Obama's "fundraising phenomenon" was nothing compared to Mnangagwa's US$240 m war chest, thanks to Gold Mafia. W Mukori

 When elections costs in an impoverished nation like Zimbabwe are comparable and even exceed those in a very rich nation like United States of America; you can be sure of one thing the Zimbabwe elections are NOT the same free, fair and credible democratic elections you get in the USA. For one thing, the budgetary difference between the contestants is so huge, it is like Fred Flintstone in his stone-age car racing against Lewis Hamilton in his F1 car.

The mismatch is so blatant one has to ask what the opposition is being paid to keep participating in such a clearly one-sided race!

Former US President Barack Obama is one of the American politicians known, amongst many other things, for his election fundraising prowess.

“In all, no US politician has ever raised so much money for a political campaign – and this one will be the most expensive ever. Of the $942m in receipts so far for the 2008 race, Obama has raised $347m, more than double John McCain's $143.8m,” reported the UK Guardian in July 2008

“If nothing else, Barack Obama has proved himself to be a financial phenomenon.”

Who would have guessed that President Obama would be outdone by President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, one of the poorest nations on earth!

"In this (2023) election, I think, they are spending something like US$240 million and that is his (Mnangagwa) money. It's not somebody else's. It's not the party, it's his money," Uebert Mudzanire alias Prophet Uebert Angel, alias Diplomat Mafia, claimed in the Al Jazeera “Zimbabwe: Gold Mafia” documentary.

"So, when somebody has got that money to spend on an election campaign, you give him one million, it's like a slap in the face, unless you say this is to thank you.

"The guy doesn't take bribes. Oh no, no, he won't. There is a big difference in appreciating somebody and bribing."

The truth is Mnangagwa in raising a hell lot more for the 2023 Zimbabwe elections. His fellow Zanu PF ruling elite leaders like VP Chiwenga, ministers, high ranking officers in the Police and Army, etc. who too have benefited from the wholesale looting of the nation’s resources will show their appreciation of the Zanu PF dictatorship by making a generous contribution to keep the regime in power. The biggest donations will come from the Gold Mafia bosses, the individuals (mostly foreign) sitting at the apex of the gold smuggling and money laundering activities, who make a lot more money than the Zanu PF ruling elite who facilitate the looting.

Similar generous donations will come from the Diamond Mafia (country was swindled out of US$15 billion in diamond revenue in the period 2007 to 2014 according to Professor Jonathan Moyo in a recent SABC interview), Lithium Mafia and platinum Mafia. More donations will come from the many cartels that have mushroomed including such tycoons as the Kundakwashe Tangwirei whose business empire is worth US$ billions, etc.

As the incumbent government Zanu PF will be creaming-off billions of dollars in material, labour and cash from the state to pay for Zanu PF election expenses.

All told Mnangagwa and Zanu PF will be spending a staggering US$4 billion to secure a Mnangagwa victory and Zanu PF parliamentary majority. Most of the money will be spend on vote buying from the few bags @ of food and/or agricultural inputs for the ordinary voters, buying US$60k cars for chiefs to turn them into party political commissars, US$230k bribes for key officials in ZEC, Police, etc.

The regime is spending millions of dollars in making sure the opposition participate in these elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process gets. Ever since the 2008 GNU, Zanu PF has been careful to ensure the party bribed opposition to entice them to participate in the elections to maintain the façade Zimbabwe is a healthy and functioning multi-party democracy. The GNU forced the party to discard the de facto one-party image.

CCC and the rest of the opposition parties will have done very well indeed if they raised US$4 million for their campaign, including the direct and indirect financial assistance from Zanu PF.

So, the opposition’s campaign budget is 0.1% of Zanu PF’s US$4 billion; that alone shows this is not a fair contest! There many other reasons making this an unfair contest such as ZEC’s refusal to produce a verified voters’ roll, a blatantly pro-Zanu PF public media, etc. The thing is the opposition know these elections are not free nor fair and yet they insist in participating regardless.

“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 (2013) elections,” confessed Coltart in his 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.”

In other words, the opposition are participating in these flawed and illegal elections out of greed. Pure and simple!

USA GDP                            23 618.00 USD Billion.

ZIMBABWE GDP                       28. 00 USD BILLION

Zimbabwe’s GPD is 0.1% of USA and yet Zanu PF is spending US$4b or14% of the country’s GPD on elections! How is that possible?

Easy, Zanu PF has captured the state institutions and commandeered the nation’s material and human resources, which should be used for the good of all, to securing electoral victory for Mnangagwa and the ruling party, Zanu PF. The regime is squandering millions buying chiefs new twin-cab trucks every five years, down payment for them to frogmarch the rural voters to vote for the party, and yet many rural hospitals have no ambulance service!

The real big surprise is how Zanu PF has managed to get the opposition to work for the regime, making a mockery of the whole electoral process!

“The Gold Mafia is bigger than the government. Bigger than any authority!” boasted Dawood Khan Former Gold Leaf Mafia Member turned informer.

The opposition knew the 2013 election process was “so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw”; they did not withdraw because the Gold mafia and their Zanu PF ruling elite partners had opposition in their deep pockets. Today, ten years later, two rigged elections later, the opposition are still hell bent on participating in the same flawed and illegal elections.

The one thing Al Jazeera Gold Mafia documentary has shown beyond all reasonable doubt is just how powerful the Gold Mafia and the Zanu PF ruling elite partnership is in Zimbabwe. Those who expect any meaningful democratic changes in Zimbabwe without first implementing the democratic reforms are naïve.   

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw!” confessed David Coltart in 2013, ten years ago. The electoral process today, 2023, is just as flawed and illegal as in 2013 and yet CCC are just as determined to participate in these 2023 elections as they were in 2013! Until we implement the democratic reforms designed to end the tyrannical hold of the Gold Mafia and Zanu PF ruling elite have over the people notably the opposition the country will never hold free and fair elections. Never!