It has taken a long time for the penny to drop. Thank God it has finally dropped!
“The just-ended by-elections revealed the personification of allegiance to individuals by the electorate," reads the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) report read.
"The electorate in most of the six (6) constituencies uncovered that people do not cast votes along political party lines per se, neither do their preferences reflect on the calibre of the contesting candidate.
"This accounts for the reason why, when former CCC candidates opted to contest as independents, they lost seats they once won in the August harmonised elections and for those who filed as CCC- Tshabangu, they too lost the by-elections.
"In August 2023 harmonised elections, the Chegutu West CCC candidate polled 13 942 but when he decided to stand as an Independent, he got 2 626 votes. Seke constituency's August winner, Williard Madzimbamuto garnered 13 277 but as an Independent, he got 2 401.
"A similar trend happened for the Zvimba East February 3 by-election Independent candidate who got 1 993, which is way below the August winning mark of 15 435.”
This is to be expected given the Zimbabwe electorate have no clue what is going on. If one does not understand the issues at stake, the substantive ideas of the time, the individual settles for the lowest common denominator of the personality cult, even when the individual is but an empty vessel. This is a well known and documented fragility of the ignorant and gullible in any society.
In his book Animal Farm, George Orwell, described Boxer, the horse, who took just as long to learn the first 4 letters of the alphabet as others took to learn all 26 letters. He too just as long again to learn the next 4 letters and but then he had forgotten the first 4. It is no surprise that Boxer could not follow what was being discussed and could not formulate and response.
Boxer gave up learning and, most important of all, gave up thinking for himself and accepted that Napoleon, the authority figure head, would do all the thinking for him and he will follow him, no questions asked. “Comrade Napoleon is always right!” was his motto.
It is no secret that most Zimbabweans have been clamouring for democratic changes and yet they have no clue these changes, reforms, are to end the Zanu PF dictatorship including stopping the regime rigging the elections. They have no clue how any of the reforms were to be implemented, even with the benefit of hindsight of the GNU, they still have no clue.
The ordinary Zimbabwean has no clue Nelson Chamisa and his MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one token reform in 23 years, including 5 in the GNU. Worse still, Chamisa and company have given up implementing reforms and have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship out of greed.
The Zimbabwe electorate’s “Chamisa Chete, Chete!” personality cult knee jerk reaction out of ignorance and foolishness just as Boxer’s “Comrade Napoleon is always right!” The recent by elections results confirmed the ordinary voter has blind allegiance to Chamisa regardless of his well documented track record as corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. The mountain of evidence proving Chamisa is not the infallible demigod povo believe might as well be in Chinese because povo have no clue what it mean.
The Zimbabwe electorate are one of the most ignorant and naive people on earth and it is no surprise that personality cult; “the personification of allegiance to individuals”, as ZESN called; it comes naturally to them.
The Greeks, all those 2 500 years ago, were right that democracy - government of the people, for the people and by the people - only works if the said people are educated, knowledgeable and diligent in holding those elected into public office top account. Shame that 43 years after independence, in this day and age, we are still failing to hold free, fair and credible elections.
We have yet to learn the importance of knowledge, truth and facts not only in politics but in all our daily lives. Man is a creature of reason and woo to those who have given up their right to think freely for themselves!
Zimbabwe is a failed state and all because the nation has been stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship these last 43 years. Implementing the democratic reforms is one sure way to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections and ending the dictatorship. The nation needs competent opposition leaders who will implement the reforms, something Nelson Chamisa et al have failed to do these last 23 years.
The one thing holding back the nation form electing the competent opposition is povo’s failure to rise above the personality cult trap born of their ignorance and naivety. The ordinary Zimbabweans must learn to thing for themselves and embrace knowledge or Zimbabwe will remain a failed state forever blundering from pillar to post.
We have neglected the need to educate Zimbabweans on even the most basic issues like the basic requirements for free, fair and credible elections and the nation has paid dearly for it. The nation must now double its efforts to end ignorance and the foolishness of personality cult, all this grovelling to the corrupt and incompetent tyrants and upstarts!
22 comments:
The former Minister of Information in Zimbabwe, Jonathan Moyo, has warned that if the Citizens Coalition For Change (CCC) legislatures and councillors decide to resign en-masse to force it will be unconstitutional.
In a discussion on Twitter space titled, "What does the Constitution say after an MP resigns: Guest Prof JN Moyo" argued that the resignation and contesting for another party will be against the spirit of the constitution.
This meanings elected CCC MPs and councillors should not resign but wait to be recalled by the party. They can resign from the party and still retain their elected seats.
So a given political party can recall and elected official without affecting the recalled individual’s right to contest the by election. The party does not lose anything by initiating the recall and yet the individual who resign from elected public office because he/she no long subscribes to the values of the political party he/she belonged to is punished by being barred from contesting the by election. Of course, this is foolish!
If the constitution see it fit to punish the individual for initiating the by election then it must punish the political party too for the same act!
No one except the Zanu PF ruling elite are allowed to own any land in Zimbabwe! The colonial regimes did not allow blacks to own and land for the same political reason Zanu PF has denied blacks title deeds these last 43 years.
Many people do not have title deeds to the land they got since the start of the now infamous 2000 land distribution. What they have are letters allocating them the land, the letters can be withdrawn at the drop of a hat. No one not even the Zanu PF top dogs are safe.
Bona Mugabe has 12 farms with enough land to fit the whole of Lesotho. Ever since he father was booted out of office in the November 2017 military coup she knew her tenure on the 12 farms was at the mercy of Mnangagwa and his cronies.
Many of the beneficiaries of the Zanu PF seized farms are subdividing the land and selling it off, cashing in whilst they can. They got the farms for nothing and selling it off at super duper profits. The buyers may well be booted out because the thugs had no right to sell the land in the first place! What a nightmare!
@ Mbofana
“I love watching South Africans in action!
One thing I admire about these people is that they do not brook any nonsense from their leaders.
Granted, the country appears on a downward spiral - eerily similar to what we have witnessed in our own Zimbabwe - but the ordinary citizenry can never be faulted for not trying.
Over the past week alone, I have seen (on their news channels) ordinary South Africans protesting over poor service delivery in their respective communities, with the issue of water provision being primary.
No one went about chanting for or against any particular political party or leader.
These were genuinely organic community initiatives.
People from all political parties, and even those not aligned to any, stood together for one cause.”
Many people do not appreciate it but Nelson Mandela's greatest achievement was to give SA a healthy and functioning democratic system of government. Yes the people of SA have done a great job in safe guarding the country's democratic institutions.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs set out to undermine the Lancaster House constitution from the word go. MDC/CCC had the chance to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship these last 23 years but failed to do so because they are corrupt and incompetent.
The ordinary Zimbabweans have turned out to be ignorant and gullible to asset their freedoms and rights. We are given to grovelling to leaders and so the country’s tyrants and upstarts have made themselves untouchable demigods.
It is an outrage that povo are denied title deed to 1/2 sq km, a postage stamp and yet Bona Mugabe owns 12 farms big enough to fit Lesotho.
Every rural peasant must claim 1/2 sq km of land on which their homestead is built as their own. When your freedoms and rights are denied, you must claim them! Do so now and stake your claim by building a solid homestead fit for human habitation complete with clean water, toilets, 100 fruit trees and 1 000 indigenous trees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5DC7P0oJC4
@ Evangelist
The sheer stupidity of it all is sickening. Chamisa promised you a big win because he had plugged all vote rigging loop holes. Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections and SADC has helpless to deny Zanu PF legitimacy because CCC took up their gravy train seats and thus endorsing the elections were free and fair. CCC imploded soon after the election with the recalls.
Chamisa has since resigned from the party, the last straw that broke the camel's back, leaving Zanu PF to get a super majority and to do as he damn well pleased. Zimbabwe is in a chaotic and precarious political. And you are celebrating calling Chamisa “Chirinda matura Shumba ya mukori nezanu yake!”
This is no different from “Thanks to Comrade Napoleon, how sweet the water!” George Orwell wrote about in his book Animal Farm! I never imagined that Zimbabweans would be so shallow, thick and slow! Boy, we really are in serious trouble.
"@ Mujuru
"And izvi means kubvisa chiefs nema sabhuku as custodians. Basa re parliament."
The right to own property, land is the one thing many rural folk can own and value, is a birth right of every human being.
@ Mujuru
“I think I have, you went on to complain about tribal lands concurring neni.”
What Mugabe and Zanu PF have done since independence was to undermine the individual freedoms s and rights of the people to consolidate the regime’s iron grip on power.
There was nothing in the Lancaster House constitution that stopped Zanu PF putting an end to the foolishness of denying rural folk tittle deeds to say 1/2 sq km of land on which every homestead is built, for example. They did not for the same selfish political reasons Smith denied the title deeds - political control.
@ Mujuru
“You are correct asi kuti how one got the land should be a factor.
Council houses were given title deeds because hakuna izvo zvetraditional government yema chiefs. Land ye land reform is a none starter.”
Do you expect me to believe that Zanu PF has not granted even one rural peasant title deeds to 1/2 sq km of land in the last 43 years because the party was working out “how one got the land”. The same regime had no problems working out how Bona Mugabe and the rest of the ruling elite get over 30 000 sq km of land! What is the matter with you for Pete’s sake!
A source close to the Mugabe family told the BBC that the former president had nothing in his name when he died, although he received £10m from the state as part of his pension. The source also questioned whether Bona Mugabe owned all the assets listed by her former partner.
However, Zimbabweans have reacted with shock and outrage to the extent of the wealth allegedly accumulated by just one of Mr Mugabe's children.
Luxury vehicles, farming equipment and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were also mentioned in the divorce papers.
Some of the 21 farms were allegedly acquired by the Mugabe family during the contentious takeover of white-owned farms in the early 2000s, and despite the government's policy of "one-man one-farm".
Mr Chikore, who is also demanding joint custody of the couple's three children, says the assets were acquired solely and jointly during their marriage, through inheritance and donations from the late president for work carried out on his behalf.
He adds that the assets he has listed are a drop in the ocean, compared to the wealth Ms Mugabe owns outright.
Many Zimbabweans have been forced to buy land and build a house in the urban centres because that is the one area they could have title deeds. Some of the Zanu PF ruling elite have massed their fortunes from getting land for a song and then selling it to the ordinary Zimbabweans for s fortune.
So we are meant to believe that Mugabe did not even bother to have a will because he had nothing to give away. How convenient. It is believed that, on paper, the sprawling Blue Roof mansion was built and owned by the party Zanu PF. It was only after the November 2017 military coup that he wanted the title Deed in his family name!
The nation will never know the extend of the looting of the nation’s resources including land by Zanu PF ruling elite because this is a very devious regime. I can well believe that the 21 farms, mansions, luxury cars, etc. listed in Bona’s divorce paper are a drop in the ocean. And this in a country where millions are living in abject poverty!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65475901.amp
@ Seal
“NewsdzeZimbabwe: BONA,🤡SIMBA FIGHT OVER 21🔥FARMS, 25 UPMARKET PROPERTIES
https://www.newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk/2023/05/bona-simba-fight-over-21-farms-25.html?m=1"
According to Mujuru, the couple are in court fighting over the ownership of things neither of them own!
This just is the grandiose foolishness that has landed Zimbabwe in this mess and kept us there.
SADC, the AU and even our own ZHRC election observers have ruled that the 23 and 24 August 2023 Zimbabwe elections were flawed and illegal. Now we have a village idiot blaming the ordinary Zimbabweans for voting for Zanu PF. What choice did the people have if the elections were flawed and illegal?
The people have risked all to elect Nelson Chamisa et al into power for the express purpose they will implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one token democratic reform in these last 23 years, including 5 in the GNU. Worst of all, these sell out have been participating in flawed elections knowing fully well doing so would give Zanu PF legitimacy. They participated regardless out of greed, they knew Zanu PF would give away a few gravy train seats.
Fcuk me! Was it not Chamisa himself who conned the nation into participating in these flawed 2023 elections insisting CCC would win big because he had “plugged all the Zanu PF vote rigging loop holes”? “God is in it!” he said repeatedly. Of course, he was lying. He and his CCC friends were after the gravy train seats.
SADC would have been compelled to deny Zanu PF legitimacy given the damning regional body’s election observer team’s report. When CCC leaders accepted the few gravy train seats and thus endorsing the 2023 elections were free and fair; SADC could not contradict that by denying Zanu PF legitimacy.
It is Chamisa et al’s failure to implement reforms that has kept Zanu PF in power these last 23 years and to blame the ordinary people is the most pathetic thing anyone can do! Stop it! For heaven sake stop it!
MDC/CCC has failed to implement even one token reform in 23 years and hence the reason why Zanu PF has continued to rig elections with impunity. Was this the "visionary leadership" you are wittering about?
Chamisa and company will never implement the democratic reforms, they failed to do so during the GNU when the had the golden opportunity to do so. Without implementing reforms Zimbabwe will never cure herself of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance.
After 23 years of blundering from pillar to post foolishly believing one idiotic winning in rigged election strategy after another, we need to open our eyes and elect competent opposition who will implement the reforms! How long are we going to allow ourselves to be conned by these upstarts!
@ Darlington
MDC/CCC leaders have failed to implement even one reform in 23 years because they are corrupt and incompetent. Fools deny the truth hoping doing so will make a difference. After 43 years of rigged elections we need to deal with this problem and the answer is if CCC leaders cannot implement the reforms get others who will! To pretend Chamisa will implement the reform is foolish!
This proof of the cult mentality and/or that the people are so desperate for change they will vote for a monkey just to get Zanu PF out of office. Desperate people do desperate things and their failure to realise that Chamisa will never implement the reform and thus never stop Zanu PF rigging elections is a serious failure on their part because, like it or not, in their foolishness they are keeping Zanu PF in power.
@ Darlington
“No you should provide those that you think will be able to do it. You are one of the armchair critiques who offer no solution but just point at the "shortfalls" of others with no solution. Who do you want to provide you with leaders.”
It is not my failure to provide an alternative that has made you fail to accept that CCC leaders are corrupt and incompetent all these years. It is your ignorance and stupidity. You have never understood what the reforms are much less that CCC sold out big time in failing to implement even one reform in 23 years, including 5 in the GNU.
You are asking for a solution. A solution to what? You have never understood that your ignorance and stupidity is the number one problem. The solution is to educate and educating a village idiot is a serious challenge because one cannot reason with one who brain has ossified!
Do you know what the reforms are yourself? You are no different from the rest of your fellow fanatic herd friends; you have no clue what the reforms are and will never admit Chamisa and company are corrupt and incompetent!
@ Newshawk
Senior Army commanders fired after they are accused housing corruption.
Tisu is right, corruption is rampant and everyone is in it and you step out of line and all your corrupt activities are out in the open. The nation heard of Mai Mujuru's diamond looting when she was booted out of the party in 2014!
Zimbabweans have confidence and trust-ED as the President is transforming Zimbabwe’s economic sectors in line with best international practices.
If 96% of Zimbabweans want ED then why did he have to rig the elections last August only to get 52%?
In Zimbabwe the rural people are the poorest of the poor. The white colonial regime did not allow blacks to own land even the land on which their mud hut was built. All the land in the rural areas was owned by the tribe in trust hence the name Tribal Trust Lands.
Blacks were never allowed to have the confidence that they are settled, they always lived in fear of being asked to move and they were moved many times by the village head, chief and by the regime. Whites owned the land on which their house or business stood and would always borrow money to develop them and sell them as a going concern. Whites owned the farms with vast lands.
After independence Zanu PF kept the TTL policy because it too wanted to keep the masses poor for political reason. The rural area are Zanu PF strongholds for no other reason than that the party's operative are the landlord and the rural folk are nothing more than medieval serfs!
After 43 years of waiting to be granted title deed to the 1/2 sq km of land on which their homestead is built, the rural peasants must claim it as a birth right. Stake their claim by building a decent home complete with clean water and toilets. Bona Mugabe own 12 farms with over 30 000 sq km of land, asking for 1/2 sq km is not asking for too much!
As a people blacks have never slow in realising our basic freedoms and rights much less in demanding them. We are the down trodden because we have allowed others to ride roughshod over us!
Do not forget you participated in the flawed elections because you believed Chamisa's claim that he had plugged all the vote rigging loop holes and God was in it! I am not a village idiot to ever subscribe to such idiotic nonsense! "Waakuuya ku Blue!" if that was meant to be a compliment, I view it as an insult!
Some of the people are being evicted today have lived on the same area for 20 years. This is a regime that has thrived on fear and violence. Zanu PF rigged the 2023 elections and therefore knows that how these people voted last August. It is pay back time!
All those who were resettled by the regime are expected to vote for Zanu PF or they will be punished. Period!
All those who were resettled are given a piece of paper giving them the authority to settle and the piece of paper can be revoked by the regime if it so decide. The regime has been careful not to grant these people legally binding Title Deeds!
The regime has stubbornly refuse to grant rural area folk title deeds to even 1/2 sq km of land on which the peasants' homestead is built!
HUNDREDS of farmers and villagers in Mashonaland West province are facing eviction from the land they occupied on the strength of offer letters issued by politicians and lands officers during the chaotic land reform programme.
The situation is reportedly being replicated in all the country’s provinces amid reports that government officials and politicians had parcelled out the land for cash.
Government officials, who occupied lands offices then, and beneficiaries of the 99-year land leases, sold farmland to unsuspecting villagers, mostly former farm workers who found themselves homeless after their employers lost farms through the resettlement programme at the turn of the century.
Some of the people are being evicted today have lived on the same area for 20 years. This is a regime that has thrived on fear and violence. Zanu PF rigged the 2023 elections and therefore knows that how these people voted last August. It is pay back time!
All those who were resettled by the regime are expected to vote for Zanu PF or they will be punished. Period!
All those who were resettled are given a piece of paper giving them the authority to settle and the piece of paper can be revoked by the regime if it so decide. The regime has been careful not to grant these people legally binding Title Deeds!
The regime has stubbornly refuse to grant rural area folk title deeds to even 1/2 sq km of land on which the peasants' homestead is built!
In Zimbabwe the rural people are the poorest of the poor. The white colonial regime did not allow blacks to own land even the land on which their mud hut was built. All the land in the rural areas was owned by the tribe in trust hence the name Tribal Trust Lands.
Blacks were never allowed to have the confidence that they are settled, they always lived in fear of being asked to move and they were moved many times by the village head, chief and by the regime. Whites owned the land on which their house or business stood and would always borrow money to develop them and sell them as a going concern. Whites owned the farms with vast lands.
After independence Zanu PF kept the TTL policy because it too wanted to keep the masses poor for political reason. The rural area are Zanu PF strongholds for no other reason than that the party's operative are the landlord and the rural folk are nothing more than medieval serfs!
After 43 years of waiting to be granted title deed to the 1/2 sq km of land on which their homestead is built, the rural peasants must claim it as a birth right. Stake their claim by building a decent home complete with clean water and toilets. Bona Mugabe own 12 farms with over 30 000 sq km of land, asking for 1/2 sq km is not asking for too much!
As a people blacks have never slow in realising our basic freedoms and rights much less in demanding them. We are the down trodden because we have allowed others to ride roughshod over us!
Post a Comment