The MDC Alliance’s sheer incompetence is breath-taking; they cannot even admit that the rigged Cowdray Park Council by-elections were rigged!
“As flawed as our electoral system is this loss can not be blamed on rigging. Until everyone in the MDC rekindles the original vision of the party established on 11/9/99 we will allow ZANU-PF to rule in places where they are actually detested by the majority,” said David Coltart, MDC A Senator.
Zanu PF has reportedly distributed 60 tonnes of maize meal and 30 tonnes of rice in this local constituency since the by-election campaign started but not even one grain rice in any of the adjoining constituencies. If this is not blatant vote-buying then I do not know what is!
The problem of vote buying and other coercive means is a very serious problem especially in the rural areas were the electorate have been reduced to grovelling serfs by the Zanu PF operatives and traditional leaders.
The EU Election Observer Mission condemned last year’s elections as having “failed to meet international standards.” One of the reason was that the process could not be verified. ZEC had failed to produced a verified voters’ roll although this is a legal and common sense requirement.
The by-election went ahead with no verified voters’ roll!
Even those in the MDC A who accept that the by-election was rigged, one only has to listen to them to know they are talking at cross purpose!
“Look, we blinked and the rigging machine took advantage. This is primarily because the President (Chamisa) focused on the Cyclone and humanitarian situation. Be rest assured, President Chamisa will look into this,” said Nkululeko Sibanda, Chamisa’s spokesperson.
Blinked, is that what happened! MDC A participated in last year’s elections with no verified voters’ roll, no free public media, etc. and so Zanu PF was able to blatantly rig the elections. The opposition was warned that without first implementing the democratic reforms, Zanu PF will rig the elections but, of course, they ignore the warning.
“MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” Nelson Chamisa had boasted.
Indeed, last year’s rigged elections were a repeat of the 2013 elections. MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU and failed to get even one reforms implemented. Not one! And we are to believe Sibanda that the MDC leaders blinked and their eyes were shut for five years!
The truth is as plan to see as the mole on the nose. Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a former white-owned farm for Welshman Ncube, a $4 million Highlands mansion for Morgan Tsvangirai, etc., etc. And with their snouts in the feeding trough, the MDC leaders forgot they were in the GNU to implement the democratic reforms.
Even when it dawned on the MDC leaders that Zanu PF was going to rig the 2013 elections; Coltart and his friends could not boycott the elections for fear the other would win the few gravy train seats Zanu PF offered to entice the opposition, as he rightly admitted in his book.
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” confessed Coltart.
“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”
A number of the MDC factions did unite to form the MDC A before the 2018 elections and still they participated in the elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF would blatantly rig the election, for the same reason as in 2013 - greed.
Zimbabwe’s politicians on both sides of the political divide have one thing in common, they are greedy and incompetent.
“ZANU-PF will continue winning as long the opposition party remained at sixes-and-sevens when it comes to ideology!” said Coltart. As much as MDC leaders may wish they have an ideological foundation; the reality is that they do not have any ideology, never had one and never will.
MDC leaders are intellectually incapable of grasping an ideology as pigs are physically incapable of growing wings!
Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders in to power on the understanding they will deliver the democratic changes and free and fair elections the nation has been dying for. After 19 years of strutting around on the political stage without even one implemented reform to show for it; now Coltart before we have free and fair elections, first pigs must fly!
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“2023 is on the horizon. MDC refuses to learn from proven irrefutable empirical evidence of how they lost many constituencies and councils in 2013, 2018 in places like Masvingo, Bulawayo, Mat South as a result of double candidates. Don’t blame rigging for such things,” said Dr Ruhanya.
This is just a feeble excuse, the combined votes by the two MDC A candidates was less than the votes cast for Mujuru, Zanu PF candidate. Besides only 10% of the voters bothered to vote.
The main reason MDC lost the by-election is because Zanu PF rigged the elections.
Now under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Anjin and Russian diamond mining company Alrosa will spearhead the government’s target of raising at least US$400m in revenue by the end of 2019.
They will form partnerships with the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC).
“Anjin, which used to operate in the area, is now back on the ground. We expect that it will commence production, at the latest, by end of May. We are looking at it being a significant producer in that regard,” said mines and mining development minister Winston Chitando.
The Russians and Chinese – Zimbabwe’s “all weather friends”, key to the Mnangagwa administration – take up the diamond fields after neighbouring Botswana passed on an offer tabled by Harare.
As part of Zimbabwe and Botswana’s bi-national relations, Harare initially tabled an offer that would have seen Botswana give Zimbabwe a US$500m loan facility – which is a US$100m more than the year-end revenue target. In return, Botswana would mine diamonds from Chiadzwa.
However, Botswana said that due to budgetary constraints, Gaborone would not be able to support the proposed Diamond Backed Loan facility.
The Chinese helped Mnangagwa rig last year’s elections and their reward was to be allowed back into the country to take up the looting where they left off after Mugabe booted them out of the country. Mugabe complained that Zimbabwe had lost $15 billion in diamond revenue, he never named who were the swindlers but there is no doubt that the Chinese were involved!
Zanu PF poured in 60 tonnes of maize meal and 30 tonnes of rice, a blatant vote-buying move. It is shocking how some people are ignoring that to talk about trivial maaters like MDC A splitting the vote. Last year's elections were not free, fair and credible because Zanu PF failed to release a verified voters' roll, there was no free public media, 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote, blatant vote buying, etc. These are the issues we should be concerned about and trivials!
“There are some serious lessons the #MDC Alliance needs to learn from this. ZANU PF will always mobilize their core support and rigidly impose one candidate. Once again we are back to minority rule in this ward in which the majority detest ZANUPF,” Coltart said
If Zanu PF support base is less than 2 000 out of 23 000 then the opposition do not need to wrong about Zanu PF gaining on them but worry about the voter apathy. The very fact that the opposition is doing nothing to stop Zanu PF buying votes and rig elections has undermined the people's confidence in the electoral process.
Yes, Chamisa just as you donated the presidency to Mnangagwa by participating in last year's elections knowing the elections will be rigged!
MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging elections during the GNU, you sold-out and failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Ever since MDC has abandoned all efforts to implement reforms and concentrated on winning the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait to the opposition.
Talk of reforms, what reforms have your ever implemented in all your 19 years on the political stage?
Last year's elections were rigged and instead of the nation uniting in calling for Zanu PF to step down you are calling for "dialogue" with the regime for the single purpose of asking for a gravy train seat in the regime for selfish gain. The country will gain nothing in keeping the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship in power MDC will not mind that happening as long as Chamisa is given a seat on the gravy train!
At least 20,000 refugees in Zimbabwe were affected by the deadly Tropical Cyclone Idai, UN officials said on Sunday.
Country representative for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Robert Tibagwa spoke in the capital Harare, during the handover of 80 metric tons of goods donated to the Zimbabwean government.
There are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of cyclone Idai victims who have not yet received any food, clean water to drink, shelter and medical help. Government did not have these essential to give away. These people will not be amused to know that meanwhile the same government distributed 60 tonnes of maize meal and 30 tonnes of rice in a by-election in Bulawayo in a blatant vote-buying move.
The answer is that the contentious clauses within Zidera that prejudice ordinary Zimbabweans are to be found in section 4 (c ) of Zidera which specifically compels or coerces US executive directors of each international financial institution to oppose and vote against, (i) any extension by that institution any loan, credit, or guarantee to the government of Zimbabwe (this has invariably been interpreted to include even loans to Zim institutions) , (ii) that US executives must oppose and vote against any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the government of Zimbabwe to the US or any international financial institution.
The IMF and WB stopped giving Zimbabwe any financial assistance by the end of 2000 because Zimbabwe had failed to service its debt. ZIDERA were imposed in December 2001.
Whatever economic hardships are brought by the sanction there are nothing compared to hardships brought by the rampant corruption and gross mismanagement. Those who keep wittering about sanctions but say nothing about corruption are being totally dishonest!
Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections, there is no question about that, and the sanctions were imposed to pressure the regime to hold free, fair and credible elections. We need free and fair election to end this corrupt and tyrannical rule and to lift the sanctions would be a foolish move!
The most disappointing thing here is how even senior MDC leaders like Chamisa And Coltart are contradicting themselves and everyone else because they have no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections. Chamisa has accepted the parliamentary results of last year's elections regardless of all the flaws and illegalities in the process.
On the presidential result, which has the same flaws and illegalities, he is cherry picking he is rejecting the result claiming that his figures are the correct ones although he has failed to produce the document to support his claim. It is clear that if he is offered a seat on the gravy train he will give the elections a clean bill of health.
The elections process had so many flaws and illegalities it is nonsensical to judge the process legal and therefore those claiming to have a democratic mandate are talking of a fraudulent mandate. The Zanu PF regime is illegitimate and the inclusion of Chamisa in the regime will not change that basic reality!
By participating in the flawed and illegal elections MDC gave the process some credibility. By insisting on a political dialogue with Zanu PF Chamisa is only confusing the situation by giving Zanu PF the political recognition it clearly does not deserve.
It is unbelievable that someone like Coltart could even suggest the by-election was free, fair and credible when Zanu PF went to town with its vote-buying, failed to produce a verified voters' roll, retained it monopoly on the public media, abused state resources in favour of the party's candidate, etc., etc.
The sheer incompetence shown by by the MDC leaders on the matter of free, fair and credible elections underlines once again why the nation can never ever trust them to implement the reforms. Never ever!
Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya poured cold water on the claims by industry players that there was confusion and challenges around access to foreign currency by the cooking oil producers saying the companies know what to do, which they had always done in the past.
If it is not cooking oil it is medicine, fuel, wheat, everything! As long as Zimbabwe remains a nation of consumers who produce a lot less than they import the problems of shortage of foreign currency and imported goods and services will not go away! Governor Mangudya is burying his head in the sand by denying Zimbabwe’s economic problems are set to get worse. It is a pity that he has been entrusted with power and authority which if wisely used will help end our problems and if abused, as is the case here, will drag the nation deeper into this nightmare!
Chamisa can spend the rest of his life knocking doors but the truth is no one is listening to his nonsense. He accepts that the elections were rigged and hence the reason Mnangagwa is illegitimate and on the next breath he wants to be declared the legitimate winner of the same flawed and illegal process. People judge elections on the basis of the process and not on who is the winner!
All Chamisa is fishing for is a ministerial seat on the gravy train. The Mnangagwa regime is illegitimate and adding Chamisa to it will not make it legal.
The solution to Zimbabwe's problem is for the country to appoint an interim administration tasked to implement the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF must step down to create the space for the new admin. Chamisa and company must be ignored, SADC leaders are spot on there.
There a lot of bad things that has been said about SADC leaders and allowing Mugabe and Zanu PF to go into the 2008 GNU after what the party had done in that year's election was one of the most foolish decision ever. The GNU was certainly a soft landing for the tyrant and his vote rigging and murderous thugs. Still, Zimbabwe would have emerged out of the GNU a democratic nation if Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had not sold out.
Credit were credit is due, SADC leaders nagged MDC leaders to implement the reforms but were ignored. Once the MDC leaders had their snouts in the feeding trough they became as deaf as a stone.
In June 2013 SADC leaders tried once more to stop MDC participating in that year's elections with no reforms in place. "If you take part in next month's elections, you will lose; the elections are done!" they warned Tsvangirai and other MDC leaders to their faces. Not even one MDC leader heard the warning.
It is no surprise that SADC leaders have ignored MDC leaders ever since the 2013 rigged elections; they are paying MDC leaders in their own coinage!
I agree, even if SADC wanted to listen to MDC, how can they do so when the latter insist in talking nonsense. Many people have listened to Chamisa's claim that he should be declared the winner of the presidential race. They have patiently explained to him that it is a lead balloon that will never fly but he refuses to listen.
Chamisa is not crying that SADC is not listening him but rather that SADC is not doing what he is asking them to do regardless how foolish that happen to be. Chamisa, just like Tsvangirai and the rest of the MDC leaders are incapable of listening to reason.
Tsvangirai is a "flawed and indecisive character who likes to surround himself with incompetent people" said Chris Dell, former USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, in a leaked cable to Washington back in 2006. Time has proven the ambassador was spot on.
@ Mudakuwanda
“I think you sound very analytic and your analysis is fair. But we need people on the ground who act, don’t just comment and then go into oblivion.”
I can see what you are driving at but after 38 years of blundering from pillar to post I think what we want is not more corrupt and incompetent leaders to drag the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss but people with a level head who have the patience and intellect to listen to reason. When you are in a hole, stop digging! Think!
@ Chinyauke
“I think you also forgot to say EU and America should also listen to ZANUPF kkkkk”
Well has Zanu PF ever listened to the EU and Americans? The Americans told Mnangagwa hold free, fair and credible elections and we will lift the sanctions. Mnangagwa went on to blatantly rig the elections.
Zanu PF does not listen to anyone, not even its so called “all weather friends” the Chinese. The Chinese have told Zanu PF it must service its debt but has defaulted time and time again which is why the Chinese has signed mega deals with Zimbabwe but the projects have never been implemented.
How many times has Zanu PF been warned of the folly of corruption and yet the problem is now rampant! The Chinese are in Chiadzwa and Marange leading the wholesale looting taking full advantage of the fact that Zanu PF listens to no one even on matters in Zimbabwe’s own national interest.
You and the other Zanu PF apologists are always wittering about sanctions and yet have been told countless times that it is corruption the nation should be concerned with but you refuse to listen!
You can say you do not agree with the solution offered but cannot say Nomusa did not offer a solution. That shed did. “Zimbabwe needs an interim administration that will implement the democratic reforms fully and deliver free, fair and credible elections, guaranteed. Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta must step down to create the political space for the new administration,” she stated.
“Zanu PF will never step down!” Never is a strong word especially when the regime was forced to do just that following the 2008 elections which, as happened last year, were rigged and thus meant Zanu PF was illegitimate.
SADC and the AU’s refusal to recognise Zanu PF’s legitimacy in 2008 was the deciding factor in forcing Mugabe to swallow his pride and sign the GPA. The worsening economic meltdown will be the deciding factor in forcing Mnangagwa and Zanu PF to accept they rigged last year’s elections, they are illegitimate and they must step down!
Zanu PF was offered a soft landing of the GNU following the rigged 2008 elections. For committing the same crime the party can expect a tougher punishment this time - step down.
@ Chinyaukira
The greatest challenge comes when people, consumed by hatred, fail to ready the other side of what they say. I am still convinced that my statement is sound and is mutually exclusive to what was said before and what you said as well. I wonder though whether such makes someone's apologist and worst still to think Americans have solution for our problems. The issue of corruption as an enemy of progress is given everywhere and is not even monopolised by anyone as you seem to suggest. Thanks Mukoma Wilbert.
On the issue of what Zanu PF has to say on sanctions, this has been discussed at great length on this forum and others. All Zanu PF has had to say on the matter has been shown to be feeble excuses. Most of those still claiming that Zanu PF has anything more to stay on the matter are the party leaders and their apologists to whom defending the indefensible is second matter.
I accept that there are a few people out there who, for whatever reason have not been following the debate and are therefore falling victim to Zanu PF’s misinformation. You are clearly one such victim. Still, I suggest you do your own research on the subject and I am confident that you too will conclude that Zanu PF is just hiding behind its little finger. It is Zanu PF that is refusing to see reason. You will kick yourself for having failed to see through these Zanu PF lies and will understand why 99.9% of those supporting Zanu PF have to be Zanu PF leaders or their apologists.
In short, I do not apologise for calling you a Zanu PF apologist when you may well be one of the 0.1%, the victim of Zanu PF misinformation. After 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule with the country in total economic meltdown and millions living in abject poverty you certainly need a kick in the backside to be so easily taken by cheap Zanu PF propaganda!
When President Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe in November 2017 he launched his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” Everyone around him took up the call and the country talked about little else. Those of us who tried to raise their voices to advice caution were drowned out. We warned that Zimbabwe cannot be ready for business when the country had done nothing to stamp out the curse of rigged elections making the country a pariah state and to end corruption.
When Professor Mthuli Ncube was appointed Minister of Finance, he took up the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” to new heights. He promised to attract new investors and to get IMF, the WB and all the other international finance houses to bankroll Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
In the last few months the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” has been quietly dropped out of Mnangagwa’s speeches and everyone has followed suit. The penny has dropped that the expected flood gate of investors was not coming. Who would want to invest in a pariah state where corruption rules the roost!
"They (IMF) are in the country and we anticipate that the talks will go a long way towards increasing confidence and paving way for new avenues of growth," said Professor Ncube.
I have never heard Professor Ncube sound so uncertain and deflated!
Even if the Americans were to scrap ZIDERA and free IMF and WB to give the country the lines of credit this will not be enough to guarantee the economic recovery. Corruption is still a big problem in Zimbabwe and we all know that corrupt ruling elite have an insatiable appetite, they will soak up any cash availed for development and stifle any recovery. By failing to hold free and fair elections the country confirmed it still remains a lawless nation.
No wonder Minister Ncube is deflated, he has failed to attract investors and knows there will be no lines of credit from the IMF, WB or anyone else!
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