Even with the world’s most gracious hopes and the world’s best of wishes, Zimbabwe is failing to give so much as an encouraging indication of a willingness to chart a new path of governance and a decent, honest way to hold credible elections.
I have often lamented the reluctance of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to show that he is his own man; to show that, while he is Zanu-PF, he has his own ideas, hopes and the self-confidence to sell himself and his ideas to the people.
Coming after dictator Robert Mugabe, Mnangagwa had nothing to lose, especially since he had the advantage of being the first meaningful change Zimbabweans were experiencing since independence in 1980.
But, no! The man made a fool of himself from the very first time he faced Zimbabweans after being installed by the army. He started chanting stupid, outdated slogans that referred more to himself than to opposition politicians.
The slogan “Pasi Nemhandu” (Down with dissenters) was not even well received by his own party supporters and he went on to show the shallowness of his vision.
Except for that scarf he religiously wears, Mnangagwa has not been original in any way but has increasingly relied on the same inhuman tactics that Mugabe used.
To date, Zimbabwe’s greatest savior appears to be the unreliable desire of foreign countries to re-establish business relationships with Zimbabwe for no other reason than that the corrupt and notorious Mugabe is completely out of the picture.
Mnangagwa is spooked by a politically rejuvenated populace and increasingly continues to look the other way when atrocities are being committed in his name.
State sponsored violence has been increasing as elections approach and the government’s silence and muted admonishments are clear for everyone to see.
Mnangagwa’s so-called “new dispensation” is nothing but a continuation of the same grim tactics to terrorise the people into submission.
The behavior of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) continues to paint a grim picture of the failure to be fair.
The camaraderie between the ruling party, Zanu-PF, and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is clear for anyone to see yet millions of dollars are being spent to stage these elections under what are clearly biased conditions.
Elections are slated for July 30th and it is not pleasant to see a steady increase in violence by Zanu-PF thugs as we approach the plebiscite.
More and more violations are being reported and when I asked one of the heads of a European Union Observer Mission to Zimbabwe, Mr. Eberhard Laue, what they intend to do with what they are witnessing in Manicaland province where violence is on the increase, he told me that the EU Observer Mission will only make comments after the elections.
It is important for SADC and the individual members of this regional grouping to keep an eye on Zimbabwe to ensure admonitory communication with Mnangagwa is open right now so as to avoid an entrenchment of an oppressive regime in the country, particularly after the election.
It is not a good thing that ZEC is currently always embroiled in court cases that have to do with complaints against it yet ZEC appears to be determined to do the government’s bidding.
What kind of legitimacy can ZEC reap when it fails to explain how a voter aged 150 years appears on the voters roll? Or many people with the same name and identity numbers also appearing?
The number of court cases against ZEC should be cause for concern. Last week ZEC counter sued the Election Resource Center, refusing to release one of the voters’ rolls.
In the meantime, the role of the military in this election is also raising alarm.
Not only are some military personnel attached or seconded to ZEC but soldiers (many in plain clothes) have been deployed deep into rural areas and are intimidating people in the hinterland.
There is a clear and increasing abuse of trust and this is retrogressive in every way imaginable.
There is a lot of talk and exaggerations on Zimbabwe’s improved situation but there is little indication that the political environment has changed in Zimbabwe.
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s underlings are not serving him well. He, himself, does not appear to be enthusiastic about making meaningful changes. There should, by now, have appeared unquestionable and clear changes in the political arena that we would not still be looking for a difference between President Mnangagwa and former president Robert Mugabe.
But we find ourselves wondering what changes took place on November 17th, 2017 when the people thronged the streets in support of an army general who had staged a coup only to impose Mugabe’s one time vice president on the nation.
We approach the elections with trepidation because we know what awaits us once Mnangagwa has been legitimized by an election that has all but been rigged already.
The main opposition and its allies in the Alliance has already threatened to boycott the elections if certain reforms are not implemented and that is a very dangerous development.
Once we get what is always called “an elected government”, no one will ever listen to the continued complaints of abuse. This is why this election is so important.
Even the EU Observer Mission says the reforms must be implemented for a fair credible election. With three weeks left, there isn’t time for any drastic changes to be implemented so this throws the outcome of the whole exercise into question.
Such is what we are faced with in Zimbabwe. We do not like what we went through in the past.
We hope never to live through it again yet our present is showing us a future that can easily and possibly be worse than the past.
The stage is set for that already. That is why individual member states of SADC should, for once, show some muscle and ensure that Zimbabwe lays down a proper new foundation to bring itself out of the muck.
This change should have brought us hope but, instead, it has brought us uncertainty. A new start appears to be evading us as we wait for the coin to fall. Heads or tails, we lose.
