Biti, maybe you have nothing to do with Tshabangu's recalls, still you sold out big time on democratic reforms. W Mukori

 Tendai Biti has come out fighting to clear his name!

“Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The weight of a stolen election, unprecedented corruption and the looting of public assets sits heavy on the shoulders of Zimbabweans who want and deserve better,” he wrote in a recent statement in the media.

“The environment in the world right now is toxic. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have pushed Zimbabwe to the bottom of the world's attention calendar. This has allowed the vampire state here to carry out brazen election fraud. Not satisfied, the regime is now engaged in a malicious push to weaken our struggle, the progressive movement, through the illegal recall of elected public representatives.

“It is therefore shocking to hear, and read, a daily stream of abusive, malicious and defamatory claims that Professor Welshman Ncube and I are colluding with the regime and its proxies to append a struggle that has occupied and consumed all our adult lives.

“I don't believe in recalls. I have never been part of recalls. I will never be part of recalls.”

Well in the absence of any other evidence to prove his connivence with Sengezo Tshabangu. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and say he is not involved. 

Tendai Biti should have stopped right there with, “I will never be part of recalls.” Alas! he got big headed in claiming he is a democrat who has never worked for Zanu PF. 

“I am a democrat who believes in constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, openness and collective leadership. I can never compromise on these core values. No dispute nor differences is ever sufficient to place one at the service of Zanu-PF,” continued Biti.

“Fellow Zimbabweans, all this chatter and actions by the illegitimate regime and its proxies are an engineered distraction from the main prize: to free ourselves from this rapacious dictatorship.

“It has been a long and tortuous road; and victory is closer than the distance

back to where we started.”

The truth is the fight to implement the democratic reforms to restore all the people’s freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections and the right to life has lost direction during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and thereafter.  

Lest Mr Biti and his MDC/CCC colleagues should forget; the people of Zimbabwe have risked all from the wrath of Zanu PF to elect them into power for one primary purpose: to bring about the democratic changes, reforms, the nation was dying for. After 23 years, including 5 in the GNU, Tendai Biti and company have failed to implement even one token reform. Not even one!

It is no secret that the late dictator, Robert Mugabe, bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos (Mr Biti was Minister of Finance in the GNU), the very generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. To show their appreciation the MDC leaders kicked the reforms out of the window. 

Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (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 any reforms during the GNU. 

Worse still, MDC/CCC have been participating in the flawed elections knowing fully well Zanu PF was rigging and that doing so would only help to give Zanu PF legitimacy. Mr Biti and a few other MDC leaders like David Coltart were aware of the sheer futility of participating in these flawed elections. 

“Look, you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections which don't deliver. 

“This country will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet, this is the only country where a government doesn't perform, it is encouraged by a super majority in parliament,” you, Tendai Biti, told Isaac Mugabi in an interview in 2015.

“So you can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”

No doubt, you tried to talk your fellow MDC leaders into stop participating in flawed elections. When your arguments fell on deaf ears, you decided to join them for your share of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF was offering as bait. 

You knew participating crushed the nation’s hopes for democratic change, to end the curse of rigging elections, for good governance and, most notable of all, hope to end the tragic human suffering  brought on by the failed state. You knew all this and did not care as long as you secure for yourself one of the coveted gravy train seats.

How can you say you are a democrat when you have failed to implement even one token democratic reform to dismantle the dictatorship even when you have the golden opportunity to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU?

You say you have never working for Zanu PF. So whose interests do you think you served by selling out on reforms and by participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy. And what, if I may ask, do you think Zanu PF has been showering you and your MDC/CCC friends all these bribes for? 

Of course, you, Mr Tendai Biti, knew that CCC was not going to win big the 2023 elections. Chamisa’s claim of having plugged all the vote rigging loop-hole was just hot air to hide the real reasons why you lot were participating - greed and breath-taking incompetence.

“I am a democrat who has never sold out the struggle to Zanu-PF!” It is bad enough you are a sell out and has never owned up for your treasonous betrayals. Don’t dare insult our intelligence by masquerading a principled democrat, when you are clearly not! 

Mr Tendai Biti, you may have nothing to do with Sengezo Tshabangu and the string of CCC elected officials who have been recalled since the August 2023 elections. However, don’t deceive the nation; you are not a democrat and have sold out to Zanu PF by failing to implement the democratic change. 

I rest my case! 

If I tell truth of what Chamisa knows of rigged 2023, "there will be an earthquake", Chin'ono claimed. How naive! W Mukori

 “If I tell the truth about how the election was lost there would be an earthquake in Zimbabwe,” claimed Hopewell Chin’ono in one of his comments on X.

“Nelson Chamisa knows what happened, he knows how he was misled, he knows who misled him, he knows that he should never do it again.

“I will leave it there, one day you too will know.

“He was played by the system!”

You are making one basic and yet unfounded assumption, that the people will comprehend the truth! There will be no earthquake in Zimbabwe even if you told the whole truth of how Zanu PF rigged the 2023 elections with the active co-operation of the opposition because for there to be an earthquake the people must comprehend the truth. They don’t!

If there was ever going to be an earthquake in Zimbabwe, it would have happened in 2013 when it was clear MDC leaders had sold out big time by failing to to implement even one token reform during the five years of the GNU. When SADC leaders gave Tsvangirai and company a chance to redeem themselves by advising them not to take part in the 2013 elections without reforms; the MDC rejected the advice out of greed. 

There was no earthquake in 2013 when Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections and reimposed the dictatorship the GNU was supposed to end because most Zimbabweans had no clue what the reforms were much less that the primary purpose of the GNU was to implement the reforms and MDC leaders had sold out. 

MDC/CCC leaders have been participating in flawed elections ever since the failed GNU knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and that participating would only give the process legitimacy or “credibility” As David Coltart called it.

Both Tendai Biti and David Coltart have told the people of Zimbabwe the truth about how the opposition has been participating in these flawed elections out of greed.

“Look, you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections which don't deliver. This country will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet, this is the only country where a government doesn't perform, it is encouraged by a super majority in parliament,” said Tendai Biti in a 2015 interview with Isaac Mugabi.

“So you can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”

Coltart went one step more and confessed that the opposition has been participating in the flawed elections out of greed. 

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” confessed Coltart in his Book, , The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

There is nothing new you, Hopewell Chin’ono, can tell Zimbabweans on what happened in these 2023 elections that the people did not already know. After all these flawed elections are just a repeat of the past rigged elections. Same s****t different year!

Zimbabweans did not revolt against MDC when Tendai Biti, David Coltart and many, many others told them of how MDC leaders had sold out big time by failing to implement reforms and by participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the nation’s suffering. They heard what was said but failed to comprehend what it meant much less that their suffering would have been avoided if MDC leaders had not sold out. 

There has been and there will be no earthquake in protest against MDC/CCC leaders selling out because the people are blissfully unaware of the treasonous betrayals. 

“In knowing nothing, life is most delightful" (In nil sapiendo vita iucundissima est), said Publilius Syrus, Latin writer. Of course, Syrus was write, given Zimbabweans are contend in their miserables lives and there would be an earthquake if only they knew the men and women they have risked life and limb to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and the ones keeping Zanu PF in power!

Corrupt and incompetent CCC are mile-stone round nation's neck. Alas! Povo are still ignorant of it! W Mukori

 You can count of MDC/CCC leaders to fight each other like wild cats. If it is not one thing it over half a dozen of the other - all trivial and irrelevant to the long suffering voters who elected them.

“Embattled Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has once again been thrown into a political tailspin as self-imposed secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu has recalled Harare Mayor Ian Makone and his deputy Kudzai Kadzombe.” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Barely three months after the general election, Tshabangu's power trip continues in CCC as he has recalled nine more councillors.

“Ian Makone, Kudzai Kadzombe, Denford Ngadziore, Lovejoy Chitegu, Samuel Gwenzi, Chido Hamauswa, Tiriboyi Sabina, Florence Cheza. Matimba Fadzai, are the latest to be axed by Tshabangu.”

Until Chamisa finally get off his backside and sort out CCC’s constitution, structure and have proper elections; there will be more recalls. 

It was the then USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, reported back to Washington in a leaked cable that Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed, indecisive character who would become an albatross round the nation’s neck if he was ever to get into power.” 

The ambassador could have said the same of all the MDC leaders, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, David Coltart, Nelson Chamisa, etc., etc. After 23 years on the political stage, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC/CCC leaders have failed to implement even one token democratic change. 

During the GNU, Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and they forgot about the reforms. And ever since the GNU MDC/CCC have participated in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for a share of the spoils of power. 

Whilst ambassador Dell dismissed Tsvangirai as a disaster if he was to be a national leader after meeting the guy a handful of times. Many Zimbabweans have yet to come to the same conclusion even after 23 years and a mountain of evidence of MDC/CCC corruption and breath-taking incompetence. 

In many ways, one can understand why SADC leaders did not want to take Zanu PF to task over the damning SADC election report. It is all very well denying Zanu PF political legitimacy; one has to also consider what next. The prospect of having to work with Nelson Chamisa and his banded mongoose must have frighten the hell out of all the SADC leaders!

Nelson Chamisa and his entourage of MDC/CCC of banded mongoose are indeed the mile-stone round the nation’s neck. Sadly, the people, in their ignorance and naivety are not even aware of it! Ignorance is indeed a curse worse than death!

"Why demand CCC alone to implement reforms and not Zanu PF?" Whom did povo risked all to vote and entrusted the task? W Mukori.

 “@Wilbert Mukori , my brother, help me understand you. This time I come in peace. Is it CCC  which is supposed to bring about electoral reforms? I don’t seem to be hearing about what you say about their parliamentary counterparts Zanu PF in your arguments. What would a minority do to downturn the voice of the majority where a voting process rules? More questions to follow, when you answer these ones,” whatsApp message from Welly

To answer you, I will quote the Bible, not in the spirit of those who claim to have divine inspiration but in the spirit of one who believes the Bible has many lessons for our time. 

 

“The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said.  And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. 

“Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’  But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ 

‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’

Matthew 22: 15 - 21.

If you believe Zanu PF is responsible for implementing the democratic reforms then hold them to account for failing to implement the reforms. As for me, I believe Zanu PF created the dictatorship and will never reform it and. per se, reform itself out of office. 

The people of Zimbabwe have risked the wrath of Zanu PF to elect MDC/CCC for the primary purpose of implementing the reforms. After 23 years, 5 of which in the GNU, Chamisa and company have failed to implement even one token reform. 

Worse still, MDC/CCC have given up on implementing the reforms and have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship for a share of the spoils of power. Opposition leaders like Tendai Biti readily admitted it.

“Look, you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimising these sham elections which don't deliver. This country will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet, this is the only country where a government doesn't perform, it is encouraged by a super majority in parliament,” said Tendai Biti in a 2015 interview with Isaac Mugabi.

“So you can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”

David Coltart went one step further and confessed that the opposition is participating in the flawed elections out of greed, pure and simple. 

“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.

In a healthy and functioning democracy the government of the day is there to govern, run the day to day operations of public affairs. The opposition is there to hold the government to account. The public have a duty to ensure they are well informed on public matters and hold both the government and opposition to account for their performance in their respective sphere of influence. 

In the case of Zimbabwe, since the late 1990s the people have risked all to elect the opposition for the number one task of implementing the democratic changes to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. The opposition leaders themselves all campaign for the popular votes on the promise of delivering democratic change. 

Once in power they have failed to deliver not even a token reforms when they had the golden opportunity to do so. It is cynical, to say the least, for the opposition to complain of “gigantic election fraud” or being “voiceless minority” when you knowingly participated in a flawed elections, “so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw,” but would not withdraw out of greed!

If the people of Zimbabwe are serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship and restoring the rule of law and good governance then they must focus on getting competent opposition that will implement the reforms because Nelson chamisa and his MDC/CCC friend will never do it. Chamisa et al have already proven beyond all doubt that they are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. 

When it comes to implementing the democratic reforms we must look to the opposition to do it not Zanu PF because that is the specific task the nation has risked all to elect the opposition to do. Zanu PF will never reform itself out of office so it is naive to expect them to! 

In short, I will answer your question with a question. "Why demand CCC alone to implement reforms and not Zanu PF?" Whom did povo risked all to vote and entrusted the task?

If SADC summit deny Zanu PF legitimacy then best solution MUST be a NTA of technocrats W Mukori

“What will be the nature of the NTA and from which party will these so called technocrats come from? I think you need to write an article solely clarifying your NTA idea. According to Jonso ZANU PF cannot and will not reform itself out of power. In Africa any NTA is naturally headed by the army and in Zimbabwe's case we know who controls the levers of power and that person is now an ex officio member of the Politburo,” commented Prudence Paula Tete.

You are right, Zanu PF will never reform itself out of office or ever allow any meaningful democratic reforms to be implemented to dismantle the now well established Zanu PF autocracy. If Zanu PF is in the new GNU or NTA, we can be certain of one thing they will be there to throw the spinner in the works at every opportunity.

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office, the ministerial limos, very generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai himself, etc., etc. It worked! No even the constant nagging by SADC leaders such as Minister Lindiwe Zulu could get MDC leaders to implement even one token reform. 

MDC leaders have managed to get away with the treasonous betrayal of failing to implement even one reform because most Zimbabweans had no clue the primary purpose of the GNU was to implement reforms. They did not know what the reforms are much less how they are implemented. Even to this day most people do not know what the reforms are much less that MDC/CCC leaders sold out. 

MDC/CCC have taken full advantage of the people’s ignorance to create the narrative the nation does not need reforms implemented because they, the opposition, have devised winning in rigged elections strategies. “God is in it!” Chamisa has often argued. The ignorant and gullible public have swallowed the hook, sinker and line. 

How anyone would give up their right to free and fair elections for the oxymoronic promise of winning rigged elections, beggars belief; especially after 43 years of Zanu PF mafiosi rigging elections!

Nelson Chamisa and his CCC friends are not interested in implementing any reforms but they also know they will not win rigged elections. They have been participating in flawed elections knowing this will give Zanu PF legitimacy; they did care as long as they win a few gravy train seats making them the country’s main opposition. 

MDC/CCC know that 43 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption have left the country in economic ruins and the people desperate for change. They will wait for Zanu PF to burn the country down or for the people to risk all in violent protests, which ever comes first, to deliver power to them in a silver platter. 

If CCC ever got into power, their number one priority would be to consolidate their hold on power by making sure the key players in the Zanu PF autocracy switch their allegiance to CCC. Indeed, one of the reasons MDC failed to implement any meaning reforms during the 2008 GNU was the belief MDC could talk the top brass in the Army, Police and CIO to switch by promising them all the benefits they were getting from Zanu PF!  

The solution for Zimbabwe must be a NTA composed of technocrats who can be trusted to implement all the reforms. This is not  viable solution only because many people fear that Zanu PF will make the country ungovernable. The only relevant question one must therefore ask is: Are we going to let Zanu PF hold this nation to ransom?

After all the posturing CCC withdraw recalled MPs court challenge - just one more proof of CCC's blundering incompetence W Mukori

After all the grandstanding and finger pointing by Chamisa following the recall of the party’s elected officials, the case ends with yet another humiliating defeat for CCC. The High Court challenge of the recall ended before it has even began with CCC withdrawing the case and apologising profoundly with their tails tucked between their legs!

“Justice Munamato Mutevedzi of the Harare High Court has reserved judgement in an application brought by recalled CCC MPs and Senators who want the court to declare that Sengezo Tshabangu had no legal authority to cause their recalls. Judge said ruling before November 7,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“The MPs have withdrawn their relief which they sought against the Speaker of Parliament where they accused him of illegal expelling them from Parliament at the behest of the Interim Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu.”

The people of Zimbabwe have been slow to recognised MDC/CCC leaders for who they really are, the corrupt and incompetent and blundering from pillar to post.

Chamisa dragged the nation into the 23 August elections claiming he had closed all the vote rigging loop-hole. It was all nonsense of course, the voters’ roll was in shambles and he failed to do even something as basic as deploying elections agents at all the polling stations. What mattered is that he managed to con many Zimbabweans to participate giving the process some modicum of credibility. 

This High Court challenge of the recalled MPs and Senators is just one more case of CCC’s endless blunders.

The people of Zimbabwe are grateful to the SADC Election Observers (SEOM) who decided to look at the evidence in the conduct of the August elections and ignore CCC’s posturing. SEOM condemned the election process as a farce and rightly so too.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life, limb and livelihood to elect MDC/CCC leader into power for express purpose they would implement the necessary democratic changes to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 23 years including 5 in the GNU MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one token reform. Not one!

Many Zimbabweans still continue to put all their hopes for democratic changes on Chamisa and his friends because these people have no clue what these necessary democratic reforms are much less how they were to be implemented. Even today with the benefit of hindsight, they still have no clue Chamisa and company sold out big time be failing to implement even one reform. 

If you have no clue what the reforms are, how can you blame some one for failing to implement something you don’t know!

On Saturday 4 November 2023, SADC heads of state and government are meeting in Angola to decide what to do with Zimbabwe visa vie the damning SEOM report. It was pretty damning alright!

“Conclusion 13.3

The SEOM noted that, as detailed in sections 6 and 7 of this report, some aspects of the Harmonised Elections fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021),” stated the report. 

The only rational course of action for SADC heads is to uphold the report and deny Zanu PF and their political side-kick, CCC, political legitimacy. When SADC came up to a similar conclusion following the flawed and violent 2008 elections, the regional body invited the three main political parties at the time, Zanu PF led by Robert Mugabe, MDC-T and MDC- M led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara; to form the 2008 to 2013 GNU.

The primary task of the GNU was to implement the democratic reforms to restore the people’s freedoms and rights and put an end to the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. But, as we already know, not evening toke reform was implemented.  

This is no doubt in my mind that back in 2008 SADC leaders must have considered the possibility that the 2008 to 2013 GNU would fail to implement at least many of the reforms given the leaders in all the three parties were corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. If SADC leaders doubted the competence of 2008 GNU to implement reforms this time they know that having Zanu PF and CCC leaders in any interim arrangement means no meaningful reforms will be implemented. 

What Zimbabwe needs going forward is a National Transition Authority comprising of technocrats who can be entrusted the primary task of implementing the democratic reforms. This would be the second chance the nation has had to implement the reforms and get the nation back on a democratic footing. We must make this one count.