Mnangagwa’s tweet calling for national dialogue was disappointing in that he came across as arrogant, dictating to everyone and yet still with no clue what is at issue here.
The people of Zimbabwe have suffered a great deal in the last 38 years and the last thing the nation want is to be sold yet another fudge. It must be said here and now that any talks leading to a GNU in which either Zanu PF and/or MDC will play a role will be a betrayal of the nation and a waste of the nation’s time and resources. The two parties were involved in the 2008 GNU and they failed to get even one democratic reform implemented, it is foolish to expect them to do any better this time.
"I invite leaders of all political parties as well as religious and civil leaders to set aside our differences and come together," twittered Mnangagwa.
"What unites us is stronger than what could ever divide us. Let's begin a national dialogue. Let's put the economy first. Let's put the people.”
Let us just focus on two issue in the statement:
- Who is this Mnangagwa “inviting” others to a national dialogue! The man rigged the last elections, has no mandate to govern and for the last six months has been masquerading as the legitimate government only because he controls the compromised security services and all the other equally compromised state institutions. He is holding the nation to ransom and the more reason he will never be entrusted with any power and authority. He cannot be trusted to do anything right!
- “Let’s put the economy first!” Even now, with his hands bright red with the blood of more innocent Zimbabwean lives he and his regime have killed, he still has the arrogance to dictate the agenda to the nation. The only issue on the national agenda now is how to deal with the curse of rigged elections and pariah state; decisively once and once for all.
“Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added unto you,” said Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah. He was right; for the last 38 years we have pretended not to notice that Zanu PF eroded the individual freedoms and rights, denying people their right to a meaningful say in who governed the country and even the right to life. The nation has paid dearly for this folly. We must now end the Zanu PF dictatorship and restore all the individual freedoms and rights.
Zanu PF rigged the last elections and the party has no democratic mandate to govern. It is illegitimate and therefore must step down.
It is nonsense that an illegitimate regime should be granted an role in the nation’s affairs much less preside over us. “Mubva ndiripo haagove nhaka!” (The illegitimate usurper has no say in the sharing of family inheritance!) as one would say in Shona.
Just to underline why the nation would be foolish to take this Zanu PF dictatorship seriously; it now emerges Mnangagwa has changed his mind about holding a national dialogue.
"Just when we were in there the President was drawing me to an attempt as it were putting words in his mouth using his twitter account. So do not always believe that which is coming through that account,” said George Charamba, Mnangagwa’s spokesperson.
So Mnangagwa is now saying he never called for a national dialogue. Even if he had done so only the green-horns of political had placed much value to the foolish statement anywhere for the reasons given above. Perhaps it is dawning on him that, other than the corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders desperate for a seat on the gravy train and a few naive and gullible civic society groups, no one of substance was going to accept his “economy first” agenda. His legitimacy is now top of the agenda and the fresh blood on his hands has only served to highlight why this is so.
Even if he is to come out now and call for dialogue only fools would trust him to behave honourably because he is a season thug who has never kept his promise on anything! He promised to hold free, fair and credible elections only to blatant rig the elections.
What Mnangagwa must understand here and now is that the game is up, after 38 years of rigging elections and being rewarded with absolute power, this is a political folly the nation should have never allowed and must now stamp out. Zanu PF has used brute force to hold the nation to ransom this is a situation that cannot be tolerated for one day longer, no nation worth its salt can allow itself to be blackmailed!
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta rigged the last elections, they have no mandate to govern and therefore they must step down. That is not negotiable!
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MASVINGO Provincial Affairs minister Ezra Chadzamira on Wednesday publicly bragged about Zanu PF's poll-rigging machinations, saying the practice was commonly practiced globally.
The Zanu PF provincial chairperson made the remarks during a party inter-district meeting held at Chitsanga Hall in Chiredzi, saying election rigging occurred even in developed countries such as the United States, so the main opposition MDC should stop demonising the ruling party over the handling of last year's general elections.
"Zimbabweans should know that there was nothing like democracy under the sun, but we have guided democracy. So if you think Zimbabwe will ever be democratic, keep on dreaming," he said.
"[Donald] Trump stole the election in America, but no one burnt or looted properties like what the opposition did in Zimbabwe. Elections are being stolen everywhere, even in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), so what's so special about the Zimbabwean situation?”
This is the tragedy with Zimbabwe, we have entrusted political power into the hands of those who have never valued the freedoms and rights of others including their rights to a meaningful vote and even the right to life. So instead of independence marking the occasion when freedom, justice and liberty was secured for all it has only marked the change of guard, we remove the white oppressors only to replace them with the black oppressors!
Zanu PF denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora a vote, this is more that the 2.4 million votes Mnangagwa says voted for him! No one knows who those voters were because ZEC failed to produce a verified voters’ roll and there was no trace where these votes came from because the V11 forms were never produced. How anyone could find such blatant vote rigging acceptable much less brag about it beggars belief!
How is it possible that such a idiot like Chadzamira is provincial minister explains why the country is in a real mess. What kind of idiot would appoint him minister? What hope is there for the country ever getting out of this mess with idiots in charge?
THE pharmaceutical sector in Zimbabwe owes foreign suppliers more than $39 million for imported raw materials as well as finished products, resulting in supplies to the southern African country being cut off, an industry official has said.
Zimbabwe imports between 70% and 80% of its pharmaceutical requirements.
Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe president Portifa Mwendera told NewsDay that the situation in the sector had deteriorated, with medicine shortages on the market being more pronounced.
"Patients have to move around a number of pharmacies to fill out their prescriptions and some have had to get their treatment regimens changed to whatever is available at the moment," Mwendera said.
"As of close of last year, the pharmaceutical importers owed $32,5 million to foreign suppliers while pharmaceutical manufacturers owe about US$7 million for importation of raw materials."
Mwendera said the central bank was behind in terms of forex allocation as they last had an allocation in October last year.
This is a mad, mad world! Mnangagwa had US$25 million for the hired Boeing 787 - 8 Dreamliner jet and US$ 10 000 per day allowance for a ten day jaunt for himself and his cronies but has no money to buy life saving drugs for millions of ordinary Zimbabweans!
Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube is in Davos at the World Economic Forum, and as expected he is selling Brand Zimbabwe, projecting that he will bring down inflation from 42% to 10% by next year, and find money to cover foreign debt payments of $1,2 billion, while introducing a new currency in "less than 12 months”
At the moment, fuel prices have gone up 150%, prices of basic commodities continue to spiral, while inflation is also on an upward trend – all under Ncube's watch. It is a cause for concern. For now, his projections to bring down inflation to 10% sounds like a pipe dream, especially at a time the price of bread has risen from $1,50 to $2,20 this week.
A year ago Mnangagwa was in Davos with his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra and “loud” multi-coloured scarf. After decades of Mugabe corrupt and tyrannical rule the world had waited a long time for sanity to return to Zimbabwe and so the world cut Mnangagwa some slack. When he blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections the world was left in no doubt that Zimbabwe was NOT open for business because it was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and lawless thugs.
Minister Ncube is just wasting the nation’s time and money in Davos talking to a world that has long stopped listening. IMF, WB and all the leading financial institutions from whom Zimbabwe is hoping to borrow money, know that whilst the regime has gone after the poorest of the poor with its 2% tax on all electronic transactions the regime has done nothing to stop the wholesale looting of the country’s diamonds and other resources. No doubt they all know of how Mnangagwa and his entourage had hired the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner for the Davos begging trip! How can anyone take such an irresponsible, dishonest and wasteful regime as this Zanu PF junta seriously!
ZIMBABWE'S political chaos is a function of its economic crisis – and the economy is only getting worse. To all intents and purposes, Zimbabwe is broke.
The government has so little income that it is struggling to keep the lights on in ministry buildings and pay civil servants. It certainly does not have anything to put toward servicing its existing US$16 billion debt obligations.
Even countries like Russia and China, which may not be put off by the ongoing human-rights violations, are unlikely to put their money into an administration that cannot demonstrate that it can maintain stability.
But even new record-setting tobacco sales may not be enough to rescue the government this time around. Poor climate conditions are predicted to lead to a reduced cereals crop, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, leaving 2.4 million people – 28% of the population – needing food aid. This is more than double last year's figure of just over 1 million.
Zimbabwe's political crises have always been exacerbated by its economic situation. With the economy already in the doldrums, and a poor harvest still to come, we can expect more popular unrest – and, if this past week is anything to go by – lots of violence still to come.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections confident the party can fool the world that the country had changed. The world was not fooled by the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” blast. The world especially the investors saw through the smoke and mirrors that the country was still a pariah state ruled by same corrupt and vote rigging thugs. No one likes to do business with thugs.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state the country will never have any meaningful economic recovery!
LEADER of South Africa's far-left party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has called on the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to come to Zimbabwe's rescue with a conditional financial bailout package.
Malema, who warmed up to President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he took over power from former President Robert Mugabe in a coup in November 2017, told journalists in South Africa this week that the Zanu PF leader was now behaving in a wayward manner.
Zimbabwe is in the throes of an economic meltdown, which culminated in nationwide protests a week ago, and turned violent as State security agents clamped down on demonstrators.
"We (Sadc) are becoming a laughing stock all over the world because one of our own is swimming in a pool of debt and we are unable to provide them a conditional grant which must not end up in the hands of Zanu PF politicians," Malema said.
And how, Mr Malema, are you going to stop Zanu PF using the bailout to pay for such things as hiring the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet for a jaunt?
What Zimbabwe needs, first and foremost, is a government with some common sense, at least. There is no reason why the country would fail to elect at least a few individuals with working grey stuff between their ears if the country was able to hold free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF blatantly rigged last July’s elections and all the other election observers said so. SA’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was telling the world in Davos the other day that “Zimbabwe elections went well”! How stupid is that!
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis is bad governance and therefore chucking money at the problem without first addressing the root cause is foolish.
Chido Chikuni, which of the two has cause worse damage to the nation; the sanctions or corruption? Remember Zimbabwe was swindled of US$ 15 billion in lost diamond revenue in four or so years according to Mugabe’s own admission in 2016. I do not need to tell you that Mugabe never arrested even one swindler and Mnangagwa too have so far failed to arrest even one swindler. We can be certain that the looting is continuing to this day.
So why is it that you are hot at telling the Americans who they should trade with but has never done anything to stop your own government looting? How stupid is that!!!!
The umbrella body of Pentecostal churches the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has announced that it has committed itself to and laid down a framework for a national dialogue that should lead toward the rebuilding on the nation.
"We have committed to a process of cohesive internal and external dialogue," EFZ said on Friday. "The dialogue will be guided by the principles of the Zimbabwe We Want Discussion Document as we work towards rebuilding our nation."
The Zimbabwe We Want document is a product of the Zimbabwe Christian Heads of Denominations namely the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference.
After 38 years of appeasing Zanu PF with disastrous consequences that have left millions of ordinary destitute and the nation on the very edge of the abyss; it is very disappointing that even now there are still people seeking to appease Zanu PF regardless of the suffering masses. What is worse, they are doing so as Christians and thus in the name of God Almighty! I really do not know which Bible they are using because I cannot recall an story in the Bible where anyone connived with the corrupt and oppressive rulers to the same degree these church leaders in Zimbabwe have done with Zanu PF.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged last July’s elections. The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. What these church morons think they will accomplish by pretending Zanu PF won free and fair elections and is legitimate is a mystery!
OPPOSITION MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has ruled out a power sharing deal with the Zanu-PF government, declaring that any dialogue between the rival parties would only focus on reforms and the stricken economy.
The last GNU involving Zanu PF and MDC failed to get even one meaningful democratic reform implemented. The nation would not be in this mess if they had implemented the reforms. Today millions of Zimbabweans live in abject poverty and the nation is standing on the very edge of the abyss it will be foolish to trust the two parties to implement the reforms.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta rigged last July’s elections, they have no mandate to govern the nation. They must step down.
There is just too much at stake now to be wasting time, money and human lives trying to appease corrupt, incompetent and failed thugs! All the political machination by both Zanu PF and MDC leaders must be seen for what they are - blatant moves to blackmail the nation.
Chamisa is now saying he is not interested in power sharing only in talking about reforms. That is nonsense. What makes him believe he alone knows what these reforms are!
You are right, Mugabe hollowed out Zanu PF leaving the party with utterly useless punkah-wallahs who have spent their whole lives grovelling and bootlicking the tyrant. Sadly the punkah-wallahs are now in power and they have blundered from pillar to post. Worse still they will be in power for many, many years to come if we allow these MDC and Church leaders, who are keen to appease these thugs, to have the final say.
Catholic Bishops meet senior Zanu PF leaders.
Are the Bishops telling Zanu PF that they rigged elections and therefore must step down or are they trying to appease the regime by asking it to stay in power and take a junior partner in another Zanu PF led GNU? We need tough solution to a tough problem and appeasing Zanu PF is a dangerous soap up!
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