People, forget side-show of CCC in fighting and focus on hard "factum probandum" of Zanu PF rigging 2028 W Mukori

 

“I haven’t. As I said I have just read things in the newspapers. I don’t know what’s happening. No one has formally communicated to me so I can’t comment about that which is hearsay,” said Tendai Biti, when he was asked whether he had engaged with Nelson Chamisa after the later’s surprise resignation as president of CCC. 

“I am a lawyer so I act on the basis of direct hard factum probandum which is hard facts. I don’t know what has happened, I don’t know what’s happening. All I can do is speak for myself and speaking for myself, I am a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change.”

I am not interested in the hotting up internal war tearing CCC apart. I am more interested in the factum probandum behind Tendai Biti and his MDC/CCC friends’ treasonous betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe which has landed us in this economic and political mess.

When Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa, David Coltart, Welshman Ncube and the rest of the MDC leaders launched the party in 1999, it was in answer to the people cry for democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections to perpetuate the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship and the bad governance it entailed. Tsvangirai and company promised to deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for, as the party name implied - Movement for Democratic Change.

Zanu PF blatantly rigged the August 2023 elections, just as it had rigged past elections, because MDC/CCC leaders have failed to implement even one token democratic change, reform, in 23 years, including the 5 years in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Robert Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the very generous salaries and allowances, the US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai himself, etc., etc. In return, the MDC leaders forgot about implementing the reforms.

“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 at the time why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms. 

MDC leaders like Tendai Biti and David Coltart were smart enough to realise the sheer futility of participating in Zimbabwe’s flawed elections and, more significantly, honest enough to 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.” Tendai Biti told Isaac Mugabi in a 2015.

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

David Coltart offered an explanation why MDC leaders in the flawed 2013 election and have been doing so ever since.  

“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.

CCC leaders participated in the 2023 elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and that participating would give Zanu PF legitimacy. All the elected CCC officials took up their gravy train seats even though SADC, AU and Zimbabwe’s own ZHRC election observers had condemned the whole election process as a farce and the results, per se, illegitimate. 

Nelson Chamisa and his CCC friends conned the nation into participating in the flawed 2023 elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the suffering of the masses. Chamisa’s resigning from CCC is an internal matter bound to weaken the opposition and to help Zanu PF consolidate its iron grip. The enfeebled CCC will not push for any meaningful reforms to be implemented and yet certain to participate in flawed 2028 elections. 

The ordinary Zimbabwean should not concern themselves how the dog-eat-dog fight amongst MDC/CCC leaders will end; they should worry about the certainty of Zanu PF rigging the 2028 elections and thus perpetuating their suffering. MDC/CCC leaders have sold out on implementing reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections and are thus perpetuating the nation’s suffering; these are the hard facts, we must concern ourselves with! 

Zimbabwe is a failed state because we have failed to hold free, fair and credible elections in 43 years and counting. MDC/CCC were entrusted the important task of implementing reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections and they failed to implement even one token reform in 23 years. We need to elect competent opposition who will implement the reforms or the nation will continue to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. Yes, it is that simple!  

Mahere has resigned as CCC MP, jumped before she was pushed. Spare us the sauce! W Mukori

 If anyone thought there was peace and order in the country’s main opposition party after Nelson Chamisa abandoned MDC A to form the new political party CCC, they were wrong. The period from the launch of CCC in January, 2022 to September 2023, marking the end of the 23 and 24 August 2023 harmonised national elections was the calm before the storm. 

One Sengezo Tshabangu fired the first volley of the new all out factional war in the party by recalling a number of newly elected CCC members, on the grounds they were no longer members of the party! He had pushed the party’s self-destruct button and once started there is no stopping it!

Nelson Chamisa has fought back claiming Tshabangu was an imposter recalling elected members on the grounds he was CCC’s Secretary General. Chamisa could not prove in a court of law that Tshabangu was an imposter no more than he could prove he was President of the party since CCC had no constitution, party structures nor democratically elected party officials. 

Bolstered with his court and by-election victories on 9 December 2023, Tshabangu recalled more CCC elected officials.  As I said, once the self-destruct button has been pushed, there is no reset the fighting will go on until there is no one left standing.

On Thursday, Nelson Chamisa, thrown in the towel. He announced that he was no longer president of CCC. This is going to be a messy divorce! 

All the CCC elected officials who had been spared the first and second wave of recalls and had hoped they can sit on the fence and let the whole messy business blow over. But now that Chamisa has resigned, everyone must pick one side or the other, there is no fence to sit on.

MP Fadzayi Mahere was one of the first to declare! “Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, the Member of Parliament for Mount Pleasant, has resigned from parliament with immediate effect. She cited the assault on the will of the people and the bastardisation of the democratic process in Zimbabwe by Mr. Tshabangu and his associates, whom President Nelson Chamisa exposed in an exclusive interview with UK-based solicitor Brighton Mutebuka, as the reasons for her resignation.”

When faced with the grime choice of either to jump or be pushed, she chose to jump. What I find objectionable is the phoney pretence she jumped out of principle. 

Advocate Fadzayi Mahere participated in the 2018 and 2023 elections, like everyone else who have contested in these elections, knowing fully weIl that whole election process was flawed and that participating would only give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. She ignored all this because she also knew that Zanu PF gives away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate. She could not resist the bribe! 

“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. 

David Coltart is CCC Treasurer General and elected Mayor of Bulawayo. He is himself a veteran of participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. Advocate Mahere is certainly not the only Zimbabwean politician for whom greed had the better of her. 

“One of my first promises to you was to always be honest, transparent and accountable in my decisions,” wrote Advocate Mahere in her resignation.

“When the CCC was launched in January of 2022, it was with the shared understanding that this new movement would be underpinned by the core value of being citizen-centred. It would put the welfare and aspirations of constituents like you at the heart of all decision-making. Our goal was to build a new Zimbabwe based on a blueprint of dignity, prosperity and opportunity for everyone.”

Madam! Please get off your high horse and stop pontificating! There is nothing more insulting than a hypocrite wittering nonsense to hide their blatant betrayal and greed. 

You took up your gravy train seat in parliament even after SADC, AU and even our own ZHRC had condemned the August 2023 elections a farce out of greed. You are now giving up the said seat because the factional war within CCC have left you with no choice. 

Of course, it is nonsense to pretend you are resigning because you care about the people and good governance. You and your fellow politicians, on both sides of the political divide it must be said, do not care about freedom, justice, free elections, good governance and about the people. Do not care now and never did! So please spare us the sauce!!

Chamisa forming a new party, "not giving up." Voters should, after 23 years with no reforms implemented. W Mukori

 Nelson Chamisa’s resignation as leader of CCC has received worldwide coverage. 

“Mr Chamisa, a 45-year-old Christian pastor and lawyer, is expected to set up a new party. He said that "giving up or giving in is not an option,” reported BBC.

“It is not clear how many of the CCC's remaining MPs and councillors will follow him.”

Zanu PF has never honoured its promise to hold free, fair and credible elections from the word go. In the country’s first elections in 1980, the party made it clear “the bush war would continue if the party did not win the election. Of course, the people voted to end the bush war. 

The 1985 election took place in the middle of the Gukurahundi massacre whose primary purpose was to force PF Zapu, Zanu PF’s main political opponent, to give up its identity. PF Zapu leaders finally relented and signed the 1987 Unity Accord opening the door for the imposition of the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, state. 

The 1990 and 1995 elections were not free, fair and credible and Zanu PF’s excuse was that multi-party democracy threatened the peace, unity and development brought about by the 1987 Unity accord. It was just a feeble excuse for denying the people their fundamental right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. 

By the late 1990s the nation had come to the conclusion that Zanu PF would never honour the people’s right to a meaningful vote and so the people will have to risk the regime’s wrath by electing opposition members whose primary task was to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. Alas! Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2023 elections proof that the MDC/CCC opposition leaders have failed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. Why?

The historic facts of why MDC/CCC leaders have sold out by failing to implement even one token reform in 23 years including the 5 years in the GNU, are well documented. And how, since the GNU, they have participated in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship out of greed. 

“While he (Chamisa) does enjoy significant support, especially in urban areas, his critics say Mr Chamisa's weak leadership led to deep rifts in the opposition, and that has only helped President Emmerson Mnangagwa cement his grip on power,” continued the BBC report.

Whilst many outsiders including SADC leaders have noted with dismay that it is MDC/CCC leaders greed and incompetence that have helped Zanu PF stay in power these last 23 years. The outsiders have also noted that the majority of Zimbabweans have failed to comprehend the opposition leaders’ blatant betrayal of common cause of implementing the reforms and hence the why CCC continue to enjoy significant public support.

Up to the 1995, elections could be viewed as a simple binary choice between Zanu PF, the bad guys, and opposition, the good guys. By 1999 a new level of complexity was added, the opposition primary task was to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. 

After 23 years, including 5 in the GNU and not even one token reform in place; it is clear MDC/CCC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and not up to the set task of implementing the reforms. The reason why many Zimbabweans still continue to support MDC/CCC leaders is because these individuals are simple minded people whose view elections as a simple binary choice of Zanu PF vs opposition, the bad guys vs the good guys. 

Accepting that the MDC/CCC opposition must be judged on their ability to implement the democratic reforms demands thinking outside the box of the binary choice - a quantum leap which, unfortunately, many have failed to make. 

When Nelson Chamisa launched CCC in January 2022 he promised to cleanse the new party of all the “rotten apples” in MDC A. Today, two years latter he is having to abandon CCC has been "contaminated" and "hijacked" by Zanu PF. The truth is CCC has failed to deliver any meaningful changed just like MDC A and MDC itself before it because MDC leaders are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. They have proven this beyond all reasonable doubt during the GNU when they failed to implement even one token reform. 

Chamisa’s new political party will not implement any democratic reforms just as CCC failed because the new party will be led by the same corrupt and incompetent leaders recycled from CCC. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sower’s ear. 

"Giving up or giving in is not an option!” boasted Chamisa. After 23 years including 5 in the GNU and not even one token reform in place, an informed and diligent electorate should have elected some one else a long time ago!

"With immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC!" Is this the end of the phoney "Change Champion in Chief" epoch? W Mukori

 "With immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC!” announced Nelson Chamisa.

Could this be the turning point in Zimbabwe’s turbulent and chaotic political history? I for one, would like to hope so!

Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends have proven beyond all doubt that they are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. This point was settled beyond all doubt when they failed to implement even one meaningful reform in 5 years of the GNU. But to those with the propensity to see what is not there, the point was never settled; they ignored all the evidence of failure to come up with counter narrative from falsehoods turning Chamisa and company into infallible demigods.

These last two years Chamisa has been called “Change Champion in Chief”, for example. A title made popular by Chief Svosve and his  Change Radio and lapped up by the overzealous and unquestioning CCC wildebeest herd. Nothing could be more ironic and self-mockingly given Chamisa and company have failed to bring about even one token reform in 23 years including 5 years in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. 

Neither Chief Svosve nor any of the herd could name one token reform “Change Champion in Chief” has ever brought; how can the name something that is not there. And all those who have dared to point out this simple historic fact that MDC/CCC leaders have failed to deliver even one token change in 23 years have earned for themselves the wrath of the CCC propagandists, apologists and the herd alike. 

The announcement that Chamisa has stepped down as CCC leader (had lost control of the party since Sengezo Tshabangu successfully recalled CCC elected officials) will come as a shock to the herd who had followed him blindly like sheep to the slaughter all these years. One hopes this is the the kick in the backside that will force the herd to finally think for themselves, to acknowledge that Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends are not just fallible mortals but corrupt and incompetent ones.

Zimbabwe is a failed state because we have corrupt and incompetent leaders, on both sides of the political divide, and some ignorant and naive voters who elected these buffoons into power and kept them there. Is Chamisa’s fall from his phoney Change Champion in Chief patch be the reality check that forced Zimbabweans to finally see and treat the country’s politicians as fallible human beings wholly culpable of being corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging, murderer and all manner of devilish intrigue! 

Xi Jinping of China's 14 principles and Zanu PF's aspirations by J Moyo

 Xi Jinping of China’s 14 Principles: LESSONS FOR ZANUPF

by Professor Jonathan Moyo

A new doctrine fronted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and representing the new ideological, legal, political and scientific thrust of China’s ruling Communist Party, first enunciated by Jinping at a key political gathering in Beijing as broadcast by China Central TV1 and monitored and reported by the BBC on 18 October 2017; has since been refined further and come to be known as 'Xi Jinping’s 14 Principles'; which crystalize his “Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era". The thoughts are built on 14 principles that deal with how to develop China into a [in fact the] leading world player, how to achieve economic prosperity, how to strengthen the military and how to preserve the environment. Below is a summary of, followed by my critical comment on, Jinping’s 14 principles which spell out the distinct ideological principles underpinning the political thought and programme of action of China’s Communist Party with very important lessons for ZanuPF. 1. Party supreme "It is necessary to adhere to the leadership of the party over all work. Among the party, the government, the military, the people, the academia and all circles, the party leads all." 2. People-centric approach "The people are the creators of history as well as the fundamental forces that determine the future and destiny of the party and the country. We must adhere to the principal position of the people, adhere to building a party that serves the interests of the public and to governing the country for the people." 3. Deepening reform "It is necessary to adhere to the comprehensive deepening of reforms. Only socialism can save China, and only reform and opening-up can develop China, so develop socialism, and develop Marxism." 4. New development ideas "It is necessary to adhere to new development concepts. Development is the foundation for and the key to resolving all the problems of our country. Development must be scientific development, and we must persist in unswervingly carrying out the concepts of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development." 5. Representative institutions "To insist on the organic combination of the party's leadership, the people as the masters of the country, and governing the country by law is an inevitable requirement for the political development of socialism. We must adhere to the political development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; uphold and perfect the people's congress system, the Communist Party-led multi-party cooperation and political consultation system, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the grassroots mass self-government system." 6. Rule of law "The principle of comprehensively governing the nation according to law is the essence and important guarantee of socialism with Chinese characteristics... Great efforts must be made to deepen the reform of the judicial system and enhance the quality of rule of law and the quality of morality of the whole nation." 7. Socialist values "Confidence in our culture is a basic, profound and lasting force for the development of a country and a nation. It is necessary to adhere to Marxism and firmly foster the great ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must cultivate and practise socialist core values and continue to strengthen the initiative and the right of speech in the ideological field." 8. Social welfare "Improving people's livelihood and well-being is the primary goal of development... We must build a safe China, strengthen and innovate social governance, maintain social harmony and stability, ensure long-term peace, order, and stability in the country, and ensure that people are content with their lives and jobs." 9. Coexistence with nature "We must establish and practise the philosophy that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, uphold the basic national policy for energy conservation and environmental protection, treat the ecological environment as we treat life, coordinate the systematic management of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, and prairies... build a beautiful China, create a good production and living environment for the people, and contribute to global ecological safety." 10. Stronger national security "It is necessary to adhere to a comprehensive national security concept. Coordinating development and security, strengthening our adversity awareness, and preparing for danger in times of peace are major principles held by the party when administering state affairs." 11. Party's authority over army "It is necessary to adhere to the party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces... We must adhere to building the armed forces through political work, strengthening them through reform, reviving them through science and technology, and managing them in accordance with the law." 12. Reaffirming national unity On Hong Kong and Macau: "It is necessary to adhere to the 'one country, two systems' principle and push forward the reunification of the motherland. Maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau, and realising complete national reunification is an inevitable requirement for realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." On Taiwan: "We must adhere to the One China principle and the 1992 consensus, push forward the peaceful development in the cross-Strait relations, deepen cross-Strait economic cooperation and cultural exchanges, push forward the compatriots on both sides of the strait jointly opposing all separatist activities, and jointly strive to realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Under the "one country, two systems" principle, China allows Hong Kong and Macau a high degree of autonomy and to preserve their economic and social systems. The "1992 consensus" refers to Taiwan and the mainland agreeing on the existence of "One China" but they have their own interpretations of what it means. Taiwan is an island which lies across a narrow strait from the Chinese mainland, and has for all practical purposes been independent since 1950. But China regards it as a rebel region that must be reunited with the mainland under the "One China" principle. 13. Common human destiny "The dream of the Chinese people is closely connected with the dreams of other peoples of the world. Realising the Chinese dream is inseparable from a peaceful international environment and a stable international order. [We must] always be the builder of world peace, the contributor to global development and the defender of the international order." 14. Party discipline "[We must] strengthen inner party supervision, develop positive and healthy inner party political culture, comprehensively purify the political ecology within the party, resolutely correct all kinds of unhealthy tendencies, crackdown on corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude... and always maintain the party's flesh-and-blood ties with the masses of the people." COMMENT Apropos Zimbabwe’s present and future situations, Xi Jinping’s political thought and programme of action has far reaching implications for the ruling ZanuPF party. Each of the 14 principles has abiding lessons for ZanuPF, such that it would be interesting, although not in this write up, to take the principles one by one, and use each one of them to evaluate ZanuPF, and to propose opportunities and possibilities. Taking into account that members of the Chinese Communist Party are circa 98 million, in a country whose population is circa 1.426 billion, the fact that membership of a vanguard political party is only a fraction of the population means that, while it must be the supreme force in society, a revolutionary ruling party must nevertheless distinguish itself, or must be distinguishable, from the rest of society’s formations, institutions and their processes. It is instructive that not every Chinese is a member of the Chinese Communist Party; in fact, the majority of Chinese are not members of the Chinese Communist Party. Yet, the Chinese Communist Party is supreme in China; in so far as it exercises leadership in all spheres of Chinese society. On this, Jinping’s first principle is on the “Supremacy of the Party” which holds that: "It is necessary to adhere to the leadership of the party over all work. Among the party, the government, the military, the people, the academia and all circles, the party leads all." But this does not mean that the party is the government, the military, the academia and all circles; but that the party “must lead…all circles”. The “Supremacy of the Party” is in the leadership of all circles of society. The leadership is not just ideological or political; it is quintessentially representative, legal and scientific. In Zimbabwe today, and this has been taking root since the Unity Accord between PFZapu and ZanuPF on 22 December 1987, ZanuPF has (mis)presented itself, and has most certainly been seen by society and outside observers, as the government in the form of its ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions. In other words, ZanuPF and the government or the state have come to be seen as one and the same inseparable and indistinguishable things. What government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions, do or do not do has – by definition – come to be defined or understood as actions or inactions of ZanuPF. In turn, this has become ZanuPF’s Achilles Heel. Yet, the fact of the matter is that not everyone in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions is ZanuPF; in fact, it is arguably the case that most people or functionaries in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions are not ZanuPF. It is trite but instructive to point out that ZanuPF is for its members, while government and the state are for everyone. Applying Jinping’s first principle of the “Supremacy of the Party” to Zimbabwe’s situation, it would be of no strategic value for ZanuPF to want or to expect everyone in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions to be ZanuPF. What would be of fundamental strategic value, and therefore an important strategic objective, would be for ZanuPF – as a ruling revolutionary party – to provide strategic leadership not only in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions, but also in and across society. This has not been possible thus far because, since the 1987 Unity Accord, ZanuPF has either put itself or has been put – by circumstances of the moment – in a quandary or quagmire wherein it is blamed for all policies or programmes taken or not taken and done or not done by functionaries in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions; regardless of whether in fact they are or are not ZanuPF policies or programmes. When this has happened – and in fact it has happened so frequently since December 1987 that it has now virtually become the norm – ZanuPF is forced to be either silent or worse to defend the policies or programmes; some of which are more often than not, indefensible. As things stand today, anything and everything decided or not decided and done or not done by any functionary in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions, is ZanuPF. The party has become responsible for all acts of commission and omission, with no exception. As a consequence, and technically speaking, it’s now very easy for anyone in government ministries, departments and parastatals, as well as state institutions to sabotage ZanuPF or to tarnish its image. The ruling party is now so exposed and so vulnerable on this score that it no longer has much or any room for plausible deniability. This is one of the reasons which explains why ZanuPF is rarely able to come out or to come across as a reformist vanguard party, something which the Chinse Communist Party regularly does; remarkably well. In the circumstances, with the harmonised general having gone by in August 2023 until the next one scheduled for 2028, it would be useful for ZanuPF to use Jinping’s first principle to introspect about the strategic meaning and practical application of the concept of the “Supremacy of the Party”. Ideally, such an introspection would be particularly valuable for ZanuPF if it is done with the interrogation of Jinping’s fourteenth principle, which is the last, principle, on “Party Discipline”, whose dictum is that: "[We must] strengthen inner party supervision, develop positive and healthy inner party political culture, comprehensively purify the political ecology within the party, resolutely correct all kinds of unhealthy tendencies, crackdown on corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude... and always maintain the party's flesh-and-blood ties with the masses of the people." Although it should be obvious, it bears emphasis that Jinping’s other 12 principles sit and fit very well with and within the first and last principles. All told, the talking point is not about regurgitating Jinping’s 14 principles hook, line and sinker, but about learning from them with a view to copying and improving them for application within Zimbabwe’s domestic environment and situation, based on the country’s history and the people’s shared aspirations!

Mukori:

Zanu PF has only managed to retain its iron grip on power only because MDC leaders sold out big time during the 2008 to 2013 GNU by failing to get the democratic reforms implemented. What Zimbabwe needs is quality opposition who will implement the reforms and all talk of Zanu PF consolidating its de facto one party state will all go up in smoke!

"Cannot blame CCC for Zimbabwe's curse of rigged elections!" Can and must if answer the question asked! W Mukori

 “Answer the question you were asked and not one you wanted to be asked!”Is the one lesson I learned from my secondary school Bible Knowledge teacher, I remember to this day. “You will not get any marks for answering questions you wanted to be asked!”

Zimbabwe is a failed nation sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. Why? Well, for one thing, we Zimbabweans have certainly a knack for answering the questions that we wanted asked and not the questions life has asked. 

“The opposition cant be the problem!” insisted one member in my WhatsApp group.

“The problem lies in the denial of the people especially those in the rural areas their real right to vote. People in most rural areas are coerced directly and also indirectly who to vote for … the result being that at the end of the day they do not substantively exercise their right to vote in the real sense of it. 

This has affected our democratic system a lot and ultimately the result is not a true reflection of the democratic will of the people.”

The problem of rigged elections certainly lies with Zanu PF but considering Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since 1980, 43 years and counting, one would expect the nation to have moved on by now from who is rigging the elections to what are we going to do about it! And true enough this is exactly what the nation has done. 

By the late 1990s the people of Zimbabwe came to the conclusion that the only way to stop Zanu PF rigging elections was by implemented the democratic reforms designed to take away the regime’s dictatorial powers including the carte blanche powers to deny the people their right to free, fair and credible elections. The people also realised that Zanu PF thugs could not be trusted to implement these democratic reforms and thus reform themselves out of power. 

The people of Zimbabwe have risk life and limb, from the Zanu PF thugs desperate to retain their iron grip on power, to elect opposition members into power for one express purpose - they would implement the democratic reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging elections once and for all. After 23 years of MDC/CCC leaders on the political stage, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, it is most disheartening that MDC/CCC leaders failed to implement even one token democratic reform. Not even one!

Worse still, ever since the GNU debacle MDC/CCC leaders have participated in flawed elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging and that participating would give the election process some modicum of credibility and thus give Zanu PF legitimacy. They have soldiered on and participated out of greed. They knew Zanu PF would give away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate. They found the bait irresistible and did not care about the millions denied the vote! 

Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies blatantly rigged the August 2023 elections because MDC/CCC leaders had failed to implement even one token democratic reforms to stop the rigging. 

Indeed, even after AU, SADC and even Zimbabwe’s own ZHRC election observers had condemned the 23 August 2023 elections as a farce; CCC leaders were falling over themselves in their hast to take up their gravy train train seats. By accepting their gravy train seats CCC gave their resounding endorsement of the elections leaving SADC leaders speechless. 

Zimbabwe’s problem of the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is an OPPOSITION problem as contrast to being a Zanu PF problem in the sense that it is the form who have failed to implement the necessary reforms to stop the rigging. Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2023 elections and thanks to CCC’s participation and endorsement they got away with it, in like manner the regime will rigged the 2028 elections unless we finally answer the question: Is there a competent opposition who can and will implement the democratic reforms to end the curse of rigged elections? 

Zimbabwe should have been a healthy and functioning democratic country by 2013, at the latest, if MDC leader had implemented the democratic reforms. Even now, after 23 years including 5 in the GNU and without even one token reform implemented many Zimbabwe are still reluctant to accept that MDC/CCC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and will never implement the requisite democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. 

23 years wasted dithering over reforms and for our part dithering over MDC/CCC leaders are up to the task of implementing the reforms. There is a heavy price to be paid dithering and we are paying it. Zimbabwe is a failed state because we have failed to end the curse of rigged elections and there is nothing that will give me reason to believe the reforms will finally be implemented and the curse lifted. Nothing!