By Patrick Guramatunhu- “Did you know? Govt spent an unbudgeted $4 million on hapless anti-sanctions march but they won’t spend any money on buying #Covid19 tests.

They’re putting lives at risk & creating a situation where many may have #Corona Virus but there’s no infrastructure to test them,” Fadzayi Mahere said via Twitter.

Zimbabweans have had many chances, the best chances being during the 2008 GNU, to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and have wasted them all. The nation has paid dearly for the 40 years plus of corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF rule and, with this corona virus outbreak, the price is shoot through into the stratosphere!

Zimbabweans will now have the time to reflect on all the wasted opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship particularly on MDC leaders’ selling out during the 2008 GNU when they failed to implement even one reform in five years.

The situation could have been saved if the sell-out opposition opportunists, Mahere included, had not participated in the flawed and illegal July 2018 elections. The village idiots participated in the elections even when Zanu PF failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll!

It is rich for the village idiots like Mahere to now be telling us the troubles we are in with this Zanu PF regime when it was their greed that gave the elections and regime some modicum of credibility! The village idiots knew that by participating with no reforms, they will be giving the flawed process credibility as David Coltart, MDC A Senator and Treasurer 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 (2013) elections,” confessed Coltart in his 2016 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.”

A number of the MDC factions reconciled and formed the MDC Alliance before the July 2018 and still they participated in that plebiscite knowing fully well that not even one had been implemented since the rigged 2013 elections for the same reason – greed.

Mahere and her fellow MDC A colleagues, she joined the party soon after the July 2018 elections, have been calling for reforms to be implemented but have refused to rule out participating in the 2023 plebiscite even if no meaningful reforms are implemented.

The one reform Zanu PF is certain to implement is creating the constitutionally recognised opposition leader and shadow cabinet complete with the ministerial salaries, limos, the full works. Zanu PF knows that Mahere and her colleagues in the opposition camp will find this sweetened bait irresistible. Their eyes glaze over just at the thought of driving around in the super comfort of a ministerial limo – at long last! And long may it last too!

MDC leaders have had the best chances to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship; they have been on the political stage for 20 years and have nothing to show for it. MDC and all those who have participated in flawed and illegal elections have completely abandon the common cause of implementing the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections – the pre-requisite for competent and accountable government. They have accepted the status quo of Zanu PF rigging the elections as long as they get a share of the spoils of power.

If Zimbabwe is to finally achieve the objective of implementing the reforms and ending the curse of rigged elections and bad governance then Zimbabweans must finally accept the reality that people like Chamisa, Mahere, etc. will never implement the reforms. Never ever! We need to find competent and focused men and women to do so. 

“Did you know? Govt spent an unbudgeted $4 million on hapless anti-sanctions march but they won’t spend any money on buying #Covid19 tests!” Yes, we know that but more importantly we also know your participation in the July 2018 elections out of selfish greed gave this regime the modicum of legitimacy! Worse still, we know you will participate in the 2023 elections for the same reason – greed!