BY: Wilbert Mukori- “GNU is not a local herb!” wrote Jamanda2 in Bulawayo 24.

“The West also made sure there was no third party or parties with which to enter into a governing alliance that would exclude Zanu-PF from post-electoral settlement. Zanu-PF had to be in, to stabilise a post-election Zimbabwe! Such an option which excluded Zanu-PF would bring back the spectre of instability, which the West cannot brook in this highly mineralised teapot country of ours!

“The West’s strategy against Zanu-PF and for a remade Zimbabwe subsists in a graduated electoral murder of the ruling Zanu-PF! As happened in post-Kabila DRC where the current President entered weak but became stronger once inside, and in the fullness of governing time.

“You understand that, then you reach political epiphany in respect of what was and remains planned for us by the West, both in the 2023 harmonised polls and electoral years to come. The notion of GNU is very much the West’s thing; it is not the local medicine or herb to Zimbabwe’s riven and polarised politics!”

The threat that Zanu PF will make Zimbabwe ungovernable if the party does not get its way has hang on the nation like the sword of Damocles since 1980! Zanu PF’s campaign strategy in 1980 was that if the party did not win the election the bush war would continue. The party had the guns and the manpower to carryout its threat and the nation knew that. The people voted to end the bush war not knowing they had lost their right to peace. 

In 1983, Zanu PF launched the now infamous Gukurahundi massacre for the sole purpose of coercing PF Zapu, the party’s main political challenger, to give up its independent identity and join Zanu PF. After fours years of relentless persecution and over 20 000 died PF Zapu relented and signed the December 1987 Unity Accord clearing the way for the imposition of the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship that has ruled the nation with an iron fist to this day. 

The nearest, Zanu PF has ever come to losing its iron grip on power was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when Mugabe and Zanu PF were forced to share power with the two MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. Mugabe was cunning enough to make sure the MDC leaders were afforded all the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the generous salaries and allowances, US$4 million mansion for Save himself, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, the MDC leaders completely forgot that their primary purpose in the GNU was to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship. 

MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform in five years of the GNU!Worst of all; Zanu PF contrived to allow the opposition to win a few gravy train seats so that post the 2013 GNU the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship was cloaked is a multi-party facade. The few gravy train seats was to entice the opposition to participate in the flawed elections no matter how flawed the process got. It worked like a charm!

“The (2013) 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,” confessed David Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe. 

After the 2018 elections, Mnangagwa sweetened the opposition bait by introducing POLAD, a superfluous body of losing presidential candidates who are rewarded with US$ 60 000 twin cab truck and other freebies. All they have to do is publicly endorse the rigged elections as free, fair and credible and entice more to participate in future rat races. He had to introduce a US$ 20 000 nomination free for presidential candidates just to stop the flood of POLAD claimants! 

There were 11 presidential candidates in the 23 August 2023 rat race. The top two garnered 52.6% and 44% of the votes and the remaining 9 share 5.4%.

I dare say Zanu PF was taken completely by surprise by the SADC and AU election observer teams’ reports that condemned the 23 August 2023 election process as a farce. In the past the regional and continental bodies had taken the clue from Zimbabwe’s opposition parties’ enthusiastic participation as an excuse for rubber stamping the rigged elections. 

SADC is yet to decide what to do with Zimbabwe, the regional body knows that it cannot sweep the damning SADC and AU election reports under the carpet. Another GNU is on the offing and the regime is reminding us all of the sharp sword dangling precariously over the nation!

Zimbabwe is a failed state precisely because the nation has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections for the last 43 years and was stuck with the vote rigging Zanu PF de facto one party dictatorship. We had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and we wasted it. We have a second bite at the cherry, we must make this count. 

If Zanu PF is allowed to play a major role in the new GNU then we can be certain that most of the democratic reforms will never be implemented. Never!We must not allow Zanu PF hold the nation to ransom and waste this second chance!

BY: Wilbert Mukori- “GNU is not a local herb!” wrote Jamwanda2 in Bulawayo 24.

“The West also made sure there was no third party or parties with which to enter into a governing alliance that would exclude Zanu-PF from post-electoral settlement. Zanu-PF had to be in, to stabilise a post-election Zimbabwe!

Such an option which excluded Zanu-PF would bring back the spectre of instability, which the West cannot brook in this highly mineralised teapot country of ours!

“The West’s strategy against Zanu-PF and for a remade Zimbabwe subsists in a graduated electoral murder of the ruling Zanu-PF! As happened in post-Kabila DRC where the current President entered weak but became stronger once inside, and in the fullness of governing time.

“You understand that, then you reach political epiphany in respect of what was and remains planned for us by the West, both in the 2023 harmonised polls and electoral years to come. The notion of GNU is very much the West’s thing; it is not the local medicine or herb to Zimbabwe’s riven and polarised politics!”

The threat that Zanu PF will make Zimbabwe ungovernable if the party does not get its way has hang on the nation like the sword of Damocles since 1980! Zanu PF’s campaign strategy in 1980 was that if the party did not win the election the bush war would continue. The party had the guns and the manpower to carryout its threat and the nation knew that. The people voted to end the bush war not knowing they had lost their right to peace. 

In 1983, Zanu PF launched the now infamous Gukurahundi massacre for the sole purpose of coercing PF Zapu, the party’s main political challenger, to give up its independent identity and join Zanu PF. After fours years of relentless persecution and over 20 000 died PF Zapu relented and signed the December 1987 Unity Accord clearing the way for the imposition of the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship that has ruled the nation with an iron fist to this day. 

The nearest, Zanu PF has ever come to losing its iron grip on power was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when Mugabe and Zanu PF were forced to share power with the two MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. Mugabe was cunning enough to make sure the MDC leaders were afforded all the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the generous salaries and allowances, US$4 million mansion for Save himself, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, the MDC leaders completely forgot that their primary purpose in the GNU was to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship. 

MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform in five years of the GNU!Worst of all; Zanu PF contrived to allow the opposition to win a few gravy train seats so that post the 2013 GNU the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship was cloaked is a multi-party facade. The few gravy train seats was to entice the opposition to participate in the flawed elections no matter how flawed the process got. It worked like a charm!

“The (2013) 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,” confessed David Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe. 

After the 2018 elections, Mnangagwa sweetened the opposition bait by introducing POLAD, a superfluous body of losing presidential candidates who are rewarded with US$ 60 000 twin cab truck and other freebies.

All they have to do is publicly endorse the rigged elections as free, fair and credible and entice more to participate in future rat races. He had to introduce a US$ 20 000 nomination free for presidential candidates just to stop the flood of POLAD claimants! 

There were 11 presidential candidates in the 23 August 2023 rat race. The top two garnered 52.6% and 44% of the votes and the remaining 9 share 5.4%.

I dare say Zanu PF was taken completely by surprise by the SADC and AU election observer teams’ reports that condemned the 23 August 2023 election process as a farce. In the past the regional and continental bodies had taken the clue from Zimbabwe’s opposition parties’ enthusiastic participation as an excuse for rubber stamping the rigged elections. 

SADC is yet to decide what to do with Zimbabwe, the regional body knows that it cannot sweep the damning SADC and AU election reports under the carpet. Another GNU is on the offing and the regime is reminding us all of the sharp sword dangling precariously over the nation!

Zimbabwe is a failed state precisely because the nation has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections for the last 43 years and was stuck with the vote rigging Zanu PF de facto one party dictatorship.

We had the opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and we wasted it. We have a second bite at the cherry, we must make this count. 

If Zanu PF is allowed to play a major role in the new GNU then we can be certain that most of the democratic reforms will never be implemented. Never!We must not allow Zanu PF hold the nation to ransom and waste this second chance!