Mugabe speaks on Mnangagwas' Brutal Army

You are at the top, you want to glorify yourself,” said Mugabe speaking of his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to Jealousy Mawarire, National Patriotic Front (NPF) spokesperson. 

“You are not God. Today you are at the top, tomorrow you will be at the bottom, know that. God has His own way of punishing rogues and cruel people.

“I am telling you in your face. I don’t care what will happen to me. People should love their army, they should not fear the army.”

Mugabe reportedly said this at his 95th birthday party. Mugabe’s birthdays used to be a grand occasion, costing millions of dollars. No expense was spared even basic services such as the supply of clean water, health care, and education had all but collapse, starved of funds. Ever since November 2017 when he was booted out of power following the military coup, his birthday parties have been a family and friends affair and not a national one. 

Still, this year’s birthday party must have been a very happy occasion happening just a few days after some of the worst street protest and violence that the country had seen in the last decades. The protests were triggered by the shortage of foreign currency, fuel, cash, bread, etc. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was the nearly 200% increase in the price of fuel!

Mugabe stayed in power for 37 years by rigging his own Zanu PF party elections and then let none other than Mnangagwa rig the national elections to keep him and the party in power. He has insisted that he has never handed power to someone else because there was no one competent to lead. 

So reports of Zanu PF being accused of rigging the July 2018 elections (Mugabe had avoided such embarrassment by making sure no observers from the democratic nations were accredited) made good reading for Mugabe. But better still, the news of the Zimbabwe economy sinking even deeper into the abyss. 

If Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business!” had been a resounding success and Zimbabwe’s economy was on a firm footing and well on its way to economic recovery; Mugabe would be died spiritually, at the least. It was bad enough for him to be booted out of office but to have Mnangagwa validated as more competent than himself would have been more than he could bear! 

Nothing would have brought Mugabe more pleasure than to see the Zimbabwe economic meltdown get even worse than when he was in power and Zimbabweans rioting and demanding the removal of Mnangagwa. Absolutely Nothing! 

“You are not God! God has His own way of punishing rogues and cruel people!” If Mugabe said this once he must have said it a thousand times. No doubt Mugabe will never consider himself a rogue let alone that the military coup was God’s punishment.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

No Forex for education institutions in Zimbabwe

“Foreign currency from the inter-bank market shall be utilised for current bonafide foreign payment invoices except for education fees,” said Reserve Bank Governor, Dr John Mangudya.

There are hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean students outside the country partly or partly dependent on cash payments from Zimbabwe. How are they going to manage now? 

This is an outrage! It must be said here and loud as church bells that these students were forced to study outside Zimbabwe because decades of poor funding has left most education institutions in Zimbabwe without lecturers, no books, poor facilities, etc. etc. The quality of education they are providing is so poor most people had no choice but to send their child or relative outside Zimbabwe. 

Whilst one accepts the economic reality of a crippling shortage of foreign currency but even this is a Zanu PF man-made problem too. It is the 38 years of rampant corruption and gross mismanagement that have destroyed the country’s once booming economy. 

Zanu PF seized most of the former white-owned farms to give them to party officials and their proxies. Zimbabwe used to grow enough food to feed its own people with plenty leftover for export. We used to be the breadbasket of the region. Since the farm seizures, the country has struggled to produce enough to feed its own people. We now have to rely on import food and good to be paid for in foreign currency which we do not have since we now produce very little.

The government should never have to tell the citizen how they should spend their money. If someone decides to spend their hard earned money in providing as good an education as they possibly can; it is their choice and it is none of government’s business to interfere, especially when it is the same government’s corrupt and incompetence that has forced the parent to make very expensive choices.

Governor Mangudya’s policy announcement was reckless and foolish. There are a number of common sense options he should have explored:

    1. The government should have started by announcing that no foreign currency will be available for new students. 

      2. Forcing anyone to abandon his/her studies is a waste of all the resources to get the student this far and should never ever be taken lightly. The government should have explored other ways to save foreign currency. A recent report showed the government was failing to pay $600 000 for student living allowance in Russia and yet Mnangagwa was paying US$ 25 million for a hired Jet for a 10-day jaunt.

3. If the foreign currency outflows in student fees are still unaffordable then Government should have negotiated alternative payment arrangements the relevant institutions/nations. Most institutions would rather take a hair-cut of the fees than lose it all, they cannot fill a second or third-year vacant position.

“No foreign currency allocation for education fees!” This must have been a hammer blow to the parent, relatives and all the students studying outside Zimbabwe who relied on money from Zimbabwe. My heart bleeds for you all, the more so when it is not your fault but this Zanu PF regime’s fault that you are in this mess!

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Monetary policy to bring sanity

The primary objective of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s (RBZ) long-awaited Monetary Policy Statement was to bring sanity to Zimbabwe’s chaotic economic world, especially the madness in the financial and currency market. As RBZ Governor, Dr. John Mangudya, readily admitted when he launched the policy statement. “This is essential in order to bring sanity in the foreign currency market whilst at the same time promoting exports, diaspora remittances and investments for the good of our national economy,” he said.

Sadly, instead of bringing sanity and stability he has only succeeded in mudding the muddy waters. After going through the statement it is clear that no one in RBZ and Ministry of Finance; headed by the flamboyant and blundering Professor Mthuli Ncube, who approved the statement; know what they are doing. 

The statement confirms that insanity still rules supreme in Zimbabwe because nothing in the statement makes any sense. Nothing!

“Denominating the existing RTGS balances, bond notes, and coins in circulation as RTGS dollars in order to establish an exchange rate between the current monetary balances and foreign currency. The RTGS dollars thus become part of the multi-currency system in Zimbabwe. The legal instrument to give effect to this has been prepared,” said the statement. 

It should be noted here that RTGS balances were, until now, denominated Bond Notes, the electronic equivalent of Bond Notes and coins. The value of the RTGS was less than the Bond Notes and Coins for various reasons including convenience and electronic transactions were subject to the new 2% tax introduced last October by Minister Ncube. Whilst the exchange rate to Bond Notes and coins was 3:1 to the USD the equivalent RTGS exchange rate was 4:1 or worse. 

So in denominating all Bond Notes balances and cash to RTGS$ means people have just lost out, instead of having Bond Note worth US$0.33 they now have RTGS$ worth US$0.25!  

“The RTGS dollars shall be used by all entities (including government) and individuals in Zimbabwe for the purposes of pricing of goods and services, record debts, accounting and settlement of domestic transactions,” we are now told.

When Governor Mangudya was asked what is the exchange rate for the RTGS$ against the USD; his reply was that the RBZ will not set a rate but would let the market decide. 

It should be remembered here that until this statement the government had recognised only the official exchange rate of 1:1 of Bond Note to USD. 

So by acknowledging the unofficial exchange rate of 4:1 those with the economic muscle will impose the exchange rate that suits them. Employers, including government, will never adjust the workers’ wages, agreed at on the basis of 1:1 exchange rate. Meanwhile, all the goods and services will be charging in RTGS$ using the highest exchange rate possible!

Last time, October last year, when Finance Minister suggested the government would let the Bond Note float this had caused serious financial turmoil as people rushed to sell their Bond Notes for the more stable USD; the exchange rate soared to as much as 10:1 and only started to come down when the Minister withdraw his foolish statement! 

It is hardly six months since Minister Ncube’s ill-advised exchange rate comment and yet the government has once again put its foot into it! The government has just fired the starting gun of the rat race to buy USD with RTGS$. The value of the latter will fall. 

If the government tries to impose price control by insisting on a stable RTGS$ price whilst allowing the market to determine the later’s value this will only result in shortages. Zimbabweans have been queuing for cash, fuel, bread, etc. the queues are only going to get longer and the list of commodities in short supply will increase. 

“The Bank has arranged sufficient lines of credit to enable it to maintain adequate foreign currency to underpin the exchange market. This is essential to restore the purchasing power of RTGS balances through safeguarding price stability emanating from the pass-through effects of exchange rate movements,” said Governor Mangudya. 

Zimbabwe’s chronic shortage of foreign currency is a child of the country’s skewed balance of payment. We are importing far more than we can pay for through our export earnings. We need to revive the country production to reduce the volume of imports, we are now net importers of food a far cry from our breadbasket of the region days. Creating lines of credit, dictating what people should spend their hard-earned incomes on, etc. are not going to end the country’s foreign currency shortages and all the other economic problems. 

It is laughable that Dr. Mangudya should be admitting to the need to “bring sanity to the foreign currency market” when he knows that it was the RBZ and Ministry of Finance’s ill-advised policies that brought the insanity in the first place. By the same token, he and Minister Ncube know the recent statement will do nothing to end the chaos and insanity in the Zimbabwe economy. 

The two gentlemen know the madness in Zimbabwe, 

the economy will not end until something is done to end the 

rampant corruption and to restore investor confidence in 

Zimbabwe as a stable country and not a pariah state ruled 

by vote rigging thugs. There can be no economic recovery, much less prosperity, whilst the country remains a corrupt and lawless nation. There can never be sanity whilst the insane continue to rule!

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

"Zanu-PF legitimacy is NOT on dialogue agenda"

"It is an obligation upon every political player in the country to recognise the pronouncement by the Constitutional Court. So the issue of the election of the President is not on the table and will not be on the table because a decision has been made by the highest courts on that particular issue. We are not entertaining any discussion on that," said Paul Mangwana, Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs.

"We are saying we have a Government in place led by President Mnangagwa, but there are areas which require improvement from a social, political and economic perspective, let us discuss those issues with full recognition that there is a President who was elected by the people of Zimbabwe that is the context under which we are discussing. We are not discussing the legitimacy or otherwise of the election of the President. It is not an item on the agenda."

Mangwana and Zanu Pf can say whatever they like, the reality is that no one with a working brain including the many election observers and, most important of all, the investors and lenders condemned last July’s elections as a farce. Zimbabwe is therefore, being ruled by a regime that has no democratic mandate to govern the country, making the country a pariah state no one would want to do business with.

The root cause of the countrys' worsen economic meltdown is the failure of Mnangagwa’s clarion call, “Zimbabwe is open for business!”, to attract investors.

Zanu PF has always rigged the elections and presented the nation and the world with a fait accompli of a Zanu PF government. The party has got away with it in the past. For 38 years Zimbabwe has been stuck with a corrupt and incompetent regime with the disastrous consequences of economic meltdown and political paralysis. The all-powerful and tyrannical Zanu PF party is surrounded by an enfeebled opposition parties, making Zanu PF the only game in town.

Still the country’s economic situation, with 75% of the people now living of US$30 per month in a country with poverty datum line is US$650, with basic services such as supply of clean water and health care all but collapsed, etc.; it is clear something must be done a.s.a.p. to revive the economy.

On the political front, it is clear that if Zanu PF remains in power until 2023, the party will rig those elections too to extend its rule.

As long as Zanu PF remains in power there is no hope of any meaningful economic recovery because under Zanu PF rule the country is and will remain a pariah state. Zanu PF must be forced to step down, the sooner the better to create the political space for the appointment of an interim administration to implement the reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections.

The basis for demanding that Zanu PF step down is that the party does not have the mandate to govern the country since it rigged last July’s elections. Zanu PF cannot pre-empty the demand for it to step down by taking the rigged election off the agenda; it is the only issue on the agenda worth the candle.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

EU to look into Zimbabwe sanctions

All those who love peace and justice and understand the need to end the long suffering of the people of Zimbabwe after 38 years and counting of this Zanu PF dictatorship will hearty welcomes EU Parliament recent resolutions designed to the Zanu PF dictatorship. 

After 38 years of blatant human rights violations and tyrannical rule; it is now clear that the modus operandi of this Zanu PF regime is to do whatever it deems necessary, regardless of the law and even the sanctity of human life, to secure power. Present the nation and the world at large with a fait accompli of a Zanu PF government and only then make whatever promises and concession as long as they do not compromise the party’s hold on power. 

When President Mnangagwa seized power from Robert Mugabe in the November 2017 military coup he and his fellow coup plotters were aware the national community would not welcome this blatant act of banditry, ever against a despised tyrant and a dictator. Those in the know dismissed the coup plotter’s claim that this was a democratic transformation since the plotters were themselves Mugabe’s henchmen who had used brute force to establish and retain the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship all the last 37 years. 

Mnangagwa had promised to hold free, fair and credible elections in the wake of the military coup to take the sting out of the condemnation of his regime as illegitimate. It should be noted that never implemented not even one meaningful democratic reform necessary for free and fair elections. 

“Whereas the final report of the EU EOM states that the figures presented by the ZEC contained many anomalies and inaccuracies and raised enough questions to lead to doubts
as to the accuracy and reliability of the numbers presented,” EU Parliament rightfully stated in its resolution. 

The vote rigging was so blatant the regime has failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters roll. There can be no doubt that Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections and real danger here is to fall into the party’s trap of accepting it as the de facto government regardless of it having no democratic mandate. 

Mnangagwa and his regime are illegitimate and no one, inside Zimbabwe or outside, should make the mistake of recognising the regime as legitimate. No one!

This Zanu PF regime must be pressure to step down for four reasons:

• Zimbabwe is facing serious economic meltdown that has resulted in tragic human suffering and deaths and there is no hope of any meaningful economic recovery as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. Another year of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule is unthinkable much less four years to 2023, when the next elections are due. 
• If this Zanu PF regime remains in power till 2023, be it as the ruling party or partner in a new GNU, the party will see to it that no meaningful reforms are implemented regardless of all the promises the party makes. We can be certain of one thing then, Zanu PF will rig the 2023 elections and once again present the nation with a fait accompli Zanu PF government. We have seen Zanu PF do this, again and again, these last 38 years; for the country to move forward we need to break this vicious cycle of Zanu PF rigging elections, use brute violence to cow the nation into subservient submission, promise reform to gain legitimacy and remain in office only to rig the next elections.
• Zanu PF must be pressure to step down because it rig the elections and is therefore illegitimate. The party has rigged so many elections in the past and got away with it the party leaders now assume they have a right to rig elections. We should not call for free, fair and credible elections and then fail to punish those who rig elections!
• Zanu PF must step down to create the political space and time for the appointing of an interim administration tasked to implemented the democratic reforms necessary to dismantle the Zanu PF autocracy and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government.

The call to bring back the sanctions against Zanu PF leaders is a welcome move. “Calls on the European Council to review its restrictive measures against individuals and entities in Zimbabwe, including those measures currently suspended, in the light of accountability for recent state violence,” said the EU parliament.” 

It is important that the sanctions are imposed as soon as possible, the political situation is Zimbabwe is dire and time is costing tragic human suffering and lives! 

The sanctions should be hard-hitting. Zanu PF leaders family, friends and supporters continued to enjoy their extravagant lifestyles under the last sanctions, this must stop. 

There are opposition politicians too who have continue to participate in Zimbabwe’s flawed and illegal elections in total disregard of the warning that doing so only gave the process some modicum of credibility. In the past some of these opposition politicians have called for sanctions but only to help Zanu PF rig the elections by contesting the flawed elections. All those playing any part in perpetuating the curse of rigged elections must be included in the new sanctions regime.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Minister Ncube's 2% tax caused 16% economic decline

“Finance minister Professor Mthuli Ncube introduced the 2% per every dollar transaction tax in October last year as part of his “austerity for posterity” measures in a development which saw him receiving heavy criticism from all sections of Zimbabwe,” reported The Zimbabwean.

“Total payments in the economy declined by 16% in November 2018, as the effects of the 2% started hitting on spending, from the Reserve bank can show.”

If Zimbabwe was healthy and functioning democratic country in which those in power are accountable to the electorate then alarm bell will be ringing as loud as church bells in all government departments.

There is no doubt that the 2% tax has caused serious economic hardships especially amongst the country’s poorest, those living on US$300 per month in a country whose breadline is US$650 per month. Now it seems the 2% tax may well have backfired for Minister Ncube and government too.

If financial transactions have declined by 16% is this possible that economic activity has also declined by 16%?  This has serious ramifications on the whole nation; a slowing down economy impact negatively on economic growth and recovery, reduced volume of sells will mean reduced profits, the government’s earning from sales tax will fall because of reduced takings, etc.

So whatever addition money government has collected from the 2% levy on electronic transaction must now be carefully weighted again what government has lost in income tax, sales tax, poll charges, etc. as a result of the 16% slowing down of economic activities.

The government must monitor the economy very closely to make sure the economic activities pick up because a sustained 16% slow down in the economy will be a disaster for the nation.

The 2% tax was billed as “austerity for prosperity” but now it may turn out to be “austerity for pain’s sake all round”. Not that it will be a surprise, ever since the late Bernard Chidzero first introduced his WB sponsored Economic Structural Adjustment Programme in 1990, the nation has been told to endure economic hardships for a better tomorrow.  For the last 38 years the Zimbabwe economy has followed a steady trajectory of decline, the Zanu PF “better tomorrow” has been always been a mirage.

“The introduction of mobile money was a relief to the poor households. However, the introduction of this 2% tax will affect these people and the problems of inequality are thus made worse,” concluded The Zimbabwean

Even if the 2% tax was to prove to be an ill-advised and even down-right foolish move that caused untold misery and deaths – there are millions of people are so poor one decent meal a day, medicine and many other life’s essentials are now a luxury – to the people and no additional revenue for government; we can be certain this Zanu PF will never admit it made a blunder. Never! It is not in the DNA of a corrupt and tyrannical regime to admit to making a mistake much less apologise.

Whilst Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and tyrannical thugs there is always the chance of the nation pursuing voodoo economic policies for years and even decades because policies are imposed on the nation with no serious scrutiny which only a health and functional democracy can provide. If we are serious about meaningful economic recovery then we must demand democratic change in Zimbabwe with the sense of purpose the matter demands.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Injured Zanu pf youth Confessed.

One of the Zanu pf youth who was injured during the mass stay-away revealed what happened to him and others on that fateful day. On the day of protests, Gomwe called for a meeting in the afternoon at their provincial offices but later changed the venue to Zanu-PF HQ because the turnout was poor less than youth turned up. When they arrived at the HQ they saw Togarepi, Tongai Mnangagwa, Gomwe and other senior security officers from police and military. Togarepi addressed the youth telling them that he talked with the president asking for permission to deploy youth to deal with demonstrators and he was given the green light to do so but he was not happy with the turn hence the need to have assistance from the army. He told them that they are protected because there will army officers in each group of five youth and each group was going to be given 3 guns, Food, button sticks and sjambok, Toyota Hilux or ford ranger 0r Toyota Quantum and other accessories.

Tongai Mnangagwa told the youth that we are calling our structures in Harare to give us the list and home addresses of MDC top leadership and all activists so that you will direct the army to those addresses and there shall be two teams one led by Gomwe and the other by Tongai Mnangagwa. All youth received their army and police plus US dollars allowance 400 each. When we were about to leave Tongai Mnangagwa produced a paper with names and read the names of MDC-Alliance and ordered the police to arrest those people before the end of day Tuesday saying that the order was coming from his father the first names where Charlton Hwende, Ldr Cdr Bvondo, Jacob Mafume, Promise Mkwananzi, Evan Mawarire and Shadreck Mashayamombe. Those who feel that their faces are known were advised to put masks and also to pay themselves through zviwanikwa they were told that this is war you shall get everything you want in the war zone tora chose chawana chaunoda uise muhomwe kana vakadzi variko mberi ikoko.

“During the raids, we were advised to arrest and detain at our base and later dump them at a police station of our choice because at every team there was a police officer and at least two soldiers, our base was at the showground, “ said the young man. While they were doing this police and Army were also doing their own crackdown that’s why they were also in uniform to avoid clashes. The following day they received orders from Minister Ncube who ordered them kurova kafiramberi saying if you just arrest courts will release them because they don’t have proper evidence. The aim was to eliminate MDC leadership and civic leadership.

We shall publish the list of those youth who was part of the abductions and torture we have it. What happened must not just be ignored this must go to the UN and the ICC so that justice can be delivered to the people of Zimbabwe.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Ncube to ask for lifting of sanctions

“Finance minister Mthuli Ncube is expected to travel to Washington next month and engage with US lawmakers to lift the sanctions imposed since 2001. But his trip is likely to be overshadowed by the concerns that the US has raised over the human rights situation in the country,” reported Zimeye.

“Ncube estimated that Zimbabwe has lost 80 lines of credit as a result of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act and the US-imposed sanctions.”

The Americans should ask Minister Ncube whether he believes last July’s elections were free, fair and credible. Ever since he joined Zanu PF in September last year Ncube has wanted to cast himself as an academic appointed to do a job and will do it. He is not a politician and therefore does not want to concern himself with political matters. This is a very foolish and myopic position because it is undeniable that Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess because of decades of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption which the economists and the people at large have failed to stop because the politicians would not allow change.

Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs and investors have shied away from the country because they know it is impossible to run a successful business operation in such a country. Minister Ncube said he would attract investors but has so far failed to do so. So the political environment is important for economic recovery.

The Americans has made their position very clear, they believe Mnangagwa rigged last year’s elections, it is naïve for Minister Ncube to pretend otherwise. Frankly Minister Ncube is just wasting taxpayer’s money with all this globe-trotting when he cannot even admit the obvious – Zimbabwe is a pariah state!

Come to think of it; the Americans should just add Professor Ncube on the sanctions list. Why not he is doing more to prop up the Zanu PF dictatorship than Mnangagwa and ten other Zanu PF big wigs on the sanctions list combine!

Whilst still on the sanctions list, the West must slap the 24 individuals on Mnangagwa’s President Advisory Council, etc. They too know Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and yet continue to work with the illegitimate regime as if it did nothing wrong.

Members of Zimbabwe’s opposition parties must also be included on the sanctions list. By participating in the flawed and illegal election process they are giving the process some modicum of credibility.

All pressure must be brought to bear on the Zanu PF regime if it is going to be forced to step down to allow meaningful reforms to be implemented. The prospect of Zanu PF remaining in power till 2023 is unthinkable because there will be nothing to stop the regime rigging those elections too!

Plan A: Pile the pressure on Zanu PF, by maintaining the sanctions and economic isolation on party leaders and those propping the regime, to step down long before 2023 elections so we can appoint an interim administration to implement the reforms and guarantee free, fair and credible elections.

Plan B: To compliment plan A and if it should fail; add opposition members to the 
sanction list to stop them participating in flawed and illegal elections for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Multi-party democracy

"Multi-party democracy has been entrenched in Zimbabwe, yet the system has been missing one crucial part - dialogue among political parties and players,” wrote Herald Editorial.
“We note that President Mnangagwa is pretty much awake to this fact, and that explains why he has kicked off dialogue among political parties that participated in the July 30, 2018 elections.”

If multi-party democracy was “entrenched in Zimbabwe” then why has the country failed to hold free, fair and credible elections in all its 38 years post-independence history?

When Mnangagwa seized power from his boss, Robert Mugabe, in the November 2017 military coup; he was acutely aware that the world would dismiss his claim that the coup had transformed Zimbabwe into a “new dispensation”. To give his claim some credibility he promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. He did not promise to hold “dialogue among political parties and players”, as the Herald is now claiming.

Those of us who knew Mnangagwa as a corrupt, power hungry and murderous thug knew the promise to hold free and fair elections was one Mnangagwa would never ever keep. Never ever!

Indeed, within weeks of making the promise, Mnangagwa was distributing 52 twin cab Isuzu trucks to the Chiefs, the first batch to the country’s 282 Chiefs. Zanu PF has corrupted the Chiefs and other traditional leaders turning them into little more than its political commissars tasked to frog march the rural voters to attend Zanu PF rallies and vote for the party and keep the opposition at bay. The Isuzu trucks were to assure the Chiefs and all the other Zanu PF vote rigging partners that Zanu PF was NOT giving up any of its carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections.

Zanu PF blatantly rigged last July’s elections and all the election observers worthy of that role said so.

“Major shortcomings in the pre-election environment impacted on the free expression of the will of electors, state resources were misused in favour of the incumbent and coverage by state media was heavily biased in favour of the ruling party,” said the EU Election Observer Mission in their final report.

“Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability.

“Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”

The “excessive use of force by security forces and abuse of human rights in the post-election period” the EU report was referring to above was the 1st August 2018 violence. The same excessive force was used once again in the orgy of violence in the last two weeks of January this year. The sole purpose of the violence was to cow the nation into submission to silence all dissent against the rigged elections and the country’s worsening economic meltdown.

So we have Mnangagwa promising to hold free and fair elections to address a democratic deficit he knew existed. He then blatantly rigs the elections and brutalise the people to stop them talking about the rigged elections, the corruption and the worsening economic meltdown.

And to silence the increasing international criticism of his regime, he calls the corrupt, incompetent and the totally useless opposition; whose continued participation in flawed and illegal elections has served him well in giving the modicum of credibility to the rigged elections; to a meeting so Mnangagwa can sell himself as a “listening and democratic president!” But just to rub it in, the first thing he tells his invited political stooges is that last year’s elections were free, fair and credible and he is the legitimate president.

Mnangagwa has just flown to Ethiopia for the AU summit; one only hopes that Africa’s leaders will not be fooled to see Zimbabwe as a nation with healthy and functional “multi-party democracy”. But rather see it the real Zimbabwe; a dysfunctional nation under the clutches of a corrupt and ruthless dictatorship. Zimbabwe is the “sick man” of Southern Africa whose misrule has held back development in Zimbabwe and the region and has dragged the country to the very edge of a precipice.

The AU and SADC leaders have had many warnings about Zimbabwe’s corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime but have again and again failed to take decisive action. Now with Zimbabwe standing on the very edge of the precipice and threatening to drag the rest of the region down with her; one only hopes that the African Leaders will finally have the guts and resolve to tell Mnangagwa that he rigged last July’s elections and he must step down!

“Zimbabwe is going through a major shift in its economic and political trajectory, and this demands the participation of everyone, including political leaders,” argued the Herald.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs there will be no meaningful economic recovery and political stability. Meaningful change will come from the restoration of all individual freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections.

The will of the people, expressed in free, fair and credible elections, shall be the only basis of the authority of government. This Mnangagwa regime does not have the people’s mandate to govern and must step down.

There is nothing to discuss with Zanu PF, the party is illegitimate and must step down. All those Church leaders, etc. who have been clamouring for “political dialogue” are naive and misguided! It is 38 years of appeasing Zanu PF that has landed the nation in this mess. It should be as clear as day that more appeasement will NOT get us out of the mess but drag us deeper and deeper instead.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Noah Manyika, "Conditions of dialogue are not right"

“Earlier today I received a letter signed by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda inviting me and the other candidates who participated in the 2018 election to a meeting with the President at Munhumutapa Offices on Thursday the 7th of February at 10:00 am to discuss “The Framework for Post Election Dialogue by Political Parties,” said Dr Noah Manyika.

“Let me state clearly and unequivocally that I don’t believe the president has created the right conditions for dialogue, something that is in his power to do. I will attend this meeting to hear if he is now prepared to do so and will only be prepared to join any continuing dialogue if this is clearly the case.”

Dr Manyika, please do not waste our time with the usual foolish political apologies and posturing. You and your fellow opposition candidates who participated in last year’s elections are tripping over each other for a seat on the gravy train and that is all you have ever cared about. 

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe, former MDC Alliance Senator and Minister of Education in the GNU, David Coltart, admitted no one in the opposition should have participated in the 2013 elections because it was clear as day that Zanu PF was going to rig those elections. However, he and his fellow travellers in the opposition did participate regardless because of greed.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree on a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” explained Senator Coltart, in the book.

“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.”

With not even one reform implemented since the last elections, it was clear Zanu PF was going to rig the 2018 elections. This time, a number of the opposition parties had come together to form the MDC Alliance still there was no talk of boycotting the elections. 

Dr Manyika, Dr Nkosana Moyo and many others joined in the what one can only describe as the scrum for the scraps they knew Zanu PF would throw to entice them to participate. The opposition candidate did not even have the common sense to demand that ZEC release a verified voters’ roll although this is a legal requirement.

All the election observers from organisation and nations with any democratic election credentials have all dismissed last year’s elections as unfair and not to acceptable international standards. In short, Mnangagwa rigged the last elections, he has no mandate to rule. This Zanu PF regime is illegitimate!

Still, it is true that by participating, there were 23 presidential candidates alone, Zimbabwe opposition is “giving the process credibility!” In other words, it is these foolish and greedy opposition candidates and parties who are giving some modicum of legitimacy to any otherwise illegitimate Mnangagwa regime.

The over the top crackdown by Zimbabwe’s security forces last month in which hundreds of thousands of ordinary people were beaten or raped, thousands arrested and 12 shot dead has the illegitimate Mnangagwa regime under the spotlight. There is an AU summit coming up and the regime is desperate to show the world it is engaging all Zimbabweans stakeholders in a national dialogue. 

This is just nonsense! Zanu PF has repeatedly rigged elections and used brute violence to impose themselves on the nation. In November 2017 Mnangagwa and his junta friends forced Mugabe to resign at gunpoint. 

This is Zanu PF modus operandi, the party will negotiate on its terms, Mnangagwa wants to be recognised as the legitimately elected head of state, for example. And, just to be absolutely certain regime’s claim to power is never ever threatened, the party is holding the gun to the nation’s head. The 1st August 2018 and last month’s barbarism were all a timely reminder of what the regime will do to retain its iron grip on power. 

No nation worth its salt would ever allow itself to be held to ransom especially after 38 years of appeasing the same thugs with disastrous consequences we can see all around us. However, Mnangagwa knows that there will be no shortage of participants to his proposed gun-point national dialogue as long as he offers a few gravy train seats. 

What Zimbabwe needs, and has been dying for decades, is for the country to implement the democratic reforms as agreed at the onset of the 2008 GNU and lay a solid foundation for a democratic Zimbabwe in which the freedoms and rights of all including the right to free elections and right to life itself are guaranteed. 

Sadly, it is not just Mnangagwa and his junta who are holding the nation to ransom; the junta is being helped private individuals like Professor Mthuli Ncube and the opposition are ignoring the political reality that Mnangagwa rigged the elections for their own selfish gains. 

The British Parliamentary Committee of Zimbabwe met to review the UK’s policies on Zimbabwe in light of the rigged July 2018 elections, the brutal violence by the Zimbabwe security services of 1st August and last month. One of the many positive recommendations to the Committee was that the British government should review the targeted sanctions on Zanu PF leaders with the view making them tougher. Great idea!

The likes of Professor Mthuli Ncube, Kirsty Coventry, the 24 President Advisory Council members, opposition leaders like Chamisa and Manyika, etc. who all continued to frustrate efforts to pressure Zanu PF to step down must all be added to the revised sanctions list. These individuals know Mnangagwa is illegitimate but as long as it helps them to gratify their own insatiable greed for power and influence, they continue to prop it up. Imposing sanctions on them will send a clear message that they cannot continue to hunt with the hounds and run with the hare.

If Zanu PF remains in office till 2023, we can be certain of one thing - the regime will rig those elections too. This is why Zanu PF must be forced to step down a.s.a.p. After 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule, the nation needs the time and space to implement the democratic reforms.

Nothing of any substance can ever be accomplished until Zimbabwe is cured of the curse of rigged elections and pariah state. We need to step up the pressure on Mnangagwa,  his apologists and those profiting from the regime’s continued rule that the regime is illegitimate and must step down.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka

Mthuli on vision 2030

“Twenty Thirty Over the past year, there has been much talk about Vision 2030, our national growth strategy to transform Zimbabwe into a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by the end of the next decade,” started off Professor Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance. 

“There has been less talk, however, about how we are going to get there, and the specific steps we are planning to take. Government is asking for patience and understanding from its citizens, and it is therefore important that we clearly communicate not only where we are going, but also how we will get there.”

He then went on to discuss at length where we are going and how we are to get there. 

Zimbabwe is a de facto one-party dictatorship per se only Zanu PF leaders have a meaningful say on where the nation is going and how it will get there. We started as a middle-income nation in 1980, Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies promised the nation mass economic prosperity, “Gutsva Ruzhinji” (Mass Prosperity) and 38 years down the line Zimbabwe is the poorest nation in Africa. 

Even when it was as clear as day that where the nation was going was mass poverty and not mass prosperity, the Zanu PF dictatorship stubbornly maintained our destiny was still “Gutsva Ruzhinji!” and it knew exactly how to get there. 

So all these articles from Minister Ncube, Mnangagwa and others in Zanu PF assuring the people that vision 2030 is a certainty is nothing new; people have heard all that before. What the nation is rightly worried about is not so much where we are going and how we will get there but rather What if it is as clear as day we are going somewhere else? What then?

It was as clear as day by late 1990 that the nation was heading for mass poverty and not mass prosperity but the nation has continued to sink deeper and deeper into economic despair because the ordinary people were powerless to force a change of direction. Because Zimbabwe was and still is to this day a de facto one-party dictatorship in which the ordinary people were denied their freedoms and basic rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.

Professor Ncube, if Zimbabwe was your own personal property then you have every right to do as you pleased. It is not your personal property nor is it Mnangagwa and his junta’s personal property. Zimbabwe belongs to every Zimbabwean with the legal right to call himself or herself that and their descendants. As such, every Zimbabwean has a right to a meaningful say to where the country is going and how it is going to get there. The meaningful say will ensure they have a right to disagree with those in power and if need be removed in a free, fair and credible election. 

I know you, Professor Ncube,; and many others like Kirsty Coventry, the 24 President Advisory Council members and many other Zimbabwean professionals now serving in this Zanu PF regime in various capacities; have been very careful to focus on your area of expertise and not to say very little on whether last year’s elections were free, fair and credible. The regime has recruited you especially for your expertise in your field and it is counting on you to convince the populous that you will delivery vision 2030, for example. 

But even you have to admit that delivering 2030 will depend on the other ministers performing to the set targets, for example. If they fail to do so vision 2030 will remain forever a mirage. And hence the reason why the people are rightly concerned about making sure they restore their right and power to have a meaningful vote and who governs the country. 

Zanu PF rigged last July’s elections just as readily as the party has rigged past elections. Without a meaningful vote, the people will have no meaningful way of holding Zanu PF to account which the primary reason the nation failed to end Zanu PF’s rule even when it was as clear as day the party was dragging the nation into the hell-on-earth we now find ourselves in.

It is shocking that you, Professor Mthuli Ncube and many of your fellow intellectuals now serving in Zanu PF, with all your academic qualifications and intellectual enlightenment you have failed to appreciate the critical importance why Zimbabwe needs to end the curse of dictatorial rule, restore the all individual freedoms and rights of all Zimbabweans as the pre-requisite to peace, justice and economic prosperity. If one assumes that you are genuinely committed to rescuing the nation from the economic mess we are in; you are shockingly naive to believe you can achieve meaningful economic recovery, much less prosperity, whilst the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship remains untouched! 

By JEFF KURAI CHAKANYUKA