By Nomusa Garikai- Two years ago yesterday, 19 November, 2017, Zimbabweans poured out into the streets in their hundreds of thousands in support of Emmerson Mnangagwa and his junta’s military coup that ousted the country’s long servicing corrupt and murderous tyrant, Robert Mugabe. Yes we all wanted to see the back of Mugabe but only the naive and gullible would embrace Mnangagwa and company as the nation’s liberators given they were the ones who had kept Mugabe in power all along.
The best course of action then was to welcome the demise of Robert Mugabe and go on to demand the demise of Mnangagwa and company too.
“Let’s give Mnangagwa a chance!” came the chorus. The origins of that folly was Chris Mutsvangwa and the others members of the junta and the seed quickly geminated and thrived in the fertile minds of the naive and gullible.
When he got into power, Mnangagwa proclaimed that “Zimbabwe is open for business!” from the roof tops. He was cocksure this was going to open a flood gate of new investors. Two years later it is clear the world heard his acclamations but were not convinced that the country had changed in any meaningful way.
Mnangagwa has continued to wear the multi-coloured scarf associated with the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra. But everyone knows that the mantra itself is dead in the water!
Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections but never implemented even one democratic reforms. Not one!
“Zanu PF ichatonga! Igo tonga! Imi muchingohukura! Nokuhukura!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule! Whilst you (calling for reforms) bark! And bark!) Mnangagwa assured his Zanu PF supporters repeatedly on his taking over power.
Only the usual suspects, the naive and gullible, were therefore surprise that Mnangagwa blatantly rig last year’s elections and, to rub salt and chilli into the eyes, has the arrogance to claim the elections were ‘freest and fairest elections and it is utopian to expect anything better!”
The last two years have shown that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are corrupt, incompetent and beyond the democratic pale. It is therefore shocking that anyone, anyone at all with half a brain, would still want Mnangagwa and company to remain in public office even for one more day!
In his address to his MDC supporters and the public at large, Nelson Chamisa has repeated his call for the formation of the National Transition Authority (NTA). A Zanu PF and MDC power sharing arrangement in which he, Chamisa and a few other MDC leaders will hold cabinet position in the Mnangagwa administration.
Chamisa maintains that the NTA will implement the democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. This is nonsense! The NTA is nothing more than a watered down version of the 2008 to 2013 GNU; Zanu PF will have its 2/3 parliamentary majority for example. The GNU failed to get even one reform implemented and it is rich to expect the NTA to do any better.
“This (NTA) is not about power!” Chamisa tried to assure the public in his speech, dubbed Hope. The truth is, it is all about power and nothing else but power!
The NTA will enable Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti, David Coltart and possible two or three other MDC leaders to hold cabinet positions in this Mnangagwa government complete with all the ministerial limos, salary, etc., etc. And as for Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta, they too will be able to hang to their public office jobs as the NTA will legitimise their illegitimacy!
As stated above, the NTA will not result in the implementation of the reforms and thus deliver free, fair and credible elections. The NTA is just another feeble excuse for giving Mnangagwa another chance to stay in power and, just as happened with the November 2017 coup before it, there will be nothing gained, just more wailing and gnashing of teeth!
The only rational way forward is for the nation to accept that Mnangagwa and his cronies rigged last year’s elections, they have been rigging elections for the last 39 years and have got away with it setting the dangerous precedence.
This nation has paid dearly for this foolishness, the root cause of the country’s economic and political crisis is its failure to remove this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship.
The only sure way to end the crisis is for the nation to finally grasp the nettle and demand that Mnangagwa and company step down so we can finally implement the reforms and end the curse of rigged elections!