"Electoral theft does not pay" - how naive, in a dictatorship it works wonders! N Garikai

I am in for Twitter’s policy of limiting the tweet to 280 characters still there are some subject that are so complex it is simply impossible to have an intelligent discourse on Twitter! 

“Electoral theft does not pay. Zanu PF must realize this bare truth. Now they don’t know what to do with stolen power. Since 2000 after their defeat but manipulated results, nothing has moved. Return stolen legitimacy!” Twittered Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya.

There are a thousand and one questions one would want to ask Dr Ruhanya but will confine to making just two remarks:

1)    “Electoral theft does not pay.” This is just a nonsensical cliché; it clearly pays and pays very well. Zimbabwe’s ruling elite are filthy rich; they live in palatial mansions, drive around in posh cars, own multiple farms and businesses, etc. They have destroyed the nation’s heath and education services but what of it; they have been sending their children out of the country for their education and they regularly travel to SA, India, Singapore, etc. for all their health care needs.

Even members of the opposition have nothing against stolen elections hence they reason they have failed to implement even one reform even when they had the golden opportunity to do so. It is no secret that Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were bribed during the GNU with the ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a $4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. and they, in return, saw to that not even one reform saw the light of day.

Yes, for you, me and the millions of the ordinary Zimbabweans who have paid dearly for the consequences of 39 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule; rigged elections do not pay. But to the Zanu PF thugs and the entourage of opposition opportunists after the few crumbs Zanu PF throws at them, bait to entice them to participate regardless how flawed and illegal the elections are; rigged elections pays!

2)   “Return stolen legitimacy!” Return to whom and how? Mnangagwa and Chamisa can hold their dialogue and agree to form the Transition Authority; the two will only be sharing the spoils of the stolen legitimacy.

The only logical way to return stolen legitimacy if for Zanu PF to step down and allow the implementation of the democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. It is only the people of Zimbabwe in a free, fair and credible elections who give the mandate and legitimacy to govern the country and not Chamisa or anyone else.  

Dr Ruhanya’s tweet is certainly misleading in that it gives the impression there is a difference between Zanu PF and the opposition when they are just two sides of the same coin. Maybe he would have explained this between outside the limit of twitter, he should have realised this and picked a better media. The Zimbabwe electorate are not very sophisticated and believe things at face value hence the reason people like Dr Ruhanya must be careful that they are not misunderstood.