Bikita West by-election deliver Zanu PF victory and blows the opposition coalition myth.

Congratulation to the people of Bikita West, you did what anyone with even half a brain would have done – voted for the Zanu PF candidate and save yourselves from the punishment the party would have meted to everyone in the area. The few who voted for the opposition candidates were being foolish; spoiling the ballot was the next option here!   

Whilst it is true that the nation is desperate for regime change after 37 years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship; anyone even with half a brain can see that. What the people of Bikita West had to ask themselves is would voting for the opposition bring about the change? Looking at the mediocre quality of the opposition, the honest answer must be a no!

So, if voting for any of the opposition candidates was not going to bring about any change; why the devil would anyone with even half a brain risk all the punishment Zanu PF was threatening and dishing out for the last two months? There are times one can risk life and limp for change but to do so for the sake of electing Zim PF thug, a known Zanu PF thug who was booted out of the party, would have been foolish.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limp for change but have been disappointed again and again going back to the fight for independence when Mugabe betrayed them by creating this de facto corrupt and tyrannical one-party dictatorship. The people risked life and limp to elect MDC hoping they will end the Zanu PF dictatorship but only to be betrayed once again.  

During the GNU MDC had the golden opportunity to bring about plate tectonics changes on Zimbabwe’s political landscape, all they had to do was implement the raft of democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s political culture of vote rigging and using threats and wanton violence to secure electoral victory. Tsvangirai failed to implement even one reform in the five years. Not one!

In the 2013 elections, marking the end of the GNU, Zanu PF reverted to vote rigging and using threats and violence and won the elections with a landslide.

In the Bikita West by-elections Zanu PF big-wigs like Minister Hunge, Minister Mahofa and even VP Mnangagwa were publicly and unashamedly threatening the people with starvation and worse if they did not vote for the Zanu PF candidate! Zanu PF has carried out these threats in the past and so only a fool would ignore them. It worked as the results show:

Beauty Chabaya, Zanu PF,                                          13 156 votes

Kudakwashe Gopo, Zim PF                                         2 453 votes

Innocent Muzvimbiri, Independent                                  725 votes

Madock Chivasa, NCA                                                   343 votes

Terrence Tanyaradzwa Makomborero PDZ                     132 votes

Heya Shoko, proxy MDC and former MP for area           76 votes

Spoilt ballots                                                                     247 votes

Poor Madock Chivasa; he and his campaign manager were beaten and shot at and left for dead by Zanu PF thugs all for the sake of a lousy 343 votes. The irony is Zanu PF needs these foolish opposition candidates to contest these one-sided elections to give them some modicum of credibility and legitimacy. Mugabe is renowned for using people and then kick them in the teeth for a thank you; Chivasa got a taste of that!

No doubt Chivasa and his NCA friends will be contesting in the 2018 elections; Zanu PF thugs will be waiting for them. If been beaten is what turns Chivasa and friends on, who are we to deny them opportunity. It is deeply regrettable that many innocent people are often caught up in the political madness. Worse still, the political charade denies the people their vote and a real chance to end the misrule and oppression.  

The opposition candidates in Bikita West garnered 3 577 votes, this should silence all those who have been wittering about a united the opposition defeating Zanu PF. Many people believe Zanu PF must have spent $4 billions bankrolling its vote rigging schemes in 2013. The party has already started spending money for the coming 2018 elections, it has just taken delivery of 365 new vehicles. Government has no money for paying civil servants, medicines and other basic needs but not for Zanu PF’s political activities! It is quite possible the party will spend $10 billions plus for the 2018 elections!

SADC leaders advised MDC not to contest the 2013 elections without first implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote, using threats and wanton violence, looting of the nation’s wealth to finance party activities, etc. Sadly, MDC ignored the advice and Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2013 elections.

SADC’s advice not to contest the elections without implementing the reforms first is still relevant and valid today. Not even one democratic reform has been implemented since the rigged July 2013 elections; it goes without saying, Zanu PF will rig the 2018 elections!

So, faced with yet another flawed electoral process what should the people do?

The most important thing here is for people to understand that there is no chance of forcing Zanu PF to implement any meaningful reforms as long as there are all these greedy opposition opportunists who will contest the elections, regardless how flawed the process happen to be. So, the people must tell the opposition they will never vote for them the reforms are implemented and have free, fair and credible elections. Since the people cannot vote for Zanu PF either, they must cast a protest vote - spoil the ballot!

Where the threat of Zanu PF punishing the people for making a protest vote is too high such as the rural areas, the people must vote for Zanu PF – they have no choice!