Yet more "think-tanks" confirm Zanu PF is rigging 2023 but again none dare advise CCC postpone elections until reforms P Guramatunhu

 The evidence that Zanu PF is rigging these by-elections and the upcoming 2023 elections is mounting.

“Local think-tank Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) and election watchdogs - Election Resource Centre (ERC) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) - yesterday described the run-up to next week's by-elections and next year's general elections as heavily manipulated in favour of Zanu-PF, with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) reportedly ‘placed at the epicentre of the electoral manipulation machinery’,” reported News Day.

"For example, Bulawayo, an opposition dominated province, has been allocated 152 voter registration centres while the Zanu-PF stronghold Midlands province was allocated 354 voter registration centres. It should be noted that the opposition got 11 parliamentary seats while Zanu-PF got zero seats in Bulawayo in the 2018 election whereas, in Midlands Zanu-PF got 22 seats while the opposition got six seats. When ZEC increased voter registration …there is no doubt that it deliberately aimed at enabling more Zanu-PF supporters to register while suppressing registration of opposition supporters," quoting the ZDI report.

"The ruling Zanu-PF party, using its control in government, is creating an uneven environment ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections. By denying aid to people who do not support Zanu-PF, the goal is to abuse the people's vulnerability for political gain, which is unfortunate and against the law. In addition to politicising aid, Zanu-PF politicians in Mashonaland Central province held meetings where they issued threats to villagers who did not support the party," reported Zimbabwe Peace Project.

"Like always, President Emmerson Mnangagwa's party, Zanu-PF takes a lead in human rights violations recorded this month at 41% and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, which is under his command as the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, comes second after contributing to 37% of human rights violations recorded in February 2022."

Team Pachedu, another local group specialising in voters’ roll analysis revealed that ZEC had illegally transferring about 170 000 voters from their original constituencies and wards in the voters' roll to be used for the March 26 by-elections.

There is no denying that Zanu PF is rigging these elections. What has been lacking is the answer to; what to do about it?

Nelson Chamisa is calling for a press conference tomorrow 16 March 12.30 at the Media Centre to “demand electoral reforms”.  Of course, Zanu PF is used to these MDC/CCC demands and will rightly ignore. Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to deal with the problem of rigged elections during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and it was none other than MDC leaders who wasted that opportunity.  

Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections were a watershed in that we learned the extend of the political rot in Zimbabwe. Both SADC and AU, who had turned a blind eye to Zanu PF rigged elections in the past, refused to rubber stamp the 2008 election results and to recognise Zanu PF as the legitimate government. SADC forced Zanu PF to agree to democratic reforms to stop the repeat of the 2008 blatant cheating and wanton violence.

It is a great national tragedy that not even one meaningful reform was implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders advised that the 2013 elections should be postpone until reforms are implemented but their advice fell on deaf ears, Zimbabweans would not listen.

It is nonsensical that Chamisa and his MDC friends should be “demanding reforms” when they were in the GNU themselves and should have implemented the reforms if they had not sold out!

MDC/CCC are participated in these flawed 2013 elections and all other elections since for the same reason they failed to implement even one reform during the GNU – greed. By participating in the elections MDC/CCC are giving credibility to the flawed process and legitimacy to the regime.

What is really infuriating in all this is that MDC/CCC leaders know that they are selling out, as David Coltart readily admitted in his book.

“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,” wrote Coltart.

“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.”

The MDC/CCC leaders have continue to sell out to this day knowing they will get away with it because most Zimbabweans out there have no clue was the GNU was about much less that MDC leaders sold out big time. And so, MDC/CCC continue to enjoy public support with Chamisa even becoming something of a cult leader!

As we can see, Zanu PF is rigging these elections and many Zimbabweans believe the CCC nonsense of “winning (Zanu PF) rigged elections!” Of course, it is an oxymoron! Of course, it is insane, especially after 42 years of rigged elections!   

It is both ironic and tragic that all these organisations ZDI, ERC, ZESN, ZPP, Team Pachedu, etc. have all come to the same conclusion that Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections and yet none of them had guts to do what SADC leaders did in 2013 - advise that elections must be postponed until reforms are implemented. They all know that Nelson Chamisa and co are hell bent on participating and they will not dare speak truth to power even when the very survival of the nation is at stake.

ZDI a “local think-tank!” Yeah right! Thinking is not exactly a virtue one would associate with a “sink-tank” or insanity!

Every thinking Zimbabwean out there – clearly there cannot be that many – must be hanging his/her head in shame. Zimbabwe is not just a failed state but has become the text-book case of a nation that has completely failed to govern itself because we cannot think. We have blundered from pillar to post, we have no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections; in this day and age! Simply unbelievable! 

"Don't interfere in our internal affairs" diplomats warned - worst interference is SADC rubber stamping rigged elections P Guramatunhu

 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa warned the 50 diplomatic headers accredited to Zimbabwe not to meddle in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

“As we begin yet another year in our relations, I challenge you, the diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe, to look through the lenses of possibilities and focus on those matters which unite us, as opposed to our areas of differences. It is most unfortunate, however, that as Zimbabwe prepares for the 2023 harmonised elections, some forces are already seeking to influence the national discourse and destabilise the peace and stability we are enjoying as a country,” said Mnangagwa.

“Sadly, this is not new to us and is part of the decades-old regime change agenda. Those of you who may be inclined to perpetuating this blatant interference in the internal affairs of our country are urged to introspect and stop this unbecoming practice. Let the people of Zimbabwe enjoy their unfettered right to choose their leadership. It is our democratic rights, a right which we fought for, and a right which we will protect, respect and uphold to the letter.”

The Zanu-PF government has on several occasions accused Western powers, particularly the United States and Britain of funding opposition parties to pursue a regime change agenda.

The really infuriating thing is that Zanu PF has ruthlessly denied the ordinary Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. The people’s cry for free, fair and credible elections have been ignore under the pretext that no ordinary Zimbabwean want that only foreigners and their local puppets seeking regime changed wanted free elections.

For the first time ever in the country’s history both SADC and AU refused to rubber stamp the 2008 Zimbabwe elections as a free and fair process and thus forcing Zanu PF to accept the need to implement a raft of democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

Sadly, the task of implementing the reforms were given to the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. They sold out and failed to implement even one reform in five years.

SADC proposed that the 2013 elections should be postponed to allow the reforms to be implemented. SADC leaders told Tsvangirai and company to their faces; “If you participate in next month’s elections, you will lose. The elections are done!” MDC leaders ignored the advice. And SADC leaders have since given up on getting Zimbabwe back on a democratic path.

Zimbabwe’s worsening economic and political situation has made the country unstable and now threatens to drag the rest of the region into the abyss. SADC leaders have no choice but to sit up and try find a solution to Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess.

Zanu PF has rigged Zimbabwe elections starting with the 1980 when the party made it clear the bush war would continue if the party lost the plebiscite. Except for the 2008 elections SADC and AU have turned a blind eye to the rigging and rubber stamped the results giving Zanu PF legitimacy. This constitutes interference in the internal affairs of the country is the most negative way possible by helping to perpetuate the culture of rigged elections and bad governance.

Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections – the regime is refusing to produce a verified voters’ roll, it has denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, the wanton violence of 2008 is back, etc., etc. The long suffering people of Zimbabwe are asking SADC leaders to call out the real 2023 election results based on the observed evidence, for a change – that is not too much to ask.

Pachedu condemn failure to produce verified voters' roll but not CCC for participating in flawed elections N Garikai

 

A few weeks ago, Team Pachedu, a group of IT savvy Zimbabweans, revealed some pretty shocking irregularities and illegalities such as the transfer of some voters from one Polling Station to another although the individual physical address had not changed.

It took some IT expertise to extract the irregularities and illegalities the raw voters’ roll data Team Pachedu had received from ZEC. It should be noted that ZEC has never ever produced a verified voters’ roll in the country’s 42 years since independence. And ZEC has never ever produced a voters’ roll in the format suitable for analysis and auditing although this is a legal requirement.

The European Union had a 246 strong team of election observers for the 2018 Zimbabwe elections. The team was not impressed with ZEC’s conduct of the elections.

“The electoral commission (ZEC) lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards,” state the EU Observer Mission final report.

Team Pachedu’s findings was the smoking gun the EU Observer Mission report lacked!

ZEC was clearly surprise at the detailed revelations uncovered by Team Pachedu and the commission’s knee-jerk reaction was to discredit Team Pachedu.

“We would like to put it on record that Team Pachedu has, indeed, submitted our concerns to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and it has not responded,” said Team Pachedu in a statement.

“We have also personally sent it requests for various information which it has ignored. (We had asked for a full list of candidates from the January 26 nomination court, as well as a full list of accredited observers for the March 26 by-elections). ZEC has not responded to our request.

“ZEC’s claim that it is only accountable to Parliament is also false. The Electoral Act requires ZEC to keep voters and the general public informed.

“One such way to do that is to gazette any changes it makes to the voters roll which have not expressly been requested by the voter.

“ZEC has never gazetted a list of the changes it made.”

ZEC has since fired most of its IT personal. They will be replaced by the Israel NIKUV vote rigging experts or some such experts.

Team Pachedu will find it very difficult to get any voters’ roll data from ZEC and even if they get any data, it will be near impossible to decipher.

ZEC is obliged by law to produce a verified voters’ roll but we can be 100% certain that, once again, ZEC will not produce one. We can also be 100% certain that Zanu PF is rigging these elections.

Ironically, we are also 100% certain that the MDC/CCC will participate in the 2023 elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF is rigging the elections and that by participating they are giving Zanu PF legitimacy. Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends are participating for the same reason they did not implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the golden opportunity to do so – greed.

Robert Mugabe bribed Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends with the trappings of high office they forgot about implementing reforms. “Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life; they will never rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms during the GNU.

Zanu PF has since learned that the MDC/CCC will participate in the elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy regardless how flawed the process got as long as they are assured of winning a few gravy train seats. Since the 2018 elections Mnangagwa has sweetened the bribe by offering all presidential race candidates additional perks and benefit if they joined POLAD.

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," Nelson Chamisa assured his 40 000 strong supporters in Gweru last weekend.

Before the 2018 elections Chamisa made a similar claim. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections” he said in Mutare. It was all just hot air as Zanu PF blatantly rigged that election. Likewise, Zanu PF is rigging these 2023 elections.

As much as Team Pachedu would want 2023 elections to be free, fair and credible; to have a clean and verified voters’ roll, at least; it is clear that will never happen when ZEC is ignoring request and legal obligation to gazette voters’ roll changes, produce a verified voters’ roll, etc. Team Pachedu know that Zanu PF is rigging these elections and they also know that Nelson Chamisa and company are determined to participate in these elections regardless hence the reason why Team Pachedu have questioned ZEC’s refusal to produce verified voters’ roll but will not question CCC’s folly in insisting in participating in the flawed elections.

"Zanu PF will not rigged 2023 elections" 40 000 in Gweru believed it - proof we are still a naive lot W Mukori

 

Mankind is supposed to be a creature of reason, of rational behaviour and can think. In Zimbabwe many of us have taken leave of their senses and rational thinking and hence the reason the country has blundered from pillar to post these last 42 years!

Ask anyone of the 40 000 Zimbabweans who attended Nelson Chamisa’s CCC Mkoba rally in Gweru, for example, what changes they expected from Chamisa and each would have produce a list a mile long. With the economy in total meltdown, unemployment rates a nauseating 90%, basic services such as education and health care all but collapse, etc.; the wish list is bound to be long!   

The rally attendees know that before Chamisa can attend to their problems, he must first wrestle political power from Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling party, Zanu PF party - something the opposition have so far failed to do.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders (the forerunner of CCC before Chamisa changed the party name and colours in January 2022) on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. MDC, Movement for Democratic Change, as the party name implied was supposed to deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for.

Sadly, after 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement even one token democratic change. Not a sausage!  

Ask anyone of those CCC rally attendees to name just one democratic change the party has brought in the last 22 years, and you will be greeted with thousands upon thousands of blank faces. The blank faces are an echo of the empty heads!

However, if one was to ask the 40 000 rally attendees to name just one change MDC had delivered in the last 22 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Not even one would answer because there is not even one meaningful change MDC have delivered. 40 000 blank faces a reflection of the empty head!

At all these CCC rallies Nelson Chamisa has made the usual empty promises of fixing the nation’s economic and political problems including the all important and critical problem of stopping Zanu PF rigging the elections.

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," Nelson Chamisa told the 40 000 attending the rally in Gweru.

An empty promise, since Zanu PF has already decreed the regime will deny three million plus Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, for example. Chamisa was not doing anything to avert that one.

In September 2018 President Mnangagwa announced that Zimbabweans in the diaspora would finally have the vote they had been campaigning for decades. Sadly, this was just one of the many promises he has made but failed to honour since taking over from late Robert Mugabe in the November 2017 military coup.

The willingness of thousands of CCC supporters to believe Nelson Chamisa would solve the myriad of their problems, no questions asked, even when MDC has failed to implement even one token political reform in 22 years; is at the very heart of why Zimbabwe is in this economic mess and political paralysis. The failure to cross examine Chamisa and company’s pathetic record of corruption and incompetence shows the people themselves have, at best, a superficial understanding of the big issues of quality leadership, free and fair elections, good governance, etc.

There is no denying Zimbabwe is a failed state; 42 years of economic decline and political paralysis - for neither the ruling party nor the multitude of opposition parties have a clue what is going on much less how to get the country out of this mess – would testify to that.

We are in this mess because the ordinary Zimbabweans themselves have allowed this sorry state of affairs to prevail all these years by their failure to think and asset their rights to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.  

Zimbabwe was not doomed to end up as the failed state we are today. Whilst we remain the naïve and gullible people who will believe Chamisa’s word that Zanu PF will not rig the elections even all the evidence points to the contrary, for example; we will remain a failed state. Real change, from a failed state to a healthy and functioning democracy, will come after the metaphoric transformation from a naïve and gullible people to a thinking and question citizen.  

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging" claims Chamisa - enough nauseating nonsense. let's implement reforms P Guramatunhu

 

When I heard Nelson Chamisa tell the 40 000 of his supporters in Gweru on Sunday that he will stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, I felt sick! I have heard the same promised before and knew then as I know now that it is all lies!

"This time I assure you, there will be no rigging, I now have eyes in ZEC, I am being briefed about their every move and even if they want to rig, we will know in advance and act to avert it," said Nelson Chamisa in Gweru.

Zimbabwe’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is at the very heart of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess because the nation has been stuck with the vote rigging, corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime for 42 years and counting. And as long as Zanu PF retains its carte blanche power to rig elections, as graphically exercised in the watershed 2008 elections, there will be no meaningful political change in Zimbabwe.

SADC leaders refused to recognise Zanu PF’s election victory after the blatant cheating and wanton violence in the 2008 elections. The regional leaders forced Robert Mugabe to accept the need for implementing a raft of democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers, a prerequisite for free, fair and credible elections.

The task of implementing the reforms were entrusted to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends, including Nelson Chamisa and most of his CCC leaders. Sadly, MDC leaders not only failed to implement even one token democratic reform during the five years of the GNU but worse still have insisted on participating in the flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy.

In 2018 Nelson Chamisa insisted in participating in the elections against all advice not to until the democratic reforms are implemented. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he claimed. Everyone knew he was lying and, as expected, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.

What is so, so frustrating is that not only is Zimbabwe still stuck with the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship but to add insult to injury, it is MDC/CCC leaders who not only sold out on reforms but are now giving Zanu PF legitimacy by insisting on participating in flawed elections. The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC/CCC into power to implement reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship not to foil reforms and perpetuate the dictatorship!

The very idea of “winning rigged elections”, especially Zanu PF rigged elections given the party’s carte blanche powers, is an oxymoron. After 42 years of rigged elections, the nation should just bite the bullet and implement the democratic reforms.

Just because MDC/CCC have turned out corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent and hence failed to get even one reform implemented does not meaning no one else can do it! Until we implement the reforms to ensure free and fair elections; Zimbabwe is not going to get out of the political and economic mess Zanu PF landed us in.

"SADC must act to stop repeat of 2008 bloodshed!" pleaded Chamisa - MDC greed is back to haunt him and us too W Mukori

“You never want to do anything that you don't want your mother to see, because it will haunt you and eventually come back to bite you!” advised the TV personality and author, Kimora Lee Simmons. Advice that served the late Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC cum CCC friends the trials and tribulations of the past coming back to haunt them.

Zanu PF’s blatant cheating and, worse still, the wanton violence of 2008 Zimbabwe elections should have been dealt with during the 2008 to 2013 Government of National Unity (GNU). SADC leaders played the motherly role of forcing Zanu PF to sign the 2008 Global Political Agreement, agreeing to the need for Zimbabwe to implement the raft of democratic reforms to ensure cheating and wanton violence would not the repeated ever again.

The task of implementing the reforms was left to Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. Credit where credit is due, SADC leaders notably SA’s Lindiwe Zulu, did their best to remind the MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms throughout the GNU but were ignored.

When it became clear that Zimbabwe was going into the 2013 elections with not meaningful reforms in place, SADC leaders stepped in and tried to have the elections postpone.

“In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed – the SADC summit. I went there,” Dr Ibbo Mandaza told Journalist Violet Gonda.

“I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws.

“And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told ‘if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the (2013) elections are done’.”

As we know MDC leaders ignored the last plea by the SADC leaders just as they had ignored the advice to implement the reforms. Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the 2013 elections, as SADC leaders had feared would happen.

Again, MDC leaders have ignored the call to implement the reforms before holding the 2018 elections. As expected, Zanu PF again blatantly rigged the 2018 elections too.

In the 2013 and 2018 elections, Zanu PF was fairly confident of winning these elections.

However, Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation has left the country’s basic services such as education and health care in total collapse and millions are now living in abject poverty. The people are desperate for change and Zanu PF is definitely feeling the political pressure for change. And Zanu PF’s response is to step up the blatant cheating and wanton violence to the same levels as 2008 or worse.   

MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and stop Zanu rigging elections; they wasted the opportunity. And now the blatant cheating and wanton violence is back to haunt the nation!

“It is now a political tinderbox, the political situation in the country is worsening, the dark cloud has once again formed and you can see the whole purpose is intended to plunge the country into bloodshed, vulnerability, incessant instability and of course that paves way for those who would want to raid state coffers and those who would want corruption to thrive,” admitted Nelson Chamisa, the leader of CCC following the wanton violence in Midlands over the weekend.

The Police had used teargas and water-cannon to disrupt the CCC rally on Saturday. The following day CCC supporters were attached with stones and machetes. Two people were killed, and several were seriously injured.

“They (Zanu PF) wanted bloodshed and I was informed prior that they wanted to do this. I am reliably informed that the police were aware.

“We cannot have a repeat of 2008. We cannot have a repeat of the scenes we have seen in the region where there is instability. To our church, I urge you to pray so that we don’t have the demon of violence does not engulf our country. We don’t want bloodshed.”

Chamisa also called for the African Union (AU) and SADC to “immediately act before Zimbabwe is plunged into bloodshed”! He did not say what exactly he wanted SADC to do.

Indeed, what can SADC leaders do; given MDC/CCC leaders are not exactly the repented prodigal son.

What SADC leaders can do, is repeat the sound advice they gave MDC leaders in 2013: postpone the 2023 elections until democratic reforms are implemented to stop the cheating and violence. This is the advice MDC leaders did not want to hear back in 2013 and don’t want to hear now for the same reason – greed.

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, David Coltart, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, readily admitted that boycotting the elections, as SADC leaders had advised, was the “obvious” solution. He confessed that greed had trumped reason!.

“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,” wrote Senator Coltart.

“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.”

For the record, four of the main MDC factions joined three other parties to form the MDC Alliance (MDC A) before the 2018 elections; they went on to participate in the elections, the possibility of boycotting the elections was never even mentioned. The rump of the MDC A has gone on to form CCC and everyone is determined to participate in the 2023 elections and will not listen to any talk of boycotting the elections for the same reason as before – greed.

As Coltart rightly pointed out, by participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders were undermining SADC leaders’ ability to pressure Zanu PF to implement the reforms and stop the curse of rigged elections. By participating in the flawed elections MDC leaders were giving “credibility” to the flawed process and thus legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF.

“SADC must act immediately before Zimbabwe is plunged into bloodshed!” What can SADC leaders do to force CCC leaders to stop participating in the flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy?

What can SADC leaders do to team Chamisa and company’s greed? Chamisa and company’s greed has come back to haunt CCC and us all! 

CCC "using mistakes to shape future" a metaphor for oxymoronic "winning Zanu PF rigged elections"! W Mukori

The Greek Athenians went the extra mile to ensure the City State’s citizens were well educated and informed as the only sure way for democracy – the government of the people, by the people and for the people – to work. The Athenians embraced freedom of expression, encouraged the people to ask questions and to think for themselves as a way of acquiring knowledge.

After 42 years of independence Zimbabwe is blundering for pillar to post, we are a failed state, and our democratic experiment is going nowhere. Ignorance instead of knowledge rules the roost!

“For past 22 years, the journey and struggle for democracy has not been easy. We have fallen in the process as well as erred on a number of occasions. We made mistakes collectively, myself included, and it’s high time we acknowledged that; use mistakes to shape future,” commented Dr Thokozani Khupe in Zimlive.

Ignorance does rule the roost, indeed, and no wonder the country is in a real mess! The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect madam Khupe and her fellow MDC leaders into power for the express purpose of implementing democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. In the 22 years, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC leaders have failed to implement even one token reform.

During the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms; Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trapping of the gravy train lifestyle, the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough the MDC leaders failed to implement even one token reform in five years!

Of course, MDC leaders sold-out big time by failing to implement even one reform during the GNU. Worse still they have continued to sell out to this day by participating in flawed elections giving Zanu PF legitimacy for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF was offering to entice them to participate.

“Mistake!” How can the deliberate and calculated betrayal of the people’s cause of implementing reforms to secure free, fair and credible elections for selfish gain – a share of the spoils of power – be dismissed as merely a mistake?    

Indeed, madam Khupe and her MDC/CCC accept they made mistakes because they cannot deny the reality of the ground; that they cannot name even one meaningful reform they have implemented in 22 years, for example. Acknowledging the reality of one is lost does not necessarily mean one knows where they are much less now knows where they are going.

After the debacle of the GNU sell-out, in their ignorance Madam Khupe and her fellow MDC/CCC colleagues have been compounding the sell-out by participating in the flawed and illegal elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuate the dictatorship. “Use mistakes to shape future!” as she unwittingly and yet ironically put it!

The people of Zimbabwe had risked life and limb to elect the MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 22 years of MDC on the political stage, the Zanu PF dictatorship is still firmly in position or be it their now have a junior partner.

Zimbabwe is stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical political system that has destroyed the country’s economy forcing millions to live and die in abject poverty. Stuck for 42 years and counting because Zanu PF rigs elections to stay in power.

On the one hand, we have Zanu PF whose track record is so bad party will never win a free, fair and credible elections and so has no choice but to rig elections. On the other hand is MDC/CCC whom the nation had entrusted the task of implementing the reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. They had not only wasted the many golden opportunities to implement reforms but are now participating in flawed elections for the share of the spoils of power.

As the senior partner in this political marriage of convenience Zanu PF and want to retain absolute power at all cost and MDC are fighting for as many scraps as they can wrestle from Zanu PF. Both parties do not care that the culture of political violence has stifled only debate and democratic competition – the prerequisite for sound policies and good governance – and, worse still, is causing untold human suffering and deaths.

2 500 years after the Greeks civilization gave mankind democracy, government of the people, by the people for the people, as the answer to the age-old question of best a society, nation, etc. can self-govern. We are not asked to reinvent the wheel; only to adopt it for our own benefit. It is most disheartening that we have proven to be so incompetent and inapt we cannot even hold free, fair and credible elections.

Zanu PF has failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters roll, blatant cheating and wanton violence have become the norm, etc. and yet the regime maintains the elections are free, fair and credible. The MDC/CCC has participated in the flawed elections out of greed telling its ill-informed followers they have “winning in rigged elections strategies”!

It is insane that 42 years after independence, 2 500 after the Greeks, we are still dragging ourselves through what can only be described as a mockery of a democratic elections. This is the equivalent of one using a triangle in place of the circular wheel! When are we ever going to come to our sense and finally get it right and implement the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections?