By Nomusa Garikai- It was America’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell who pointed out just how incompetent MDC leaders are and how they can be a burden, not an asset, to the nation. 

In a leaked cable back to Washington, Ambassador Dell said Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character who will be an albatross round the nation’s neck if he ever got into power.” The Ambassador said similar things about the rest of the MDC leaders. 

The MDC leaders’ failure to implement even one democratic reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU proved beyond doubt they were corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. They have compounded their pathetic performance during the GNU by participating in flawed and illegal elections and thus giving the vote rigging Zanu PF regime legitimacy. 

What is really infuriating is the MDC leaders have known all along that by participating in the flawed elections, they will be giving credibility to the process and legitimacy to the result as David Coltart, one of the MDC leaders, has admitted in his book. 

“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,” wrote  Coltart.

“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.”

They have always offered one feeble excuse after another participating in these flawed and illegal elections in 2013 it was “failure to agree a coalition”. 

Four of the main MDC factions plus three other opposition parties came together to form the MDC A and still there was no talk of boycotting the flawed elections. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” Nelson Chamisa announced. 

Right now MDC A led by Chamisa and MDC -T led by Douglas Mwonzora are all gearing up to participate in the 2023 elections; without even one token democratic reforms in place, it goes without saying Zanu PF will rig the elections. Each MDC faction is offering its feeble excuse for participating. 

Ever since the July 2018 elections, Nelson Chamisa and his MDC A friends have been threatening roll out street protests to pressure Mnangagwa to accept political dialogue leading to the formation of a new GNU. Chamisa and a number of his follow MDC A leaders were hoping to get cabinet positions. 

It is now just over two years to the next elections in 2023, Chamisa has but given up all hope of another GNU and the recall of most of the MDC A senators, MPs and councillors in the last year has left MDC A weak, confused and, most significant of all, broke.  

Still, Chamisa continues to call for street protest. MDC A is banking on millions of people coming out on the street to vent their anger at this Zanu PF regime that has presided over the economic meltdown. If the people do not come out and join the street protest, MDC A will be hoping they will vent their anger by coming out in the millions to vote for change and thus overwhelming Zanu PF’s vote rigging shenanigans. 

Douglas Mwonzora is hoping to use his new found political muscle, many of the elected MDC A senators and MPs have since joined MDC-T to avoid recall, to push for dialogue with Mnangagwa leading to the formation of a new GNU. He and his MDC-T friends will be allocated ministerial position complete with limos, generous salaries, etc.

“If we adopt the politics of confrontation, the members who will be beaten up, tear-gassed, killed and hurt are opposition members,” argued Mwonzora.

“The market will stall and small businesses that will be affected are those of our members. The vendors who will not trade in cities are our members and big businesses will suffer, and this will affect the labour force we represent.

“But dialogue will safeguard our members from harm, death and other losses which may be caused by confrontation.” 

There is no denying that Zanu PF’s response to MDC A’s mass protests will be to use brute force to end the protests. As for the coming elections, Mnangagwa will be aware the people are desperate for change, so desperate they will be going the extra mile to get change. 

Zanu PF has no choice but to be prepared to go into overdrive with its blatant cheating and wanton violence as happened in the 2008 elections. The party has already called on the war veterans to mobilise and cabinet has just approved the recruitment and training of the party’s “green bombers” youth militia. The two groups played a key role in the intimidation, beating, rape and destruction of property in the 2008 wanton violence. 

This time, Zanu PF will be deploying its trusted foot soldiers months ahead of the elections so they can do their dirty work and be done and dusted well ahead of the arrival of the elections observers, a month or so before voting day. Any violence with observers on the ground will be limited to the subtle reminder of the punishment that will be meted out if the party lose the election.

As for the blatant cheating Zanu PF will resist all pressure to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the party rigging the elections. Both Nelson Chamisa and Douglas Mwonzora know this and hence the reason neither of them has dared provoke Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies to implement the reforms.

Indeed, it was the fear of provoking Zanu PF that stopped MDC leaders implementing even one reform in the five years of the 2008 to 2013 GNU. 

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will bring about the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. It is totally unforgivable that MDC leaders have failed to bring about even one democratic change offering one feeble excuse after another for doing nothing about implementing the reforms. 

Worse still, MDC leaders have participating in flawed and illegal elections giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. So instead of MDC leaders bringing about democratic change they are the ones helping to perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship. MDC leaders are now the albatross round the nation’s neck stopping the democratic changes the nation has been dying for! 

Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF regime that has rigged elections to stay in power. MDC leaders have wasted many golden opportunities to implement the reforms and end the dictatorship. Implementing the reforms would have upset Zanu PF and so the MDC leaders sort the easy route of doing nothing about the reforms to appease it. 

Today, with the nation in a perilous situation, with basic services such as education and health care collapsed and 50% of our people now living in abject poverty; with the nation’s very survival on line; it is imperative that we finally bite the bullet and demand democratic change over appeasement of Zanu PF thugs. 

Zimbabweans must demand the implementation of the reforms following by the holding of free, fair and credible elections. If the next elections go ahead with no reforms implemented, then the plebiscite must be declared null and void. Enough of this nonsense of rigged elections and turning a blind eye to it all to appease Zanu PF!