By Wilbert Mukori- “A report by the Khupe-led committee presented by Kwanele Hlabangana and gleaned by a local publication revealed that the team met British ambassador to Zimbabwe Melanie Robinson, US ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols, European Union ambassador Timo Olkkonen among others, and the issue of Chamisa not being part of the process kept coming up.”

“In key issues raised by the diplomatic community in our recent engagements, although they applaud and appreciate the great initiative taken by His Excellency ED Mnangagwa and the political leaders that participated as presidential candidates in the 2018 harmonised elections, that of coming together to establish POLAD, they are all of the view that the on-going dialogue process should rather be broad-based, with key stakeholders that include the MDC Alliance, civic society, religious groups, white commercial farmers and business,” the report read in part.

“Both the US and EU ambassadors emphasised their desire to have South Africa play a leading role in the dialogue process with former President Thabo Mbeki as the mediator.”

The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections resulting in the country being stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regime for 40 years. 

The 2008 to 2013 GNU was supposed to implement the democratic reforms and thus stop Zanu PF rigging elections. Sadly it failure to do so because Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friend took their eyes off the ball and failed to get even one reform implemented. 

Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, the regime is illegitimate and has no democratic mandate to govern.

By participating in the flawed and illegal elections MDC A and all the other opposition parties and candidates gave the process and hence the result some modicum of credibility and legitimacy. They were warned of the folly of participating but they continued regardless out of selfish greed, as one opposition leader, David Coltart, Senator and Treasurer General of the MDC A admitted. 

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” confessed Senator Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“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.”

Here are the principle objectives of the proposed all stakeholders’ meeting:

1. To give Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies the opportunity to accept the present political system has failed and accept the need for the regime to step down and have an orderly transfer of power to the new administration to emerge out of the deliberations. The meeting is not to come up with any power sharing arrangement designed to give legitimacy to this illegitimate Zanu PF regime. It is a historic fact that Zanu PF has dragged the nation into this political and economic mess and it is inconceivable that the party will play a meaningful role in the reconstruction phase. Any insistence by the party on playing a further role will only be seen for what it is – Zanu PF holding the nation to ransom. That is the one thing that got us into this mess in the first place and it must not be permitted for even one more day!

1. By participating in a flawed and illegitimate electoral process the MDC A and all those who participated in the July 2018 or other past elections have disqualified themselves for playing a role in the interim administration.

1. An interim administration composed of carefully selected Zimbabweans helped by outsiders from the UN and other international bodies will be appointed and tasked to implemented the democratic reforms designed to end the country’s curse of rigged elections and bad governance. The interim administration will also be tasked to revive economic activities and restore basic services such as supply of clean doing water, education and health care. The interim administration will be responsible for ensure the next elections are free, fair and credible and handover power to the democratically elected government.