American are electing 47th President, it's free, fair and credible guaranteed for 250 years. We are not there yet! W Mukori

 Americans are voting for the country’s next president. He (if Trump wins) or she (if Harris win) will be the 47 th President of the United States of America. Ever since George Washington, first President of USA 1789 to 1797, the country has elected a president every four years, regular as clock work. And in all these nearly 250 years the Americans have gone to the polls assured of two things:

1. 1) First and foremost, that the elections are free, fair and credible and the result will be the democratic will of the American people

1. 2) Second but just as important, the electorate had the cast iron guarantee that if the elected officials fail the nation they, the people, can remove them from office and elect others. 

Ask any American what matters the most to them as they queue to vote and most will not even mention any one of the above two points. They have enjoyed these basic rights they are bound to take them for granted. Those of us from third world countries like Zimbabwe who have yet to hold free, fair and credible elections we talk of nothing else. 

Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies told the people in 1980 if the party did not win that year’s elections, the bush war would continue. Of course the people voted to end the war and Zanu PF set out to systematical corrupt the nation institutions to create a de facto one-party dictatorship.

The country has had many chances to implement democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chance coming in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office and, in return, kicked the reforms out of the window! 

So 44 years after independence and in this day and age, Zimbabwe is stuck on first base unable to hold free, fair and credible elections for three basic reasons:

1. 1) Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF founding fathers have paid lip service to rally call of “One man, one vote!” They wanted absolute power for themselves and never ever wanted to risk losing that power by letting the people have a meaningful democratic vote including voting them out of office. 

1. 2) Zanu PF has rigged the elections these last 44 years or be it the last 24 years was with the connivence of MDC/CCC leaders. MDC/CCC leaders have not only paid lip service to implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, worse still they have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of incompetency and greed. 

1. 3) Zimbabwe’s political paralysis could have been avoided if the Zimbabwean electorate had not been so ignorant, naive and gullible. Chamisa conning millions of Zimbabweans to participate in last year’s flawed elections because they believed his idiotic lie of plugging all vote rigging loop holes. It was obvious this was just an idiotic lie.

The political system of democracy - government of the people, for the people and by the people - is a 2 500 year old Greek invention. The Americans adopted the system and it has delivered peace, justice and unparalleled economic prosperity. We, in Zimbabwe, are not being asked to reinvent the wheel only to adopt it and make it work for our own good. 44 years after independence, we are still failing to our first ever hold free, fair and credible elections.

“The Americans have flown to the Moon and back! And we are still struggling to cross the street!” remarked the late Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania. He was impressed by the Neil Alden Armstrong, American astronaut’s “One small step for man and one giant leap for mankind!” And he was equally disappointed at how Tanzania and many African countries were lagging behind and, in some cases, regressing. 

We, in Zimbabwe, are still failing to hold free, fair and credible elections because we are still failing to define what constitutes free and fair elections! For the last 15 years MDC/CCC leaders have conned their followers into believe the nation does not need free, fair and credible elections because they, the leaders, have devised strategies to win RIGGED elections. Talk of regressing!

To keep participating in flawed elections after 44 years of Zanu PF rigged elections is insane and MUST stop now! W Mukori

 Let us be clear on this one thing: Zimbabwe is a failed state, a pariah state, stuck with this corrupt, incompetent, tyrannical and vote rigging Zanu PF regime and its equally corrupt and useless MDC/CCC opposition side-kick.  After 44 years of rigged elections, we desperately need to put and end to this double curse of rigged elections and bad governance. 

In 2008 Professor Jonathan Moyo said Mugabe would lose that year’s elections to a donkey in that was the alternative on the ballot paper. He was right, he was underlining just how desperate the people were for change. Morgan Tsvangirai was the alternative on the ballot paper and he lost that elections and all subsequent elections to Mugabe. Chamisa has been losing similar elections to Mnangagwa. Why?

We all know the answer why; Zanu PF rigs elections!

The people of Zimbabwe have risked all to elect MDC/CCC leaders for one primary purpose and one only - to implement the necessary democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, as the party name implied Movement for Democratic Change. 

Alas, after 24 years on the political stage including the 5 years in the GNU, Chamisa and company have not only failed to implement even one token reform but worst of all they have been conning the people to participating in flawed elections because they, MDC/CCC leaders, have devised strategies of winning rigged elections.

In 2018 Chamisa told the people MDC A would  win the elections because the party “had stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.” Last year it was the same thing, CCC would win big because he “had plugged all the Zanu PF vote rigging loop holes. #Godisinit!” It was all bulls***t of course, because Zanu PF continued to blatantly rigged elections. 

And now “Revolutionary Greeting” Comrade Ngqabutho Mabhena, in his latest youtube video, is telling us the opposition can defeat vote rigging Zanu PF in 2028 if they have party structure! A donkey would defeat Mnangagwa or whoever is the regime’s candidate in 2028 IF the elections are free, fair and credible. The operative phrase is elections MUST BE free, fair and credible. The donkey will have no party structures nor would it need any! 

The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that millions of Zimbabweans believe these MDC/CCC idiotic lies of winning rigged elections strategies and participate in flawed elections only to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the curse of bad governance and the nation’s suffering.

After 44 years of Zanu PF rigged elections, the last 24 years of which with MDC/CCC connivence, we should have the common sense of focusing on implementing the reforms and end this madness of pretending we will ever have good governance from a vote rigging autocracy. We cannot make a silk purse our of a sower’s ear. 

If we want good governance then we must restore democracy and the rule of law and holding free, fair and credible elections is a key tenet of democracy and rule of law. The very idea the nation should hope to win rigged elections is itself preposterous because it accepts that Zanu PF has the right to disregard the rules and laws governing the conduct of elections, to rig elections!

Last year the idiotic lie to justify participating in flawed elections was “plugged all the vote rigging loop holes” in 2028 it is “we have party structures”.  How nauseating!

SABC's Mokoena accused of "lacking intellectual rigour" - for denouncing Zanu PF election interference. W Mukori

 Zanu PF propagandists and apologists are renowned for their shooting from the hip Dereck Goto’s latest epistle takes the biscuit. 

“If Sophie Mokoena is truly representative of the so-called "journalistic standards" at SABC, then it's no wonder people question the intellectual rigour of South African media as a whole,” Dereck opened his attack with scad missile, drowns, everything in the Bulawayo 24 artle.

“A woman in charge of an entire foreign desk at a national broadcaster yet incapable of basic critical thought is a glaring embarrassment. Instead of reporting on the news, she absurdly turns herself into the story! What kind of so-called journalist behaves in such an unprofessional manner?

“Yes, everyone knows journalists can be bought, but at least make an effort to disguise it. Mokoena's lack of subtlety in her bias is painfully obvious to anyone paying attention. Her open allegiance to Saviour Kasukuwere has turned her coverage into nothing but petty bitterness against Zanu-PF.

“Her approach to reporting on Zimbabwe is not only crude but utterly devoid of professionalism,” he finished.

Finished? You might well ask. Yes this was it! 

If you are going to accuse someone of bias, lacking intellectual rigour, etc., etc.; you should at least have the common sense to name even one example where Ms Mokoena was biased, lacked intellectual rigour, etc. The idiot did not name even one case much less provide the supporting evidence!  

Ms Mokoena’s SABC video commenting of the recent Botswana elections has gone viral. In the video she condemned Zanu PF’s blatant interference in Botswana and Mozambique’s elections. Of course, Ms Mokoena is right to condemn the interference. Goto did not dare deny Zanu PF interference because there is a mountain of evidence of Zimbabweans voting in Mozambique elections, for example. 

Mozambique is on fire right now, the opposition and their supporters are protesting against the election results, claiming the ruling party rigged. Every thinking Zimbabwean out there must be hanging his/her head in shame because we know Zanu PF played a role in the rigging!

It is bad enough that Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections, both SADC and AU elections observers condemned the process as flawed and illegal. It is totally unacceptable that the regime should be interfering in the election process in other countries. Kudus to Ms Mokoena and SABC for taking the lead in publicly denouncing Zanu PF for the regime’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe and for exporting the deadly practice to other countries. 

Zanu PF interfered in Mozambique and Botswana elections and it is nonsense to accuse Mokoena and SABC of lacking intellectual rigour for condemning the interference. But then, this is the typical knee-jerk reaction expected from the regime especially now when it cornered and has nowhere to hide! 

Zimbabwe's opposition hold Ideas Festival Conference, exact copy-cat of recent Zanu PF Conference down ti echo chamber. W Mukori

“A former Cabinet minister has condemned the Zimbabwean government and the ruling Zanu-PF party for their hostile stance towards opposition parties, labelling it a sign of immaturity and cowardice rather than revolutionary fervour. The remarks were made by Nkosana Moyo, former Minister of Industry and International Trade, during the ongoing Ideas Festival conference organized by Alpha Media Holdings,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Moyo highlighted Zimbabwe's troubling history of state-sponsored violence against opposition figures, where activists have faced persecution, imprisonment, and even death for opposing the ruling party. He emphasized the importance of respecting dissenting voices in a mature democracy.”

No one would ever deny that Zanu PF is a party of thugs who have denied Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and rights for the purpose of keeping an iron grip on power. Conference was a very good idea, it is a pity that it turned out to be an echo chamber. The delegates were telling each other what they wanted and so they learned nothing of substance.

One of the substantive issue Zimbabwe’s opposition should talk about is their weaknesses. The opposition had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, for example; they failed to implement even one token reform. It is nonsense to blame that failure on Zanu PF being a corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship. 

Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office; the E-Class Mercedes Benz limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, the US$ 4 million mansion for Save himself, etc., etc. In return, the MDC leaders forgot about implementing the reforms.

The world looks different from the rose-tinted windows of an air-conditioned limousine!

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the trappings of high office; they will never rock the boat!) Boasted Zanu PF cronies during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the all important democratic reforms. 

Mugabe knew Tsvangirai and company’s weaknesses, that they were corrupt and incompetent, and he exploited these weakness for his own political advantage. 

Ever since the GNU debacle, Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. They knew Zanu PF was offering a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate no matter how flawed and illegal the process got. Chamisa and company have found the bait irresistible! 

It is not as if the opposition leaders do not know they are corrupt and incompetent; of course, they know that. A few of the leaders have admitted it although even they have been on guard not to reap 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.

The truth is Zimbabwe’s crop of opposition leaders are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless and, to crown it all, lack the intellectual maturity to admit their own weaknesses much less to do something about it.

“Chamisa and his CCC party are Zanu PF Team B in all but name!” remarked social media activist, Brett  muVeti. Of course, Brett was spot on. MDC/CCC leaders have been participating in flawed elections to make sure Zanu PF team A wins and it has political legitimacy.

"We have not yet matured to a point where we understand the value of opposition," said Nkosana Moyo in the echo chamber. "When you've got somebody who disagrees with you, if you are a mature person, you listen very carefully to what they say, because they see things from a different perspective from you. You don't kill them.”

No, Dr Moyo, you have got it all wrong! Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, appreciates how useful a corrupt and incompetent opposition is to Zanu PF’s agenda of returning political power at all costs. Mnangagwa created POLAD for the purpose of rewarding these opposition leaders who had failed to win any gravy train seats in the 2018 elections and thus keep opposition pot boiling.

Yes Mnangagwa has roughed up Chamisa and company every now and then, after all he is a ruffian, but he will never kill them off. Even a buffoon like Mnangagwa knows that Zanu PF is still in power today precisely because Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders are among the most corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless in human history! Why would he kill off Zanu PF team B!  

EDfor2030 is a Zanu PF sting operation to draw attention away from rigged elections and illegitimacy. It worked! W Mukori

 What if I tell you that the EDfor2030 hoo-haaa was a decoy to draw attention away from the more pressing matter that Zanu PF was illegitimate because both SADC and AU had condemned Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections as flawed and illegal. Well the EDfor2030 was indeed a decoy!

“ZANU-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has disclosed that the recent push to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms was largely driven by external forces attempting to destabilize his leadership. Speaking to journalists after the party's 21st Annual National People's Conference in  Bulawayo on Saturday, Mutsvangwa emphasized that the slogan advocating for Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030 was a direct response to these perceived threats,” it was reported

“While Mutsvangwa refrained from identifying the specific external actors allegedly seeking to unseat Mnangagwa, he expressed frustration over what he described as unwarranted interference in ZANU-PF's internal affairs. He asserted that party members were outraged by attempts to orchestrate a leadership change from outside the party.”

Trust the regime to milk the EDfor2030 campaign for all it is worth!

Still the EDfor2030 campaign was launched soon after the 2023 elections result were out to take the sting out of the political reality that Mnangagwa rigged the election and therefore was illegitimate. The regime did not want the nation asking the awkward questions as to why SADC and the AU had done nothing to punish him although both institutions had publicly accepted the damning elections report. 

Mnangagwa knew that as much as people were angry that he had rigged the elections to extend his say in power, the prospect of him seeking to stay on beyond 2028 was unthinkable. The people’s reaction was predictable - they forgot about his current illegitimacy problem is the fight to stop him extending it even further.

The EDfor2030 lure has been so irresistible to the ignorant and gullible they have not only forgotten that Mnangagwa is illegitimate but better still they have given him brownie points each said he will not extend his stay in power beyond 2028. 

“I respect the rule of law. I am a constitutionalist!” Mnangagwa has said repeatedly. All nonsense, of course. Where in the constitution does it say one can stage a military coup or blatantly rig elections? It will come as no surprise if Mnangagwa was to brush aside all these legal constrains stopping him staying in power beyond 2028. After all brushing aside a constitutional clause is nothing compared to staging a military coup.

The truth is Zanu PF will rig the 2028 elections whether Mnangagwa or some one else is the party’s presidential candidate. If we had not been so easily lured by the EDfor2030 mantra and kept our eyes fixed of Zanu PF rigged the 2023 elections and is therefore illegitimate, we might have made some progress in getting democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections implemented. 

So the EDfor2030 lure has worked like a charm for Zanu PF, the people has been focusing on stopping Mnangagwa extending his stay in office beyond 2028 they forgot the regime rigged 2023 elections and, worst of all, that without reforms will rig 2028 elections. As for Mnangagwa standing in 2028; there is nothing the people can do to stop him! 

In short, Zimbabweans should have kept their eyes on the ball - condemning Zanu PF for rigging 2023 elections and making sure  all the democratic reforms are finally implemented to stop the regime rigging all future elections. 

Sadly, this is not the first time Zanu PF has thrown a meatless bone - stopping Mnangagwa extending his rule beyond 2028 - at us to draw our attention away from what real matters - ensuring free and fair elections. The regime pulled a similar fast one on the nation in 2017 when attention was diverted to Mugabe must go when the nation should have demanding not just the dictator Mugabe to go but that the whole Zanu PF dictatorship itself to be totally dismantled. We never learn!

"I'll be back!" Chamisa is back,Terminator style, to con followers to participate flawed 2028 elections. W Mukori

 “I’ll be back!” Nelson Chamisa might as well have said, Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger style, when he resigned as president of CCC in a huff complaining Zanu PF had infiltrated his party. Chamisa is back!

“President Chamisa informed the highly subscribed memorial service,  that, "I am still active in politics: we are going to form a powerful 'Cyclone' citizen -centred movement’, reported Change Radio.

“President Chamisa's announcement about his next political move has effectively dispelled rumours that he had quit politics. In a bold statement, he reaffirmed his commitment to leading Citizens and championing the interests of the Zimbabwean people. President Chamisa's declaration not only counters misleading narratives but also highlights his strategic focus.

“President Chamisa called for unity and resilience among Citizens, emphasising key issues like economic recovery, social justice, and democratic reforms. This proactive approach is essential in mobilising citizens who are eager for change. 

“Furthermore, President Chamisa's active role in the political landscape reflects a renewed energy within Citizens. His leadership and vision are crucial for inspiring a new generation of Citizens committed to democratic governance. As the political climate continues to evolve, his influence will be vital in shaping the future of Zimbabwean politics.”

Chamisa “shaping the future of Zimbabwe”! Since when has Chamisa ever had “strategic focus and vision”? What is Change Radio wittering about?

Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends have been on the political stage for 24 years, including 5 in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, and they have failed to bring about even one token democratic reform. Not a sausage! Worst of all, they have been participating ing flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the nation’s suffering. 

When Chamisa stormed out of CCC in January 2024, claiming the party was infiltrated by Zanu PF, everyone with half a brain knew he would be back. Unlike Terminator who returned to “rescue”, Chamisa is back to con his followers to participate in flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. Period!

The “Cyclone Citizen Centred Movement” will not any different from the now defunct Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC). In the past, he conned millions of his followers to participate in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating the dictatorship. Last year he told them that CCC was going to win big because he had plugged all the vote rigging loop holes. It was an idiotic lie and they, being the village idiots they are, believed him. We all know what is coming next!

Chamisa will tell his followers that his psychedelic Cyclone Movement will win big the upcoming flawed 2028 elections. He will assure that this time he has devised winning RIGGED elections strategies. All idiotic lies, of course! What matters here, just as before, the braindead followers believe the idiotic lies! They will participate in their millions giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating the nation’s suffering. We are stuck!

Of course, we are stuck! After 44 years of independence, in this day and age, we ares till failing to hold free, fair and credible elections.

We started well enough with the pre-independence rallying call of “One man, one vote!” Alas! Before the ordinary people had the chance to exercise their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies made it clear that if the party did not win the 1980 elections they bush war would continue. Of course, the people voted to end the bush war and with that vote, lost their right to free elections because Zanu PF went on to imposed the de facto one party state.

The nation has had many chances to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. The people of Zimbabwe have risked livelihoods, limbs and even human lives to elect MDC/CCC leaders for the primary purpose of implementing the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. It is a great pity that Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends have sold out by not only failing to implement even one token reform but in conning the people to participate in flawed elections to perpetuate the dictatorship. 

What makes the opposition leaders’ betrayal even more intolerable is that the people themselves have clearly failed to grasp the political reality that Chamisa and company are now Zanu PF team B in all but name. They are playing for team A to win and get political legitimacy. 

After 24 years, including 5 in the GNU, and not even one token change implemented. How anyone continues to believe Chamisa will believe any democratic change beggars belief! 

“I’ll be back!” Yes Chamisa is back but only to continue what he and his MDC/CCC friends have been doing these last 24 years - perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship!

"Why Nations Fail The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty" is to development what Mendeleev's Periodic Table was the Chemistry. W Mukori

 LondonCNN — 

Three economists were awarded the Nobel Prize Monday for their research into how the nature of institutions helps explain why some countries become rich and others remain poor.

Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson will share the prize, which carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).

The Nobel Committee praised the trio for explaining why “societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better.”

“When Europeans colonized large parts of the globe, the institutions in those societies changed,” the committee said, citing the economists’ work. While in many places this was aimed at exploiting the indigenous population, in other places it laid the foundations for inclusive political and economic systems.

“The laureates have shown that one explanation for differences in countries’ prosperity is the societal institutions that were introduced during colonization,” the committee added.

Countries that developed “inclusive institutions” – which uphold the rule of law and property rights – have over time become prosperous, while those that developed “extractive institutions” – which, in the laureates’ words, “squeeze” resources from the wider population to benefit the elites – have experienced persistently low economic growth.

In their 2012 book “Why Nations Fail,” Acemoglu, a Turkish-American professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Robinson, a British professor at the University of Chicago, argue that some nations are wealthier than others because of their political and economic institutions.

The book opens with a comparison of living standards in two towns called Nogales – one in Arizona and one south of the border in Mexico’s Sonora region. Whereas some economists have argued that differences in climate, agriculture and culture have huge impacts on a place’s prosperity, Acemoglu and Robinson argue that those living in Nogales, Arizona, are healthier and wealthier because of the relative strength of their local institutions.

Last year, Acemoglu and Johnson – a British-American professor at MIT – published “Power and Progress,” a study of how technological innovations over the past 1,000 years, from agricultural advances to artificial intelligence, have tended to benefit the elites, rather than creating prosperity for all.

The authors warned that “the current path of AI is neither good for the economy nor for democracy.”

Democracy equals growth?

Asked whether their research simply argues that “democracy means economic growth,” Acemoglu said “the work we have done favors democracy” but added that democracy “is not a panacea.”

“Our argument has been that this sort of authoritarian growth is more unstable and does not generally lead to very rapid and original innovation,” Acemoglu said in a phone interview during the announcement ceremony.

In “Why Nations Fail,” he and Robinson argued that China, because it lacks inclusive institutions, would not be able to sustain its economic growth. More than a decade since the book’s publication, Acemoglu said China has posed a “bit of a challenge” to that argument, as Beijing has been “pouring investment” into the innovative fields of AI and electric vehicles.

“But my perspective is generally that these authoritarian regimes, for a variety of reasons, are going to have a harder time in achieving long-term, sustainable innovation outcomes,” he said.

The economics prize is officially known as Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Unlike the prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace, it was not instituted by the Swedish industrialist but rather by Sweden’s central bank in 1968.

Last year, the prize went to Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, for her research into women in the labor market.

Using more than 200 years’ worth of US data, Goldin showed how the nature of the gender pay gap has changed over time. Historically, much of the gap could be explained by differences in education and occupation. But in more recent history, she found, the bulk of the gap has been between men and women in the same occupation, and it largely emerges when a woman has her first child.

Zimbabwe is failed state. Forget the lunatics who are in denial that it is a failed state and ask the rest why is Zimbabwe a failed state. In their book “Why Nations Fail The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty” I believe Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson have provided all we need to know to not only answer the why we are a failed state but, more significantly, to get us out of this hell-hole.

If I had my way “Why Nations Fail The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty” would be compulsory reading for all especially those in position of power and authority and those entrusted with the vote. If you are going to buy someone a Christmas present this year, buy them this book.

It is not so much that Acemoglu and company said something new or profound; they did not. All they said in the book was already known. They great contribution, in my view, was to explain how all the various ideas and story relate to make some nations poor and others rich. Their work can be compared to the work of individuals like Dmitri Mendeleev in producing the periodic table. The periodic table lifted the fog of how and why chemically react with other materials the way they do.

The periodic table is an arrangement of the chemical elements, structured by their atomic number, electron configuration and recurring chemical properties. In the basic form, elements are presented in order of increasing atomic number, in the reading sequence. Then, rows and columns are created by starting new rows and inserting blank cells, so that rows (periods) and columns (groups) show elements with recurring properties (called periodicity). For example, all elements in group (column) 18 are noble gases that are largely—though not completely—unreactive.

The history of the periodic table reflects over two centuries of growth in the understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the elements, with major contributions made by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, John Newlands, Julius Lothar Meyer, Dmitri Mendeleev, Glenn T. Seaborg, and others.[1][2]

Countries that developed “inclusive institutions” – which uphold the rule of law and property rights – have over time become prosperous, while those that developed “extractive institutions” – which, in the laureates’ words, “squeeze” resources from the wider population to benefit the elites – have experienced persistently low economic growth. 

This is Zimbabwe in a nutshell! Mnangagwa has just created Mutapa Fund which is empowered to cream-off the nation’s wealth from all sources, direct and indirect, legal and illegal, and yet only Mnangagwa will have the power to say how the wealth is spend! No one else or institution is allowed to have oversight on the dealing of Mutapa Fund. No one!

Zimbabwe is a failed state because for the last 44 years Zanu PF has done as it damn well pleased. Such bodies as the Auditor General have come up with damning reports of mismanagement and corruption, much to the embarrassment of the regime. Still the nation was not able to remove Zanu PF from office because the regime rigged elections and so was not democratically accountable. The creation of this Mutapa Fund operating in this black box will allow the regime to loot at leisure without ever having to fear any expose and embarrassment!