Mugabe No Longer Has Friends, His Intellectuals Are Misfiring

 A report yesterday in which Jonathan Moyo reportedly told the South African Minister of International Co-operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to "shut-up" about the holding of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe exposes how Jonathan Moyo and Zanu (PF) have now reached the end of their pretensions at rational argument.

His argument, that President Jacob Zuma was appointed SADC's Zimbabwe facilitator in his personal capacity, therefore his Minister should not be commenting on the need for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, is not only illogical, but it exposes Moyo's and Zanu (PF)'s insincererity.

Moyo does not even seen to realise that a party that campaigns against creating conditions for free and fair elections is exposing itself to be accused of having something to hide, or planning to unleash violence.

The attack signals decaying of Zanu (PF), attacking the very party and government that has kept it in power, refusing to implement sanctions, giving it electricity, routes to the ocean, and even such basics as bread and milk - all now coming from South Africa after Zanu (PF) destroyed local wheat production, baking and milk production.

It is clear that Moyo, whose political science professorship has been questioned, is part of Zanu (PF)'s attempts to intimidate SADC members and the international community, while the other Zanu (PF) members present Pan African arguments and try to patch up relations â€" thus leaving the international community confused about what Zanu (PF)'s real intentions are.

The British, for example, have taken to commenting only privately to condemn continuing political violence and intimidation. They are well-aware of the arrests and ill-treatment of MDC Ministers, MPs, Anglicans and civil society activists, but, as one Foreign and Commonwealth official put it, "The UK has no locus to intercede … Given the complex historical relationship between the UK and Zimbabwe any loud public condemnation may have a counterproductive impact."

This is exactly the intended effect which suites Zanu (PF) just fine, because all they want is to continue drifting along while their members are benefiting from their ill-gained ministerial positions, the corruption, patronage and diamond deals, for as long as Zimbabweans don't push them out of power.

Their protection at the UN is assured by Russia and China, thus setting the international community up for another Syria, which exposes the failure of the current UN Security Council format that allows one nation to rule out action against another strictly for its own political considerations. How can the UK say it has no locus yet it is a member of the international community?

But the clear and obvious position that is irking Jonathan Moyo is the insistence on implementation of the SADC non-violent roadmap to free and fair elections, which is now a SADC position, and therefore the foreign policy position of all SADC countries, whether they pronounce it or not.

This is why Mrs Nkona-Mashabane was repeating the position to her own Parliament in South Africa as its international relations minister, obviously with the blessing of the President, which attracted the rebuke from Moyo.

If all other SADC Foreign Ministers would state their positions clearly and unequivocally as South Africa has done, the likes of Jonathan Moyo would not have anywhere to hide, but some of them, especially those with democratic deficits, are reserving their positions in case they might need the Mugabe position to suppress their restive populations.

Malawi for example has already started blaming the West for the unrest which was clearly the result of the head of state's own rash decision to kill the goose that that was laying the golden eggs for him.

For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs Nkona-Mashabane has consistently and in a principled manner said that her government expects the power-sharing pact, known as the global political agreement (GPA), to be fully in place with a new constitution approved by referendum before new elections, stressing that "The GPA envisages that an election in Zimbabwe will only be held following the finalisation of the constitution-making process."

While Moyo and Zanu (PF) are claiming to want elections to be held as soon as possible, it is obvious that they are stalling on the fundamental reforms required for the most basic conditions for free and fair elections â€" like a transparent register, administered by neutral persons, transparent delimitation, a neutral state media and neutralsecurity forces.

Where would Zanu (PF) find the people to vote for it, having destroyed service-delivery for the majority Zanu (PF) voters in rural areas - no cattle dipping for their cattle, consequently no draught power and no milk for their children; no money to buy their seed; clinics have gone back to their pre-independence state, now relying on scotch-carts even as neighbouring African countries are moving to provide internet-based on-line doctors to rural areas.

No urban voters will vote for Zanu (PF) which has destroyed the livelihoods of vendors under Murambatsvina, and replaced their services with nothing - leaving the same vendors to come back into the cities â€" except that they had to start over again, with nothing. They have not forgiven Zanu (PF).

Urban workers have been reduced to urban unemployed by Zanu (PF) policies of corruptly awarding "indigenised" companies to their cronies, who stripped and destroyed the companies before "laying off" workers without severance pay and without unemployment benefits, as they had also looted the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).

The Zanu (PF) cronies responsible for upgrading the water purification works in the cities were also so busy stealing that Bulawayo's chronic water shortage continues, and in Harare the infrastructure has so deteriorated that because of lack of refining capacity they are releasing faeces intowater supply, poisoning the water and releasing typhoid onto the population.

Diaspora voters will not vote for Zanu (PF), as they have been forced to endure cold, cruel and menial jobs just in order to take care of their families which had otherwise been destroyed by Zanu (PF), and, frankly, they have now learned much more about democracy than Zanu (PF) intended them to know. Zanu (PF) still claims to have taught Europeans democracy.

So it is the knowledge that Zanu (PF) cannot win an election, which Jonathan Moyo knows very well, even if he was just an undergraduate political scientist; it is that knowledge that causes him - a Politiburo Member of a political party in government - to lose his cool and use such undiplomatic language as "shut up" referring to a minister of neighbouring government and a senior official of a sister liberation movement, the ANC.

The attack signals the decaying of Zanu (PF) - attacking the very party that has kept it in power, by refusing to implement sanctions against it which would have deprived it of electricity, routes to the ocean, and even such basics as bread and milk, which are all now coming from South Africa after Zanu (PF) destroyed local baking and milk production.

But for the likes of Jonathan Moyo there is no other way to go because theirs is no longeran attempted to bring about free and fair elections, but to bring about the kind of chaos that will provide conditions for them, the military and security forces to impose their will and the wishes of the politicians who would have put them in positions to benefit from patronage.

In turn the politicians, not just Jonathan Moyo, but the whole failed Zanu (PF) lot, will benefit from the protection of the security forces while our beloved country continues to suffer instability, repression and underdevelopment.

The ambitions of Moyo at el are of course protected by the delusion of immortality that is the clearest symptom of Robert Mugabe's senility.

The others who are continuing to go along with Moyo are equally to blame for the current morass that Zimbabwe finds itself in and are unlikely to be voted for by Zimbabweans in a free and fair election, because Zimbabweans are simply tired of them.

The question Zimbabwean voters would ask is, what is it that you can do now after failing to do so in the last 30 years in Mugabe's government: Emmerson Mnangagwa, Joice Mujuru, Sydney Sekeramayi, Didymus Mutasa, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, John Nkomo,and Nicholas Goche â€" among others who are pushing for an election without the conditions ensuring their freeness nor fairness?

A review of some of Mugabe's or Jonathan Moyo's men reveals:
Emmerson Mnangagwa â€" current Defence Minister, served in various capacities for as long as Mugabe has been in power, including Minister of State for Security - responsible for the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and therefore the suppressing of real and imagery opponents, and committing atrocities in Matabeleland and Midlands provincesunder Gukurahundi â€" possible crimes against humanity. As a member of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) suppressing demands for democracy and election rigging in 2008.

Joice Mujuru: Minister also for about 30 year years, Vice-President since 2004. She is best known for mediocrity as a minister while she was advancing her education and positioning herself to succeed Mugabe in a plan that has now been thrown asunder following the suspected murder of her husband.
Her notoriety was as Minister of Information, Post and Telecommunications, when she overturned a directive by acting-President Joshua Nkomo to license Econet Wireless as the third cellular operator in the country, and allegedly insulted Nkomo saying he was "senile" for awarding the network to a non-Zanu (PF) company.


Sydney Sekeramayi: in government since 1980, mostly as Minister of State for Security, but also Defence, Health and Mines and Energy and also tainted by the excesses of the CIO and security forces suppressing opposition in Matebeleland on behalf of Zanu (PF). Famously photographed together with Didymus Mutasa prostrating themselves before a conman claiming to be a spirit medium who could produce diesel from a rock.

Didymus Mutasa, Minister for more than 30 years, currently Minister of State in the President's, seems to be assigned to suppressing the opposition with irrational and illogical statements and promoting himself politically throughviolence.

Almost as old as Mugabe, but still with ambitions. Wasted appointment as Minister of Special Affairs in the President's Office in charge of the Anti-corruption and Anti-monopolies; probably why he was put there as graft by Zanu (PF) officials actually blossomed.

The grabbing of white-owned farms accelerated when he was Minister of State for National Security, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement. Mutasa, like all the others, helped himself to new farms.

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi: Minister of Foreign Affairs for as long as anyone can remember after Mudenge, specialises in translating Mugabe's interests into diplomatic manoeuvres including telling the West to go to hell without hesitation when Mugabe has decided to change tact.
Of late however the SADC and the African Union have turned their back on him.

John Nkomo: also old and sickly Vice-President since 2009, claiming to be the successor of Zapu (PF) despite Zapu having pulled out of Zanu (PF). Formerly co-minister in the Ministry of National Healing, Reconciliation Integration which has done absolutely nothing for three years.

Minister of Transport and Communications, Nicholas Goche, a hawk in Zanu ((PF), with no qualms about the using violence which he did during his election campaign. Exposed incompetence in failing to develop a viable plan to rescue Air Zimbabwe or cut losses. Air Zimbabwe is still going down, with bigger losses and inconveniences for flying Zimbabweans, Railways is rocked by corruption and roads are death-traps.