Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) released a paper, “Call for National Sabbath For Trust and Confidence Building”, calling for the formation of a seven year Zanu PF and MDC Government of National Unity (GNU) during which the usual politicking and national elections would be suspended.
Take out some of the glaringly foolish ideas like GNU lasting seven years. The primary task of the new GNU, as was that of the 2008 GNU, will be to implement the democratic reforms to stop the curse of the rigged elections. Given the political will, the reforms can be implemented in the remains four years of the present electoral cycle. The 2008 GNU was chalked to implement the reforms in 18 months.
The second glaring foolish to be thrown away was appointing both Zanu PF and MDC in the new GNU. The leaders of the two parties were the principle players in the 2008 to 2013 GNU that failed to get even one democratic reform implemented in five years. It is rich to expect the same players to do any better this second time round especially given Zanu PF’s position that last year’s elections were free, fair and credible.
SADC, who were the guarantor of the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the GNU, were quick off the mark in condemning the 2008 elections as a farce. The regional body refuse to recognise the Mugabe led Zanu PF regime as the legitimate government; forcing the dictator to agree to the implementation of the raft of reforms agreed in the GPA. ZHOCD have neither the political credibility nor leverage that SADC had.
ZHOCD said that they had "prayerfully" come to the conclusion that in light of the "current political paralysis, deepening mistrust and the dehumanising economic decline, the nation will need to take a bold decision to address the root causes of our national challenges that have a very long history and will not be fully resolved by one entity.
"Such a polarised environment weakens respect for national institutions such as the courts, the police and the security sectors. Once such institutions are viewed as partisan and lacking in independence, it becomes impossible to elicit cooperation among the policy and political actors to drive a national reform process in the best interests of the nation."
What the clergy leaders were saying inter own long winded way was that last year’s elections were not free, fair and credible and hence the “current political paralysis” and a repeat of the 2008 paralysis. It is no surprise that President Mnangagwa was very quick off the mark in restating his electoral legitimacy!
"Let me emphatically state, at the outset, that my office is a creature of the Constitution and laws of Zimbabwe, both which I am sworn to uphold, defend, obey and respect to their letter and spirit," he declared.
“Our July 2018, harmonised elections were adjudged to be largely transparent, free, fair and credible (and an) expression of the (democratic) will of the people of Zimbabwe.”
The EU, the Americans, the Commonwealth and all the other election observers with any democratic credentials worth talking about condemned the elections as a farce. Indeed, the Americans have pointedly refused to lift the sanctions imposed on a select number of Zanu PF leaders and entities because the elections were not free, fair and credible. Zimbabwe’s application to be readmitted into the Commonwealth has been kicked into the tall grass and forgotten for the same reason.
By blatantly rigging the elections Zanu PF confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical thugs. No one wants to do business with a pariah state and hence the reason the country’s economic meltdown of the Mugabe years has continued.
Zimbabwe needs this illegitimate Zanu PF regime replaced by an interim administration whose primary task will be to implement the democratic reforms and hold fresh elections. The illegitimate Zanu PF regime must step down to create the political space for the interim administration. ZHOCD lack the political insight and gravitas to force Zanu PF to accept they are illegitimate and to step down.
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Nichols who was speaking during an interview with Trevor Ncube said the government has not shown any willingness to reform and have not implemented the recommendations from the Kgalema Motlanthe led Commission of Inquiry.
The Ambassador also mentioned that allegations about the abduction of opposition members and activists have not been investigated.
Thank you ambassador Nichols! We all know that corruption is the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and Zanu PF is responsible for it. The regime is on the ropes and should not be allowed to get away!
Zanu PF rigged last year's elections. It is nonsense to deny 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote when the winning vote was 2.6 million, failed to produce a verified voters' roll, etc. and claim such a process can be anything other than a farce.
It is a great tragedy that nearly 40 years after independence we are still failing to make it to first base - holding free, fair and credible elections. We have failed to have a competent and accountable government all these years precisely because we failed to ensure we had free, fair and credible elections. For 40 years we thought we could work with an illegitimate regime and succeed and again and again we have failed. Zanu PF has dragged the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Enough is enough! We must now bite the bullet and deal with this problem of rigged elections and illegitimate government, firmly and decisively.
1) We must accept that last year's elections were rigged and the current Zanu PF regime is illegitimate. We must reject Mnangagwa's nonsensical claim saying otherwise with the contempt it deserves.
2) We must appoint an interim administration composed of men and women who KNOW what the democratic reforms we need to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and will get this important job done. We should get all the international help we need, there is no shame in asking for help and then get the job done properly. The is no excuse in appointing Zanu PF and MDC leaders into the interim administration, they failed to get even one reform implemented last time; they must accept they failed the nation and the country must be allowed to move on.
@ Mdu
After 39 years of looting and the evidence of their looting there for all to see - the palatial Blue Roof mansions, posh cars, the abandoning of the all but collapsed local education and health care services in favour of overseas one, extravagant lifestyles, etc. - it is impossible to tell someone it is sanctions that is causing the economic meltdown.
Zimbabwe has wasted billions of dollars through mismanagement and corruption, the billions of dollars used in building the mansions are all locked up in a deadend when it should be available helping generating more wealth if is had been used to build Batoka Gorge Dam, five star hospital in each province or some such national project.
The chef can get away with serving mutton as lamb but there is no getting away with hot chilli! Most Zimbabweans know that corruption is the cancer killing the nation and that blaming sanctions is just a worn out diversionary Zanu PF excuse whilst they continue looting! "Zanu PF yanyangira yavona!" as one would say in Shona.
Of course ZHOCD knew that Mnangagwa and Zanu PF rigged last year's elections, that was obvious to all with eyes to see and a bit of common sense. They have never dared say it out loud that Zanu PF rigged the elections and are therefore illegitimate because they are timid, to say the least. They have agonised, in fasting and prayer, before they had the courage to use the euphemistic "political paralysis" rather than tell Mnangagwa that he rigged the elections.
The clergy went to great lengths to assure Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF thugs that their iron grip on power was assure throughout the GNU period. Telling Mnangagwa and company that they are illegitimate and must step down was clearly a bridge too far for our timid church leaders!
The way forward for Zimbabwe is clear; look Mnangagwa straight in the eyes and must be boldly stated:
“Zimbabwe is open for business!” had no takers and it is dead in the water. You can continue masquerading in your multi-coloured scarf just stop wasting the nation time and money with all the globetrotting in expensive hired jets pretending you are signing mega deals!
Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has failed to convince IMF, WB or anyone else to bankroll Zimbabwe’s recovery program, it is now in tatters. Stop blubbering about vision 2030 and the country moving towards middle income status; hyperinflation in back and the nation is sinking deeper and deeper into the economic hell-on-earth.
Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, the regime is illegitimate and the only sure way to end this vicious cycle of rigged elections and pariah state is for Zanu PF to step down. We need the political space to implement the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Zanu PF has held this nation to ransom for the last 39 years; enough is enough, go! Go you have overstayed any good you have ever done!
You are right, most Zimbabweans in the anti-sanctions demo will know that corruption is the root cause of the country's economic meltdown. They will also know that the Zanu PF ruling elite are behind the rampant corruption and the party is blaming sanctions to draw attention away from the corruption.
After 39 years of being told one lie after another, people now know corruption, not sanctions, is the root cause of the economic meltdown. Zimbabweans can see how the ruling elite have become filthy rich wasting billions of dollars on their mansions and expensive lifestyle - money that should have been invested in the economy for the good of all!
One can get away with serving mutton as spring lamb but will not do the same with the hot chilli. Corruption is the hot chilli, no one will be fooled into believing it is not the problem.
The sanctions will stay until we have free, fair and credible elections!
This guy will never regret crying in support of Mnangagwa; he cried to impress the regime and will stop at nothing to win favours from the regime.
When Mnangagwa boasted that those who dare criticise Zanu PF will have their lives cut short he was underlining the party’s contemptuous disregard for the freedoms and rights of anyone in the party’s singular resolve to retain absolute power at all cost.
After 39 years of this ruthless dictatorship, it is no surprise Zanu PF operatives, rogue, war veterans, party apologists and even members of the country’s security services have all accept the ethos that Zanu PF has the absolute right to do whatever the party deems necessary to retain absolute power.
Mnangagwa and his top table ruling elite have been in power for 39 years and counting and have amass great wealth. The low rank Zanu PF operatives, most of the rogue war veterans, etc. have had to content themselves with the crumbs falling off the top table and the eternal hope that they too will earn a seat at the top table tomorrow.
These Zanu PF minions are too busy trying to impress the Zanu PF leaders, in the hope that will help their advance up the grease pole, they do not care that the party is riding roughshod over the rest of the population’s freedoms, rights, hopes and dreams.
As far as these minions are concerned Mnangagwa did no wrong in rigging the elections, shooting dead those protesting the rigged elections, etc. Indeed, our friend will see to it that Zanu PF chefs, especially those responsible for the propaganda like Nick Mangwana and George Charamba, see this interview and his galant defence of the party!
As Zimbabwe, and its SADC counterparts, initiate the anti-sanctions lobby as a collective on October 25, 2019, it is trite that the real reason for the imposition of illegal sanctions on the country are exposed.
On July 25, 2018, ahead of the harmonised elections, the US Congress and Senate passed the amended Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA), which US President Donald Trump subsequently signed into law on August 8, 2018.
Any sovereign nation has the right to decide who it is going to do business with and under what terms so this notion that of the imposed sanctions of Zanu PF leaders being “illegal” is just a nonsense. What is more the same regime going to town about what is legal and what is not has no respect for its own laws.
ZEC is required by law to produce a verified voters’ roll at least one month before nomination day. Last year’s elections were held with no verified voters’ roll. None! And yet the regime insist the elections were free, fair and credible when no one could verified who was eligible to vote, who voted, etc.!
Of course, the sanctions are about democracy; the Americans went out of their way to explain that if the July 2018 elections are free, fair and credible they will lift the sanctions. Just because Zanu PF insist the elections were free and fair does not make them so!
The sanctions will stay until we have free and fair elections!
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