Zimbabwe is a textbook case failed state – a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and lawless thugs who have rigged elections to cement their iron grip on power. 42 years of criminal waste of the nation’s human and material resource have left the country’s economy in ruins.
Many Zimbabweans have left the country as economic and
political refugees. There are over a million Zimbabweans in South Africa, some are
there legally others illegally. What matters is their welcome in that country is
wearing out!
“When it comes to the issue of Home Affairs, and you were
saying maybe we are sending Zimbabweans back to starve, as the African National
Congress (ANC) we believe that all countries need to take responsibility of
their citizens,” Minister Lindiwe Zulu told Jacaranda FM.
“First and foremost, we take responsibility of our citizens,
we make sure that despite the challenges that we have of poverty, unemployment
and inequality, we shouldn’t be having South Africans leaving South Africa with
almost nothing,
“ … leaving South Africa and going to neighbouring countries
to go and look for greener pastures when they aren’t even that much of the
greener pastures that we can talk about.”
Lindiwe Zulu, social development minister and chairperson of
the ANC's (S A’s ruling party) international relations sub-committee, this means
a very significant policy shift by the government. Zimbabwean economic and
political refugees are no longer welcome in South Africa.
Anyone, anyone at all, who has followed the political
intrigue during the 2008 to 2013 GNU in Zimbabwe will tell you that Lindiwe
Zulu was the one SADC official who nagged Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends
the hardest to get them to implement the democratic reforms.
Anecdotal story tells of Lindiwe Zulu reminding MDC leaders to
implement reforms. The MDC leaders reported the otherwise private and
confidential advice to Zanu PF leaders. Robert Mugabe, the Zanu PF dictator,
whose plan was to bribe the MDC leaders so they forgot about the reforms was clearly
working, was furious at the prospect of Ms Zulu foiling his plan.
Mugabe was so furious with Ms Zulu he called her an “idiotic
street woman”! Mugabe had a foul mouth!
Of all the SADC leaders Ms Lindiwe Zulu has good reasons to
be disappointed with Zimbabweans, especially MDC for failing to implement even
one democratic reform during the GNU, end the Zanu PF dictatorship and with it the
curse of rigged elections and bad governance.
As much as Minister Zulu has causes célèbres to be
disappointed with Zimbabweans for selling out on implementing reforms; still in
her more cerebral moments she too must admit that SADC’s decision to endorse
Zimbabwe’s rigged 2013 (all others thereafter) as “substantially free and fair”
and thus giving Zanu PF legitimacy was:
a)
Was a foolish move as it did nothing to end the
Zanu PF dictatorship. Indeed, by giving Zanu PF legitimacy guaranteed, the
regional body has given the regime the confidence to ignore all calls from ordinary
Zimbabweans, EU, Commonwealth, etc. to implement reforms before elections.
b)
Zanu PF is blatantly rigging the 2023 elections.
The regime will be forced into a new GNU arrangement if SADC denied Zanu PF
legitimacy as happened in 2008. There are many competent Zimbabweans who can be
trusted to implement the democratic reforms and get the nation out of this
economic and political mess.
13 comments:
If the 2023 elections are rigged, that is now a given, and Sadc make the usual mistake of endorsing the rigged elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy; there will be a new exodus of Zimbabweans going to S Africa. South Africa will have to build a Trump wall along the Limpopo River, on its border with Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia and still that would not be enough to stop border jumpers!
It is a fact that by endorsing rigged elections Sadc, especially South Africa, has contributed to Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess by giving Zanu PF legitimacy! It is naïve, to say the least, to think the economic and political chaos in Zimbabwe can be contained in her borders forever. Why Sadc has been giving Zanu PF legitimacy by endorsing rigged elections all these years beggars belief!
Zulu, who is also chairperson of the ruling African National Congress (ANC)'s international relations subcommittee, made the call on Monday during a discussion on party policy documents.
Her remarks came as Pretoria has given Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) holders up to December to regularise their stay under new tougher conditions, which have been largely seen as a deliberate ploy to cut the number of expatriates in that country.
Pretoria has said the ZEP permits will not be renewed beyond December.
An estimated 180 000 Zimbabweans could be affected by a decision not to renew the ZEP permits as statistics show that less than 3% of this group had applied to regularise their stay by the end of last month.
ZEPs were introduced in 2009.
South Africa has been tightening screws on Zimbabwean immigrants and other foreign nationals.
There is also a growing chorus from pressure groups in that country to have foreign immigrants deported.
There are no exact statistics on the number of documented and undocumented Zimbabwean immigrants in the neighbouring country, but estimates put the figure at just over three million.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and lawless regime for 42 years and counting. The nation had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were tasked to implement the reforms sold out and failed to implement even one reform. Worse still, the banded mongooses having been participating in flawed elections giving the process credibility. And Sadc, to add insult to injury, has been endorsing the rigged elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
Yes, Zimbabweans have only themselves to blame for wasting the GNU golden opportunity to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Still, Sadc leaders, especially South Africa’s ANC leaders owe the people of Zimbabwe an explanation why they been giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
Whilst ANC leaders are tightening the screws to stop Zimbabwe refugees one hopes they will end their shameless hypocrisy of endorsing Zimbabwe’s rigged elections. Zimbabwe is not going to get out of this economic and political mess as long as Zanu PF knows it can rig elections and get legitimacy from Sadc!
"Cabinet wishes to inform the nation that, as of 18th July 2022, a total of 6,346,598 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered, while 4,698,444 people had received their second dose, and 916,459 their third dose," said Muswere.
Zimbabwe has a population of more than 14 million people.
"This translates to national coverage of 56.4 percent compared to the 56.3 percent recorded the previous week. The government will therefore continue to intensify vaccination activities in order to bridge the gap between the 1st and 2nd dose coverage as well as reach herd immunity before year-end," said Muswere.
"Emphasis will continue to be placed on risk communication and community engagement to increase vaccination uptake," Muswere said.
Zimbabwe has to date recorded 256,137 COVID-19 cases, with 250,059 recoveries and 5,568 deaths. The recovery rate is at 98 percent as the overall number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decrease.
Zimbabwe’s official covid 19 figures are wholly unreliable because the regime has never ever followed the common sense guidelines for testing, tracking and tracing. Zimbabwe with a population ¼ that of South Africa will have ¼ as many cases and deaths.
South Africa has 4 000 894 covid 19 cases and 101 880 deaths. Zimbabwe’s figures should be 1 million cases and 25 000 deaths which is ¼ and 1/5 respectively of the official figure! Indeed by falsifying the truth the regime would only be helping the virus spread and thus making the situation even worse!
Nelson Chamisa and company have participated in the elections knowing fully well ZEC has failed to produce a verified voters’ roll and many more glaring flaws and illegalities. Zanu PF will never implement any meaningful reforms because the party knows MDC/CCC will participate no matter how flawed the process and give Zanu PF legitimacy.
Talk of any independent ZEC we will never have such a body as long as we have corrupt and incompetent opposition. We need an independent opposition not the current lot who are in Zanu PF's deep pockets
In a typical style, Chamisa responded the user, @Jawachawa who had implored on him to 'come out clean on sanctions', posting:
"Sanctions must go yesterday".
The sanctions were imposed to achieve the greater good of forcing the Zanu PF thugs to accept the democratic reforms designed to end the blatant denial of the individual freedoms and rights. The regime has come up with the false narrative blaming the country’s economic and political mess on sanctions when the true cause is the decades of corruption and gross mismanagement.
To bow down to Zanu PF propaganda and blame sanction for the country’s mess is itself clear sign of just how feeble and indecisive Chamisa is. Not that we are surprised with his dithering, after all he has done a lot worse such as failing to implement even one token reform in 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU!
Sanctions must stay as long as there are no reforms and free and fair election! It does matter how much the wind howls, the mountain will never bow down to it!
There is not a single Zimbabwean out there who has time to reflect on Zimbabwe’s economic mess and political paralysis who would deny the 2008 to 2013 GNU was the nation’s “get out of jail card!” History will record that Minister Lindiwe Zulu did her best to get Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to implement the reforms and instead getting the heartfelt thanks from the nation all she ever got, so far at least, is a public tongue lashing from the foul-mouthed Robert Mugabe.
Madam Lindiwe Zulu, thank you very much for all your hard work in trying to get the democratic reforms implemented during the GNU.
Not even one reform was implemented during the GNU but that was not your fault.
Zimbabwe’s get out of jail card can still be re-activated by refusing to rubber stamp the Zanu PF rigged 2023 elections and thus deny the regime legitimacy. Deny Zanu PF legitimacy and the regime will be forced to accept the need of a GNU, as happened in 2008; this time competent Zimbabwe will see to it that all the reforms are implemented.
Zimbabweans have learned the lesson not to waste the get out of jail card again!
@ Blasher Shereni
“No country in the world ever gets legitimacy from another country. Legitimacy comes from the citizens of that particular country.”
For your own information, Zanu PF has rigged elections since 1980 and has claimed legitimacy because the party has always counted on the AU and Sadc to turn a blind eye to the rigging and endorse the election “substantially free and fair” giving Zanu PF legitimacy. For once in their history of dealing with Zimbabwe both AU and Sadc refused to endorse the 2008 elections following the blatant cheating and wanton violence.
Because there 2008 elections had failed to produce a legitimate government Sadc forced Zanu PF to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement in which Mugabe agreed to the need to implement the democratic reforms. The GNU was formed and tasked to implement the reform.
Sadly, for Zimbabwe MDC leaders sold out and failed to implement even one reform and in disgust Sadc reverted to their default position of endorsing rigged elections. Sadc, particularly South Africa, cannot have their cake and eat it too! South Africa cannot stop refugees flooding across the Limpopo River when it is the one helping the Zanu PF dictatorship stay in power by giving it legitimacy.
@ Ariel Marufu
“They have been there 2 decades and caused suffering to innocent people.”
It is shocking that some people can be so naïve and gullible they will still believe Zanu PF propaganda even when there is a mountain of evidence it is cheap propaganda!
By the late 1990s it was clear Zimbabwe’s economy was in serious trouble hence the need for the country to adopt the 1990 to 1995 then 1995 to 1999 Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes. The root cause of the economic problems was self-evident – the ruling elite were creaming off the nation’s wealth to build mansions and bankroll their extravagant lifestyles. The country was not under any sanctions then, they were imposed in 2001.
The looting of resource stepped up into overdrive with the seizing of white-owned farms to give to Zanu PF loyalists and the discovery of diamonds in 2006. In 2016 Mugabe admitted the nation had lost US$15 billion to diamond looters, the country’s GPD then was US$ 10 billion.
Rampant corruption and gross mismanagement are the cancers killing the Zimbabwe economy how anyone cannot see this only goes to show just how shallow, thick and slow they are. Zanu PF is selling the sanctions narrative to hide the truth.
We have failed to end the corruption and mismanagement because we cannot remove Zanu PF from power- they have been rigging the elections. The sanctions are there to pressure Zanu PF to hold free and fair elections. Hence the reason the sanction must stay.
It would be very foolish to lift the sanctions to please a brainwashed who does not know his left from right only for the vote rigging to continue under yet another pretext.
@ Mbofana
“He further warned artists to be extremely wary of Western entities, whom he claimed had a worrying tendency of throwing short-term gains towards us, in order to push for the subversion of our country.
If truth be told, I found this statement most troubling - not on account of this supposed undue interference by foreign forces in our country's internal affairs - but rather, the insinuation that Zimbabweans were incapable of independent thought and analysis, who could not be expected to accurately discern and articulate the true state of affairs in Zimbabwe.
Surely, why would I need to be awarded "short-term gains" to freely express the unimaginable and unbearable pain and suffering we are enduring in our beloved country - largely, due to our own leaders' insatiable greed for self-aggrandizement, on the back of relentless and shameless plunder and looting of our national resources?
Are artists such unmitigated daft fools, who cannot possibly be expected to tell this undeniable Zimbabwe story, without first being given United States Dollars, by some faceless and unidentifiable Western entities?”
It is no exaggeration that some black leaders like Robert Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa have been paralysed by their own inferiority complex they have said and done some really stupid things.
One of the more insidious manifestations of Mugabe’s black inferiority complex is his stubborn refusal to listen to what blacks had to say on anything. As far as he was blacks could figure out anything of substance for themselves, especially if it was critical of him, which is why he never allowed Zimbabweans to have a meaningful say in anything including his fellow Zanu PF leaders. He treated his black opponents and critics with utter contempt calling them “Uncle Toms and puppets of the whites” who were parroting what their white masters told them.
Zanu PF has ruthlessly imposed the de facto Zanu PF one-party state adamant that only the brainwashed Uncle Toms would want regime change in Zimbabwe. The contrary is true, only a seasoned nincompoop would believe blacks are incapable of aspiring for freedom, human rights and dignity other races have enjoyed for millionaire. Only a seasoned nincompoop like Mnangagwa and Mugabe would fail to realise that by denying their own fellow blacks their dignity and humanity, they are proving to the world that they lack any human qualities, they are proving their inferiority!
It is our great misfortune that in 1980 political power was seized by buffoons, wrestling it from them is the greatest challenge of our post-independence. The last 42 years and counting have been wasted fighting for our human dignity, something we thought we had achieved with our independence! The buffoons are deeply entrenched, who knows how long this fight will last and how many human lives it will cost! What a nightmare!
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) said the latest debt strategy would be meaningless without genuine political and economic reforms.
“It remains to be seen if Harare will honour its debt strategy given the fact that the success of all options proposed in this strategy are highly hinged on the full implementation of political and economic reforms,” ZIMCODD said.
“In its conclusion of the 2021 staff monitored programme, the IMF indicated Harare’s lack of progress in instituting these reforms as per the expectations of creditors and the international community.
“While the two options being considered in Harare’s debt strategy are sufficient to bring a lasting solution to the debt crisis, the strategy has also laid bare the effects of toxic politics on economic progression.”
Two years ago Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr John Mangudya said the country was losing US$1.2 billion every year to gold smugglers alone! He admitted the country could finance its own development without having to borrow money from anyone if the nation stamped out corruption.
President Mnangagwa promised to end corruption when he got into power in 2017. He has since given up. The looting of Marange diamonds, gold smuggling, etc. are still rampant!
Zimbabwe has become a textbook failed state; richly endowed with minerals and other natural resources but cursed in having corrupt, incompetent buffoons for leaders! And since they have mastered the art of rigging elections, the nation is stuck with the buffoons!
“In its conclusion of the 2021 staff monitored programme, the IMF indicated Harare’s lack of progress in instituting these reforms as per the expectations of creditors and the international community."
It is interesting that the IMF just like Sadc, EU and many other players have put economic and political reforms as the prerequisites to Zimbabwe's recovery only to be undermined by MDC/CCC who have done the exact opposite. By failing to implement even one reform and by insisting on participating in flawed elections MDC/CCC is saying reforms are not important.
Of course, MDC/CCC are selling out and this must now be stop!
Whereas, we recognise that there are institutions and legal frameworks that facilitate the conducting of elections. There is need to enhance and strengthen the electoral processes,
The number one condition for joining POLAD was that the individual and political party they represent must acknowledge the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible. It is therefore not surprising that not even one of the six proposed electoral reforms address the fundamental reality that the 2018 elections, like all past elections, were flawed and illegal. There is nothing in the proposed reforms stopping Zanu PF rigging the 2023 and future elections.
In short, these POLAD reform proposals are just a waste of time. Even if Mnangagwa was to implement all the reforms, the product will still be as meaningless as Smith and Muzorewa’s 1978 settlement!
Whilst everyone is talking about the need for Zimbabwe to finally implement the democratic reforms, the prerequisite for free, fair and credible elections, and thus end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Nelson Chamisa are hell bent on participating in these flawed and illegal elections no matter what.
The New Great Zimbabwe blueprint will be CCC’s 2023 election manifesto, it will have nothing to say on reforms because it assumes the elections are free, fair and credible!
If MDC had implemented the democratic reforms during the GNU, when thy had the chance to do so, Zimbabwe will have been cured of the curse of rigged elections by now. By insisting in participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC/CCC is giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
How long are we going to allow this blatant sell out of the nation by Chamisa and company?
Post a Comment