“Opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume sees a bleak future for opposition politics in Zimbabwe, and has resigned to the fact that the ruling Zanu-PF will win again in the 2023 elections,” reported Zimbabwe Voice.
"I think more disappointing than fighting Zanu-PF is the lack of unity amongst the opposition," Ngarivhume wrote on social media, adding that now was the time to act and to "tell it like it is".
Poor Ngarivhume, even now with the benefit of hindsight, he still does not get it! MDC A lacked leaders with the intellectual prowess and vision to implement the reforms and thus stop Zanu PF rigging elections. Zanu PF will win the 2023 elections as long as the party retains its carte blanche powers to rig the elections, even if all the 130, not just the six as in 2018, opposition political parties were united.
It is not the lack of a united opposition that has kept Zanu PF in power, but rather lack of a competent and quality opposition.
You cannot make a silk purse out of sower’s ear!
The 2008 elections were a watershed in Zimbabwe’s history, Zanu PF’s cheating and use of wanton violence was so blatant that not even SADC and AU leaders, known for turning a blind-eye to dodgy Zimbabwean elections, were forced to condemn the elections. SADC leaders forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to agree to the implementation of the democratic reforms designed to stop the party rigging elections.
During the 2008 to 2013 GNU, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms. They failed to implement even one token reform in five years - proof they are breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt.
It did not make any sense for any one in the opposition camp to contest the 2013, especially the MDC-T given its popularity, elections knowing fully well without reforms Zanu PF would rig the elections. And yet MDC-T participated in the flawed and illegal elections, turning victory into defeat; Zanu PF was never going to lose an election in which the party has carte blanche powers to rig.
David Coltart, one of the MDC ministers in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, argued the opposition would have boycotted the 2013 elections in they were united; same argument Jacob Ngarivhume is making now.
“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 Coltart in his book.
“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.”
Just before the 2018 elections, the opposition did unite. Transform Zimbabwe led by Ngarivhume, MDC-N of which Coltart was a senior member and MDC-T led by Morgan Tsvangirai plus three other parties formed a coalition, MDC Alliance (MDC A).
Judging from the size of the crowds attending MDC A rallies, the party commanded a very significant popular support. The party participated in the 2018 elections; there was never any talk of boycotting the elections although it was clear, with no reforms in place, Zanu PF would rig the elections.
MDC-T turned certain electoral victory into landslide defeat in 2013 by participating in flawed and illegal elections for the same reason MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform during the GNU - they are breathtakingly incompetent. As we saw, uniting the opposition to form the MDC A made no difference as the coalition too participated in the flawed and illegal 2018 elections.
United or not the MDC A and the rest of Zimbabwe’s opposition will participate in the 2023 elections, with not even one reform in place. Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are counting on the opposition to participate and hence the reason the regime has ignored all calls to implement reforms.
Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders are so breathtakingly incompetent they are failing to see the importance of implementing the reforms, of free and fair elections, verified voters' roll, etc.; even after these have been explained to them thousands of times. They have completely failed to comprehend the reality one cannot make a silk purse out of sow's ear and so the best they have to offer is more of the same sow's ears!
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Zimbabwe’s politicians, on both side of the political divide, have a lot in common and one of these is being breathtakingly incompetent and, to hide their incompetence, they have stifled debate and democratic competition and accountability - all in the name of unity!
Mnangagwa won the presidency and has 2/3 majority in parliament, guaranteed thanks to MDC’s failure to implement even one democratic reform. With such a strong mandate, Zanu PF should be able to implement any reforms and policies the regime wants without an fear of the opposition being disruptive.
Of course, it is another matter when one does NOT have any sound policies and reforms to implement.
Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra, which was supposed to give the economic recovery a kick start, was died in the water within a few months of the post November 2017 coup. Investors, the mantra was targeting, are a shrewd and savvy lot, they saw immediately that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state and the coup had change nothing. And by blatantly rigging the July 2018 elections, Mnangagwa put the pariah state status beyond all doubt.
Mnangagwa has been blaming the lack of unity among Zimbabweans, to hide Zanu PF’s failure to revive the economy. He launched the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) in which all the leaders of the opposition parties and other influential critics were invited to join. The true purpose of POLAD was to gag the opposition since all criticisms of the regime are to be air to Mnangagwa through the dialogue platform instead of parliament or public debate.
MDC A had the public support o win the July 2018 elections but failed to do so because Zanu PF rigged the elections. Instead of admitting participating in the 2023 elections was a mistake, Ngarivhume and his fellow MDC A leaders are blaming the electoral defeat on lack of opposition unity just to hide their incompetence and lack of common sense. They did not even insist on a verified voters’ roll!
Ngarivhume and Job Sikhala’s call for the 31st July 2020 demos was more about “news headlines than reform headway,” as Professor Jonathan Moyo would rightly call it. We can be certain of one thing, the two will be participating in the 2023 elections even if not one reform is implemented; they have the excuse to do so - they will unite the opposition.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has been ruled by some of the most incompetent individuals on earth, devoid of common sense, on both sides of the political divide. Both the ruling party and the opposition have stifled debate and democratic competition and accountability, the very tools they needed to spar themselves and the nation to strive for excellence, under the pretext that open debate and democracy caused division.
For the last 40 years Zimbabwe has followed nose-dive into economic ruin and intellectual decadency in the name of unity. There is nothing clever about being united on a foolish idea; to pretend unity can supplant competence is more than a foolish idea, it is insane!
Zanu PF politburo member Jorum Gumbo, who was in charge of Masvingo District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections held on December 05 - 06, has said a faction allegedly fronted by senior party member Clemence Makwarimba, former national political commissar Retired Lt Gen Engelbert Rugeje and Josaya Hungwe employed violent tactics in a desperate bid to win the elections.
The faction rallied behind Trust Mugabe for the position of Masvingo DCC chairperson but he lost dismally to Tawanda Dube.
The Makwarimbas; including Clemence's son Phainos, Rugeje and Hungwe are alleged to have been pushing for a rerun but all was in vain as the politburo approved the results of all the seven districts of Masvingo province.
Gumbo told TellZim News that there were some centres in Masvingo and Chiredzi districts that did not vote and he recommended a re-run for those centres only.
Zanu PF thugs are blatantly rigging the party’s own elections, they will stop at nothing to rig the national elections! Now with the national economy in total economic meltdown and millions now living in abject poverty, these thugs will kill to stay in power. Any one who thinks the 2023 elections will be free, fair and credible elections are naive.
Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic meltdown and political paralysis after 40 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. As long as Zanu PF remains in power Zimbabwe will never get out of this nightmare of poverty and despair. We need free, fair and credible elections now more than ever before!
@ Mbofana
What would the Zimbabwe government, ruling ZANU PF party, or their perennial supporters, say of me if I were to declare, "In terms of our economy, and citizens' wellbeing, and if you go anywhere in Zimbabwe, the situation is now very bad.
"The prices of basic commodities are out of reach for the majority, public health facilities are without any essential medications (whilst, nurses and doctors have to work without adequate personal protective equipment, under untenable conditions, and unfair wages), public schools are grossly under-staffed and under-resourced (with teachers paid a mere pittance), among other problems, and the government responsible is run by the ruling ZANU PF.
"What ZANU PF has done to our country is embarrassing. It is very embarrassing, and they have failed so much that even in some homes, families can go for weeks or months without a proper nutritious meal. They have totally failed”?
Millions of Zimbabweans have fought hard for the country’s independence. Hundreds of thousands have paid with their very lives, the ultimate price, for our freedom and liberty. The great tragedy is that we lost our freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life before we had even cast our first vote!
It is unforgivable that so many suffered and so many died for our freedoms and rights and we gave all these up without even a fight!
Nations often get the government they deserve. We, in Zimbabwe, certainly deserve this corrupt and oppressive Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its entourage of equally corrupt and incompetent opposition parties.
@ Mwembe
“Critizing zanu to them is critizing the country,” you said.
You have forgot, they are also some people who think criticising that the opposition; in spite of all their breath taking incompetence, blunderings and betrayals; must not be criticised.
We are in this economic and political because for the last 40 years we have allowed Zanu PF to ride roughshod over our freedoms and rights; that was a big mistake never again to be repeated. From now on, anyone holding public office must be held to democratic accountable to the people at all times!
@ Luke Tamborinyoka
“It was evident during last February's Mayors' Forum that it is an understatement to say that the illegitimate Zanu-PF regime is throwing spanners in the works to disable local authorities from arguing out their mandate.
“Yes, they are not throwing just spanners to disable the people's councils from working. ZANU-PF is instead throwing the whole tools box into the works.”
There is no one out there who would deny that we are in this hell-on-earth because of 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical rule by this Zanu PF dictatorship. Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections and we would have never had any problem having the election declared null and void and the regime illegitimate. We could not do so because the MDC A and the rest of the opposition camp participated in the said elections.
Like it or not, we cannot deny that by participating in the flawed and illegal elections the opposition gave the process credibility and the result thereof legitimacy.
“The glamour, glitz and merry-making associated with Christmas is long gone—pilfered by an illegitimate regime that has conspired to mount yet another coup, this time on the happiness of the people,” you say.
Frankly, this is insulting to every thinking Zimbabwean out there since it is you and your fellow MDC A friends who GAVE Zanu PF the legitimacy. Worse still, all your articles and the grandstanding and posturing is for the sole purpose of grabbing news headlines without any pretends it will bring about any meaningful changes.
MDC A is planning to participate in the 2023 elections with no reforms in place. MDC A are paying lip service to democratic change and the suffering of the masses; all you want is to perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship for a share of the spoils of power. You are now running with the povo hare whilst hunting with the Zanu PF hounds. This nonsense is dragging the nation deeper and deeper into this man-made abyss and we must stop this madness.
@ Zhou
“What is illegitimate about a government you failed to prove its illegitimacy in court. You Trump lites. We are sick and tired of your shenanigans. It is time to move on you imbeciles. Only the brain dead will continue to follow you and to be used to stage abductions and fake stories. You desperation stinks to high heavens.”
The mistake MDC A made was in agreeing to participate in the elections with no reforms in place. They did not even have the common sense to demand that ZEC produce a verified voters’ roll, for Pete’s sake!
We should never forget that it was a Zimbabwe High Court judge, George Chiweshe, who ruled the November 2017 coup was “legal, justified and constitutional”. If that foolish judgement does not prove the judiciary in captured, then I don’t know what will.
Chamisa’s Constitutional Court challenge of the election result was as foolish and futile as one closing the proverbial stable door after the horse has bolted. The village idiot did not even have all the V11 forms, the vote count summary sheet from the polling station, to back up his own vote count claim.
The Constitutional Court knew that ZEC had failed to also failed to produce all the V11 forms, about 10% were missing, and hence the reason the commission had three different vote count totals for the presidential race. The Court also knew that there was no verified voters’ roll, etc. And only a captured judiciary would ignore all these facts and still accept the elections as free, fair and credible!
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and per se the regime is illegitimate! Zanu PF has only got away with the rigged elections because the MDC A fools participated.
The MDC fools are going to participate in the 2023 elections but this time the world will know they are sell-outs with no political credibility. Zanu PF is not going to get legitimacy from a totally discredited opposition! Watch this space!
@ Chamisa
“In a New Zimbabwe, under our new government, we propose a National Unity, Peace and Prayer Day. We do so in recognition of the fact that unity, peace and prayer are interconnected.
“We recognise that unity is not merely a political slogan but rather, it is a reality that we must experience in all spheres, be it in our families, churches, workplaces civic organisations or government.
“Nation building is an ongoing project that must produce conditions of unity in diversity. But we cannot build a nation when there is persecution. We call for an end to political persecution. Nation building requires justice to be done for the aggrieved in our communities.”
Zimbabwe is in this man-made hell-on-earth because of 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical rule. We have been stuck with this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for 40 years because the party rigged elections. MDC leaders have had many golden opportunities to end the dictatorship, especially during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, but have wasted them all.
What the country needs desperately is to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Both Zanu PF and MDC A are just wasting the nation’s time wittering about unity whilst saying nothing about implementing the reforms.
@ Mwembe
“I have said it many times to you and I will repeat it you lack common sense and most of times always out of topic. Who has been fired from work as a civil worker in this country for criticizing the opposition. Just name one person that you know who was arrested for criticizing the opposition. Try to listen to what pple talk before you talk your sickening reforms.”
The de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship cum totalitarian autocracy has not only destroyed the nation’s economy but worst of all it has destroyed the people’s ability to think - the very essence of what it means to humans.
The Zanu PF regime has stifled debate and democratic competition in the name of unity. Unity has, spuriously, turned to conformity, uniformity and ultimately ending up with the people all in straitjackets of the brainwashed and braindead. And physical all wearing the uniform of the party regalia repeating the same slogans devoid of meaning, all doing as they are told and never ask a single question.
Alas MDC A and all the other opposition parties all claim to be different from Zanu PF, some even claim to be democratic parties, the truth is they are just a repeat of Zanu PF following the same Zanu PF template, all demanding unity from their followers and with the same destination of brainwashed and braindead povo.
Of course, one can distinguish MDC supporters and the Zanu PF supporters by their regalia and slogan in much the same way one can distinguish crows from hornbills by their plumage and rancorous calls. If you search for substance, the two are indistinguishable!
You Mwembe been brainwashed into accepting whatever MDC leaders tell you and are incapable of thinking for yourself. MDC leaders told you that Zanu PF are the bad guys, true enough they are corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants, and you believed that. MDC leaders have also told you they are the good guys, there is a mountain of evidence proving they are indeed corrupt and incompetent, but since you are braindead you cannot see any of this and so you believed what you were told. And, typical of braindead idiots like you, you expect everyone else to be like you.
I have told you a thousand times, Zimbabwe is a de facto one-party dictatorship (Zanu PF is the one in power but they are are many fighting to take its place) and if we are serious about transforming the country into a healthy and function democracy then we must implement all the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship. Just because MDC leaders are corrupt, incompetent and have all but given up on implementing the reforms does not mean the reforms are no longer necessary much less that they cannot be implemented.
If you or Nelson Chamisa or anyone else you wish to call upon are clever then please tell us how else without implementing reforms we are going to stop Zanu PF rigging elections?
MDC A is right now preparing to participate in the 2023 elections with no reforms and will, as usual, complain afterwards that the elections were rigged! If you think we are all going to bury our heads in the sands and let this happen, then you are very much mistaken!
MDC A will be held to account for participating in flawed and illegal elections and failing to implement the reforms when they had the opportunity to do so. The age of politicians doing as they please and getting away with it is over!
Ngarivhume Unfazed By Relentless Persecution
What is it exactly you are hoping to achieve other than chasing the headlines?
Zimbabwe is not going to get out of this economic and political mess without implementing the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF is not going to implement any reforms as long as the party knows the opposition will participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process happens to be.
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