“No Zimbabwean must die because of politics. I receive calls from some supporters saying President Chamisa please give us the signal (to start street protests). I will never allow a single a person to die on my journey to State House,” said Nelson Chamisa, speaking at the Church service of the late Patson Dzamara.
“Yes, you may call it what, but I don’t believe that any human being is worth dying for politics. We must die so that we make change and development in our communities.”
People die because of what we do and also because of what we fail to do just as there are sins commission and commission.
Many Zimbabweans have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF operatives and hundreds of thousands were beaten and/or raped in the 2008 elections alone, to elect MDC leaders into power. The understanding was that once in power MDC would bring about the democratic changes implied in the party’s name and what the nation was dying for.
MDC has been on the political centre stage for the last 20 years, 5 of which in the GNU; and yet the party has failed to implement even one democratic reform. There is no doubt that Zimbabwe had its best opportunity ever during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms which, implemented fully, would have ended the curse of rigged elections. MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform in 5 years! Not one!
It is no secret that Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, the US$4 million for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, etc. etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about implementing the reforms.
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life, they will not rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boasted, to answer why MDC leaders were not implementing the agreed raft of democratic reforms.
MDC has participated in the post 2008 GNU elections knowing that with no reforms in place Zanu PF would rig the elections and, worst of all, knowing that by participating the party would give the flawed process credibility and, by extension, give the result legitimacy. MDC leaders participated in the elections regardless out of greed, David Coltart admitted.
In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, David Coltart, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 GNU, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible.
“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,” wrote Senator 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.”
Chamisa dismissed the repeated advice not to participate in the July 2018 elections with contempt. “MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he claimed.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and Chamisa et al have been complaining of the rigging the elections and threatening street protests. Chamisa promised to give the signal for street protests to start. He is, conveniently, forgetting his arrogant claim to stop the rigging and, most significant of all, that MDC had given the Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in the election.
Of course, there is no rational in complaining much less protest over the legitimacy of a vote rigging regime which, out of incompetence and greed, one is, knowingly, keeping in power.
Ever since the rigged July 2018 elections, Chamisa promised to give the signal that was going to get Zimbabweans out on the street “to claim their stolen vote”! He has yet to give the signal because he does not want to risk people being killed.
Well Zimbabweans are still dying in street protests starting with the one on 1st August 2018 to protest the rigged elections. But a hell lot more Zimbabweans are dying as a consequence of another five years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship.
Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence in the handling of the corona virus pandemic means many, many more Zimbabweans are going to get the virus and many will die. Zimbabwe has one of the lowest per capita covid-19 tests at 1:110 as of end July compared to 1:20 for SA, for example. This means many people with the virus who, if tested should have gone into isolation, have been spreading the virus far and wide.
“I receive calls to give us the street protests signal. I will never allow a single a person to die on my journey to State House.” Many have already risked life and limb to get you half way there and you betrayed them by failing to implement even one reform. The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is the failure to implement reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance.
Indeed, Zimbabweans must now open their eyes to the reality that the nation has already paid dearly in lost treasure, tragic human suffering and death to get MDC leaders this far into State House are the party has done nothing to inspire confidence and need for greater sacrifice. MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and would constitute a mediocre government, at best! It will be insane to join the street protest for that!
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South Africa Social Development minister and head of International Relations in ANC, Lindiwe Zulu said Sadc had to change its old ineffective ways of dealing with the Zimbabwe crisis, which she said was stripping citizens of their dignity while affecting the region.
Speaking during a webinar on Governance Accountability Platform hosted by the Brenthurst Foundation director Greg Mills last Friday, Zulu said she was meeting officials from other liberation movements in Sadc, including from Mozambique and Angola, among other countries, to find a way to assist the region in dealing with the Zimbabwe crisis.
Zulu, said liberation movements had a mandate to hold each other accountable in holding the ethos, culture and values of the liberation struggle.
"Sadc needs to deal with this in a different way, it cannot be the same old way of meeting, we get a report, the report is about (stuff that) we know. Sadc should deal with this in a different way and we believe we, as the ANC can work through that through other liberation movements," Zulu said.
"In fact, when I finish this meeting, I am supposed to be talking to all my counterparts in Mozambique, in Angola and so forth.”
Minister Lindiwe Zulu did her best to get Morgan Tsvangirai to implement the agreed democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2019 GNU. Sadly, her advice to MDC fell on deaf ears. Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies were very angry with her for advising MDC and subjected her to all manner of verbal abuse.
Some people are proposing the formation of another GNU as a way out. Minister Zulu must know that the new GNU will accomplish nothing as long as Zanu PF and MDC have a role to play.
Zimbabwe needs a complete overhaul of its rotten political system. Zanu PF and MDC are part of the rot and therefore cannot be part of the solution too!
Part 1 of 2
Following the success of the military power takeover and the alleged resignation of Mugabe, an urgent chamber application was made by one Joseph Evurath Sibanda and Leonard Chikomba, who argued that Mugabe had failed to control the government, which was now under the leadership of his wife, Grace, and her G40 cabal, hence, the need for the military's intervention.
In his judgement, Judge President, George Chiweshe ruled as follows: l "Whereupon after reading documents filed of record and hearing counsel, it is declared that: The actions of the second respondent (ZDF) in intervening to stop the take-over of first respondent's (Mugabe) constitutional functions by those around him are constitutionally permissible and lawful in terms of section 212 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe in that; (a) they arrest first respondent's abdication of constitutional function, and (b) they ensure that non-elected officials do not exercise executive functions, which can only be exercised by elected constitutional functionaries."
There are a number of problems with this judgement. The judge affirmed the military intervention on the basis of Section 212 of the Zimbabwe constitution, which mandates the security forces to protect Zimbabwe, its people, its national security and interests, its territorial integrity and to uphold its constitution.
As articulated in Part I of this series last week, Section 212 of the Zimbabwe constitution is not a stand-alone mandate for the ZDF. It must be read with Section 213(1), which states that only the president has the power to authorise the deployment of the Defence Forces and to determine their operational use.
Even the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces is not authorised by the constitution to deploy without the authority of the President.
Part 2 of 2
That is why the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces. Mugabe as then president did not authorise the deployment of the ZDF, as he was the actual victim of such deployment. It was therefore ultra vires the constitution.
Also as stated in part I last week, Section 208 of the constitution precludes the military from any involvement in political matters in any way. The Defence Forces are not a fourth pillar of government, which would operate or work independently under the constitution. It is part of the executive, and falls under the Commander-in-Chief, the President. There are only three pillars of the state, namely the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
These are the institutions which are mandated by the constitution to operate and act independent of each other, with the latter two exercising oversight on the executive. The ZDF, as an arm of the executive, does not have autonomy to operate outside the realm of the executive.
Only parliament is mandated to remove the president under Section 97 for; serious misconduct; failure to obey; uphold or defend the constitution; wilful violation of the constitution; or inability to perform the functions of the office due to physical or mental incapacity. The procedure to be followed is clearly spelt out in the same section.
The judgment by Justice Chiweshe has created a very dangerous precedent in terms of the operational space of the military. It has essentially given the ZDF a blank cheque to grab power whenever they feel that the executive is not acting according to their satisfaction.
They will use Section 212 willy-nilly, and nothing will stop them, unless this irrational judgment is appealed and overturned by the Constitutional Court, since it is currently part of the law. While the order was noted as having been issued by consent, whether Mugabe alluded to it or not, Operation Restore Legacy had been unconstitutional in the first place, and consent would not undo such an illegality.
Justice George Chiweshe’s judgement was stupid because there is no democratic constitution that will ever allow a coup d’etat. I totally agree that part of the task of implementing the wide ranging democratic reforms to clean up Zimbabwe’s rotten political system will have to include the scrapping of Justice Chiweshe’s foolish judgement.
The wide ranging democratic reforms must ensure the independence of the judiciary and other state institution and above all guarantee free, fair and credible elections, the only air-tight guarantee of an independent, competent and accountable legislature and executive.
Zimbabwe's political system is rotten to the core the executive controls the other two arms of government and without the army the nation was stuck with Mugabe just as we are stuck with Mnangagwa now.
The Greeks were right, democracy as government of the people by the people only works if the people are well informed, motived and diligent. Our attempt to build a democratic nation has been a total failure because the people themselves, the building blocks, have been utterly useless.
True, Zimbabweans have risked life and limb, many have died and many more had their limbs broken, to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party would bring about the democratic changes the nation has been dying for all these years. Many have parroted the MDC slogan “Change! Chinja! Guqula!” and yet could not name just one democratic change they wanted much less how that change could be achieved. Even today, with the benefit of hindsight; 20 years of MDC in power, 5 of which in the GNU, and with nothing to show for it; the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans have no clue that MDC leaders have sold out. Lights out!
The raft of democratic reforms proposed at the onset of the 2008 to 2013 GNU would have dismantled the Zanu PF dictatorship and replaced it with a healthy and functioning democratic system of government if MDC had implemented the reforms. There is no doubt that the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai, Nelson Chamisa and many other MDC leaders had no clue what the raft of reforms were much less how they would be implemented, just like the ordinary people.
Mugabe did not want to take any chances and so he bribed the MDC leaders; just to be 100% certain they will not rock the boat by implement any reforms.
Chamisa and his MDC colleagues have wasted their best chance ever to implement the democratic reforms, they have given up on reforms. All they have been fighting for ever since the failed 2008 GNU is to get Zanu PF to share the spoils of power. Even if Chamisa was to ever get into State House it will not be a democratic Zimbabwe because MDC will never implement the reforms. Indeed, MDC will seek to use the same undemocratic practices to consolidate the party’s own hold on power!
@ Eshoon Taylor
“But you can't utter criticism up to level of mentioning a party name there after fail to give an alternative name of a party that can deliver citizens's expectations you would sound like you are hired by ZANU to destroy people's course.”
It is a historic fact that MDC has failed to deliver even one meaningful democratic change in 20 years. I agree that Patrick has failed to name an alternative party. Still, the absence of an alternative party is no excuse to hang on to a party led by corrupt and incompetent leaders you know have sold-out.
Frankly, there is no quality opposition party out there and for good reason - Zimbabwe’s rotten political system will not produce quality leaders. The system stifles open debate and democratic competition and you need to be a ruthless thug to survive; it is therefore not surprising that there are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless thugs on both sides of the political divide.
If you want quality leaders then you must first overhaul the country’s rotten political system. You will never find quality fish in a stagnant sewage pond. Drain it and fill it with clean oxygenated water and quality fish will thrive.
There is a growing consensus that Zimbabwe needs a new GNU to end the political and economic crisis. We must make sure that the new GNU implements the democratic reforms that the 2008 GNU failed to implement. We must appoint competent men and women to implement the reforms.
Both Zanu PF and MDC must play no role in the new GNU because they are a part of the rotten system and cannot be part off the solution too! Zanu PF will never reform itself out of office!
@ Mutsikiwa
“Mukori you are good at criticising others we want to know what are you doing also to liberate Zimbabwe. We are tired of your criticism.”
When one talks of politicians like Nelson Chamisa’s selling-out, incompetence and corruption; it is a hell lot more that criticism. It is holding the public figures to democratic account. If Zimbabwe was a healthy and functioning democracy then it will not just be me and a handful of others holding these politicians to account but the Zimbabwe electorate.
I totally agree with you, Mutsikwiwa, you and many others out there are “tired” of anyone, not just me, criticising politicians and holding them to democratic account. But that is because you do not understand what wrong the politicians have done, you do not understand what reforms MDC failed to implement and what are the consequences of that failure.
To be “tired” of criticism is to be tired of holding failed leaders to account and that, my dear fellow, is the root cause we are stuck with corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs, Zanu PF, on the one hand and on the other corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs, MDC.
Zimbabwe is in this hell-hole for many reasons but top on that list is a naive and gullible electorate; shallow, thick and slow; who follow blindly like sheep, no questions asked. Politicians from across the political divide have taken full advantage of the foolish voters promising them the moon on a silver platter only to deliver hell-on-earth!
If you had any working grey stuff between you ears then it would be poverty, collapsed health service, rigged elections, corruption and all the things that have made life for the ordinary person hell-on-earth that you would be tired of. You would be demanding why it is taking forever to bring about change? For you to be tired of those holding the failed leaders to account and demanding change is therefore proof the grey stuff has turned to fat after a life time of idle!
“We want to know what are you doing also to liberate Zimbabwe!” My friend you can take a cow to the river but you cannot make it drink. I am doing my best to open you eyes and mind but what can I do given the brain tissue has all turned to fat!
@ Kumbie Sam Jnr
“You know I have read Mukoris comments and articles and you can never know what he stands for.”
I have criticised both Zanu PF and MDC leaders and for good reasons. I have found Zanu PF leaders to be incompetent, corrupt, vote rigging and murderous thugs. I have also found MDC leaders to be corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. Most people have found this totally confusing but not because the above analysis was wrong, the fault is with them. They have a binary mentality.
They compare Zanu PF with MDC and classify one as bad and the other is good. With a binary mentality one must be bad and the other good and so if MDC is considered the good guys, for example, all their corruption, incompetence and selling-out is airbrush out of the picture.
With a binary mentality you see good or bad, black or white. Of course, that is nonsense how can some one who has just sold out on implementing the reforms designed to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance still be consider suitable to govern, just because the alternative is worse. They are both not suitable material to govern and we must look someone else.
In a world full of all the colours of the rainbow it is shocking that one would be so blinkered as to only see black and white. Worse still those with a binary mentality often want to self-imposed intellectuals limitations on others. Criticising both Zanu PF and MDC is proof “one does not know what he stands for”. I do know what I stand for quality and democratically accountable government and both Zanu PF thugs and MDC sell-outs do not make the grade!
@ Israel
“Deuteronomy 28:16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
It is no surprise that the Bantu live in run down neighbourhoods were ever we are on the earth. Think of the Favelas in South America, South London is a ghetto, think of all the high density suburbs everywhere on the earth it’s the Bantu Israelites who live there.
Another of the curses is that we would be bereft of solutions for our problems to the point that we would fail to make simple decisions and be confounded to the point that whatever we set out to do it never succeeds:
Deuteronomy 28:29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Another curse is that other races would come in our midst and prosper but we will be at the bottom:
Deuteronomy 28:43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
The whiteman Edom, the Elamites (East Indians), the Chinese (Moabites), etc have all come in our midst and are above us and we are the beggars.
Another curse was that we would be colonised and those nations will steal all our resources:
Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand (they came speaking English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese etc);
Deuteronomy 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle (they took our cows and we were paying cow tax), and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil (Angola, Nigeria, Equatorial Guine all have oil but the West controls all of it) , or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
*Solution*
The solution is not Democracy a Greco-Roman culture, rather we need to return to our own constitution given to us by Moses (a blackman):
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people (us the Bantu Israelites), which are called by my name (the name Israelites), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways (return to our own laws and reject Democracy); then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
We are the Israelites. We are not meant to follow what all the other nations are following to do. We have our own laws given to us by Yahawah. If we try to live like other nations we will always fail. Return to your constitution all you Israelites around the world and it’s written in the Holy book the bible. You are the people of the bible, the Israelites.
Well the Bible many, many lessons for our time. Still, I do not see why we must reject democracy as a system of government because there is nothing in the respect of everyone’s freedoms and rights that is contrary to the Bible’s teaching.
All these foreign nations who have dominated us have embraced the Bible as their religion and democracy as a system of government and they have prospered. We have the Bible already and I do not see why we should not borrow democracy from them.
@ Clement Mrehwa
“With all due respect Mr Chamisa you can as well forget about ever going to state house. I have noticed one thing about Mr chamisa you are a coward.You are afraid of jail so much and those in authority have realized your weakness .No pain no gain in politics .How many times was Robert Mugabe jailed and spend time in prison .How many years did our current leader spend in jail.”
This is a trap! Yes Mugabe was jailed and spent years in prison and so too many of the Zanu PF leaders. Still, the decades in jail did not stop them become corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants. On the other hand Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and he set South Africa on the road to peace, freedom and economic prosperity.
Nelson Chamisa and many of his MDC friends have not spend any time in prison but even if they had, that would be no excuse for selling out and failing to implement the democratic reforms!
@ Shoniwa Shoniwa
“VaMukori ngava tipewp zvavano funga kuti zvingaitwe going forward at least for once.
“Besides I do not understand why he keeps saying MDC did not implement one reform over twenty years they were in the inclusive government for just five years.
“Budayi pachena vaMukori. Munotaurisa.”
We need to appoint an interim administration whose primary task will be to implement the democratic reforms that the 2008 to 2013 GNU should have implemented. Both Zanu PF and MDC cannot play a part in the interim administration because they have already proven to be corrupt and incompetent. They are the ones who got us into this mess, they are a part of the rotten system and therefore cannot be part of the solution too.
If I have said this once, I have said it a thousand times.
MDC leaders had their best chance to implement the reforms during the GNU years. Please tell us why they failed to implement even one reform in these five GNU years?
Saying a lot and it is truth is a virtue. Saying a lot and it is all rubbish or worse is a vice.
Saying nothing because you are an empty head will leave people guessing what kind of an idiot you are. Many a fool have opened the mouth and no one was left in any doubt of the village idiot before them.
Then there are those who choose to bury their heads in the sand and say nothing about the injustices and oppression happening around them. Of course, they too are fools because the injustice and oppression was bound to affect them too sooner or later.
We, the reader and me, both know which of the four categories you belong to!
@ Obadiah Guni Ben Israel
There have been good and competent black leaders, Chief Rekayi Tangwena and Nelson Mandela.
You are good at discrediting democracy as a system of government but have not name anything to replace it. As far as I can see, democracy is the best system of government around and until you come up with something else I will give democracy a shot!
@ Obadiah Guni Ben Israel
There have been good and competent black leaders, Chief Rekayi Tangwena and Nelson Mandela.
You are good at discrediting democracy as a system of government but have not name anything to replace it. As far as I can see, democracy is the best system of government around and until you come up with something else I will give democracy a shot!
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