"If they are being harassed, beaten or threatened, they should report such cases to the police. The police is there to investigate if they receive those reports. But if they bring the reports to us as a party, we will of course report to the police to investigate," said Mike Bimha, acting Zanu PF national spokesperson.
"They have not come to me, or my security department to report such cases. As a party, we have no policy of beating up people. It is not our policy; why should we beat up people? We are an organised organisation."
This is nonsense! How many times have the opposition reported Zanu PF instigated violence and nothing came out of it. Indeed, there are many cases when the victims of the violence have ended up being arrested, accused of causing the violence.
In the 2008 elections the Police, Army, CIO and Prison Service assisted the war veterans and Zanu PF militia in carrying out the the wanton violence of “Operation Mavhotera papi!” (Operation Whom did you vote for!). Security services personal carried out the heavy duty stuff of abducting and murdering the opposition. Over 500 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered in cold blood in the three months of the run-off.
Zanu PF has proven beyond all reasonable doubt, especial in 2008, that it is a party that believes in cheating and the use of wanton violence to retain its iron grip on power. Even SADC and AU leaders, who are notorious for turning a blind eye to Zanu PF’s culture of violence and rigged elections, could not pretend the 2008 elections were free and fair.
It was only by refusing to accept Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime as the legitimate government because of the blatant cheating and wanton violence that SADC forced Mugabe to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement. He agreed to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections and to stop a repeat of the 2008 wanton violence.
As we know, the cheating and violence have continued to this day because not even one token reform was implemented. Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were tasked to implement the reforms and the rest is history.
SADC, EU and everyone with any democratic credentials have all said Zimbabwe must implement the democratic reforms before elections. They all know Zimbabwe will never ever have free, fair and credible elections without first implementing the reforms and ending Zanu PF’s carte blanche dictatorial powers.
The 2013 and 2018 elections went ahead with no reforms in place because Zanu PF does not want any reforms implemented taking away its power to rig elections and thus lose its iron grip on power. MDC leaders have participated in these flawed and illegal elections for the same reasons they did not lift a finger to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU - they are breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt.
Zanu PF has offered a few gravy train seats to the opposition to entice them to participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the election process happened to be. Zimbabwe’s opportunistic opposition politicians have found Zanu PF’s bribes irresistible.
Chamisa and his entourage have encountered a lot of violence already and there chances are the violence will continue and even get worse. Short of the violence escalating to the wanton violence of 2008, Chamisa and company will participate in these 2023 elections regardless.
Of course, by participating in these flawed elections the opposition are giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. And, what is more, the opposition know the obvious and logical thing to force the implementation of the reforms would be to boycott the elections.
In his Book, , 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,” confessed David Coltart, MDC A Treasurer General in his 2016 Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“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.”
The number one impediment to the holding of free, fair and credible elections; free of the blatant cheating and wanton violence; is Zanu PF.
The number one impediment to implementing the democratic reforms; the prerequisite for free, fair and credible elections; is MDC leaders.
It is both ironic and infuriating that Zimbabweans risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders to implement the reforms the nation was dying for; Chamisa and company not only sold out on reforms but are the ones perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship.
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Allow me to welcome you to this unique and inaugural Sadc wide anti-sanctions Indaba which is being held under the theme "Zimbabwe a friend to all and an enemy to none". This statement is premised on His Excellency the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, Dr ED Mnangagwa's unwavering commitment to open up Zimbabwe for dialogue.
In the same vein, you will recall that Zimbabwe has been opened up for business. Under the able leadership of His Excellency the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, Dr ED Mnangagwa we have also up-scaled our engagement and re-engagement policy. Therefore, today's deliberations are symptomatic of our alignment to the key values of the Second Republic.
Welcome remarks by the Zanu-PF Politburo Member SECRETARY for External Relations, Cde Simbarashe S. Mumbengegwi on the Anti-Sanctions Indaba: 25 October 2021.
UN Special rapporteur has dismissed the sanctions narrative as a "rhetorical and advocacy tool" to draw attention away from the real causes.
“Time is ripe for the sanctioning states and key national stakeholders to engage in a meaningful structured dialogue on political reform, human rights and the rule of law and abandon rhetoric on sanctions as an advocacy tool,” said Alena Douhan, the UN rapporteur.
Dr Mumbengegwi is just a typical Zanu PF empty drum making a lot of noise and must be dismissed with the contempt he deserves. Zimbabwe is in a very serious mess and cannot afford to waste time on feeble excuses like sanctions whilst ignoring the real big issues of corruption, mismanagement and rigged elections.
It has been impossible to hold free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe for many reasons and not least of which is the fact that both Zanu PF and MDC have, at best, no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections. Or, at worst, they do not really care whether elections are free, fair and credible as long as they get into power by hook or crook.
Back in 1980, Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies made it abundantly clear that the bush war would continue if the party did not win the elections. So the party jettisoned "One man, one vote!" without so much as by your leave! And once in power, Zanu PF moved swiftly to create the de facto one party dictatorship that has ruled the nation to this day.
MDC leaders have had many opportunities to implement the democratic reforms and thus end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best of the opportunity coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. It is a historic fact that MDC leaders sold out and failed to implement even one reform. MDC leaders have made the situation even worse by insisting on participating in flawed and illegal elections thus giving Zanu PF legitimacy all because they could not resist the bribe of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF offered.
The High Court judgement that has resulted in Nelson Chamisa and a number of the MDC A leaders losing their elected positions have only served to sharpen their appetites for power. Chamisa et al are desperate to get back on the gravy train they will participate in the 2023 elections regardless of the evidence Zanu PF is rigging these elections, the acts of violence, etc.
If Chamisa and company really cared about ending the country's curse of rigged elections and restoring the individual freedoms and rights; they would have implemented the reforms and would not be participating in these flawed elections. All Chamisa and company want is to win the few gravy train seats, repeat the 2018 election result, and emerge as the country's main opposition party.
Chamisa and company will never implement any reforms, they wasted the golden opportunity to do so during the GNU. They are now banking on the people staging a violent street protest, out of desperation for change, as the solution to ending the Zanu PF dictatorship.
Street protests will not necessary deliver change and stability - look at what is happening in Libya and Sudan. We should be aiming at implementing the reforms and have free and fair elections.
MDC Alliance Youth Assembly In Bikita Recruitment Drive
31-10-2021
The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly recruitment juggernaut yesterday invaded Nehanda Business Centre, Bikita East Constituency in Masvingo Province.
Running under the #One Million Campaign, the Assembly is using sport as a recruitment and mobilization tool with a strong focus on rural youths.
This is wishful thinking! Zanu PF will win the 2023 elections just as readily as it won the 2018 and 2013 elections because nothing has been done to stop the party rigging the elections.
Indeed, Zanu PF’s vote rigging has already started with the party denying 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote - this is more than Mnangagwa’s 2.4 million winning votes in the 2018 elections!
About the writer: Dr Mike Chipere, is an affiliate of the Human Economy Programme which is housed at University of Pretoria. His research interests are in development finance, fintech, convergence of money with technolog y and, more recently, decoloniality. Views expressed in this article are his own and do not represent any organisation or persons.
Excellent article, thank you.
I will just pick on two points you have made:
“Despite his ineptitude, it is likely that Mnangagwa will emerge victorious from the 2023 elections, not because people love him but his monopoly to violence, vote-rigging and unfettered access to national broadcasting services paid for by the people of Zimbabwe.”
I totally agree. With not even one token reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections it is naive to even think that Zanu PF will lose an election in which the party has carte blanche powers to rig.
Indeed, the Zanu PF vote rigging juggernaut is already in full swing. Zanu PF has just denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote or 37% of the potential 8 million voters.
“It is not too late for those who believe in the "Chamisa Chete Chete" dogma to demand viable political thought and strategy from him because as we speak there is no evidence that he has any,” you said.
MDC leaders’ number one test was for the party to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to get even one token reform implemented - proof they are breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent.
If the truth be told, many Zimbabweans are supporting MDC either out of ignorance - many have no clue what the GNU was about much less that MDC leaders sold out. If they know MDC leaders are incompetent, then they still support the party out of sheer desperation. Professor Jonathan Moyo once said if Zimbabweans had Mugabe and a donkey on the ballot, they would vote for the latter. He was right!
Olkkonen said ambassadors had also met with the UN envoy and presented their report.
"We met with the UN Special Rapporteur. We have a structured dialogue with the government; we have political dialogue with the government so dialogue is taking place.
"For us it's extremely important that we have this forum also to discuss issues. That is one of the reasons that we share these concerns and discuss them and we are engaged with each other.
"Lifting of the restive measures is a decision that would be taken by the EU Council which is comprised of all EU member
states. The decision is taken on an assessment on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and what has been done."
There have been sharp differences over the impact of sanctions on Zimbabwe since the UN envoy arrived last week.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy minister, David Musabayana, applauded Douhan's decision, but the MDC Alliance's spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the government must avoid rhetoric on sanctions and engage the West.
"The special rapporteur's statement is an epitome of professionalism, realism, high standards of ethics, uncompromised focus to the research question and a wise appraisal of cause and effect of the so-called restrictive measures," Musabayana told the Independent.
UN rapporteur dismissed sanctions as rhetoric, advocacy tool.
“Time is ripe for the sanctioning states and key national stakeholders to engage in a meaningful structured dialogue on political reform, human rights and the rule of law and abandon rhetoric on sanctions as an advocacy tool,” said Alena Douhan, the UN rapporteur.
The sanctions must stay until Zanu PF finally abandons the rhetoric of sanctions and implement the democratic reforms.
CHIEFS’ Council president Fortune Charumbira yesterday openly defied the national Constitution which forbids traditional leaders from dabbling in partisan party politics after he publicly declared that chiefs were the owners of the ruling Zanu PF party.
Addressing delegates at the party’s annual conference in Bindura, Charumbira, who was once taken to court for urging chiefs to support Zanu PF, said “we come as owners of the party”.
“On behalf of all chiefs and headmen, I want to say, we are together with Zanu PF,” Charmubira said.
“We got invited through a letter and that letter showed who we are. We were invited as delegates, but if you go to the start, we are the owners of Zanu PF.”
Zanu PF has been very effective in corrupting the various state institutions by granting them special privileges, making the individuals feel their are members of the ruling elite, and thus forcing them to commit themselves to doing everything in their power to keeping Zanu PF in power at all cost. What Chief Charumbira is doing here is publicly admitting the chiefs and headmen’s blind allegiance to Zanu PF.
Indeed, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends forgot about implementing the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU because Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and made them feel they were fully subscribed members of the country’s ruling elite. It was not in the interest of the ruling elite to implement the reforms and dismantle the dictatorship.
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train lifestyle, they will not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies during the GNU when they were asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms.
In a way, it makes sense why MDC leaders have half-heartedly called on the Chiefs to be apolitical and have participate in elections regardless of the chiefs doubling up as Zanu PF political commissars. After all the MDC leaders have sold-out too!
The 2008 elections were marred by the blatant cheating and wanton violence, the worst election violence in the country's history. The cheating and violence were so bad that not even SADC and the AU leaders, known for giving a clear bill to many rigged elections in Zimbabwe and beyond, refused to accept Zanu PF’s victory and legitimacy. And yet, Mnangagwa is on record insisting the elections were free, fair and credible.
“It is not Zanu PF policy to beat up people!” That is as one would expect from a classical village bully; the over 500 innocent Zimbabweans lost their lives, hundreds of the thousands were beaten and/or raped and millions were subjected to all manner of harassment and intimidation during the 2008 elections; all these things count for nothing in the bully’s eyes. And so the 2008 elections were free, fair and credible.
Zanu PF has cheated and used violence to secure election victory in the past and is set to dos again in 2023. The only sure way to stop Zanu PF cheating and using violence to win elections is by implementing the democratic reforms.
Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 elections. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and the forgot about the reforms.
Of course, Morgan Tsvangirai and company sold-out big time in failing to implement the reforms; they have not only refused to admit they sold out but worse still they are trying to cover for it by pretending MDC can win elections with no reforms implemented. MDC has offered all manner of winning in rigged elections strategies including Chamisa’s 2018 “stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging”! All nonsense, of course!
It is now for the people of Zimbabwe to come to their sense and reject the nonsense of strategies to win rigged elections. Why should the nation tolerate the scourge of rigged elections? What we want is to have the reforms implemented and the nation finally cured of the curse of rigged elections.
Everybody included SADC, EU and now UN is calling for reforms BEFORE elections. It is only MDC A leaders and their fellow opposition opportunists who want election with NO reforms!
The 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties (Cop26) has opened in Glasgow, Scotland with delegates deliberating on the Paris agreement and the Kyoto Protocol to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Glasgow gathering, which runs until the 12th of November, comes as an accelerated onslaught on extreme weather conditions owing to 150 years of burning fossil fuels.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Glasgow early this morning, where he will join more than 120 heads of state and government that have made the trip to Scotland for the United Nations meeting.
What is Mnangagwa doing in Glasgow? Whilst the other leaders are concerned with their can do to reduce the green-house gases and to mitigate the ill effects of climate change; Mnangagwa’s only concern is how much of the US 100 billion, promised to the poor countries to help them cope with double whammy of national disasters brought about by climate change and the technological changes, will Zimbabwe get.
The answer is Zimbabwe will get the least amount for the same reason the country got the least aid for fighting covid-19 - country’s reputation as a corrupt and wasteful nation is well documented. Mnangagwa reportedly hired a jet for himself and part of his 100 strong entourage for this trip at the cost of US$ 1 million! He is already spending Zimbabwe’s share of the climate change assistance!
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