Zimbabwe’s 23 August 2023 elections were a farce not even the country’s own body tasked to observe the elections Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) could deny that!
“ZHRC has released a report on the August 2023 elections, highlighting the disruptive influence of the Zanu PF affiliated group, Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), and alleged bias favouring the ruling party by both the police and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC),” reported Bulawayo 24.
"In various communities, there were reports of individuals being compelled by their community leaders and FAZ members to attend specific political rallies," quoting the commission report.
"CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change) complained that in Bindura, they were denied permission to hold campaign rallies, despite asserting that their notifications adhered to Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) guidelines.”
What is infuriating is that these complains are not new, the nation has read reports from other election observers saying the same thing in these elections and in the past and nothing is done to stop this madness. For the record, Zimbabwe is yet to hold free, fair and credible elections in the country’s 43 years of independence.
What makes our situation even more infuriating is that it is none other the men and women the nation has entrusted the task to implement the democratic reforms to ensure elections are free, fair and credible who are ignoring the observer reports and hell bent on participating in these flawed elections.
Lest we forget, MDC/CCC leaders had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections notably during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and in return they kicked reforms into a prickly pear cactus thicket! And, worst of all, ever since the GNU debacle MDC/CCC leaders have abandoned reforms to participate in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for a share of the gravy train reward.
Of course, CCC leaders have been conniving with Zanu PF to con Zimbabweans into participating in these flawed elections to perpetuate the dictatorship and the suffering of the ordinary people. The opposition leaders themselves know it and admit 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,” 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.”
There is no doubt that Biti was airing his frustration in public in the hope of coercing his fellow opposition members to stop the sheer futility of participating in these flawed elections. It did not work; greed had the better of them and in the end he joined them for his share of the spoils.
Yes the opposition has been participating in these flawed elections out of greed and David Coltart spelt it out in black and white!
“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.
It is for the people of Zimbabwe themselves to wake-up to this political reality that CCC will never implement and democratic reform and thus end this curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Ever since the GNU debacle, Chamisa et al have been running with the povo hare and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds!
43 years and in this day and age and we are still failing to do something as basic as hold a free, fair and credible elections. If there is one thing that has come to epitomise our failure to govern ourselves it is this - our failure to hold free, fair credible elections.