"Chamisa has a sold plan". Yeah! To impose CCC in the new GNU and guarantee another reform failure. W Mukori

 “Chamisa has a solid plan!” read the Bulawayo 24 headline!

If each one of Chamisa’s “solid plans” was a brick then one would have built by now a pyramid of solid brick ten kilometres square and ten kilometres high! Higher than Mount Everest!

“Behind the scenes, SADC is reportedly deeply involved in addressing the post-election crisis in Zimbabwe through diplomatic efforts, as the crisis has divided both the nation and the region, drawing international attention,” continued the report.

“Chamisa, in a post on X formerly Twitter, suggested that CCC was making diplomatic progress and had temporarily set aside a court challenge in favour of pursuing change through negotiations.

"A new hope for Zimbabwe…Fellow citizens, your victory cannot be denied or delayed. It is sealed and guaranteed. The season of the new is upon us. Zimbabwe shall be known as a blessed nation with a delightful and great people! #Godisinit Joel 2:12-29 Blessed Sabbath," Chamisa posted on Saturday.

"When you know the full script, you don't panic! It will all end in unprecedented joy and celebration! We have a solid plan, not on their terms but on our terms! And they know it!" 

Chamisa has “a solid plan and God is in it!” Yeah right!

Do not bother to ask what is the plan because even he does not know the plan. 

He does not know the plan; so how does he know it is solid? It is all part and parcel of all that “God is in it!” spiritualism and “strategic ambiguity” mysticism stuff! 

As for all these Biblical verses; any one, even the Devil himself, can quote from the Holy Bible. Only village idiots are bowled over and fooled by the quotations and mirage promises again and again and again.

Chamisa has completely abandoned the Court Challenge of the 23 August 2023 elections results; not temporary (he had a week from the 28 August to file his challenge and so has missed the deadline); because he did not have all the V11 forms to back his claim of winning the elections. The solid plan to win big was just a lie. 

Zimbabweans are banking their hopes for change on SADC and AU standing firm behind their respective election observer teams’ reports that dismissed the 23 August 2023 elections as a sham that could not produce a legitimate result. This Mnangagwa Zanu PF government is illegitimate and must step down to allow the formation of an interim administration. 

The primary task of this interim administration must be to implement the democratic reforms and end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance. This was the number one task of the 2008 to 2013 GNU too but,  as we know, failed to implement even one reforms hence the reason we are still having rigged elections.

Chamisa’s solid plan is to muscle in and claim SADC are carrying out HIS plan and he wants to lead the new GNU. He has hit the ground running mobilising his own base in Zimbabwe and abroad and lobbying the SADC leaders. 

Zimbabwe wasted the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms created in the last GNU, the nation cannot afford to waste the second opportunity this new GNU is creating by appointing individuals we already know will never implement ALL the reforms. Both Zanu PF and CCC failed to implement even one reform last time, it is naive, to say the least, to think they will do so now.

Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess because Zanu PF and CCC leaders have betrayed the nation by imposing this corrupt and dysfunctional system of government these last 43 and 23 years respectively. They had the chance to redeem themselves by implementing the reforms during the last GNU; they failed to implement even one reform. If that does NOT disqualify Zanu PF and CCC leaders from playing any role in the new GNU then I don’t what will!

Both Zanu PF and CCC will do everything in their power to make sure they play leading roles in the new GNU. It is for the people of Zimbabwe to stand up and firmly reject those all attempts to hold the nation to ransom! 

Predicted SADC Troika meeting to deny Zanu PF legitimacy did not happened. Desperately need it to happen a.s.a.p. W Mukori

 “SADC Troika meeting: Did Ibbo Mandaza's prediction fail again?” commented Dereck Goto on X

“The SADC Troika meeting, which was "scheduled" for the just-ended week, did not take place. This is despite the prediction of Ibbo, a Zimbabwean political activist, that it would.”

The regional body was supposed to meet and endorse the SADC Election Observer Mission’s (SEOM) report that condemned Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections as flawed and illegal, so flawed the process could not produce a legitimate result. The regional body would therefore deny the Zanu PF government in Harare political legitimacy. 

“It is unclear why some people continue to believe Ibbo's predictions. It is possible that they do so out of respect for his old age or because they share his political views,” continued Dereck.

The 23 August 2023 elections were flawed and illegal, that is a historic fact. Zimbabwe is a failed state with all the economic, social, political and tragic human suffering that entails precisely because we have failed to hold free, fair and credible elections all these last 43 years. This means the curse of rigged elections is a very serious matter and what SADC is going to do next a matter of great importance to us all and not just Dr Ibbo Mandaza and a select few.

Why SADC has not convened the meeting to decide on Zimbabwe’s flawed 2023 election, it is now over three weeks since the 25 August 2023 SEOM damning report, is worrying us all.

Let’s be brutally honest here; any one who knows anything about SADC and AU will tell you these are very weak and indecisive organisations. They are consensus organisations meaning they are as strong as their weakest link and we all know most African countries are weak and feeble. 

The very fact that SADC and the AU election observer teams came up with a strong report condemning Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections was a surprise to all and sundry not because the reports said the election was flawed and illegal; we all knew that. The surprise was the teams dared to say the obvious. In the past election teams have glossed over and turned a blind eye to the vote rigging. 

Now that the election was condemned it will be very hard for both SADC and AU to grant Zanu PF political legitimacy. It is possible that both organisation are developing cold feet and are looking at how they can grant Zanu PF legitimacy without losing face - not that they have much to lose, with a reputation is not worth the spit!

Still, we have to make the most of what we have. If you have lemons make lemonade and stop wishing you had oranges.

Both SADC and AU did Zimbabwe a great favour by condemning the 23 August 2023 elections as a farce; they were a farce. We, the people of Zimbabwe, must give SADC and AU our heartfelt pam-pam applause for standing up to the Zanu PF tyrants and telling them some home truths for a change. 

We must now stand up and be counted in support of SADC and AU following through with their reports and get the regime to step down and give the nation a chance to finally implement the democratic reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. 

As a nation, we must put our hands up and admit we have let ourselves down badly more than SADC and AU has done. We are our own worst enemy. It is a crying shame that the 2008 to 2013 GNU, for example, failed to get even one token democratic reform implemented. It was all Zanu PF and MDC leaders’ fault, especially the latter, and yet to this day some Zimbabweans blame SADC for it!

SADC has created a golden opportunity for a new GNU and a chance to implement the democratic reforms. Let’s be grateful for that and make sure we do not waste this chance too!

Mnangagwa has no political and, with no competent cabinet, no performance legitimacy too! W Mukori

 “As I said last week, stealing elections through all manner of rigging before and after the polling day itself would have been ignored by the business and investor communities if Mnangagwa had appointed a craft competent cabinet,” argued Hopewell Chin’ono.

“That opportunity of salvaging any form of credibility is now gone through the window after Mnangagwa appointed the worst ever cabinet in Zimbabwe’s living memory.

“There are two types of legitimacy in global politics and business, there is Political and Performance legitimacy.

“Political legitimacy is derived from elections and Performance legitimacy is derived from a craft competent cabinet and administration.

“Countries like China and Qatar don’t even hold elections, but they cover up with Performance legitimacy.”

To expect Emmerson Mnangagwa to appoint “a craft competent cabinet and administration” would be unrealistic. He himself is not competent and I will be hard pressed to name one competent Zanu PF leader in the last 43 years. Just one!  

Mnangagwa himself have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that he is corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. He has held very senior government positions for the last 43 years for one main reason - he is a ruthless thugs whom Mugabe, a ruthless thugs himself, found very useful to establish and retain a de facto one party state. 

Mugabe surrounded himself with buffoons like Mnangagwa who did not have any common sense much less political and business sense and Zimbabwe’s fate as a failed state was sealed. Mnangagwa has carried on from where Mugabe left off dragging the nation deeper and deeper into the economic and political abyss.

Zimbabwe has suffered the misfortune of the double whammy of a none perform regime and, to add insult to injury, was stuck with it. Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980, 43 year and counting of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical oppression has all but destroyed the nation’s economy and democratic state institutions. 

Before independence Zimbabwe was the bread-basket of the region. Mugabe seized the farms to give them to his Zanu PF cronies mostly. The last two decades Zimbabwe has relied on imported food aid every two or three years. The nation is starving in a country that is, for all practical purposes,  the Garden of Eden.  A damning testimonial is the failed Zanu PF leadership. 

Zanu PF has corrupt the state institutions turning them into Zanu PF departments in all but name to serve the singular purpose of keeping Zanu PF in power at all cost. The political system has stifled debate and democratic discourse and competition it has been compared to a sewage pond where there should be clean water dam. It is no surprise country has no quality leaders both sides of the political divide, which explains the political paralysis. There is no quality fish in a sewage pond. 

Zimbabwe had its golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The opportunity fall to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and they turned out to be corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. Mugabe bribed them with the tapping of high office and the rest is history. 

Zanu PF rigged the 23 August 2023 elections and SADC and AU election observers have condemned the elections denying Zanu PF political legitimacy, a departure from the usual practice of turning a blind eye to the rigging. The electoral crisis is going to be resolved by appointing a new GNU, similar to the one appointed in 2008 following an identical electoral problem. 

The primary task of the last GNU was to implement the democratic reform to end the curse of rigged elections. This new GNU’s primary task will be to implement the reforms too only this time no stone will be left unturned to make sure all the reforms and fully implemented.

Zimbabwe’s only hope of crawling out of the economic and political hell-hole Zanu PF has landed the nation into is regime change followed implementing the democratic reforms designed to drain the political sewage pond. 

We cannot expecting a buffoon like Mnangagwa to appoint “a craft competent cabinet and administration” that would be making the proverbial a silk purse from sow’s ear! It is cannot be done. 

"We were not consulted on everything," Ncube protest against Chamisa. Only Zanu PF will profit from fallout! W Mukori

 “We Won’t Allow You to Personalise the Citizens Movement: Welshman Ncube Warns Chamisa!” read the headline.

Not again! was my knee jerk reaction.

“Now the riddle has been solved. We have now realised how we lost the  2018 and 2023 elections to Mnangagwa. He (Chamisa) is the problem, how  can the whole party’s symbol be someone’s face, we cannot allow that,”  Professor Welshman Ncube, one of the three CCC Vice Presidents, explained.

“We were not consulted on this matter, we were not consulted on the  selection of candidates and we were not consulted on everything. Nelson  Chamisa is doing everything by himself and the result; we lost a free and fair election to Zanu PF.”

To say I did not see this coming will be to lie. I am just surprised that the split has come so soon before the dust of this flawed election process has not even settled. 

SADC is yet to meet and decide on what to do about the defiant Zanu PF regime that has gone to form a new government although SADC and AU reports had clearly stated there could be no legitimate government out of the flawed and illegal 23 August election process.

The late Simon Muzenda, Zanu PF Vice President during Mugabe’s days, once boasted that people will vote for the baboon if Zanu PF told them to! What the buffoon did not realise was that if the elections were free, fair and credible; Zimbabwean would happily vote for the troop of baboons if only to get rid of remove Zanu PF from office. 

So the number one task for any Zimbabwe opposition party has always been to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, to ensure the elections are free and fair. 

The MDC (now morphed into CCC) was launched in 1999 on the promise to deliver the necessary democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. After 23 years, including 5 in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC/CCC leaders have failed to implement even one token reform. Worse still, after the GNU debacle, they gave up on reforms and have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed.

Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 23 August 2023 elections, as the regime has done in all the other elections in past, because MDC/CCC had failed to implement the democratic reforms to stop the regime rigging the elections. Ever since the launch of the party in 1999, MDC has been proven utterly useless because the party leaders were corrupt and breath-taking incompetent. 

Professor Ncube is right, ever since the launch of the CCC, Nelson Chamisa has turned out to be an autocrat and a control freak. He has resisted calls to have party structures and elected officials. He has controlled everything and made all key decisions. 

MDC and now CCC’s enduring popular support has itself become a measure of the people’s desperation for change, the people will support any opposition with a chance to remove Zanu PF from power even if it has a rotten track record. 

The lack of democratic values and quality leadership has been the root causes of the MDC/CCC’s endless infighting and more important of all the failure to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the election. 

Now that Professor Ncube has made public his displeasure with Chamisa the breakup of CCC is a given. Many of those who won seats in the recent elections will, no doubt, swear their loyalty to Chamisa out of fear of being recalled and losing the seat. The CCC supporters are a confused lot at the best of time, this will throw the cat amongst the pigeons. At a time when the nation wanted the wildebeest herd to focus on demanding a new GNU that will implement the democratic reforms the last GNU failed to implement.

The only beneficiary out of this CCC chaos and fallout is Zanu PF. The party will be exploring ways to price CCC wide open and how to profit from it all. 

SADC’s efforts to put an end to the curse of rigged elections was not helped by CCC leaders taking their gravy train seats on the illegal government and now a CCC party tearing itself to pieces before their eyes!  

Still, SADC must remain focused on task on hand - to a new GNU and to appoint competent staff to implement all the democratic reforms with out failure. SADC leaders must explore the chances of getting help from Commonwealth, UN, etc.; it is no shame to ask for help. 

Another GNU failure to implement reforms would be more than cause for shame for Zimbabwe and the whole SADC region - it would be a real tragedy!   

"Disputed polls worsen voter apathy." Yes, but first deal with vote rigging. W Mukori

 ”Disputed polls to worsen voter apathy” proclaimed Bulawayo 24 headline.

“The frequency of disputed elections in Zimbabwe, the most recent being the August 23 polls, will discourage more registered voters from participating in electoral processes, electoral watchdogs and analysts have warned,” said the report.

“CCC has accused Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of election fraud and is calling for fresh elections.

“According to ZEC, about two million registered voters failed to vote out of approximately 6,6 million eligible voters, a trend analysts said was worrying.”

Blaming the voter apathy is the default setting of some analysts and opposition politicians alike but none of this would stand close scrutiny. 

MDC/CCC’s flagship winning in rigged elections strategy after the 2018 elections was “mass voter registration, mass voting and guard the vote!” The party promised to register 6 million new voters, most the young. Four years down the line, 30 May 2022, ZEC announced that only 1/4 million new voters had registered. Even if we assumed that they were all CCC supporters, that was only 4% of the party’s 6 million target.

It is common knowledge that Harare had only two voter registration centres, that to register one needed an ID which were hard to get, etc., etc. Even if one jumped all these obstacles, this was no guarantee one would be on the voters’ roll. 

In 1995 I arm-twisted nine people to make sure they registered to vote. I saw their voter registration slips with my own eyes. When the voters’ roll was realised only one out of nine was on the voters’ roll. 

With each election ZEC has added more and more complexities for the sole purpose of denying the people their right to a meaningful say. Many people who had checked and confirmed they were on the national voters’ roll failed to vote on 23 August 2023 because their details were not in the polling station they expected. 

The nation has moved from a constituency voters’ roll to a polling station voters’ roll. And the number of polling stations has increased from 10 or so in 2008 to over 60 this years. Voting in Zimbabwe is a game of Russian Roulette. Whilst Zanu PF officials got the up to date voters’ roll with all the details of the voter, which polling station and even mobile numbers. The opposition candidate got the out dated voters’ roll with many of the details missing. 

Zimbabwe’s electoral problem is not voter apathy per se but vote rigging. The MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU designed to free key state institutions like ZEC to carry out their duties of ensuring free, fair and credible elections. 

Morgan Tsvangirai et al failed to implement even one token reform in five years because they believed MDC would ride on their popularity and win rigged elections. Ever since the GNU debacle, MDC/CCC have all but abandoned efforts to implement democratic reforms in pursuit of the more nebulous winning in rigged elections strategies. 

It the Russian dictator Joseph Stalin who infamously said, “It is not those who cast the vote who matter but those who count the votes!”

In Zimbabwe we know Zanu PF has carte blanche powers to rig elections, it is insane to hope to win rigged elections especially after 43 years of Zanu PF mafiosi rigging elections. We should focus on implementing the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections and only then can we meaningful address the problem of voter.

Both SADC and AU had condemned the 23 August 2023 Zimbabwe elections as flawed and illegal, so flawed the process could not produce a legitimate government. This is a repeat of what happened in the 2008 elections marred by Zanu PF’s blatant cheating and wanton violence. The country was forced to form a GNU whose primary task was to implement the democratic reforms to stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence. As we know not even one meaningful reform was implemented hence the reason we have yet another flawed and illegal election. 

Zimbabwe we need a new GNU, just as happened in 2008, only this time we must implement all the democratic reforms without failure! We must cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance, no if no but!

“CCC has accused Mnangagwa and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of election fraud and is calling for fresh elections.”

In MDC/CCC we have a corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless opposition. They accuse Mnangagwa and ZEC of rigging the elections one minute and, next minute, they are refusing to implement reforms because they have winning in rigged elections strategies. Given a chance Chamisa and company will want to stampede the nation into fresh elections with not even one democratic reform implemented. A situation that would suit Zanu PF to a t. 

The new GNU must implement all the democratic reforms without failure. Neither Zanu PF nor CCC can be trusted to do this, if they failed to get even one token reform implemented in 5 years in the last GNU what is there to suggest they will do any better this time.

CCC will thwart any Zanu PF mischief - that is exactly what Muzorewa said to justify 1978 Zimbabwe-Rhodesia! W Mukori

 On 25 August 2023 SADC and AU Election Observer Missions declared the Zimbabwe elections flawed and illegal. The damning report had no effect on Zanu PF and the opposition winning candidates who all trooped to take their oath of office and, most importantly, their gravy train seat. They all ignored SADC and AU findings, pretending they don’t know the difference between legal and illegal.

CCC spokesperson Promise Mkhwananzi told The Standard that the opposition party's legislators would thwart any Zanu-PF mischief' in the 10th Parliament.

"Using our numbers, youth energy, and intellect, we will prevail through robust debate and progressive policy advancement as guided by the objectives of the party," Mkhwananzi said.

This is exactly what Abel Muzorewa and Ndabaningi Sithole said to justify their participation in the 1978 Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Internal Settlement. The truth is the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia government was illegal because it came from a flawed, illegal and undemocratic political arrangement in which the blacks were treated as second class citizens who vote was devalued compared to that of the whites for no other reason other than that of race. 

Still Muzorewa, Sithole and their supporters went to town in supporter of the racist regime. Indeed, their supporters joined the Rhodesia Army on mass to fight with the white army in the ongoing war of independence. They were fighting fellow blacks fighting to end white racism.

CCC leaders agree with SADC, AU and every other democratic election observer team that Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections flawed and illegal so flawed and illegal the process could not produce a legitimate result. In other words winners of the local authority, parliament and presidential rat races announced by ZEC do not have the democratic mandate of the people of Zimbabwe. All the institutions formed by these illegal winners are, per se, illegitimate.

It therefore beggars belief why CCC leaders are hell bent to ignore the SADC and everyone to insist in keeping these illegal institutions and even claiming they would make them work for the good of the people - just as Muzorewa insisted he would make white racism work for blacks. We really should not be surprised with the CCC leaders.

Remember that CCC leaders decided to participate in these flawed 2023 elections, as with others in the past, knowing fully well the election process is flawed and participating will give Zanu PF legitimacy. They soldiered on and participated out of greed. 

“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.

Indeed, these CCC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when the nation had its get-out-of-jail card, for the same reasons they are hell-bent in participating in this illegitimate government - greed and breath-taking incompetence. 

Zimbabwe’s newly sworn in MPs and senators will receive their US$60 000 and US$ 40 000 car and housing loan, plus the generous salary and allowances. In a country where a teacher with ten years working experience earns US$100 per month holding public office for five years is the sure ticket to Easy Street!  

"Our focus is on electoral reforms in time for a fresh election,” continued Promise Mkhwananzi. 

Yeah right! MDC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had all the trump cards including SADC’s backing, we are to believe they will do so now when Zanu PF has all the trump cards notably the sure ticket to Easy Street. 

CCC participated in these elections without these electoral reforms, come 2028 the party will participate in these elections with no reforms again. This is just a mirage! The people of Zimbabwe must wise up and stop being led by the nose like a bull at the market.

By declaring the 23 August 2023 election null and void SADC has created the opportunity for a new GNU it is incumbent on all thinking Zimbabweans to back SADC 100%. We must totally reject CCC’s hen’s teeth tales they can make this illegitimate system work. Both Zanu PF and CCC are now the problem holding the nation to ransom, they can never ever be the solution too! Never ever!

"Africa must learn fast!" We need hard look in the mirror and admit reality and not wish to see! W Mukori

 “Africa must learn Fast..

You should not wait forever. Japan learned from the west during the Meiji restoration. China sent her engineers to the west after the death of Mao. Singapore learned from the west. India was colonised by the west but learned technology and kept culture and religion. 

We were colonised but kept religion but not technology. China and Korea were brutalised by Japan, they dusted themselves and moved on. We are whining, and want self pity. Why is it that everywhere we are at the bottom. Why is it that we are the only race that was enslaved?”

One of the key requirement for progress has to be the willingness and ability to look oneself in the mirror and give an honest assessment of what one sees. The next step is just as important but not as tough: to build on one’s strengths and mitigate on one’s weaknesses. As a people our default setting to pretend to be whom we want to be and even if that is wishful thinking to hide our shortcomings.

This fault of pretending to be someone else is particularly dangerous for those in positions of power and authority because they will surround themselves with flatterers their failing will be amplified and allowed to grow and spread with tragic consequences. 

In Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies have completely destroyed the nation’s once promising economy through mismanagement and corruption. The regime has been blaming sanctions for all the nation’s ills, a convenient scapegoat, allowing the real causes of the economic problems to grow and spread to the point they are are now killing the economy. 

The call above is important in that it is forcing us to take a long hard look in the mirror and introspect! 

"The unexamined life is not worth living" is a famous dictum supposedly uttered by Socrates at his trial for impiety and corrupting youth, for which he was subsequently sentenced to death. 

What better place to start than in examining one’s own life!