By Don Chigumba |  The CNN award winning journalist shocked the entire country to an extend that that the corpses of Mbuya Nehanda and Morgan Tsvangirai turned in their graves. Hopewell Chin’ono wrote an article today (23/03/2018) attacking the US’s move on making sure that ZANU PF and ZEC won’t rig elections of 2018 in Zimbabwe. This is my first time in life to come across someone claiming to be an intellectual and a CNN award winning journalist attacking the common good. I thought that everyone in Zimbabwe except some ‘immoral ZUNU PF members’ is in support of the US’s conditions on free, fair and transparent 2018 elections in Zimbabwe.

I have much respect for Chin’ono but lost temper when I read his article titled; ‘ZIDERA Amendment Bill: Why USA sanctions won’t work in Zimbabwe’. Throughout the piece, Hopewell Chin’ono tried to attack the USA’s tough move to ensure free, fair and transparent 2018 elections in Zimbabwe. He also quoted the off context’s former USA Secretary for State Mr. Carson statement on Kenya before the 2013 presidential election to justify that elections of 2018 should NOT be free, fair and transparent. If sanctions won’t work in Zimbabwe, why is ZANU PF campaigning for the removal of ‘smart sanctions? Why is the Zimbabwean economy at its knees?

Carson said ‘choices have consequences’, a situation that we have experienced in Zimbabwe. ZANU PF led us for more than 37 years and ruined the economy of Zimbabwe. There is no economy to talk about in Zimbabwe because ZANU PF has reduced the country to a status of a province. I told you before that the future of the future generations will only be redeemed by 2018 elections. Therefore, there will be need for free, fair and transparent elections in Zimbabwe but the CNN award winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is against the push for free, fair and transparent 2018 elections in Zimbabwe.
The ZIDERA Amendment Bill should be supported by all, including the living and the dead Zimbabweans because its aim is to push for free, fair and transparent 2018 elections in Zimbabwe. I do not know why the CNN award winning journalist Chin’ono is against individuals, people, organizations and countries calling for free, fair and transparent elections in Zimbabwe?

As a CNN award winning journalist, I would expected Chin’ono to be objective by stating the strengths and weakness of the ZIDERA Amendment Bill. What Chin’ono did was to support ZANU PF and ZEC before checking on the advantages of ZIDERA Amendment Bill towards free, fair and transparent elections in Zimbabwe. What we only need in Zimbabwe are free, fair and transparent elections and not sympathizers of rigged elections like Chin’ono.

Conclusion
Mr. Chin’ono’s arguments against ZIDERA Amendment Bill are weak and should be condemned and rejected with costs. I want to take this opportunity to thank American government for standing up against ZANU PF government and ZEC’s rigging plan. I also want to thank Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition under the chairmanship of Rashid Mahiya for pushing to unite the opposition forces against proposed 2018 elections rigging. NO ELECTION REFORMS NO 2018 ELECTIONS.

Don Chigumba is a mixed methods research specialist and can be found on Twitter