"US sanctions on 1st August commander undermine our sovereignty" - vote rigging did that and worse P Guramatunhu

When President Mnangagwa ordered the soldiers to shoot to kill protesters on the 1 st August 2018; this was a deliberate and calculated measure to send a clear message to all Zimbabweans that the Zanu PF regime would not tolerate any dissent. The regime had just blatantly rigged the elections and was equally determined to silence all who dared to protest.

Some people wanted to give the regime the benefit of the doubt and maintained the shooting was more about maintaining law and order than a Machiavellian act of pression. Mnangagwa himself proved the doubters wrong.

“We saw them burning police cars and killing cops, where else have you seen that? But we said no, we do not need violence. We deployed soldiers to stop the protesters and they quelled the disturbances,” said Mnangagwa, commenting on the January 2019 follow up shoot to kill incident. People were protesting against the massive increase in the price of fuel and the chronic shortages of food, medicine, cash, etc.

“Those whom we fought during the liberation struggle, the whites, are still fighting so they can claim power again. They have certain people and organisations they are working with. Those groups and individuals are moving around the country influencing and leading people to be violent,” continued Mnangagwa.

“We should be on the lookout as our enemies are not resting, but ensure our eyes are always wide open. We will crush our enemies, and they are being crushed.”

This is typical Zanu PF modus operandi, the liberation war end four decades ago but not in Zimbabwe, behind every bush is a white colonialist plotting to recolonise the country and every critic and opponent of the regime is a puppet of the white colonialist. The regime does not need to prove anything; the puppets and their supporters are ruthlessly crushed and the white colonialists are accused of all manner of imaginary crimes and verbal abuse.

The Americans are one of the Western nations who saw the 1 st August 2018 shoot to kill for what it is: a sinister move by the regime to use brute force to silence its local opponents. The Americans have expressed their disappointment that one year since the 7 protesters’ cold-blooded murder the regime has yet to arrest those responsible for the murders.

Better still, the Americans have added former Presidential Guard Brigade commander and ambassador-designate to Tanzania, Anselem Sanyatwe and his spouse on the dreaded sanctions list. Sanyatwe was the commander of the unit send to crush the protesters. The move has provoked the usual verbal diarrhoea from the regime.

"It is our position that sanctions imposed on our country are illegal and any escalation of the same is counterproductive,” said Information Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana in a statement.

"President Mnangagwa has adopted a policy of rapprochement towards countries with whom we have endured less than friendly relations with over the past two decades. However, this policy is not a policy of appeasement.

"We therefore wish to place on record our strong displeasure of actions to undermine Zimbabwe's sovereignty and condemn posturing meant to fan divisions rather than initiate national healing and understanding."

The sheer stupidity of the regime beggars belief! By blatantly rigging the elections Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies have forfeited the country’s hopes of meaningful economic recovery, political stability and ultimately the country’s sovereignty. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs, the economic meltdown will only get worse. No investor will want to do business with thugs.

Zanu PF is determined to use brute force to hang on to power, the events of 1 st August last year and those of January this year were clear messages of intent. Anyone who expects the regime to implement any meaningful democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections is being naïve.

Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, the regime is illegitimate, and we must demand that its steps down. Since we cannot trust Zanu PF to implement the reforms, the regime must step down to allow the space for the appointment of an interim administration that can be entrusted to implement the reforms.

All pressure must be brought to bear on the Zanu PF dictatorship to step down. It is the only way Zimbabwe is ever going to end the curse of rigged elections and pariah state.