"We are very concerned about reports of rising political violence in multiple provinces," the United States embassy in Harare said in a tweeted statement.
"As Zimbabwe prepares for the 2023 elections, we urge all parties to refrain from acts of violence. Votes are won by ideas, not intimidation.”
In the March 2008 vote, the nearest to free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe history, Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 73% of the votes, according to Mugabe’s Freudian slip. Mnangagwa and his Joint Operation Command Junta stepped in and stopped ZEC announcing the results. The Junta order a recount of 5 million votes that lasted six weeks. Tsvangirai’s 73% was whittled down to 47%, just enough to deny him victory and force a run-off.
The run-off was all about the Junta punishing the people for daring to reject Mugabe and Zanu PF in the March vote. The Junta launch “Operation Mavhotera papi!” (Operation Whom did you vote for!) using war veterans and Zanu PF youth militia to do the intimidation, beating and raping and personal from the Police, Army, CIO and Prison Service to do the heavy duty of abducting and killing.
“What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot! thundered Robert Mugabe. And Operation Mavhotera papi went into overdrive!
Morgan Tsvangirai was finally forced to withdraw from the election race but only because he feared for his life.
Robert Mugabe went on to win the one-horse race by polling 84% of the votes; once again proving that wanton violence does “win” votes!
SADC and AU leaders refused to accept the 2008 election as a free, fair and credible process and would not recognise Mugabe and his Zanu PF party as the legitimate government. The regional body forced Mugabe to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA), agreeing to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms.
The reforms, fully implemented, would have stripped away Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers and control over all the state institutions like Police, ZEC, etc. and restored the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The primary task of the GPA was to ensure the blatant cheating and wanton violence of 2008 will never ever be repeated.
A GNU was formed comprising Zanu PF and the two MDC factions with SADC as the guarantor of the GPA. Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were entrusted the task of implement the reforms.
MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform in five years of the GNU. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and, to show their gratitude, they throw reforms onto the fire.
Sadc leaders tried to get the 2013 elections postponed until reforms were implemented. But they too gave up when it became clear that Tsvangirai and company had never submitted even one reform proposal in the five years!
MDC leaders have all but abandoned all hope of getting any reforms implemented before elections and have since been participating in flawed and illegal elections subject to all the usual Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans of blatant cheating and wanton violence.
However, ever since the GNU Zanu PF has been very care to resort to the wanton violence only when it is necessary and to target it carefully. The only way Zanu PF has been able to rig elections and get away with it was by maintaining facade that Zimbabwe was a healthy multi-party democracy. And so the party has given away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate regardless how flawed the election process got.
The wanton violence has been carefully targeted to ensure the voters, especially the rural voters, never ever forget Operation Mavhotera papi! The party thugs know opposition party leaders must not be harmed; the last thing Zanu PF wants is the opposition boycotting the elections, burning down the multi-party facade and with it Zanu PF legitimacy.
As long as Zanu PF retains its carte blanche powers to rig elections violence will rule the roost, you can forget your "Votes are won by ideas, not intimidation!" ideal!
What is infuriating about Zimbabwe is that whilst most people have been calling for reforms BEFORE elections it has been none other than the MDC and the rest of Zimbabwe’s opportunistic opposition politicians who are quite happy to have the elections with no reforms. It is even more infuriating when the Americans, the EU and other nations who know the MDC leaders are sells outs pretend not to notice.
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Government has put in place systems to operationalise the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Fund investment vehicles that are expected to generate inflows to cater for the welfare of war veterans and reduce pressure on the fiscus.
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri yesterday named a nine-member board of directors for the Veterans Investment Corporation, which will manage and hold assets in various sectors through its five subsidiaries.
This is just another meaningless token to draw attention away from the thorny issue of economic meltdown.
The war veterans are not languishing in abject poverty today because there was no Liberation Struggle Fund. The war veterans are not the only ones languishing in abject poverty in Zimbabwe today. Is government going to establish a fund for each and every one of the groups constituting the 90% unemployed? Of course, not!
The solution to ending poverty is reviving the national economy and that will never happen as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state governed by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs! Implement the democratic reforms and cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Reform or suffer and die of dumb anguish!
"The people of this country spoke very loudly in the 2013 constitution; they were very clear that they did not want chiefs and traditional leaders to be involved in partisan politics. Yes they can comment upon the government of the day, current affairs and on politics in general but they cannot get involved in partisan politics that is supporting a particular political party," he said.
This is not the first time that Charumbira has made public statements in support of ZANU-PF.
On May 2018, the High Court of Zimbabwe ordered him to withdraw a statement, he made the previous year where he urged chiefs all over the country to support the ruling party in the then upcoming (2018) general election.
Ndiweni said the court must take some measures against Charumbira for continuing to issue unconstitutional statements.
During the colonial days, except for a few exceptions notably chief Rekai Tangwena, most chiefs and headmen were nothing but stooges and the whites in the oppression of the blacks. When the country gain her independence Zanu PF was quick to put the stooges to its own selfish use.
The whole concept of chiefs and traditional leaders is anathema to a nation aspiring for a healthy and functioning democracy where all those holding public office are democratically accountable to the public, the people!
This was said by Ostalloz Siziba in an interview with NewZimbabwe.com where he said that Zanu-PF uses its supporters to pass the message to Chamisa.
"Ironically when Zanu-PF funds its people and thugs to carry placards and ask Nelson Chamisa to help them end Zimbabwe's international isolation, they recognize his legitimacy and capacity to resolve these issues and they are very correct," Siziba said.
This is just nonsense. The international community is painfully aware that Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends are corrupt, incompetent and have become the albatross, the mile-stone round the nation’s neck dragging us all into the abyss.
It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said in a leaked cable back to Washington that Morgan Tsvangirai “was a flawed and indecisive character who will become a albatross round the nation’s neck if he ever got into power.” Dell could have said the same of the whole MDC leadership and events have proven him right; MDC are indeed a mile-stone dragging Zimbabwe into the crashing abyss.
MDC have not only sold-out by failing to implement even one reform in the party’s 22 years on the national political stage, 5 of which in the GNU; but are now giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy by insisting on participating in flawed elections.
As a black Zimbabwean, I am sick to the back teeth of the West's platitudes and duplicity especially when it comes to dealing with the corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders!
“As Zimbabwe prepares for the 2023 elections, we urge all parties to refrain from acts of violence. Votes are won by ideas, not intimidation.”
It is truly shocking that such a naive statement came from anyone, anyone at all, in the USA Embassy in Zimbabwe. It is very naive, to say the least!
Yes, votes are won by ideas, not intimidation but that is only true where elections are free, fair and credible, where contestants are free to express their ideas and the electorate free to choose who they want to govern. Zimbabwe has never ever held free and fair elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980!
Mugabe and his cronies told the people if Zanu PF lost the 1980 elections, the bush war would continue. The people voted to end the bush war; one does not argue looking up the business end of an AK47 rifle! And Zanu PF moved very swiftly to consolidate its strangle hold on power turning the country into a de facto one party dictatorship where blatant cheating backed by wanton violence win votes, not ideas!
After 41 years and counting of rigged elections it is disappointing to hear such wishy washy nonsense as “we urge all parties to refrain from acts of violence!” Do the Americans real believe the call is enough for Zanu PF to call-off the war veterans, the party’s youth militia and the formidable Junta to desist from all forms of violence and risk losing the 2023 elections. The call is even more meaningless since Zanu PF also knows that MDC will participate in the elections even if the violence does not stop!
Of all people, the American must know that the violence, free and fair elections, etc. will never happen in Zimbabwe without first implementing the democratic reforms. Of course, they know MDC leaders not only sold out by failing to implement the reforms but are frustrating efforts to get reforms implemented by participating in flawed elections and giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
Why the Americans and the rest of the international community continue to pretend that MDC leaders are as innocent as white roses in Zimbabwe’s unfolding man-made human tragedy is infuriated!
Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ZANU PF delegation are on a shopping spree in Glasgow as the vast of Zimbabweans languish in poverty.
Fadzayi Mahere said, "What's going on here Mnangagwa? Is this what you've travelled for? What is our position on the agenda of the climate conference? Why turn the nation's participation in this important conference into a dubious fiesta?”
The economic disparity between the filthy rich ruling elite and their cronies and the filthy poor masses is one of the widest and fastest growing gap in the world.
It comes as no surprise therefore that most of those who have bridged this gap and found themselves counted among the filthy rich have become filthy rich and, most important of all, have done everything in their power to secure their position by doing whatever Zanu PF wanted them to do. Police, Army, CIO, ZEC, judges, chiefs, etc., etc. are all living very comfortable lives thank you and they are all doing their bit to ensure there is no regime change in Zimbabwe.
It is all very well MDC leaders pontificating about Zanu PF corruption, waste of human and material resources, the tragic human suffering, etc. This is all being done to better the individual leader’s chances of being elected into office and get a seat on the gravy train. Once in office MDC leaders have done what everyone else has done - shut their trap and enjoy the good life!
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life, they will not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms.
The ruling elite will get richer as the wholesale looting of the nation’s resources goes into overdrive and the poor will get poorer and more desperate. The only sure way to secure peaceful change is by implementing the democratic reforms.
Having the flawed and illegal elections declared null and void, regardless of the MDC A’s participation giving the process legitimacy, is one way of forcing the implementation of reforms.
Chamisa and his MDC A friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They wasted the opportunity and failed to get even one token reform implemented. Ever since the failed GNU, they have kept Zanu PF in power by participating in flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
MDC-Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa says he is saddened by the extreme poverty levels observed during his crusading nationwide tours and urges Zimbabwean citizens to unite through the ballot and end the country’s challenges.
The international community including SADC, EU and the USA have all called for reforms before the elections and it is none other than the MDC leaders who have insisted on the elections with NO reforms implemented. The world is fed-up with this foolish MDC game of ignoring advice to boycott elections until reforms are implemented only for MDC to complain about rigged elections and try effect regime change through street protests! This is insane!
Chamisa has no "SOLID PLAN" to stop Zanu PF rigging elections and therefore we should stop this foolish pursuit of winning rigged elections. We should demand reforms before elections and stop messing about!
THE National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) has acknowledged political violence perpetrated by the ruling Zanu-PF party on the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa, but said it would not launch an inquiry on the matter as it has not yet received a formal complaint.
This was disclosed by NPRC deputy chairperson Lilian Chigwedere yesterday on the sidelines of the commission's preventive dialogue meeting held in Harare.
Chigwedere's utterances follow reports by Chamisa's MDC Alliance that its leader survived an assassination attempt during his visit to Mutare last month, while his convoy was attacked in Masvingo and Nyanga where he had gone to conduct rural outreach programmes to garner support ahead of the 2023 elections.
This does not help; why has MDC A not filed a formal complain particularly when they said this was an assassination attempt.
In the 2018 elections, MDC A claimed the Chamisa won the presidential race with 2.6 million and had the V11 forms, polling station vote count summary sheets. Yet when push came to shove they failed to produce the V11 forms and thus losing credibility.
MDC leaders have a credibility deficit and a knack for shooting themselves in the foot!
@ Muama Fidel Hosini
“Wilbert Mukori, remember South African ANC spent nearly 100 years to dislodge Apartheid regime which had entrenched itself in every aspect of SA economic activities just like ZANU. Your MDC ALLIANCE criticism is so frequently and carry no profound message, you think more that half of registered voters who put voting cross for MDC ALLIANCE since time immemorial are gullible as you always describe them as such?And you become impatient to anyone trying to correct your believes, but surprisingly you don't point out which political outfit can stand against tyrannical rule of ZANU as MDC ALLIANCE has done and continues to do so up to -date.
Mind you, if MDC ALLIANCE decides to boycott upcoming elections, pretenders or I would rather say fake parties who fight other opposition parties instead of the real problem, like MDC T will obviously participate in 2023 votes giving ZANU legitimacy again.”
This is an empty argument based on emotion and not facts! MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to implement even one reform in five years for no other reason than that they are corrupt and incompetent.
Even MDC leaders themselves have admitted they “sat, ate and did nothing” Chamisa told New Zimbabwe. The trouble with some people is they will not accept historic facts.
If you know why MDC leaders failed to implement even one token reform in five years, then tell us!
The opposition should boycott the elections in which Zanu PF is disregarding the election rules by failing to produce a verified voters’ roll, deny 3 million Zimbabweans in the vote, etc. By participating the opposition are saying the rules do not matter.
To participate because “fake parties would do so and give Zanu PF legitimacy” is a feeble excuse. If the parties are fake then they have no political credibility and such a party will not give Zanu PF legitimacy. Indeed, the real fake opposition parties are those participating in flawed and illegal elections for selfish reasons.
Zanu PF is offering a few gravy train seats to entice Zimbabwe’s opposition opportunists to participate regardless how flawed the process.
MDC are participating in these flawed elections for the same reasons they failed to implement even one reform during the GNU. There are millions of ordinary Zimbabweans whose lives is hell on earth thanks to MDC leaders selling out. You can afford to excuse the selling out with your foolish excuses, they can ill afford such luxury!
@ Muama Fidel Hosini
“At this time Zimbabweans can't afford to divide their votes and share them to semi existent political parties who only features on ballot papers during voting eves and there after, disappear.If people seek real change, then it's easier to vote for most popular opposition party, by that giving all democrats a victory, simple.”
Here we go again, your whole argument is based on what you wished happened and not what happened. Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections just as they have done for years. If you believe ZEC’s results then Chamisa would have lost the elections even if he had got all the votes of the other opposition candidate since Mnangagwa got 50.8% of the total votes cast!
In the March 2008 elections Tsvangirai got 73% of the vote and still was denied victory!
Zimbabwe will never ever have meaningful elections without first implement the reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections! All we hear from MDC leaders and their apologists is excuses for participating in flawed elections. Fcuk that s***t!
@ Leonard Koni
“We are on daily basis bombarded by Zanu PF propaganda because we have only one television station in Zimbabwe. Are they sanctions which are stopping us from opening or operating other TV channels or what? There is need to put pressure and call for fast track media reforms to even the playing field as we approach 2023 elections.
ZTV failed to broadcast or cover the war veterans who were demonstration about poor remuneration and living conditions surprisingly covered Auxillia Mnangagwa's programme.
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was having his interface rallies and not even a single clip was broadcasted on the national TV. Our broadcasting institution must learn from SABC which gives all political parties coverage.”
You are right, we need a free media to have free, fair and credible elections; one of the many must have.
It is naive to expect Zanu PF to reform itself out of office and so the question we must ask is why did MDC leaders fail to implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU?
The answer is, MDC leaders sold out! Mugabe bribed the lot with trappings of high office and, in return, they not just throw the reforms out of the window but burnt them to ashes. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust! This is why MDC have not been pushing for media or any other reforms; they have no clue what reforms are required (assuming they knew before the GNU)!
Like it or not, Zimbabweans must now accept that MDC will never deliver any meaningful reforms and, indeed, they continued participation in flawed elections is giving Zanu PF legitimacy and undermining efforts to get reforms implemented.
MDC leaders have lost political credibility. The 2023 elections must be declared null and void if they go ahead without first implementing the democratic reforms regardless even if the discredited MDC leaders participate!
IN the aftermath of the High Court application by Zanu PF member Sybeth Musengezi challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy, minutes of the central committee meeting held on 19 November 2017 state he was “appointed interim leader pending ratification by extraordinary congress”.
BRIDGET MANANAVIRE
Musengezi is challenging the appointment, saying the meeting was unconstitutional in the way it was convened, constituted and conducted.
After the late President Robert Mugabe was pushed out through a military coup, Zanu PF held a meeting to install a new leader, although Mugabe had remained the leader of Zanu PF and head of state until 21 November 2017, when he resigned.
The meeting was called and chaired by Obert Mpofu, who was the ruling party’s secretary for finance. Mpofu is now secretary for administration.
However, according to the Zanu PF constitution, only the first secretary, the second secretary or the chairperson can preside over a central committee meeting.
This is all academic because Mugabe and the Zanu PF government has never held free, fair and credible elections and thus was illegal.
“It is estimated that in 2020, net migration the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants was close to 580 000 people. Although there is no accurate data on the number of the working age population, leaving the country to work abroad. The most recent study suggests that 72% of outgoing migrants fall in the 20 to 34 years age group. In addition, 40% were women and 73% completed secondary education.
“The majority of emigrants cited a lack of employment opportunities as the major reason for leaving the country. Most worked in the agricultural sector before their departure. South Africa was the leading destination chosen by emigrants, followed by Botswana. Unfortunately, due to their irregular status, most Zimbabwean emigrants appear to occupy low-quality jobs characterised by the absence of employment contracts and social protection,” said a report of International Labour Organisation (ILO).
All signs show that Zimbabwe’s future is grime. The country’s basic services such as education and health have all but collapse, unemployment has soared to 90%, 49% of the population now live in abject poverty, the country is haemorrhaging its young adults, etc.
Reviving the economy and nation is going to be a Herculean task and the longer the rot continues the harder and longer it will take to accomplish and the higher the price that must be paid - if it is not too late already!
We are mobilising the citizens to turn out to vote in their millions and defend that vote vigilantly.
We are building a polling agent defence system to ensure the vote is protected from rigging through a polling station-based mobilisation and monitoring programme.
We will run the biggest electoral campaign that’s never been seen in the region and ultimately win Zimbabwe for change.
This is why our new candidate selection procedures will give communities the power to decide which leaders will represent them.
Mahere was responding to President Emmerson Mnangagwa who last week declared a ZANU PF victory two years ahead of the general elections.
Mnangagwa told ZANU PF supporters at the just-ended annual conference in Bindura that he had already sealed the 2023 victory.
With no reforms implemented, the 2023 elections will be won by those with the carte blanche powers to rig elections. The many stories of violence that followed Nelson Chamisa and his entourage has been a stake reminder of the wanton violence Zanu PF unleashed in the 2008 elections.
In the March 2008 vote Tsvangirai garnered 73% of the votes and Mnangagwa and his Joint Operation Command Junta stopped ZEC announcing the results. The result were finally announce six weeks latter and by then Tsvangirai’s vote had been whittled down to 47%, enough to force a run-off.
The run-off was all about punishing the voters for daring to reject Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe in the March vote. The Junta launched a military style “Operation Mavhotera ani!” (Operation whom did you vote for!) The voters were harassed, beaten, raped, abducted and over 500 were murdered in cold blood.
In the June vote, Mugabe garnered 84% of the votes proving - to all the doubting Thomas - that violence won elections! Because no meaningful reforms were implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, Zanu PF has retain all its dictatorial powers to rig elections. Zanu PF can dial up the wanton violence if the party feels its hold on power is been threatened.
This notion that MDC can win the elections merely by “mobilising the citizens to turn out to vote in their millions and defend that vote vigilantly” is typical of those who refuse to accept the elections will be rigged because they have no solution to stop the rigging!
MDC will not accept implementing reforms will stop Zanu PF rigging the elections because they failed to implement even one reform when they had the chance to do so.
We, the people must refuse to be hamstrung by MDC leaders’ incompetence and greed and demand the reforms before elections. It is clear Zanu PF will ignore our demands; we must in turn make it crystal clear the election will be declared null and void even if the sell-out MDC leaders participate.
It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2013 Chris Dell who said in a leaked cable to Washing that Morgan Tsvangirai "was a flawed and indecisive character who will be an albatross round Zimbabwe's neck if he ever got into power!" The ambassador could have said the same thing about the entire MDC leadership and his predictions have come to pass.
If any US Embassy officials could not figure out for themselves just how utterly useless MDC leaders have been then they should be compelled to read Ambassador Dell's report. "Votes are won by ideas, not intimidation.” is the idiotic comment one have come to expect from MDC leaders justifying their failure to implement even one reform; and not from an enlightened US Embassy official!
Of course, it is infuriating that the West know MDC are the milestone round Zimbabwe's neck dragging us all into the crashing abyss and yet they continue to treat MDC leaders as some of the finest leaders the world has ever seen! Buoyed by the flattering praise from the West, MDC leaders have ploughed on, blundering from pillar to post, dragging the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Zimbabwe would not be in this mess if, once in a while, our Western friends told our pompous leaders their are "flawed and indecisive characters" to their faces!
Having a very naive and gullible electorate has only made our corrupt and incompetent leaders more reckless and arrogant, confident they will never be held to democratic account over anything!
Of course, everyone knows that participating in these flawed and illegal elections is insane especially after 41 years of rigged elections. Why none of the Western nation have ever taken MDC leaders to task on this is a complete mystery.
"Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," said the EU Zimbabwe 2018 Election Observer Mission final report.
"As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
The report concluded with a list of recommended reforms to be implemented.
Whilst the EU has maintain pressure on Zanu PF to implement the reforms they have turned a blind eye to MDC leaders who are gearing to participate in the elections knowing every well that not even one token reforms has been implemented. As long as the opposition participate in the flawed elections, Zanu PF will get legitimacy.
So why is the EU, USA and the rest letting MDC undermine their efforts to have the reforms implemented?
Are the western nation really that naive and gullible they don't see what is happening or is it that they don't care that MDC are dragging the nation into the abyss?
This is laughable! Zimbabwe promises to reduce the country’s green-house gases by 40% in nine years – probably the highest reduction by an developing country – only to proffer an excuse why the country not deliver on its promise – sanctions! I cannot pretend that I did not see that one coming!
"1/2 The ZRP is investigating a murder case which occured in Glendale,where Irvine Mafuratidze (35) was murdered by suspect Zulu Kondwani (50) after some political arguments on who will rule the country,on 31/10/21 at about 1400 hrs," reads the Tweet.
"2/2 The suspect was seen dropping the victim from his Honda Civic vehicle reg AEH 5099 at Fox farm at around 2000hrs and the victim appeared to be unwell prompting the community to apprehend the suspect and launch a police report."
Recently, former MDC-A official Shewu Meda was hospitalized after being brutalized by MDC-A supporters for dumping their party and joining ZANU-PF where he was rewarded with the most senior post in Chiweshe ward 8 as chairman of the district.
This is the nightmare we have seen playing out over and over again. What is disappointing is this could have been stopped once and once for all by implementing the reforms. Worse still, instead of insisting on reforms before elections it is none other than MDC who have insisted in participating in elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process.
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