American are electing 47th President, it's free, fair and credible guaranteed for 250 years. We are not there yet! W Mukori

 Americans are voting for the country’s next president. He (if Trump wins) or she (if Harris win) will be the 47 th President of the United States of America. Ever since George Washington, first President of USA 1789 to 1797, the country has elected a president every four years, regular as clock work. And in all these nearly 250 years the Americans have gone to the polls assured of two things:

1. 1) First and foremost, that the elections are free, fair and credible and the result will be the democratic will of the American people

1. 2) Second but just as important, the electorate had the cast iron guarantee that if the elected officials fail the nation they, the people, can remove them from office and elect others. 

Ask any American what matters the most to them as they queue to vote and most will not even mention any one of the above two points. They have enjoyed these basic rights they are bound to take them for granted. Those of us from third world countries like Zimbabwe who have yet to hold free, fair and credible elections we talk of nothing else. 

Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies told the people in 1980 if the party did not win that year’s elections, the bush war would continue. Of course the people voted to end the war and Zanu PF set out to systematical corrupt the nation institutions to create a de facto one-party dictatorship.

The country has had many chances to implement democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best chance coming in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office and, in return, kicked the reforms out of the window! 

So 44 years after independence and in this day and age, Zimbabwe is stuck on first base unable to hold free, fair and credible elections for three basic reasons:

1. 1) Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF founding fathers have paid lip service to rally call of “One man, one vote!” They wanted absolute power for themselves and never ever wanted to risk losing that power by letting the people have a meaningful democratic vote including voting them out of office. 

1. 2) Zanu PF has rigged the elections these last 44 years or be it the last 24 years was with the connivence of MDC/CCC leaders. MDC/CCC leaders have not only paid lip service to implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, worse still they have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of incompetency and greed. 

1. 3) Zimbabwe’s political paralysis could have been avoided if the Zimbabwean electorate had not been so ignorant, naive and gullible. Chamisa conning millions of Zimbabweans to participate in last year’s flawed elections because they believed his idiotic lie of plugging all vote rigging loop holes. It was obvious this was just an idiotic lie.

The political system of democracy - government of the people, for the people and by the people - is a 2 500 year old Greek invention. The Americans adopted the system and it has delivered peace, justice and unparalleled economic prosperity. We, in Zimbabwe, are not being asked to reinvent the wheel only to adopt it and make it work for our own good. 44 years after independence, we are still failing to our first ever hold free, fair and credible elections.

“The Americans have flown to the Moon and back! And we are still struggling to cross the street!” remarked the late Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania. He was impressed by the Neil Alden Armstrong, American astronaut’s “One small step for man and one giant leap for mankind!” And he was equally disappointed at how Tanzania and many African countries were lagging behind and, in some cases, regressing. 

We, in Zimbabwe, are still failing to hold free, fair and credible elections because we are still failing to define what constitutes free and fair elections! For the last 15 years MDC/CCC leaders have conned their followers into believe the nation does not need free, fair and credible elections because they, the leaders, have devised strategies to win RIGGED elections. Talk of regressing!

To keep participating in flawed elections after 44 years of Zanu PF rigged elections is insane and MUST stop now! W Mukori

 Let us be clear on this one thing: Zimbabwe is a failed state, a pariah state, stuck with this corrupt, incompetent, tyrannical and vote rigging Zanu PF regime and its equally corrupt and useless MDC/CCC opposition side-kick.  After 44 years of rigged elections, we desperately need to put and end to this double curse of rigged elections and bad governance. 

In 2008 Professor Jonathan Moyo said Mugabe would lose that year’s elections to a donkey in that was the alternative on the ballot paper. He was right, he was underlining just how desperate the people were for change. Morgan Tsvangirai was the alternative on the ballot paper and he lost that elections and all subsequent elections to Mugabe. Chamisa has been losing similar elections to Mnangagwa. Why?

We all know the answer why; Zanu PF rigs elections!

The people of Zimbabwe have risked all to elect MDC/CCC leaders for one primary purpose and one only - to implement the necessary democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, as the party name implied Movement for Democratic Change. 

Alas, after 24 years on the political stage including the 5 years in the GNU, Chamisa and company have not only failed to implement even one token reform but worst of all they have been conning the people to participating in flawed elections because they, MDC/CCC leaders, have devised strategies of winning rigged elections.

In 2018 Chamisa told the people MDC A would  win the elections because the party “had stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.” Last year it was the same thing, CCC would win big because he “had plugged all the Zanu PF vote rigging loop holes. #Godisinit!” It was all bulls***t of course, because Zanu PF continued to blatantly rigged elections. 

And now “Revolutionary Greeting” Comrade Ngqabutho Mabhena, in his latest youtube video, is telling us the opposition can defeat vote rigging Zanu PF in 2028 if they have party structure! A donkey would defeat Mnangagwa or whoever is the regime’s candidate in 2028 IF the elections are free, fair and credible. The operative phrase is elections MUST BE free, fair and credible. The donkey will have no party structures nor would it need any! 

The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that millions of Zimbabweans believe these MDC/CCC idiotic lies of winning rigged elections strategies and participate in flawed elections only to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the curse of bad governance and the nation’s suffering.

After 44 years of Zanu PF rigged elections, the last 24 years of which with MDC/CCC connivence, we should have the common sense of focusing on implementing the reforms and end this madness of pretending we will ever have good governance from a vote rigging autocracy. We cannot make a silk purse our of a sower’s ear. 

If we want good governance then we must restore democracy and the rule of law and holding free, fair and credible elections is a key tenet of democracy and rule of law. The very idea the nation should hope to win rigged elections is itself preposterous because it accepts that Zanu PF has the right to disregard the rules and laws governing the conduct of elections, to rig elections!

Last year the idiotic lie to justify participating in flawed elections was “plugged all the vote rigging loop holes” in 2028 it is “we have party structures”.  How nauseating!

SABC's Mokoena accused of "lacking intellectual rigour" - for denouncing Zanu PF election interference. W Mukori

 Zanu PF propagandists and apologists are renowned for their shooting from the hip Dereck Goto’s latest epistle takes the biscuit. 

“If Sophie Mokoena is truly representative of the so-called "journalistic standards" at SABC, then it's no wonder people question the intellectual rigour of South African media as a whole,” Dereck opened his attack with scad missile, drowns, everything in the Bulawayo 24 artle.

“A woman in charge of an entire foreign desk at a national broadcaster yet incapable of basic critical thought is a glaring embarrassment. Instead of reporting on the news, she absurdly turns herself into the story! What kind of so-called journalist behaves in such an unprofessional manner?

“Yes, everyone knows journalists can be bought, but at least make an effort to disguise it. Mokoena's lack of subtlety in her bias is painfully obvious to anyone paying attention. Her open allegiance to Saviour Kasukuwere has turned her coverage into nothing but petty bitterness against Zanu-PF.

“Her approach to reporting on Zimbabwe is not only crude but utterly devoid of professionalism,” he finished.

Finished? You might well ask. Yes this was it! 

If you are going to accuse someone of bias, lacking intellectual rigour, etc., etc.; you should at least have the common sense to name even one example where Ms Mokoena was biased, lacked intellectual rigour, etc. The idiot did not name even one case much less provide the supporting evidence!  

Ms Mokoena’s SABC video commenting of the recent Botswana elections has gone viral. In the video she condemned Zanu PF’s blatant interference in Botswana and Mozambique’s elections. Of course, Ms Mokoena is right to condemn the interference. Goto did not dare deny Zanu PF interference because there is a mountain of evidence of Zimbabweans voting in Mozambique elections, for example. 

Mozambique is on fire right now, the opposition and their supporters are protesting against the election results, claiming the ruling party rigged. Every thinking Zimbabwean out there must be hanging his/her head in shame because we know Zanu PF played a role in the rigging!

It is bad enough that Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections, both SADC and AU elections observers condemned the process as flawed and illegal. It is totally unacceptable that the regime should be interfering in the election process in other countries. Kudus to Ms Mokoena and SABC for taking the lead in publicly denouncing Zanu PF for the regime’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe and for exporting the deadly practice to other countries. 

Zanu PF interfered in Mozambique and Botswana elections and it is nonsense to accuse Mokoena and SABC of lacking intellectual rigour for condemning the interference. But then, this is the typical knee-jerk reaction expected from the regime especially now when it cornered and has nowhere to hide! 

Zimbabwe's opposition hold Ideas Festival Conference, exact copy-cat of recent Zanu PF Conference down ti echo chamber. W Mukori

“A former Cabinet minister has condemned the Zimbabwean government and the ruling Zanu-PF party for their hostile stance towards opposition parties, labelling it a sign of immaturity and cowardice rather than revolutionary fervour. The remarks were made by Nkosana Moyo, former Minister of Industry and International Trade, during the ongoing Ideas Festival conference organized by Alpha Media Holdings,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Moyo highlighted Zimbabwe's troubling history of state-sponsored violence against opposition figures, where activists have faced persecution, imprisonment, and even death for opposing the ruling party. He emphasized the importance of respecting dissenting voices in a mature democracy.”

No one would ever deny that Zanu PF is a party of thugs who have denied Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and rights for the purpose of keeping an iron grip on power. Conference was a very good idea, it is a pity that it turned out to be an echo chamber. The delegates were telling each other what they wanted and so they learned nothing of substance.

One of the substantive issue Zimbabwe’s opposition should talk about is their weaknesses. The opposition had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, for example; they failed to implement even one token reform. It is nonsense to blame that failure on Zanu PF being a corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship. 

Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office; the E-Class Mercedes Benz limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, the US$ 4 million mansion for Save himself, etc., etc. In return, the MDC leaders forgot about implementing the reforms.

The world looks different from the rose-tinted windows of an air-conditioned limousine!

“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the trappings of high office; they will never rock the boat!) Boasted Zanu PF cronies during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the all important democratic reforms. 

Mugabe knew Tsvangirai and company’s weaknesses, that they were corrupt and incompetent, and he exploited these weakness for his own political advantage. 

Ever since the GNU debacle, Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. They knew Zanu PF was offering a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate no matter how flawed and illegal the process got. Chamisa and company have found the bait irresistible! 

It is not as if the opposition leaders do not know they are corrupt and incompetent; of course, they know that. A few of the leaders have admitted it although even they have been on guard not to reap it.

“The (2013) 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,” confessed David Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

The truth is Zimbabwe’s crop of opposition leaders are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless and, to crown it all, lack the intellectual maturity to admit their own weaknesses much less to do something about it.

“Chamisa and his CCC party are Zanu PF Team B in all but name!” remarked social media activist, Brett  muVeti. Of course, Brett was spot on. MDC/CCC leaders have been participating in flawed elections to make sure Zanu PF team A wins and it has political legitimacy.

"We have not yet matured to a point where we understand the value of opposition," said Nkosana Moyo in the echo chamber. "When you've got somebody who disagrees with you, if you are a mature person, you listen very carefully to what they say, because they see things from a different perspective from you. You don't kill them.”

No, Dr Moyo, you have got it all wrong! Mnangagwa, just like Mugabe before him, appreciates how useful a corrupt and incompetent opposition is to Zanu PF’s agenda of returning political power at all costs. Mnangagwa created POLAD for the purpose of rewarding these opposition leaders who had failed to win any gravy train seats in the 2018 elections and thus keep opposition pot boiling.

Yes Mnangagwa has roughed up Chamisa and company every now and then, after all he is a ruffian, but he will never kill them off. Even a buffoon like Mnangagwa knows that Zanu PF is still in power today precisely because Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders are among the most corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless in human history! Why would he kill off Zanu PF team B!