By Nomusa Garikai | “What will make voter registration different this time around if it did not make a difference in other elections. Has it become generic to be part of the exercise to register; go to the elections and lose; cry foul that the elections have been lost therefore no legitimacy for Mnangagwa government?” asked Nomazulu Thata.

“It is a farce to talk about reversing laws that would have been democratic if that very democracy has never existed in the first place. You (Chief Ndiweni) say you have found a ray of light in your roadmap code: “MyRight2Vote” in your rallying call. I fail to come to terms with the fact that you genuinely think that Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF will be ousted by elections?”

These are all pertinent issues Zimbabweans have ignored for many moons and we are all paying dearly for our folly. Thank you very much Nomazulu for forcing the nation out of our sloth-like slumber to deal with these matters now before it is too late.

MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms; the pre-requisite for free, fair and credible election; during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe bribe them with the trappings of high office and with their snouts in the feeding trough Tsvangirai and company forgot all about the reforms. They failed to implement even one token reform in five years.

Ever since the GNU debacle, MDC leaders with the encouragement of the Zanu PF apologists and double agents have been selling their naïve and gullible followers that the opposition can win rigged elections. “MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” boasted Chamisa before the 2018 elections. All nonsense, of course.

The 2023 elections are rigged in Zanu PF’s favoured already! 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora have, once again, been denied the vote. 5 million voted in 2018 and so the 3 million in the diaspora constitute 3 out 8 or nearly 40% denied the vote. What stringent measures will Chamisa have to reverse something that is already done, a fait accompli.

President Mnangagwa had time to pass the two constitutional amendments changing over 30 sections of the constitution to consolidate Zanu PF’s dictatorial strangle hold on power. The regime did not have time to add a clause in the electoral law to enable 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora to register and vote.

The regime welcomes the diaspora’s generous remittance contributions but cannot abide giving them a meaningful say in the governance of the country.
“MyRight2Vote”, yeah tell that to the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
Chief Ndiweni must know the political significance of President Mnangagwa giving away the first batch of Twin-cab Isuzu trucks to the country’s 270 chiefs. He knows this is a down payment to the chiefs who will then flex their muscle to make sure the majority of voters in their area vote Zanu PF without failure.

President Mnangagwa has already started mobilizing the war veterans and the youth militia, the party’s tried and tested foot soldiers, who would be deployed to step up the harassment and intimidation of the rural voters if they dared to defy the party’s orders. The party is geared to carry out the wanton violence of 2008 if need be!
MDC leaders know that by participating in these flawed elections they are giving credibility to the process and, by extension, giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF. They have soldiered on and participated regardless for one reason and one reason only (the same reason that stopped them implementing reforms during the GNU) – greed.
“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,” admitted David Coltart in his book.

“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.”
Robert Mugabe and now Mnangagwa have known that as long as MDC leaders continue to participate in flawed elections, Zanu PF’s legitimacy will be assured. And as bait to guarantee the opposition’s participation; the dictators offered a few gravy train seats, a portion of the annual Political Party Finance Act pay-out and, a Mnangagwa addition, a Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) to buy off Zanu PF’s political critics’ silence. “Vhara muromo!” as one would say in Shona.

It is clear why Zanu PF has ignored all demand to implement any democratic reforms. Why would the party concede to reforms and risk losing power when, by exploiting MDC leaders’ greed and the electorate’s naivety, it is guaranteed of legitimacy no matter how flawed and illegal the process got.
“The constitutional amendments are made daily to consolidate Mnangagwa’s dictatorship. Out of nowhere HRH Chief Ndiweni comes up with a political slogan “MyRight2Vote” and he calls this a “game-changer” in the 2023 election campaign,” Nomazulu pointed out.

With the 3 million in the diaspora denied the vote, the rural voters cowed into submission, etc. it is no exaggeration to say Zanu PF has rigged the 2023 elections in advance. The elections are, indeed, done and dusted. It is naïve to participate in an election process whose outcome is already done and dusted hoping for a different outcome but only to give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy!
If the people of Zimbabwe allow themselves to be conned into participating in the 2023 elections and give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy for another five more years of this corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship, then the nation deserves to suffer the consequences. No one can ever say they were not warned it is insane to keep hoping to win rigged elections!- SOURCE: zsdemocrats.blogspot.com