Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF colleagues and their cronies are loaded and they are using some of their ill-got loot to bankroll the regime’s many vote rigging schemes!
“The judiciary plays a crucial role in elections in Zimbabwe starting from presiding over the nomination court, managing the whole process through the Electoral Act to resolving post election disputes,” reported Nehanda Radio.
“Against this background, the government has decided to pamper judges with US$400 000 housing loans.
“It’s US$400 000 per judge. Started off as something for the CJ (Chief Justice Luke Malaba) and the DCJ (Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza). Now going to other judges,” a source told Nehanda Radio.
This is not something new, last year the regime made similar generous payouts. The Central Intelligence Organisation directors received US$350 000, MPs and senators US$40 000 each and cabinet ministers and their deputies received US$500 000 and US$350 000 respectively.
It is now the norm that all Zanu PF parliamentary candidates receive new cars and this year was no exception. All Zanu PF candidate have received brand new off-road Toyota Hilux GD6s, Ford Rangers, Nissan Navaras or a comparable model. The party will pay their US$1 000 nomination fee plus all their campaign expenses.
No one knows for certain, Zanu PF will never ever an audited account of its election spending, but many believe the regime is spending a staggering US$ 4 billion plus on its many multifaceted vote rigging schemes. The huge government spending on elections takes on its true significance when viewed in the context of Zimbabwe IS a failed state that is failing to provide even the most basic needs to millions of its own people.
In 1980, the country had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa, a democratic and prosperous nation. Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies rigged the first elections; the people were told if the party lost the vote the bush war would continue, and imposed a de facto one-party dictatorship and the rest is history!
The nation had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chances coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were entrusted the task of implementing the democratic reforms. Mugabe intervened, he bribed the MDC leaders with the trapping of high office and they forgot about the reforms.
“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 leaders during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms.
Of course, the Zanu PF leaders knew exactly what they were talking about because Mugabe had bribed them with the same trappings of high office to buy their silence. They did not rock the boat whilst Mugabe rod roughshod over the people denying them the freedoms and rights to create the Zanu PF dictatorship. Even at the peak of the Gukurahundi Massacre in 1983 to 1987, Zanu PF leaders said nothing to stop the madness.
Zanu PF has used the same dirty tactic of bribing people in positions of power and authority to neglect their set task to do the party’s bidding - undermining the rule of law to keep the regime in power at all costs. The judges, MPs, etc. are being bribed to stop regime change.
It is ironic that Zimbabwe’s vast mineral wealth which, per se, is a blessing to the nation is now the source of the wealth use to bribe and bankroll the Zanu PF dictatorship. The blessing, in the wrong hands, is now a curse!
It is very sad that 43 years after independence, 2 500 years after the Greeks proposed democracy in which everyone is compelled by law to treat others as they would like to be treated and no one is above the law; we are still failing to do the most basic thing like holding free elections. We are still stuck with autocracy in which the only law that matters is the primeval survival of the fittest, dominate or be dominated.
Zanu PF is rigging these 2023 elections. It is exasperating that Zanu PF is not only robbing the nation blind but is using the looted wealth to bankroll is corrupt the nation's institutions and vote rigging juggernaut. After 43 years of rigged elections and tyrannical rule the need to end this madness has never been more urgent than it is now. Zanu PF must be denied political legitimacy.
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Zanu-PF does not want opposition political parties to participate in the August 23 elections, which is why the government approved the exorbitant nomination costs that candidates must pay to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora has claimed.
Mwonzora claimed Zanu-PF was paying for all its candidates while other political parties that intended to field candidates in all 210 constituencies in the country were struggling to raise the nomination costs.
Zanu PF would certain want to maintain the facade that Zimbabwe is a healthy multi-party democracy and will bankroll the opposition candidates of its choosing. The more the candidate are financially dependent of Zanu PF the greater the control the party will have over them. Mnangagwa has even created POLAD to reward losing presidential candidates as long as they public proclaim the elections were free and fair and he is the legitimacy president!
President Mnangagwa has met a delegation of bishops from the All-Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) who are in the country interacting with various stakeholders ahead of this year's harmonised elections.
Speaking after their meeting with President Mnangagwa at State House, AACC vice president and team leader Archbishop Martin Blaise Nyaboho from Burundi said they were confident that Zimbabwe will hold peaceful elections.
Zimbabwe has not implemented even one token reform since the 2008 watershed elections marred by blatant cheating and wanton violence. No one! So what gives these church leaders that 2023 elections will be free, fair and credible?
Indeed, this is the nonsense Zimbabwe can ill afford, the country will never hold free and fair elections with out first implementing the democratic reforms! To suggest otherwise is just nonsense!
The Judicial Service Commission has appointed 35 High Court judges and 76 magistrates in all 10 provinces to arbitrate in electoral disputes and ensure rapid trial for political violence over the next six months in terms of the country's electoral laws.
The judges hear electoral petitions while the magistrates, who have been drawn from all the 10 provinces, will have to deal with criminal cases of politically motivated violence.
The assignment of the judicial teams means that the judges and magistrates continue with their normal work, but should a case arise which concerns the elections, the nearest or other most appropriate presiding officer adjourns the normal work and moves promptly to sorting out the election issue. The large teams mean that there should be no queuing or delays.
JSC chairperson and Chief Justice Luke Malaba made the announcement yesterday in a Statutory Instrument of an extraordinary Government Gazette.
The Chief Justice appointed the 35 judges of the Electoral Court Division of the High Court in terms of the Electoral Act after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and the Judge President of the High Court. The judges are available to the division from June 1 to December 31.
The appointed judges are Justices: Judge President Maria Dube, Garainesu Mawadze, Happias Zhou, Joseph Mafusire, David Mangota, Maxwell Takuva, Amy Tsanga, Nokuthula Moyo, Esther Muremba, Davison Moses Foroma, Tawanda Chitapi, Nyaradzo Munangati-Manongwa, Phildah Muzofa, Isaac Muzenda, Neville Wamambo, Sylvia Chirawu-Mugomba, Benjamin Chikowero, Pisirai Kwenda, Jacob Manzunzu, Evangelista Kabasa, Christopher Dube-Banda, Siyabona Musithu, Sunsley Zisengwe, Webster Chinamora, Gladys Mhuri, Emilia Muchawa, Fatima Maxwell, Rodgers Manyangadze, Joseph Chilimbe, Cathrine Bachi-Muzawazi, Bongani Ndlovu, Samuel Deme, Munamato Mutevedzi, Never Katiyo and Lucie-Annie Mungwari.
While only two judges have to be appointed to the Electoral Court, Chief Justice Malaba last year for the large batch of by-elections and now with the main election approaching has always increased the team so that the decentralisation of the courts can be used to speed up work and delays need not occur.
The Electoral Court is defined as a court of record with exclusive jurisdiction to hear appeals, applications and petitions and to review any decision of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission or any other person made or purporting to have been made under that legal provision.
It shall have powers to give such judgments, orders and directions in those matters as might be given by the High Court.
The designation of the magistrates was "to try cases of politically motivated violence and intimidation in the provinces under which their names appear before, during and after the harmonised elections for President, Members of the National Assembly and councillors scheduled to take place on August 23.”
How many of the these named judges and magistrates have just received a bonus from the Zanu PF regime, as much as US$ 400 000 for some of them? There is a mountain of evidence to prove the judiciary is not independent and to pretend otherwise is just being foolish!
These elections are going ahead without something as basic as a verified voters’ roll. The one-week window for individuals to inspect the voters’ roll for their own details showed there were thousands errors with many failing to find their names. That underlined the need for a proper voters’ roll audit, which the regime has stubbornly resisted.
The primary task of Judiciary, just like ZEC, the Police and all the other captured state institutions, is to make sure that Zanu PF win these elections. They are expected to deliver the electoral victory and at the same time they must be as cunning as a snake to maintain the facade Zimbabwe is a healthy and functioning democracy! They paid and paid very well to deliver this!
Zanu PF pays judges US$ 400 000 bonus and it is not Christmas and the same judges are appointed to "arbitrate in electoral disputes". The sister body ZEC (whose officials received their Xmas bonuses too) has stubbornly refuse to produce a verified voters' roll.
Of course, Zanu PF is rigging these elections and it is insane to participate only to give the process credibility and SADC the excuse to once again grant Zanu PF legitimacy.
https://www.zimeye.net/2023/06/09/expensive-zanu-pf-cars-for-judges-candidates-ahead-of-2023-elections/
He is not the only one saying this, Mnangagwa and Mohadi have said the same thing!
Zimbabwe has increased the number of Polling Stations from 2 000 or 10 per constituency in 2008 to over 11 000 or 55 per constituency in 2018. In 2008 there was a constituency voters' roll and so one could vote in any one of the 10 PS. In 2018 it was a PS voters' roll and could vote in only one designated PS. All these measures were put in place to make sure Zanu PF officials can easily tell who voted for the opposition.
One's vote is no longer a secret and those who vote for the opposition are punished!
The tragedy for Zimbabwe is the opposition know that Zanu PF is rigging these elections, they also know that their participation in these flawed elections will only give the process credibility and thus give SADC the excuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy. And still they participate regardless out of greed.
“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.”
MDC/CCC have been hiding their greed behind the lie the party has devised Winning In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies. All hot air but, alas, the naive and gullible public have swallowed the hook, line and sinker! How anyone would trade their right to free and fair elections for the oxymoronic WIRE, trade gold for fool’s gold, goes to show the insanity gripping this nation.
@ Arnold
“Why is it that the opposition is not fighting back? Surely, a counter strategy should be in place. KaMvheti kaye kaitaura chokwadi...kuti chekuita hapana."
The only solution here is to implement the democratic reforms. MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to do this during the GNU and they wasted it. It is a pity that many Zimbabweans have failed to realise the primary task during the GNU was implementing the reforms, even now with the benefit of hindsight the penny has not dropped. If the penny had dropped then they would know MDC leaders sold out and, better still, they would know the sheer futility of participating in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy.
The best course of action now is to denounce the flawed elections and denounce CCC for selling out. SADC leaders must be left in no doubt that Zimbabweans NOW know the failure to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU was a lost golden opportunity and one we will not waste again. SADC leaders must not be given the excuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy!
@ Liberty
“Zanu PF does not follow the constitution. Even if reforms were implemented, we were still going to be in the same situation. If opposition fights back, they will be arrested. Its just grand standing panonzi na mnagagwa we want peace.”
MDC leaders had five years to implement reforms and they failed to implement even one reforms. Not even one!
I hope you are not suggesting MDC leaders did not implement even one reform in five GNU years because “Zanu pf does not follow the constitution”! Of all the feeble excuses for MDC selling out on reforms that is one of the most idiotic. Why did the MDC leaders promise democratic changes if they knew they will not implement even one?
Why are they promising to win big when they know all their so-called Winning In Rigged Election (WIRE) strategies are just hot air?
@ Chris
“ Chamisa is the man of the moment!”
In the 2018 elections Chamisa said he had stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The morning after the voting he was complaining Zanu PF rigged the elections - the very thing he had stringent measures to stop happening. Now he is claiming to have a plan! This is just hot air.
Lest we forget, Chamisa and his MDC friends were elected on the promise to deliver democratic changes. After 23 years, 5 of which in the GNU, they have failed to bring about even one token change. Worst of all MDC/CCC have given up on reforms and free elections in favour of Winning In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies.
WIRE is just an oxymoronic nonsense to justify MDC/CCC’s continued participation in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy in return for a few gravy train seats. WIRE is to hide their greed.
It is shocking that there are many Zimbabweans out there who believe in this hen’s teeth WIRE nonsense, especially after 43 years of the Zanu PF Mafiosi rigging elections. Only a fool would trade reforms and free elections for something as so frivolous and idiotic as WIRE. Only a fool would trade gold for fool’s gold!
Zimbabwe is the most miserable country in the world but only because we have failed to hold free, fair and credible elections. We are going into these 2023 elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF is rigging, we are participating on the basis of Winning In Rigged Elections (WIRE)! How stupid is that! No wonder we have become the most miserable nation on earth.
We really need to open our eyes and minds if we are ever going to get out of this hell-hole of our own making!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xFDxgRR-RA
@ Chris
As of 30 May 2022 CCC had registered 1/4m out of their own target to register 6m or 4%. CCC's flagship Winning In Rigged Election (WIRE) strategy of mass voter registration and mass voting are dead in the water. Mass rallies is no substitute for mass votes.
Zanu PF is rigging these elections!
Today, Masvingo and Chiredzi Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members and supporters will participate in the last stage of selecting their candidates.
Zanu PF is rigging these elections and two big events have happened in the last few days to rub this in:
The one-week inspection of the voters’ roll has shown there are 1000s of errors including voters’ names missing on the roll. This has underlined the need for an audited voters’ roll which the regime is refusing.
The regime has paid Judge and magistrate bonuses - Christmas is very early this year - with some receiving as much as US$ 400 000. The next thing we hear is many of these Judges and magistrates will be presiding over election disputes during the ongoing elections.
All this is water off a duck’s back, CCC are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections and nothing, absolutely nothing is going to make them reconsider. Zanu PF is well aware of the opposition’s single-mindedness in participating and, indeed, the party is the one that laid the bait. CCC leaders know their participation will give Zanu PF legitimacy and they don’t care!
“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.”
It was USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Chris Dell 2004 to 2007, who said if Morgan Tsvangirai got into power he would be the albatross round the nation’s neck. The ambassador was right, MDC/CCC are now the mile-stone round our necks dragging the nation into the crashing abyss. Having elected them into power the nation is stuck, we cannot decouple quickly enough!
Ignoring that Zanu PF is rigging these elections will only work in Zanu PF's favour. It is insane to pretend these elections are free and fair after 43 years of Zanu PF Mafiosi rigging elections. She is after the few gravy train seats, a cut of the Political Party Finance Act annual payout and/or POLAD freebies.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC/CCC leaders on the understanding the party would deliver the necessary democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. MDC/CCC leaders have not only failed to implement even one democratic reform but worst of all, they have given up on reforms and free, fair and credible elections.
Since the 2008 to 2013 GNU debacle MDC/CCC have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for the sake of a few gravy train seats on offer as bait. To hide their greed they have claimed to have Winning In Rigged Elections Strategies (WIRES). All hot air, of course. But, alas, there are many out there, stupid enough to believe WIRES even after 43 years of Zanu PF Mafiosi rigging elections.
And now, the whole opposition camp are fight over the gravy train bait and the POLAD freebies; reforms and free elections have been completely forgotten. Giving Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating the dictatorship is the nightmare scenario for the ordinary people who are at the coal face of the failed state!
“Make the right choice!” says UZA. Yeah right! How, when elections are rigged?
When mice have a cobra for a neighbour they will swear a black mamba is a better neighbour! The truth is both Mugabe and Mnangagwa were corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs; the cobra and the black mamba are deadly snakes to a mouse!
@ Prince
“Lol Mugabe and Munangagwa ko iwe wanyora izvi hauna kana ka corruption kana kunyepa kwaunoitao ipapo.”
Robert Mugabe and Mnangagwa have held public office for 37 and 43 years respectively and, per se, are accountable to the public. As public office bearers their decisions affect millions of people as contrast to the decisions of a private individual whose actions affect a handful of people. The argument that we should not hold Mugabe and Mnangagwa to account because we, the private individual are equally fallible is therefore totally irrational. Those in public office have been entrusted with far greater power and authority than the individual and therefore have more to account for.
It is not that you do not understand that Mugabe’s corrupt and tyrannical misrule has affected millions of people’s lives far, far more people than the misdemeanour of a private individual could affect, that is obvious. You objection to public figures being held to account stems from the idiotic belief that leaders are demigods who should not be questioned much less held to account. Of course, that is idiotic and must be dismissed with the contempt it rightly deserve! Just because you are an idiot does not mean we must all be idiots!
The recent Al Jazeera Gold Mafia documentary revealed how US$1.6 billion or 80% of the country’s gold is being looted by this Zanu PF regime. Meanwhile 49% of our people are living in abject poverty as a result of this criminal waste of the nation’s human and material resources. We are all to say nothing about this because none of us are perfect. The sheer stupidity of it all is nauseating!
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