In the article 'I don't need Dabengwa, to approve my war credentials' - VP Mphoko, the VP goes to the river and back in defence of his war credentials.
You are obsessed at what happened before independence as if that is all that matters! Zimbabwe has been turned into a hell-on-earth by people with an even more impressive war struggle record. If you really care about freedom and liberty, about peace and justice and the human rights and dignity of all Zimbabweans then why have you said nothing about all the corruption and mismanagement that has left millions of Zimbabweans living in abject poverty and despair? Why have you said nothing about the intimidation, rapes and even mass murders by this regime for selfish political gain?
Did you take part in the war of independence because you had your eyes on the reward – absolute power and all the benefits of influence and wealth that the regime has extorted from the nation these last 34 years? You are more interested in establishing you pre-independence credentials to justify why your claim to the share of the mercenary reward.
The fact that Mugabe rigged Zanu PF’s own electoral process and before it last year’s national elections does not bother you one bit. You do not care that millions of Zimbabweans today are living in abject poverty because of Zanu PF misrule and that millions more are going to join them.
Only you care about is that you are now VP, you are airbrushed your pre-independence record to justify why you deserve to be right at the top, and now you can continue what you have been doing these last 34 years – crap on us ordinary mortals with no war record!
Well we the ordinary mortals with no war record are human being too and are worthy of the freedoms and human rights and dignities you, our “liberators”, have systematically denied us for the last 34 years. We are determined to end this repressive autocracy of which you are a part; right now, we really do not give a damn about your airbrushed liberation war record. You care more about your liberation war record than you do about the people you were supposed to liberate!
“If you are in Zimbabwe, I am prepared to meet you for an in depth account of the struggle. Don’t listen to some of these stories. They are a creation of former Rhodesian agents who are still opetational,” wrote VP Mphoko.
“Remember that the armed struggle was fought under strict secrecy to protect lives.”
Yes, but are you prepared
to give “an in depth account” of how Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections too?
That is more important and relevant to the nation right now than your
airbrushed war account.
Your robust defence of
your pre-independence war record is all very well but you must surely realise that
the freedom, liberty, justice, etc. the whole nation (and not just you and your
fellow Zanu PF cronies) fought for have not been realised. Give us a detailed
account of you commitment to these principles and values since independence; because
it is on that and that alone we will judge you competent to hold high public
office. If you do not care above these things now, as many in Zanu PF have
shown repeatedly these last 34 years, then how can we expect you to deliver
something you do not care about!?
20 comments:
So Chino has a farm, he is lucky to get one many others war vets will never ever get one. After years of njambanja, Chino finally gets a farm!
What is Chino going to produce on his farm or is it going to be run down as happened to so many other farms across the country? If there are any farm workers on Comrade Chino's farm then they are in for a rough time ahead; I do not expect much to come from that Buhera South MP, he is but a buffoon with a propensity to use violence to get his way.
The Gukurahundi massacre must not used to divide the country in the post Mugabe era because there are some people who, having failed to punish Mugabe will punish the rest of us for the sins of the tyrant! The single most important task for the nation post Zanu PF will be to create a free and democratic Zimbabwe and start rebuilding the country from the ruins of Zanu PF misrule.
Gukurahundi, rigged elections and all the other past crimes by Zanu PF must be revisited for two main purposes; one to seek the truth, justice and to help the victims of these national crimes. Two, to learn and ensure this will never happen again. But these will only be meaningfully addressed once a democratic system of government with free courts competent to handle these matters have been set up and not before.
@ mbiniso
For someone who does not know Zimbabwe they will be forgiven to think thank Mashonaland has pros-pered since 1980 with every rural clinic equipped the very latest brain surgery technology. Meanwhile Mateleland has been allowed to go to the dogs where even referral hospitals in Bulawayo are using stone-age equipment! The truth is 34 years of corruption and mismanagement by this Zanu PF dictatorship have left the whole country in ruins.
I believe Minister Kasukuwere was in Russia to buy arms and not to seek money to build a dam for a nu-clear power plant or some such high tech project for Mashonaland.
In the post Zanu PF dictatorship era we need to focus on rebuilding the nation’s free and democratic system of government and then get on with rebuilding the national economy. We will not do this if we have a regional so blinkered we even see what is not there!
As a result, some within the former anti-Mujuru grouping - particularly the so-called "Gang of Four" - now expeditiously wanted the tail of the party strongman cut.
He said in particular the so-called "Gang of Four"- comprising senior party bigwigs Oppah Muchinguri, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and Saviour Kasukuwere - was allegedly working to undermine the VP and to "expose him as a power-hungry individual who is not fit to take over from Mugabe".
Of all the stupid reasons the “gang of four” could give for wanting to cut the crocodile’s tail that sure takes the biscuit – Mnangagwa is power-hungry! So what are they?
Is it not because they too are power-hungry that they are complaining?
So who does the gang want to put in Mnangagwa’s place; who is NOT power hungry? Let me guess; Grace Mugabe!
Who are the gang to “expose” Mnangagwa to; who presumably is NOT power-hungry? Robert Mugabe!
The gang of four should know that cutting a crocodile’s tail will not kill it. Indeed there are some lizards that are known to shed off their tail when cornered; the tail will then wriggle vigorously distracting the attack whilst the rest of the animal makes good its escape. But, more significantly, the gang must know that a crocodile without a tail still has the deadly jaws with which to deliver its revenge.
@ Patrick
It is very tragic that Zimbabwe has slipped to such depths of despair and hopelessness in 34 years. Even in their darkest moments not even the prophets of doom would have imaged that the country would be where it is today with 90% unemployment rate, 300 000 or 80% of the children out of school, 16% or 2 million living in abject poverty, etc. If we do not stop and act now, things will get a lot worse.
The economic meltdown could push the people beyond their endurance level and when that happens all the anger and frustration at be humiliating and abused all these year with finally bust out but with tsunami force, no one will be able to contain it. Worse things could happen, the chaos and mayhem that have befallen other countries like Egypt, Libya or Syria can easily happen in Zimbabwe. The country is one of the heavily militarised nations in the world and nothing would please a tyrant like Mugabe more than for him to lose power and the then country to slide into a bloody civil war.
It thought that the economic hardships will force Zimbabweans to their senses; sadly that has not happened, so far at least.
Zimbabwe Social Democrats is a political party, we have not launched the party and to grow be-cause we want to focus on getting Zanu PF to step down – hopefully before the tsunami wave breaks out – and work on the implementation of all the democratic reforms. Only after all the reforms have been implemented will we then launch the party and take part in elections.
We have lost a lot of potential supporters because we would not launch a political party but believe we will all these people back if we can help delivery free, fair and credible election.
It will take more than a promise to review the unworkable indigenisation legislation to lure back foreign investors. Even if Mnangagwa arranged to have the offensive act repealed, still that will not be enough. This Zanu PF dictatorship is known for disregarding those laws and regulation it does not like or promise to do one thing today and then disregard the promise tomorrow.
When the regime violated the country’s own constitution and blatantly denied millions of its own citizens the right to a meaningful vote it set the alarm bells ringing like church bells. If the regime can disregard the most basic fundaments right to a free vote of it millions of its own people what chance is there the regime will honour the property rights of foreigners?
Mnangagwa can promise every business people, every village and, if it was possible, every dog and cat in Zimbabwe of reviewing the indigenisation laws; that will not get the nation the much needed foreign investment. The only way out is for him to step down to allow the implementation of ALL the reforms and then holding of free, fair and credible elections.
Mugabe is not one to honour any law, constitution or, in this case, unity accords so it will not be surprising that he appointed Mphoko knowing fully well that he was not a Zapu cadre.
What is surprising here is that all these former PF Zapu, Leaders Dabengwa, Ngwenya, Gagisa etc., are up in arms now over an appointment that affect their own packing order at the looting table. All these years they have said nothing when Mugabe rigged elections and rode roughshod over the ordinary Zimbabweans' basic human freedoms and rights. We know from this that both PF Zapu leaders and Zanu PF leaders are peas from the same pod; all they have cared about is to get into power and loot. All talk of fighting to liberate the people from white colonial operation so they can be free and enjoy freedom, liberty, etc., is all talk.
At the end of the day the people of Zimbabwe do not really care about who in PF Zapu becomes VP and how in Zanu PF gets cheated and kicked out of the party. All they care about is how to end this Zanu PF dictatorship and end it they will!
Mai Mujuru has a fortune valued in the hundreds of millions if not billions. Mugabe said she is a “simple minded woman” and she has confirmed that she is that. Zimbabwe has been a country where it has been near impossible to do business those who have remained alive have been the lucky ones. To not only sur-vive but to thrive to make hundreds of millions was simply impossible period much less for a simpleton.
The only people who have bucked the system and made millions and even billions are those who are cor-rupt. The greater your political influence or that of your political backers greater your cut in the loot. Mai Mujuru was VP and her hundred was a General – one does not get much more influential than that!
For Mai Mujuru to deny that she is corrupt is to be expected; she would never incriminate herself, she is simple minded but not that simple minded. She was simple minded enough to think she would get away with it, after all everyone else in the party was looting.
Everyone else was simple minded to think the party would stay in power “until the donkeys have horns” as Simon Khaya Moyo boasted a few months ago. As long as Zanu PF remained in power the members were free to loot; although looting is forbidden, Zanu PF party members were above the law.
The party got a temporary stay of execution in last year’s elections thanks to the breath-taking incompe-tence of the MDC who failed to implement the reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections and staying in power. However the party’s number is up, the economic meltdown cannot be bribed or cheated like MDC.
The economic meltdown has initiated a fall-out within the party as members fought over the shrinking cake. She did not think there would be this dog-eat-dog but only because she is a simpleton because the economic meltdown has been self-evident for decades. She was elbow out of the way without even putting up a fight. Her equally simple minded supporters too scattered without a fight in panic and confusion.
The simpletons will now learn that now they are no longer members of Zanu PF the y are no longer above the law and as such they are to account for all their corruption and looting going back to their Zanu PF days.
Mai Mujuru’s claim that she was “at peace with her creator” over the corruption charges is going to fool no one. Even she, a simple minded woman that she is, must know the game is over!
There will be no general elections next year because Mugabe will not risk losing the election because rig-ging the elections again will not be easy. Besides the government is broke, he would need hundreds of millions in normal expenses and bribes!
What is Obert Gutu excited about? Zanu PF is broke but at least it has taxpayers to rob MDC broke and no one to rob. All the donors have deserted the party in droves following the party’s failure to get even one reform implemented during the GNU. Tsvangirai is lucky to be still living in the $4 million mansion – bribe to do nothing about the reforms – but it is very difficult keeping appearances of a posh lifestyle on an annual income of $0.00!
Could not agree with you more on the need for greater media coverage of opposing candidates and party as a way of making sure the voters know who they are voting for during elections.
Kenya, who too had elections marred by violence in 2007 resulting in a GN, used the GNU well to produce a democratic constitution, free media, free judiciary, etc. There were televised public debates in which all the presidential candidates took part. The elections were judged to be free, fair and credible. Sadly Zimbabwe was not so lucky.
Our 2008 to 2013 GNU was a waste of time because not even one democratic reform was implemented and the $100 million used to produce the Copac constitution was a waste of money. Although MDC claimed the new constitution would deliver free, fair and credible elections it failed to do any such thing. We need to get ALL the democratic reforms implemented before the next elections if we are ever to get out of this hell-hole we find ourselves stuck in!
@ business
George Will said “Democracy is government by persuasion, patience, compromise and half-loaf.” I think in Africa we have often confused compromise with selling-out. If we in the ZSD became a political party it is easy to see how will be tempted to cash-in on whatever support we have and take part in elections before any of the reforms are implemented and, then once in power, forget about the reforms com-pletely, just as MDC did. Mugabe and Zanu PF have made the same mistake, in their own way, at least those few in the party who ever believed in freedom, liberty and justice.
If we do get ALL the democratic reforms implemented then Zimbabwe will have a bright future regardless of whether ZSD is one of the political parties or not. I would love to be president, I believe I would be a lot better that the tyrant in power at present; but if ALL the democratic reforms are implemented I believe the country will not just have a better president than Mugabe but the best candidate possible. And that will be the case not just for one generation but for many more generations to come.
Getting ALL the democratic reforms implemented is so important because if we fail to do so it could take another generation or more to get that task done properly. Getting this task done properly this time is going to be a task and a half and we in ZSD believe we must not take our eyes off the ball if we are ever going to get the job done!
‘’What is clear is that Gutu who failed to get into parliament, together with Mwonzora (the party’s secretary general) are begging Zanu PF to help them get into parliament so that they can get new cars.
‘’We know that they (Mwonzora and Gutu) are working with Zanu PF to share the loot. Maybe Gutu now misses the free things he used to get in government," said Jacob Mafume.
Well that is very true, the two MDC-T gentlemen are absolutely desperate to get back on the gravy train but even more so is their leader. Tsvangirai has been trying to keep up appearance of his posh golf-playing lifestyle befitting a man living in a $4 million mansion but that is impossible on an income of $0.00 per annum.
But is this not a case of the pan calling the pot black. United MDC members are just as desperate to get back on the gravy train. The donors did not desert MDC-T alone but the other two factions too!
"We have been having elections for the past 10 years. Almost every time an election worsens our lives. Zimbabwe does not need an election which solves nothing and helps no one," said Mafume.
What an insult and on New Year’s eve too! If you MDC morons had implemented the democratic reforms, God knows you had five years in the GNU to do so, then last year’s elections would not have been just another wasted “election which solves nothing and helps no one”.
“No individual, let alone a former and helpless Vice President who is still trying to figure out what really happened well after the fact, owns any Zanu PF Member of Parliament.”
Regarding the recall push from Mashonaland Central, Moyo said such calls were “under-standable but misplaced”.
“….It is common cause that no Zanu PF Member of Parliament faced expulsion from the party ahead of the 6th National People’s Congress on account of the so-called Mujuru issues that emerged prior to the congress earlier this month,” he added.
It is true that former VP Mujuru (and her fellow faction leaders) “is still trying to figure out what really happened well after the fact (the purge)”. Just as Tsvangirai and his MDC leaders are still trying to figure out how Mugabe and Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elec-tions. Such is the level of incompetence of the leaders of the two political groupings.
As for firing the Zanu PF MPs belonging to the Mujuru faction, that is a luxury Mugabe cannot afford. Real political power is with the Junta, Join Operation Command, not parliament and Mugabe remains firmly in control of the Junta. So why would he care who is in parliament and who is not.
@Soko
You will never have competent leaders as long as you have an electorate who will follow blindly like sheep! Tsvangirai and his MDC friends fcuked up big time by failing to get even one democratic reform implemented and yet we still have MDC supporters out there who will still vote for the same incompetent leaders! What is the point of complaining that politicians are not keeping their promises when you are the ones who vote them back into power even when they have already shown that they will not keep their promises?
@ Dr Mazodze
What are you wittering about calling on Tsvangirai to help to stop Mugabe wasting tax-payer’s money on expensive holidays. What makes you think will do that this time when he did no such thing during the GNU. Tsvangirai was himself out canoodling with women of ill repute on Legend of the Sea and did not have the time to implement even one re-form much less stop Mugabe having his luxury holidays!
Dr Mazodze
Just thank those who contributed to help the poor why are you thanking Tsvangirai when he did not contribute a single dollar. Everyone knows that Tsvangirai has been trying to keep appearance of living a posh life in keeping with one living in a $ 4 million mansion but on his $0.00 income!
At the rate you are going my friend you will soon be thanking Tsvangirai for the rain and the sun, Animal Farm style.
Zimbabwe has been ranked by an American think tank as among top countries in the world with a high fragile alert status.
In its 2014 fragile states index report, the Fund for Peace, ranked Zimbabwe 11th among 178 nations.
It is ranked among countries like Chad, Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Pakistan, Guniea, Iraq, Cote d'ivore, Syria and Guinea Bissau.
course the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe makes the country highly unstable and we will be naive not to take this warning seriously and do something about it as a matter of great urgency!
A $1 million birth day for Mugabe, a $ 5 million wedding for Bona, countless overseas trips, etc. and a $ 5 million (at least) month long holiday in Singapore to finish off the year. What a year this has been for Mugabe and his family. This is all happening in the year when unemployment soared to 90% plus, 300 000 or 80% of the children are out school, 16% or 2 million Zimbabweans are living in abject poverty, etc. Such exaggerated luxury in the middle of such heart-breaking hopelessness and despair!
As one would say in Shona, "Chingoma kanachoririsa chavakuvharuka!" (The drum produces its sweetest notes when it is about to burst!) I think Mugabe is having his sweetest moments before his whole world finally collapse on him because this madness cannot go on for much longer.
Zimbabwe’s new Indigenisation Minister Christopher Mushowe says foreign investors are “very lucky” to get 49% shares in businesses they have set up, the Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday.
In his first comments on President Robert Mugabe’s indigenisation policy since his appointment earlier this month, Mushowe said: “In fact 49% is the maximum [for foreign shareholding] and 51% is the minimum [for indigenous holding].”
It was reckless political expedience that force Mugabe and Zanu PF to pass the indigenisation law in 2007, the party did not expect to be in power after the 2008 elections which is exactly what happen. Tsvangirai won 73% in the votes in the March vote, as Mugabe himself said inadvertently. The party return power after some dirty vote rigging but only to find itself stuck with a law that is totally unworkable. No foreign investors would even accept the imposition of a local partner whom everyone can see will be nothing more than a parasite.
Zanu Pf is stuck with the law because it knows that even if the party was to scrap this law now no one would trust them to honour that. The regime has signed treaties with other countries in the past only to violate the treaties later what is there the regime will honour a law to respect an individual’s property rights. In the situation the party may just as well stick to its position since there is nothing to be gained by changing it.
The failure to attract any direct foreign investment means there will be no economic recovery. Of course the economic meltdown cannot continue forever and since the only way to stop it is for Zanu PF to go, go it will!
@ Patrick
We are not stuck; we are stuck only because we choose to be. As a party, Zanu PF had the choice to adopt a democratic constitution and all these years it chose to do nothing about it. People like Mai Mujuru, Rugare Gumbo and Didumus Mutasa already knew that Mugabe has no regard of the rule of law and is an expert at rigging elections so why did they not push for the strengthening of the party’s constitution?
The country had the opportunity to implement democratic reforms during the GNU years; nothing happened. Not only was MDC caught napping but the electorate too was fast asleep because they should have forced MDC to implement the reforms if they were awake.
The country is in a serious mess anyone else would be fully engaged to find out what went wrong. We do not seem to care. Unemployment has soared to a nauseating 90% plus and we do not care! 300 000 or 80% of the children who should be in school are not and we have not even noticed. 72% of the population are poor and 16% or 2 million are already living in abject poverty and it is all water off a duck’s back. We do not care! No we are not stuck; we do not care that is a totally different matter.
People get the governments they deserve; we sure deserve the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship and the corrupt and incompetent MDC opposition. We deserve to be in this mess and to stay there forever and, as things stand, that is exactly we this nation will always be!
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