By Majaira Jairosi| Since the November 2017 coup, fate ushered in a new breed of political predators whose consciences allow them to be cunning. Today Zimbabweans are living in one of most deplorable circumstances in the history of tyranny, with nothing but their dignity stripped by a ruthless government.
Soon after tricking both military men and the generality into believing that they were executing a revolution to target criminals around Mugabe, the current crop of rulers in-charge of Zimbabwe parcelled power to themselves.
They told Zimbabweans that they were a “New Dispensation”, A second republic, and that Zimbabwe was open for business. The leaders of the coup, Constantino Chiwenga, Sibusiso Moyo and Perence Shiri received so much goodwill and were supported by countries within the region and overseas countries particularly the united kingdom. The then UK ambassador Catriona Laing even became their patron.
The rebels imposed Emmerson Mnangagwa as their president and once in office Mnangagwa promised political reforms and the upliftment of the lives of ordinary Zimbabwe. His advisors were telling him the right things to say, such that many people started to believe in what he was saying and others thought he was sincere.
Events were unfolding so fast that within months, Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the elections date, which were to take place on the 31 July 2018. It was after the promulgation that we started to notice signs that the system was not a “new dispensation” but that it was a “second republic” carrying on with the habits of the fist republic.
They started to deviate from their promises of political reforms and the betterment of the people of Zimbabwe. The militarisation of the government, interference with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, State capture of entities like The Herald and its sister papers and the prevalence of corruption, were most notable signs of a regime that was not up for transformation. Zimbabweans were soon to realise that there was a sharp dichotomy between genuine reforms and an orgy of lies.
Months leading to the elections exposed the Zanu PF regime as an unrepentant cult and that Mnangagwa was copying every tactic from Mugabe’s playbook. Zimbabwe went to elections with the play field tilted against the opposition. Promises of political reforms were never fulfilled and Zimbabweans continued to suffer.
Then the hell broke loose on,1st of August 2018, the eve of presidential elections results, when Zanu PF hoodlums clad in military fatigue fired live bullets at protestors killing six in the mayhem. This left the whole world shocked and many Zimbabweans deeply traumatised & disconsolate.
Those whose were having a soft spot on him were embarrassed and appalled by Mnangagwa’s decision let alone an act of ruthlessness and murder. But again, this was him, a man whose political history is littered with gory stories of murder and ruthlessness.
Soon after the tragedy, I tweeted on my twitter handle, giving a warning that Mnangagwa was unrepentant, difficult to rehabilitate and that if given an opportunity, he would kill again. It only took him five months and he killed again in January 2019, this time more than a dozen people were massacred on one of the regime’s other most horrendous act of terrorism against its own people.
To date nothing has change, the regime has not reformed. The appointment of people like Utoile Salaigwana & Loice Matanda Moyo is suspicious and leaves a lot to be desired. Salaigwana was one of the elections officers who oversaw one of Zimbabwe’s ugliest elections in 2008, which saw hundreds killed, but they still went on to declare Mugabe as a winner after a one man race re-run.
Loice Moyo is the wife of the man who announced the coup, Sibusiso Moyo, and has close links with ZEC’s Priscilla Chigumba and the judges who endorsed Mnangagwa in August 2018. She was appointed as chairperson of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
Against this backdrop, it is high time that the opposition take a decisive position in dealing with the scourge of lies and pretence being exhibited by this regime. The planned demonstration on the 16th of August 2019 was long over due and every citizen who cares about Zimbabwe must come out and join others.
Mnangagwa’s regime has shown that they are not prepared to have a meaningful dialogue with people that matter, but they have opted to congregate a number of losers in a bogus dialogue, which they gave an acronym POLAD. The regime’s ignorance, its arrogance and contempt for the people, shows a total lack of sensitivity to national sensibilities, and now they have to safe the masses as they take dialogue to the streets.
Given the regime’s record of dishonesty when it comes to matters that require negotiations, it is necessary that dialogue be taken to the streets. Dialogues that are done in hotels over a cup of tea and a bowl of scones are futile. Nothing will ever materialise, after all this Zanu PF regime is not sincere and has never been sincere.
All along, the regime has been lying about reforms, but again one cannot run a country on lies and deception. The struggle in our great nation throughout the history has been between men of honesty and dishonesty men, between men of certitude and crooks; and between those with national interest at heart and those who see the nation as a casino.
We are eagerly waiting to see the depth of their lies and commitment to genuine reforms.
Majaira Jairosi
Researcher and MDC Activist