unfavourable electoral outcome to any of the political parties that would rule Zimbabwe,” you wrote.

“My view is that unless ZEC and civil society organisations up their game in relation to educating the public about this new BVR process and its full import, it is the political parties that will define how it is eventually publicly viewed.”
It does not matter how much ZEC and civil society up their voter education they will not convince anyone that Zanu PF will not know how they voted when their finger prints and photograph are taken before they vote and they have just been herded to the polling station by the headman or Zanu PF operative like cattle to the dip-tank. The very fact that their details are only to be found in only one polling station in the whole constituency will only help end the myth of secret vote!
If we are serious about wanting free and fair elections then we must demand the implementation of all the democratic reforms and stop wasting time on trivial issues like who is to buy the BVS kits or voter education designed to make some people feel important but will change nothing!

Patrick said...

How ironic that the regime had for years turned a blind eye to lawlessness and thuggery by war veterans against white farmers, their workers and povo and even assisted the war veterans. Today the war veterans are being denied the right to hold a meeting. Last time the rogue war veterans defied the regime they were tear-gassed and hosed down with water cannons. It is hard to feel sorry for these war veteran thugs, they fought so hard to impose this corrupt and murderous regime on the nation it is just that the regime is giving the thugs a taste of the oppression they dished out so liberally to others.

Mahiya and his rogue war veterans have not changed, they fact that they still want to impose VP Mnangagwa on the nation shows they are still rogues!

Patrick said...

We have known about the abuse and we have also known that the only way to end these abuses is implementing meaningful democratic reforms to end Zanu PF's abuse of the constitution and state institutions. Those who keep talking about the abuses but saying nothing about the implementing of the reforms are just wasting everyone's time and space!

Patrick said...

LEADER of a faction of the Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) party, Didymus Mutasa, could recover his top-of-the-range Range Rover Sport with a market value of about US$75 000 following claims by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) that it was wrongfully attached by the Sheriff of the High Court as it was still on their asset register, the Financial Gazette can exclusively reveal.


Tsvangirai was gifted the $4 million mansion for kicking reforms into the tall grass, Mutasa has done the tyrant many favours including shedding innocent blood for the sake of the Mafia.

Mutasa was booted out of Zanu PF in 2014 and yet the Mafioso continues to look after one of its own!

Nomusa Garikai said...

t is a great disappointment that those in the diaspora, who are infinitely better informed than the rural folk for example, are the ones who are asking everyone to contest elections that know are flawed and Zanu PF will rig. These diaspora vultures are only interested in getting a foot in the gravy train, they do not care a cat's whisker what the consequences of a rigged elections are.

These diaspora vulture are only interested in what they want and are selling out just as President Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and the rest have been doing all these years!

Zimbabwe Light said...

Zimbabwe's economic meltdown has made us a very selfish nation and many Zimbabweans both in the country and in the diaspora now see getting into power as their ticket to secure an future for themselves and their family. So the opportunity to get elected into public office has become the single most important thing everyone wants to do. For the opposition politicians the offer by Mugabe of the few seats as bait is all they needed, they will take their chance.


The fact that by contesting the elections they are also letting Mugabe off the hook on the demands for free and fair elections is of no importance them. They are looking after number one and number one's best interest are served by contesting the elections regards the high price the nation will pay for it.


Before the 2013 elections SADC warned of the need to implement the reforms, all those who contested the July 2013 ignored the warning. The British have just reminded the people of Zimbabwe of the need to implement the reforms and it is amazing that even these diaspora politicians who cannot pretend not to be aware of these warns are all ignoring the warnings!


It is all very well for our "mashohori" they will fly out of Zimbabwe the minute they realise they have failed to secure one of the few seats given away as bait! They will be quiet whilst the wait for the next elections and do the whole things all over again!