“For too long our country has been held back by the old ways of doing things. In our society, politics, economy and culture; everything was old. New ideas have been resisted; new developments, rejected,” postulated Emmerson Mnangagwa in a video in Spotlight Zimbabwe.
“What do I want my, mission, legacy to be? My answer is simple, we must reform the way we do things. Reform our mindset! We must turn our backs on the old way of doing things. We must embrace new methods of doing things.”
“We are repealing POSA and AIPA.”
The report is entitled “Dodgy: Mnangagwa talks about his vision for Zimbabwe”. Very dodgy, indeed!
The tragedy is he is now convinced he has embraced reforms, he has rejected the old ways of doing things and adopted the new ways when in reality he has not done any such thing.
Mnangagwa cannot deny the country’s economy is in a real mess and that millions are now living in abject poverty.
Whilst Mugabe blamed the country’s economic failures to drought and, above all else, “the cruel and illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the British Imperialist and their western allies”. Mnangagwa is heaping all the blame on “old way of doing thing”!
No doubt as a senior member of Mugabe’s successive regime throughout Mugabe’s 37 years in power, Mnangagwa must have subscribed to the regime’s “scientific socialism”. He too was cocksure the regime was going to deliver economic prosperity and justice, “Gutsa ruzhinji”, as Mugabe never tired of telling the nation in the 1980s!
When exactly Mnangagwa stopped believing in Mugabe’s policies, he does not say. He certainly did not do anything to force Mugabe to drop his policies. He did not resign in protest either.
The November 2017 military coup that toppled Mugabe was about political power, first and foremost.
Soon after the military coup, Mnangagwa declared “Zimbabwe is open for business!” Other than the promise to end corruption and to scrap Mugabe’s obnoxious indigenisation law, nothing on the economic front had changed!
Still Mnangagwa and his cronies expected investors and lenders to flood into the country in response the clarion call. Sadly, there was no such flood.
Since the turn of the century, investors had shied away from doing business in Zimbabwe because they viewed country as a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs. They were not going to change their opinion of the Zimbabwe regime just because there was a game of musical chairs, which was the sum total of the November 2017 military coup.
Of course, Mnangagwa wants the whole world to see the November 2017 military coup as nothing short of plate tectonics shift in Zimbabwe politics. The coup was so transformative it gave birth to a new country, a “Second Republic, a new democratic dispensation”. He promised the people of the Second Republic something befitting their new-found status - free, fair and credible elections.
Those of us who had been calling for the implementation of democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections renewed our calls then, just to be absolutely certain Mnangagwa knew exactly what he had to do to deliver on his promise. Needless to say, he ignored the calls for reforms.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, as they had done during the Mugabe years. The November 2017 coup did not produce any cosmic political change, all we did was swap one dictator for another. Nothing had changed. Nothing!
Just as Mugabe dictated his scientific socialism as the solution to the country’s quest for social justice and economic prosperity; you are dictating your new dispensation as the solution to the country’s economic and social problems. This is the very embodiment of the old ways, where those in positions of power and authority dictate and we, the populous, are expected to follow blindly, no questions asked.
What has held Zimbabwe back economically, socially and politically are tyrants who thought they alone knew best and now after 40 years are now blaming some of their old comrades for the failures only to impose their own foolish ideas.
A political system in which a few impose themselves as the nation’s leaders, impose their ideas and solutions is the very embodiment of doing things the old way. The new way allows all the citizens to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country through free, fair and credible elections. In the new democratic system of government those in power are accountable to the people, the people can remove them from office and not have to listen to all the nonsense about of a failed leader’s legacy!
“We are repealing POSA and AIPA!” Only an old windbag like Mnangagwa would say something so stupid and nauseating!
So, we the people, must endure five more years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship with all the economic and political consequences that entitles; on the off chance the regime will repeal two obnoxious laws it enacted – a task so strenuous we can never ever accomplish it ourselves!
19 comments:
@MDC
“As Africa, we must use our wealth to improve the lives of our people. We must condemn selfish leaders who have cartelised our wealth and our heritage so that it benefits only a selected few. As Africans, our wealth and heritage has always been owned in common and must benefit us and future generations. We say No to the culture of avarice and corruption that has engendered gross poverty and Inequality among our people, even in the middle of the teeming wealth on our continent; which wealth has been plundered by the well-heeled and the politically connected.”
MDC likes to give fiery speaks on such occasions as Africa Day and yet it is the avarice greed of its leaders that is behind the party’s continued participation in flawed and illegal elections! If MDC leaders had not sold-out and implemented the democratic reforms Zimbabwe will not still be in this political mess!
According to the Embassy, the Tanzanian government has not issued a statement on the number of COVID-19 cases since April 29 and that is worrying. That, the risk of contracting COVID-19 in Dar-Es-Salaam is extremely high. Hospitals in Dar-Es-Salaam have been so overwhelmed of late and the limited hospital capacity is indeed life threatening as it will delay medical attention for new incoming cases of COVID-19
Also, the embassy warned all who will choose to remain that they will be in Tanzania for an unknown period.
Zimbabwe too is guilty of under reporting the number of covid-19 cases in the country. There are reports of hospitals and clinic refusing to attend to patients unless they have a piece of paper confirming they are NOT covid-19 positive!
Today 282 ROT screening tests and 219 PCP diagnostic tests were done. The cumulative number of tests done to date Is 37 039 (21 484 RDT and 15 555 PCR)
To date the total number of confirmed cases remains at 56, recovered 25, active cases 27 and 4 deaths, since the onset of Me outbreak on 20 March 2020.-Ministry of Health and Childcare.
I have long stopped believing these official covid-19 figures. The country has not been testing and tracking aggressively and not all confirmed cases are reported. The country is going to pay dearly for this as the number of cases start to multiple in the coming weeks!
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has castigated the West for meddling in the internal affairs of African countries and called on Africans to deepen the culture of democracy and good governance as taught by the continent’s founding fathers.
In his address to the nation on the eve of the 57th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union, Mnangagwa said former colonial powers had no authority to lecture Africa on democracy as the continent had fought to achieve the democracy being enjoyed to this day.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and it is an insult to every thinking Zimbabwean out there to be told that elections in which ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll was a free and fair elections. We are not that stupid not know we are being cheated!
After 40 years of enforcing oppressive laws like POSA and AIPA the people of Zimbabwe have now to wait for 10 to 20 more years whilst the offending laws are being given a cosmetic make up and new names. And we are expected to greet this is the epoch of Mnangagwa's modernisation, his legacy to the nation and we are to be joyous grateful. What an ape!
After 40 years of enforcing oppressive laws like POSA and AIPA the people of Zimbabwe have now to wait for 10 to 20 more years whilst the offending laws are being given a cosmetic make up and new names. And we are expected to greet this is the epoch of Mnangagwa's modernisation, his legacy to the nation and we are to be joyous grateful. What an ape!
If the people of Zimbabwe are serious about getting out of this hell-on-earth that Zanu PF have dragged the nation into then they have to realise that must get rid of this evil dictatorship. People like Mnangagwa do not stand for change but rather the opposite, stagnation. Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, believes that he is special, he is a cut above all others, and so everyone must listen to what he says. He does not accept that he could ever be wrong and hence the reason he will never ever accept the concept of giving others a meaningful say in free, fair and credible elections.
Ape man rigged the July 2018 elections, he has no mandate to govern and must step down! As for his vision, his legacy; he can fcuk off!
Bubbles are characterised by a bid-up the price of an asset beyond any real, sustainable value. And when the bubble “bursts” prices crash, demand falls, and the outcome is often reduced business and household spending and a potential decline in the economy.
Dr Mangudya said there are no economic fundamentals to explain the rise in the parallel rates. He indicated that the parallel rate jump was simply excessive speculative behaviour.
“What we have in Zimbabwe is behavioural economics, it’s not about any economic fundamentals. We need to understand why people are behaving the way they are.
Well the real reason why the black market exchange rate has soar to 70:1 compared to the official exchange rate of 25:1 is because government is increasing the supply of the Z$. A few weeks ago the country took delivery of 60 000 kg of Z$10 and Z$20 paper money and God only knows how many billions Z$ in electronic money the regime is generating every month. Increasing the supply of money without a corresponding increase in goods and services in inflationary.
“As we deal with the impact of this pandemic, we repeat our call for the unconditional lifting of sanctions that have been imposed on Zimbabwe and Sudan. As Africans we have taken firm charge of managing this pandemic,” said Ramaphosa.
“We have a comprehensive strategy formulated by the African Union, and have appointed special envoys to mobilise the financial and other resources necessary for its implementation. Covid-19 knows no borders, nationality or skin colour.”
I do not know about Sudan but as for Zimbabwe the root cause of the country’s economic meltdown is corruption and mismanagement and not the sanctions. Why someone like President Cyril Ramaphosa keeps wittering about sanctions only goes to show what a penny-wise-pound-foolish fool he is.
The sanctions were imposed to pressure the Zanu PF regime to hold free, fair and credible elections, the country’s best hope for a peaceful end to the Zanu PF dictatorship. Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections. The sanctions must stay.
If Zanu PF is allowed to stay in office until 2023 then we can be 100% certain the party will not implement any meaningful political reforms and it will go on to blatantly rig that year's elections. No doubt Mnangagwa will claim the elections were free, fair and credible and that he needed more time to review POSA and AIPA!
Masiyiwa continued: “We have just bought our own water drilling rig and as soon as it arrives we plan to drill deep well boreholes in places like Ndolwane, where it is dry. It will help communities with market gardening and water for their cattle.”
Ugesi Minigrids has 10 other sites being built around the country. The aim of the organisation is to transform rural communities with cost-effective, reliable solar power.
“This is my vision of how rural Africa can be Re-Imagined. My vision has drawn a lot of interest outside Zimbabwe.
“Several global philanthropists have asked for presentations on how this model can be used in other African countries. This really excites me,” said Masiyiwa.
“Even with the pandemic, we are still Re-Imagining. It might slow us down, but it will never stop us.”
Well done!
In a statement Monday, Moyo said government took the abduction allegations seriously.
“Government is gravely concerned about serious allegations made by three female MDC leaders, MDC Member of parliament Joanna Mamombe along with Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova to the effect that they were subjected to abductions, torture, forced disappearance and sexual abuse at the hands of suspected State Security agents.
“The government would like to assure the public and the international community that it is taking these allegations seriously,” Moyo said.
The one-time top-ranking military officer said, “investigations will be conducted with the prime objective of exposing and prosecuting the perpetrators if any or exposing the involvement of the possible third force”.
When Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo announced the military coup that toppled Mugabe in November 2017, he insisted it was not a military coup but rather “a military assisted transition” I cringed! Of course, no one was going to believe that nonsense! But, make no mistake about it, the speaker and his fellow coup plotters clearly believed that they had fooled the whole world into believe this nonsense.
There is no doubt that Minister Moyo now firmly believes the regime has once again out foxed the whole world into believe the regime is not behind these kidnappings, beating, rapes and shooting died of defenceless civilians; this is all the work of “third force”! The regime has never denied that the three MDC activists were taken away from the Police at a Police manned road-block. Of course, this is just nonsense!
It is no surprise that Zimbabwe is in a real economic and political mess, the country is in the hands of some real shallow minded dimwits the world has ever seen.
The country needs these Zanu PF thugs to step down a.s.a.p. so the nation can appoint the body that will implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. If Zanu PF is allowed to stay in power till 2023, the party will rig those elections and perpetuate its rule and we will hear more of this “third force” nonsense.
THE South African Presidency yesterday used the Africa Day commemorations to remember the late former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's much-quoted "Africa is for Africans" statement, but immediately drew criticism from opposition activists in the neighbouring country who felt there was no need to use his image given his history of intolerance.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies have robbed the ordinary Zimbabweans blind to feed their insatiable greed for power and wealth. 34% of Zimbabweans were living in “extreme poverty” according to a WB 2019 report, i.e. they could not afford one decent meal a day much less other basic necessities such as education for the children, medical care, etc. All the other nations in the regime had single digit figures living in extreme poverty.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies creamed off the nation’s wealth to build their sprawling palatial mansions, to build their vast business empires, bankroll their extravagant lifestyles, etc,
“Zimbabwe is mine!” Mugabe used to boast and meant it too!
The impoverish Zimbabwean masses have certainly been denied a share of the country’s wealth and most important of all a meaningful say in the governance of the country. In 2008 both SADC and AU were forced to admit Zanu PF rigged the elections but when MDC failed to implement the reforms to stop the rigging both SADC and AU have turned a blind eye to Zanu PF’s rigging.
It is therefore insulting when African leaders like SA President Cyril Ramaphosa state quoting dictators like Mugabe’s “Africa is for Africans” knowing fully well Mugabe has always treated Zimbabweans worse than the colonial regime before him! Zimbabweans are yet to cast their first vote in a free, fair and credible elections.
@ Mapamba
“Africa for Africans is getting our land back our resources back our minerals back our dignity back!”
This is just a nonsensical cliché used by Zimbabwe’s ruling elite to hide their insatiable greed for power and wealth. Most of the seized farms were given to Zanu PF loyalists and, naturally, Mugabe, his family and cronies got a lion’s share. The same has happened with the country’s diamonds and other resources.
On the political front, Zanu PF has ridden roughshod over the people denying them their freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote and even the right to life. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered in cold blood since independence to establish and retain this de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship.
34% of Zimbabweans live in extreme poverty, they cannot afford one decent meal a day much less other basic necessities such as education for their children, health care, etc. All the other countries in the region have single digit figure living in extreme poverty. Millions of Zimbabweans had flocked to the other countries as political and/or economic refugees.
The corona virus outbreak is forcing Zimbabweans to return because the jobs they were seeking have dried up and the host nations will only look after their own people during these difficult times. Zimbabweans have returned knowing fully well the country’s economy is in an even worse state than ever. They know the blundering incompetence of the Zanu PF regime will make their suffering even worse and that hundreds of thousands will die unnecessarily. Where is the human dignity in that!
The MDC Alliance disputed the Constitutional Court ruling that Zanu-PF won the harmonised elections, citing electoral malpractices.
But Zec has denied charges of colluding with the ruling Zanu-PF party to rig the 2018 elections.
Zesn has also called for the establishment of an electoral and political reforms taskforce bringing together political parties and other stakeholders to push for the implementation of reforms to avert disputed polls in 2023
.
Zesn should give us more details of this proposed taskforce because some of us have come to the end of our tether!
The best taskforce to implement the democratic reforms was assembled following the signing of the 2008 Global Political Agreement forcing Zanu PF to agree to the implementation of the democratic reforms. SADC leaders were the guarantor of the agreement and they did their best to nag Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to implement the reforms. Sadly, not even one reform saw the light of day. Not one!
So, what is this new taskforce you are proposing that will succeed in implementing the reforms where the 2008 GNU failed?
Any taskforce that include Zanu PF will never implement any meaningful reforms – that is a political reality.
If Zanu PF is still in power in 2023, then we can be 100% certain the party will not implement any reforms and it will rig that year’s election!
We need to grasp the nettle and demand that Zanu PF steps down. Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections, the regime has no mandate to govern, it is illegitimate.
The international community has already condemned the July 2018 elections as a farce, they know Zanu PF is illegitimate and should step down. It is Zimbabwe’s own opposition parties and civic society who have accepted Zanu PF as legitimate and do not want the regime to step down!
Dimwits like Chamisa and his MDC friends; Zimbabwe’s church leaders, especially those fishing for favours from Mnangagwa; other civic organisations like Zesn, etc. who are sold to the foolish notion that Zanu PF has the divine right to govern who are keeping Zanu PF in power. Whatever taskforce you are proposing it must include the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF! Talk of a mental blockage!
It has taken Mnangagwa 37 years to acknowledge the foolish policies Zanu PF had pursued all those Mugabe years were not working. When he took over from Mugabe he was indeed cocksure he would have the country's economy back on track. The economy is in a worse state now than it was when he took over and, just like Mugabe, he will not accept that he has failed.
Mnangagwa wants to be the one who repealed POSA and AIPA, who ended the Mugabe dictatorship and brought a democratic Zimbabwe as long as that does not mean risking his own position as president. And so he will replace POSA and AIPA with laws designed to retain Zanu PF's dictatorial powers.
Mnangagwa will never ever accept the implementation of the democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. When he talked about embracing reforms and new ideas he did not mean giving the ordinary people the power to remove him from office - he is special.
Having enjoyed these dictatorial powers to rig elections and put themselves above the law, Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies will never give up these powers without a fight. If we are serious about ending this hell-on-earth and ending the de facto one-party dictatorship then we must be uncompromising in our demand for free, fair and credible elections.
Mnangagwa did not rig the July 2018 elections to repeal POSA and AIPA and turn Zimbabwe in a healthy and functioning democracy no more than he stage the 2017 military coup to risk losing power to Chamisa and his MDC friends in a free, fair and credible elections.
MDC leaders had the golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, especially during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. You wasted these opportunities because you are corrupt and incompetent. You cannot still talk about transforming Zimbabwe when it is clear you are incapable of carrying out that important task!
The real tragedy for Africa is that our people are naïve and gullible and hence the reason they have followed corrupt and incompetent leaders like Chamisa, Mnangagwa and Mugabe even when there is a mountain of evidence to show these leaders are dragging the nation into the abyss.
Chamisa is wittering about a united States of Africa when most Africa countries have failed to unite within their individual country what hope s there is uniting the whole continent!
The AU has failed to bring peace and stability on the continent because it has become a club of thugs and tyrants who care more about their selfish interests than creating a just society. Africa Day has become an opportunity for leaders to grant stand, to give speeches full of sound and fury signifying fcuk all!
This is just double talk!
When Mnangagwa says “For too long our country has been held back by the old ways of doing things. In our society, politics, economy and culture; everything was old. New ideas have been resisted; new developments, rejected.”
What he is really saying is “For too long our country has been held back by Robert Mugabe and his old ways of doing things. In our society, politics, economy and culture; everything was old, Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa, new ideas have been resisted; Mnangagwa, new developments, rejected.”
This is exactly how Mugabe framed things too. He said “For too long our country has been held back by the while colonialists, the old ways of doing things. In our society, politics, economy and culture; everything was white centric, old. Robert Mugabe, new ideas have been resisted; Robert Mugabe, new developments, rejected.”
If VP Constantino Chiwenga was to stage his own military coup or "military assisted transition" as our Minister of Foreign Affairs, retired Lieutenant General, Sibusiso Moyo would call; he too will blame Mnangagwa for being old and resisting his new ways.
What Mugabe and now Mnangagwa have in common is their absolute confidence that those before them were failures and that they are genius par excellence, their solutions to all the nation's ills will achieve wonders! Even with a mountain of evidence that their brilliant ideas were a total failure the two tyrants have never accepted that reality.
Accepting that none of us is infallible and hence the reason why one must allow for genuine debate, discuss and democratic competition within cabinet, one's party and at a national level ending with the holding of free, fair and credible is a quantum leap. To expect shallow minded simpletons like Mugabe, Mnangagwa, Chamisa, Tsvangirai to embrace democracy and free, fair and credible elections is like expecting a monkey to understand Isaac Newton's laws of physics!
When Mnangagwa talks of embracing reform and change what he means is change that has removed the old, Mugabe, to allow him the new to take over. He does not want to be distracted by allowing anyone else's voice to be heard much less to replace him as president.
The concept of holding free, fair and credible elections is such a far-fetched notion, totally alien to Zimbabwe, he has no qualms blatantly rigging the elections to save the nation from the foolishness of some other party, other than Zanu PF, ruling the country. He cannot even imagine such a foolish thing.
After 40 years Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are set in their ways asking them to implement democratic reforms and deliver free, fair and credible elections is just a waste of time. If we are serious about getting the reforms implemented, then we must demand that Mnangagwa and his illegitimate Zanu PF regime step down. If they will not do so peacefully then there will be civil unrest or worse!
To an outsider, they would be forgiven to think the three MDC activists are as dangerous Boko Haram Islamic militants!
Zanu PF will never implement any democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. Never ever! If we are serious about ending this dictatorship then we must demand that the illegitimate Zanu PF regime must step down!
@ Ndlovu
“Wilbert Mukori l believe you mean the really change is the return of the return of the Ian Smith Regime...The children of ZANU-PF ...those born in the hands of ZANU-PF...lf you saying ZANU-PF failed in my opinion all domestic Parties in Zimbabwe who can come to Government will do the same...Baba Mukori all these Opposition Parties in Zimbabwe who will come to Government will never, never change anything will work to fill up their pockets...You how corruption is showing ugly face in Zimbabwe all those people practicing corruption are from the Ruling Party and Opposition Parties...so who will fix the crumbling economy that was mismanaged by these Shonaz and Children in these Political Parties....”
I agree that both Zanu PF and MDC politicians are corrupt and incompetent. But I do not agree that we cannot build a better Zimbabwe for ourselves and posterity. Indeed, it is a contradiction to say those who dragged us into this mess are stopping us getting out of the mess unless one acknowledges that we are so helpless we can outwit a corrupt and incompetent thug.
The way forward is to encourage the people to do something new – think for themselves!
Those pushing a racial or tribal agenda are not helping us find the way forward.
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