By Nomusa Garikai- Some people have called for people like Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, to be added on the targeted sanctions list and I agree with them.
“We are reforming. We have been the fastest reforming economy in the world in my view in 30 years,” said Minister Ncube, according to a New Zimbabwe report.
“I don’t remember any economy that has reformed at the speed which we have reformed under severe pressure from Cyclone Idai and the drought which has not only affected agriculture but also power production.”
The Minister was talking to journalist on the sideline of the 25 October 2019 Zanu PF organised anti-sanctions demos. The Minister, like everyone else in Zanu PF know the sanctions were imposed because last July’s elections were not free, fair and credible.
Following the November 2017 military coup and as proof of the political change, the “new dispensation, the Second Republic”; President Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. However, when push came to shove, he failed to keep his promise; he refused to implement even one token democratic reform and blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.
The EU Election Observer Mission judged the elections as being below “accepted international standards” because the process was not transparent verifiable and traceable.
Last week a video by Edmond Kudzayi, Excelgate, gave graphic details of how ZEC had complied its election results from 10 985 V11 forms (Polling Station summary listing each contestant and the votes received.
The law clearly states that the V11 forms were to be send to the Ward Command Centres (WCC) and not to the ZEC Command Centre.
All WCC did receive the V11 forms and the counting followed as expected. Why did ZEC the 10 985 V11? Why did ZEC completely ignored the data from the legally stated counting procedure in favour of data obtained from unknown V11 sources?
The EU Mission reported of witnessing one ZEC official completing V11 form two days after the counting was completed and there was no one else to verify the entry!
Of course, Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections. Why Minister Ncube keeps insisting on talking about the economy and even blame Cyclone Idai, that occurred in March 2019 for July 2018 rigged elections beggars belief.
“If we move to the legislative agenda, we have allowed the democratic processes to take place,” Professor Ncube continued.
“And here we are, we have a new designed law coming as a replacement for POSA. Look at AIPPA, the same level of progress I am sure by year end, we will progress to repeal AIPPA with the right legislative measures and the list goes on.
“Look at the citizenship bill, the marriage bill and we are making a lot of progress on the legislative agenda. The President has introduced POLAD which brings all political parties to work together. So, there is space to dialogue.”
The new act to replace POSA still has many of the obnoxious sections up rooted from the old act!
The principle function of the opposition in a healthy and functioning democracy is to hold the party in office to account. So this POLAD idea to corral all the opposition parties to work together is the very antithesis of the democracy the country is fight for.
Of course, Mnangagwa did not rig last year’s elections so that he can then force Nelson Chamisa to join him to form a coalition government. Mnangagwa was cocksure his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” was going to open the flood gates to new investors. Minister of Finance, Professor Ncube, was equally cocksure the IMF, WB and the other finance houses bankrolling Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
We now know that “Zimbabwe is open for business!” is now long dead in the water. None of the financial institutions were ever fooled into believing Professor Ncube’s double dutch that Zimbabwe could be trusted to implement economic reforms when it had failed to implement political reforms.
Mnangagwa, Professor Ncube and the rest of the Zanu PF regime have failed to bring about any meaningful economic recovery; they will never admit they failed, it is not in the DNA of tyrannical regime to ever admit failure. And so the regime is grappling to find others to blame for the country’s economic meltdown.
Blame Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends for inviting the west to impose the sanctions and for refusing to join POLAD!
Blame the west for refusing to lift the sanctions; everyone in Zanu PF, including Professor Ncube, is keeping up the pretence the elections were free, fair and credible!
The Americans has just added Minister Minister of State in the President’s Office for National Security Owen Mudha Ncube to the dreaded sanctions list. This is a very appropriate response to the anti-sanctions demos! Well done!
Please add Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, to the sanctions list.
Professor knows that Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and yet accepted the ministerial appointment regardless for selfish reasons. He is propping up this illegitimate regime and frustrating all those fighting for democratic change.
Of course, he knows the difference between free, fair and credible elections; democratic changes; economic reforms; etc. and is pretending to be confused just to be obnoxious!