Mugabe has 'always guaranteed free elections,' says Minister - that is fake news!

"I want to inform you that the election season beckons and l would urge you not to become referees and players in the same. Instead, I exhort you to remain steadfast in your dignified roles of impartial observers as has been already pronounced by His Excellency the President, Cde R.G. Mugabe," said Foreign Affairs Minister, Walter Mzembi.

"As with previous elections, the Zimbabwe government has always guaranteed a peaceful environment, before, during and after elections. It's zero tolerance to violence policy as we approach 2018 elections, is a matter of public record."

This is total nonsense and Minister Walter Mzembi knows it!

a)    How can the Minister talk of "the Zimbabwe government has always guaranteed a peaceful (electoral) environment when that is the one thing it has failed to do. President Mugabe signed the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) following the blatant vote rigging as typified by the Zanu PF regime forcing ZEC to recount Tsvangirai's 73% vote in the March vote, according to President Mugabe's own inadvertent admission. After six weeks of cooking up the figure the vote was whittled down to 47%, enough to force the run-off.

And typified by the wanton violence shown during the run-off. Zanu PF deployed war veterans, party youths, Army, CIO and Police personal to punish the people for having reject President Mugabe in the March vote.

"What was achieved by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot," boasted President Mugabe encouraging his harassment, beating, rape and cold blooded murder thugs were carrying out on his behalf and behest. Over 500 people were murdered in the three months of the run-off.

Everyone, including SADC and the AU refused to accept the 2008 election results as a free, fair and credible electoral process hence the need of the GPA. In signing the agreement President Mugabe agreed to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging future elections.

It is tragic that Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were tasked to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU failed to get even one reform implemented. President Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office, a $ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. and they kick the reforms into the prickly pear thicket!

b)    SADC leaders asked 2013 Zimbabwe elections to be postponed until reforms are implemented. "If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!" SADC leaders advised the MDC leaders in June 2013 at the Maputo Summit.
Sadly, MDC leaders did not listen and contested the flawed elections. As expected, Zanu PF rigged the vote.

Still with no reforms implemented since the rigged July 2013 elections, SADC leaders' advice to postpone elections until reforms are implemented is even more poignant given the last elections were rigged and Zimbabwe's worrisome economic and political situation.

Zimbabwe's economic meltdown which has pushed unemployment to 90% plus, left most people with no clean running water, etc. 72.3% of the population is now living on US$ 1.00 or less a day. This has made Zimbabwe very unstable because the situation is not sustainable. The ruling party is imploding; President Mugabe has just fired his VP, nearly half his cabinet and a host of senior government and party officials will be sacked in the coming weeks, this is the second such mass sacking in as many years, as a result in the fight for who will succeed the old and frail Mugabe. The opposition cannot take over and govern because there is as much confusion in their camp as in Zanu PF.

c)    There is evidence already that Zanu PF is rigging next year's elections. The regime delayed the BVR registration exercise and now it is clear ZEC will not register 7 m new voter in the four months and, more significantly, will not produce a verified voters' roll for the elections.
 
"If opposition go into elections next year, they are going to lose; the elections are done!" To repeat SADC leaders' 2013 warning.

Conclusion
SADC refused to accept Zimbabwe's 2008 election results because President Mugabe had blatantly rig the vote contrary to Minister Mzembi's claim the tyrant has always guaranteed free, fair and credible elections.  

The GNU has failed to get even one democratic reform implemented to stop the vote rigging and  it is already clear that next year's elections are not going to be rigged. Zimbabwe is in serious danger of total economic and political collapse and a rigged election next year may well be the final push sending the country tumbling into the abyss.

Pressure must be brought to bear on both Zanu PF and the opposition to implement the democratic reforms BEFORE the next elections. If the flawed elections go ahead, then SADC and the international community but refuse to accept the results of the sham elections.