In 2013 SADC leaders wanted Zimbabwe’s
elections to be postponed to allow the implementation of the democratic reforms
designed end Zanu PF’s carte blanche powers to rig the elections.
“If you take go into the elections next month
you are going to lose; the elections are done,” SADC leaders warned Morgan
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends at the Maputo SADC summit in June 2013.
SADC leaders were able to judge the election as
“done” months before the first ballot was cast because of Zanu PF’s electoral superiority
is also every field of the contest. One of these areas was finance; Zanu PF was
awash with cash.
Zanu PF parliamentary candidates were given all
the t-shirts and other campaigning materials, $10 000 in cash plus a brand new Ford
Ranger‚ Toyota Hilux or Ford Everest. Everyone, including the losing candidates,
was allowed to keep the new vehicle.
“Former Zanu-PF member Jonathan Moyo‚ who was
part of the party's 2013 election campaign and is now in political exile‚ took
to Twitter to reveal the alleged source of Zanu-PF's 2013 campaign funds. He
claimed that diamond revenue and state funds to the tune of at least US$70m
were used,” reported Bulawayo 24.
Professor Moyo is way off the mark! The cash
and new vehicles for 200 Zanu PF parliamentary and 89 senatorial candidates
alone would cost more than $70 million. Add the $58 million in University fees
arrears Mugabe to Presidential Scholarship student; $10 million paid to NIKUV, the
vote rigging specialists; millions paid to PR companies in UK, SA and USA;
hundreds of millions paid to hired crowds and party youths who were bussed
around; etc. Many people believe Zanu PF’s 2013 elections campaign bill must be
$4 billion plus!
In contrast, MDC-T parliamentary candidate got
$700 and council candidate got $100 each, according former MDC-T cabinet minister
Samuel Sipepa Nkomo. MDC-T total budget would be $2 million, maximum.
So Zanu PF out spend MDC-T by a staggering 2
000 to 1 in the 2013 elections!
Zanu PF’s financial situation is even rosier
this year. The party has already splashed millions of new twin cab Isuzu trucks
for each of the country’s 282 Chiefs, $ 60 million on new vehicles for party
leaders.
“Last week Zanu-PF's national commissar‚
Retired Lt-Gen Engelbert Rugeje‚ told members the party would soon distribute
millions of campaign materials to the masses,” reported Bulawayo 24.
"As for regalia‚ we have 15-million T-shirts‚ 15-million caps and some of them have already arrived‚" he said. "We also have 2-million [body] wrappers for women.”
"When the party won‚ we kept the cars‚" said an election candidate from the Midlands‚ who lost. If his candidature is approved‚ he is due for another car.”
"As for regalia‚ we have 15-million T-shirts‚ 15-million caps and some of them have already arrived‚" he said. "We also have 2-million [body] wrappers for women.”
"When the party won‚ we kept the cars‚" said an election candidate from the Midlands‚ who lost. If his candidature is approved‚ he is due for another car.”
All told, Zanu PF will probably spend $6
billion this time round! The party has kicked out most other players in Marange
including the party’s “all weather friends” the Chinese. So the consolidated
loot from diamonds is considerable!
MDC Alliance’s financial position has not
improved. The donors who deserted the party in droves just before the 2013
elections in disgust for the party’s failure to implement even one reforms
during the GNU have continued ignore the party.
"We are likely to see Zanu-PF outspending
other political parties on regalia‚ campaign vehicles and a sustained media
blitz in terms of visibility. I foresee Zanu-PF being miles ahead of the MDC
Alliance‚ People's Rainbow Coalition by end of May. Whether that will translate
into votes will be known once election results are announced‚" Political
analyst Prof Philani Moyo from Fort Hare University.
It is ironic that MDC Alliance, party with a shoe string budget, should be the one holding rallies up and down the country bussing supporters around at great expense and the race has not even started! Even bullet trains need a source of energy to keep them going. In terms of funding alone, it looks like the Nelson Chamisa bullet has “enough gas to take you to the nearest petrol station,” as car salesman would say. And Chamisa is wasting the gas on warn-ups!
It is ironic that MDC Alliance, party with a shoe string budget, should be the one holding rallies up and down the country bussing supporters around at great expense and the race has not even started! Even bullet trains need a source of energy to keep them going. In terms of funding alone, it looks like the Nelson Chamisa bullet has “enough gas to take you to the nearest petrol station,” as car salesman would say. And Chamisa is wasting the gas on warn-ups!
10 comments:
As the spotlight remains firmly focused on the country's controversial new airline, Zimbabwe Airways - which has been linked to the family of former president Robert Mugabe - disturbing allegations are emerging that the purchase price of its aeroplanes bought from Malaysia Airlines was allegedly inflated by more than $100 million, from $70 million to a staggering $180 million.
Corruption is still rampant in the new dispensation! And someone has been globe-trotting wittering about "Zimbabwe is open for business!" Who would want to invest in a country were corruption is the norm!
@ Ruhanya
"The game is both quantitative and qualitative.
Nelson Chamisa is doing well at the quantitative
game but perhaps the MDC Alliance should look at
the quality of these quantities; make sure these
quantities are registered, have good quantity agents
to protect the vote," Ruhanya wrote on Twitter.
Well MDC-T supporters registered for the 2013 elections but that did not stop Zanu PF rigging the vote by denying many of them the vote. Zanu PF has already shown that it has many, many ways of rigging the vote, saying people must register is a stupid argument to justify why people should continue to contest flawed elections.
"If Chamisa wants a debate, maybe he can engage the Zanu-PF Youth League that is his level. We can't imagine the President taking time off serious bread and butter issues to respond to a goat that is scratching the walls from outside," said Matemadanda.
It was not so long ago, that Chamisa was in court to support and woo Matemadanda and other war veterans when they were in trouble with Mugabe and today the same man is dismissive of Chamisa. In a way, Chamisa deserves to be treated with contempt for his willingness to sell-out; the rogue war veterans were the Zanu PF foot-soldiers in the wanton violence of 2008 and 2013.
The one thing one can utterly depend on the MDC to do is to do the foolish thing just as the one thing one can utterly depend on Zanu PF to do is to be ruthless.
MDC had many the golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms which would have stopped all these Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years of the GNU. SADC has advised MDC not to take part in these elections without reforms and MDC are not listening. In financial terms alone, these "elections are done", as SADC leaders would say.
Zanu PF has been ruthless in riding roughshod over the people's hopes and dreams, denying them their freedoms and human rights including the right to free and fair elections and even the right to life. The party has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish and retain this de facto one-party dictatorship. Right now, the party is resolute in its resolve not to implement any democratic reforms as if it has the right to continue to rig elections and deny the people a meaningful vote.
With $2 million in the pot, it is foolish for MDC to be spending it on all those rallies up and down the country long before the election battle is yet to come. This is like setting off at top speed of one running 100m race when this is a marathon!
What the world must understand is the people of Zimbabwe would have rejected MDC, and Zanu PF too, as the donors have done if it was not for Zimbabwe's oppressive political system that has denied them the vote but worst of all kept them hopeless ignorant of what is going on!
Still the international community, especially the election observers, must understand that the Zimbabwe populous would never, knowingly, allowed these flawed elections to go ahead, especially as this madness has been going on for 38 years now. This is why these elections must be ruled null and void and allow the nation to break the cycle of ignorance which Zanu PF is ruthlessly exploiting fighting to retain for selfish reasons.
Trymore, which part of "these elections are done" are you failing to understand? You have the vote but Zanu PF has the veto and that is why Tsvangirai did not win the March 2008 election even with 73% of the votes!
Zanu PF is encouraging MDC supporters to believe they can win rigged elections just to make sure they participate and give the process credibility!
It is insane to keep taking part in flawed elections, so flawed 73% is not good enough to win, especially when this has been going on for 38 years already!
"MDC is going to win," you say in one breath. "Zanu PF is going to rig big time," you admit in the next breath. So, you think MDC is going to win rigged elections? You cannot even comprehend the sheer stupidity of your position - bless you!
Noble Ngara
Zanu PF has certainly always "done whatever it takes to win elections", I agree with you there 100%. The party has denied the people the vote and even the right to life in its single-minded search for electoral victory. Zanu PF has stubbornly refused to implement any reforms to give its self the carte blanche powers to rig the elections.
With $4 billion compared to MDC's $2 million everyone with any brain can see that MDC will be running out of steam by the end of this month! So why should the regime stop MDC rallies?
We all know that MDC are corrupt and incompetent and have sold-out in the past and are doing so now by dragging the nation into these flawed elections. Forget MDC!
The real issue here is why has ED refused to implement the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections? The people of Zimbabwe demand this because it is their fundamental right.
By failing to deliver on his promise to hold free and fair election, ED has just confirmed that the Zanu PF dictatorship is alive and all his talk of the new dispensation after the November coup is all hot air. If you have been wondering why no investors have flooded into Zimbabwe after ED's "Zimbabwe is open for business!" clarion calls, now you know why. Investors do not do business in pariah states ruled by vote rigging thugs!
These flawed elections are going to be ruled null and void because the people of Zimbabwe are sick and tired of this charade!
@ Panganai
You are thick!
"If you love your country and yourself, you will vote for change," you say.
For the last 37 years, people have VOTED FOR CHANGE but did not get change because Zanu PF rigged the vote! Tsvangirai got 73% of the vote in March 2008 and yet he still failed to go to state house because Zanu PF has the veto! We need to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote and having a veto on who rules the nation. Holding elections in which Zanu PF has the veto is just a waste of time. How many times does one have to say this for you to finally understand it!!!
@ silungisn
Was Emmerson Mnangagwa not in the GNU, why did he fail to implement the reforms if he was so inclined?
Indeed, was ED not in the Zanu PF regime that systematically eroded the people's freedoms and basic human rights to create this de facto one party dictatorship which we have been fighting to dismantle these last 38 years? Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered by Zanu PF to establish and retain the dictatorship and guess who was Mugabe's number one murderer - E D Mnangagwa.
Ever since the November 2017 coup, ED has promised to hold free, fair and credible elections; why did he make the promise if he could not implement and reforms "in 7 months" as you say. Most of the reforms can be implemented immediately if the regime had the political will.
There is no point in ZEC alone spending $100 million holding flawed elections, so flawed getting 73% of the votes was not good enough to win as we saw in the March 2008 vote. Since there is little ordinary people can do to stop the election charade, we must do the next best thing - demand here and now that the whole process must be ruled null and void.
@ Panganai
I agree with you there are rogue war veterans like Matemadanda who have been used by Zanu PF leaders to impose the one-party dictatorship on the people. Mugabe has promised to make them rich and never did. They are out harassing and intimidating povo right now.
The people of Zimbabwe vote for Mugabe to go by a decisive 73%; Mugabe and his cronies did not like the result and over ruled the vote, vetoed the people's vote. You can call what happened in March 2008 and all the other vote rigging shenanigans what you want, it does not change the historic facts.
SADC have already been involved in Zimbabwe and they are the ones who forced Zanu PF to agree to the implementation of the raft of democratic reforms. They tried to get MDC to implement the reforms and for five years Morgan Tsvangirai and company ignored.
At the SADC summit in June 2013 the regional leaders made one more concerted effort to get the elections postponed until reforms are implemented. "If you go into the elections next month you will lose: the elections are done," they warned MDC.
Chamisa and company are going into these elections knowing that with no reforms "the elections are done"! Chamisa says he has devised "stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging elections." If the measures fail, why should SADC send in soldiers to rescue MDC?
Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess because of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF thugs who dragged us into the mess. However, we should have got out of the mess by now if it was not for the corrupt and incompetent MDC who have sold-out again and again. The very fact that the Zimbabwe electorate is naïve and gullible, ruled by fear and ignorance and devoid of common sense has only made things worse!
President Mnangagwa and his coup junta cabal did not seize power in a military coup only to hand it over to some one else! These are seasoned thugs who have 38 years of rigging elections and to expect them to give up Zanu PF's carte blanche powers to rig elections is naive, to say the least.
Retired Major Engelbert Rugeje, the Zanu PF National Political Commissar appointed by President Mnangagwa himself denied the election violence of 2008. President Mnangagwa did the same in the UK Economist a few weeks ago. The party maintains the 2008 elections were free, fair and credible.
There is no chance of Zanu PF holding free, fair and credible elections without implementing the reforms first!
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