Tag Archives: Zimbabwe’s election

these not so serious leaders of zimbabwe

Posted on by
Reply

It has been ages since Zimbabwe held elections but until now Robert Mugabe (having stolen the elections) and his nemesis Morgan Tsvangirai (the supposed winner) are yet to reach a deal to form a government. This deadlock is not about policy. It is not about how these two men will stear Zimbabwe out of the mess it has found itself in. It has nothing to do with increasing school enrolment, creating jobs or improving post-natal care for rural women. The squabbling that continues to deny the people of Zimbabwe a government is over cabinet posts – posts that are to be filled with men who are as alienated from the struggles of the rural folk as that infamous French queen was. It is a tragedy. It is a total travesty.

The regional leaders are still calling for more summits. Opportunities to spend tax payers money while discussing how to divide that money among the same corrupt men who seem to have completely lost direction and the interest to serve their people.

Do these guys know the inflation rate in their country? Do these guys see how Zimbabweans are suffering in camps in South Africa or in the other countries in Southern Africa?

It is a shame. A big shame. Who cares about who holds what posts? As a the former president of Kenya would say: will this in any way increase the number of utensils in any ordinary Zimbabwean’s house? Whatever happened to policy?

How much longer will the world sit back and watch?

Posted on by
7

As usual, the news coming out of Zimbabwe are not good. Images of armed youth chasing and beating opposition supporters and reports of whole villages being overrun by government operatives for the simple crime of voting for the opposition are in the least very sickening. Robert Mugabe, the ancient independence hero of the republic of Zimbabwe has vowed to stay in power and told his opponents that only God can remove him from power. Perhaps it is time Zims remembered the Biblical note that God works through the hands of men and do the necessary. The old man should be removed from office and exiled to some island in the indian ocean, or better still he should be exiled to Britain – the land that he has grown to hate and blame for all the ills affecting his people.

The problem in Zimbabwean has again exposed the dysfunction that is the continent of Africa. The de facto leader of the continent, one Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is on record as to having said that there is nothing wrong with Zim and that the international media should tone down on the negative reporting. Mr. Mbeki must be mad. The other presidents on the continent couldn’t care less. A few of them have voiced concern but without offering any concrete solutions. For now they seem to be bent on protecting one of their own. A real dirty shame.

The wider international community has also bought into the tactic of all barks and no bite. It has been left to the BBC, CNN and the spokespeople of the state department in the US and foreign ministry in the UK to condemn the actions of ZANU-PF and their supporters in ZIm.

I think it is time civil society groups across Africa held demonstrations to force their leaders to step in and talk old Rob out of power. The man is 84 and has been in power since 1980. In this period Zim has descended from being a food exporter to a country where millions depend on international food aid. It is time for him to go. And it is a real dirty shame that Africa and the rest of the world continues to sit back and watch as old Rob continues to sink his country deeper into the ground.

zimbabwe’s kenya-esque election

Posted on by
1

It all sounds too familiar. Elections are held, but the government fears that the wrong people might be winning. The election officials know the results but are not releasing them for some mysterious reason. All things then break loose, with disastrous consequences.

The credibility of the election process is tarnished and everyone is left guessing who really won the election.

I am not saying that this is how Zimbabwe will pan out but I am worried at how eerily familiar the situation there seems.

Right now, with 52 constituencies counted, the government has half the seats and the opposition the other half. Tsvangirai’s party has 25 and Mutambara’s 1. A couple of Mugabe’s ministers have lost their parliamentary seats. Other results are being delayed for some mysterious reason even as Tsvangirai’s party, the MDC, continues to claim that it has won 60% of the votes cast to Mugabe’s 30%. The MDC also claims that it has won 99 seats in parliament against ZANU-PF’s 96 while 15 went to other opposition groups.

The real results have been delayed by the electoral commission …….. no prizes for guessing why. The weird part about this is that even after uncle Bob showed the world what he is capable of over the last two decades, I was still kind of optimistic that he was going to hold a relatively acceptable election (please prove me right Mugabe, please…)

To future would be African “riggers of elections” : if you have to rig, please be tactful. Do it without delaying results simply because this creates suspicion. Do it without having voter turnout being higher than voter registration. And do it in a way that half the government ministers do not lose their parliamentary seats because if they do and you still win, even the dumbest among us will smell a rat.