By Wilbert Mukori- “American government are reported to have snubbed efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lobbyists to bring Cabinet ministers to a US-Africa Summit currently underway in Maputo, Mozambique,” reported a local publication. 

“Reports from ZANU PF headquarters indicate that Mnangagwa’ government wanted to take the opportunity to initiate direct conversation with the World Super power so that they can understand first-hand the situation in Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa blatantly rigged last year’s elections and now that his regime is safely in power he thinks he can sweet talk everyone into forgiving him! He will promise to implement the reforms, he is very careful not to give away any details on what these reforms are, especially since he insists last year’s elections were free, fair and credible.

When it comes to implementing the democratic reforms leading to free, fair and credible elections, we can all talk until we are jet-black in the face; as long as Zanu PF remains in power, the party will never ever implement any meaningful reforms.

The nearest Zimbabwe came to holding free, fair and credible elections was in 2008 and Zanu PF had to pull all the stops to stop MDC taking over power. The party is not going to allow that to happen ever again, not if it can help it.

“A year on from the coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe remains perched between piecemeal reform and old ways that are as intractable as they are destructive. That’s because the country is ruled by a clique with a partial and conditional commitment to change—and a total, obdurate determination to retain and enjoy power,” wrote Stuart Duran in ASPI Strategist.

“The ‘new’ regime can be viewed from different angles, but the nub of it is this: there’s a recognition that the economic fiasco of the last 20 years was suboptimal, but Emmerson Mnangagwa and his fellow travellers will burn the house down if they feel it necessary.

Make no mistake, their will to power is every bit as intense as Mugabe’s—as is their belief that they own the country’s choicest fruits by right of conquest.”

 Stuart was spot-on there, Mnangagwa et al will rather burn the whole country down than give up power. Face with a clique with such an iron resolve to retain power at all cost those seeking to challenge the regime’s hold on power will have to match it and more.

Those seeking to bring meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe must a crystal clear understanding of the nature of the beast, Zanu PF, what they need to do to defeat it and a Spartan “no retreat, no surrender” resolve to see the task through! 

The breathtakingly incompetent and corrupt Morgan Tsvangirai, and now Nelson Chamisa, and his equally incompetent and corrupt MDC friends were no match for incompetent and corrupt but, more notably, cunning and utterly ruthless Robert Mugabe, and now Emmerson Mnangagwa, and his Zanu PF thugs. It is not surprising that MDC leaders have failed to get even one meaningful reform implemented in the party’s 19 years on the political stage.

The very fact that Mnangagwa is trying to pull wool over the Americans is a measure of how naïve he is but also how desperate he is to end the country’s worsening economic meltdown. The Americans have already said Mnangagwa failed to keep his promise to hold free, fair and credible elections and, as punishment, they will not lift the sanctions nor re-engage with Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is now so serious the nurses have announced they will now report to duty 2 days a week; their wages as so poor they cannot afford transport cost for the remaining 5 days. There are reports the country is running out of wheat. The economic situation is unsustainable.

As much as Mnangagwa and his cronies would like to maintain their iron grip on political power, it is increasingly clear that power is slipping away. There are reports the regime has deployed the Army and is threatening to use brute force to suppress all dissent. These are just the last kicks of a dying horse.

The worsen economic meltdown has emboldened the long-suffering people to demand change, on the one hand, whilst on the other hand it has slowly but surely worn out the regime’s iron will to resist change. The cup is full to overflow, change, regime change, is now as certain as the sunrise!