Implat Boost Zanu PF Elections War-Chest To US$ 2 billion - What Free Elections!

Last Friday Implats, a large platinum mining company, finally relented and sold 51% of its shares worth US$971 million.  31% of the shares will be controlled by State’s National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund headed by a former army general and administered by Zanu PF’s Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere. The Fund has assets worth US$ 2 billion already.

In 2008 Zanu PF pressured Anglo American Platinum to hand over about a quarter of its platinum concessions which the party then sold for US$ 100 million. The party used the money fund the party’s orgy of violence in the 2008 presidential run-off elections. Many fear the party will use the US$ 2 billion to pay for similar violent activities in the coming elections.


Every story points to one thing that the coming elections are NOT going to be free and fair and it is folly to pretend they will be anything else. Zimbabweans must call for the formation of a new national body which will be tasked to implement the agreed democratic reforms, draft a democratic constitution and then hold free and fair elections. The dysfunctional GNU has singularly failed to carry out these set tasks and should not be allowed to waste the nation’s time and resources in meaningless charades like the draft Copac constitution, referendum, voter registration, etc.!