'Dark times are behind us' Ncube assure EU - how so, when just rigged elections

Man is supposed to be a creature of reason; tyrants are creatures of habit, for reason and logic count for nothing in their world. To the tyrant what is, does not matter; it is what he says is, that matters; regardless how nonsensical that may happens to be.
 
When Mnangagwa and his junta staged the November 2017 military coup, they told the world that it was not a coup but "a military assisted transition". A few weeks latter the junta even managed to collar a judge to rule the coup was "legal, constitutional and justified!"

As far as I know, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe's current Minister of Finance, was not a Zanu PF propagandist or apologist like the likes of Nick Mangwana before his appointment. He has been in his new post for less than six months and already he speaks the party's double-Dutch lingo perfectly.

"Just as we open up our economy and democratic space, so too are we opening our arms to the world," he told the European parliament.

"The dark times are behind us, and the future is bright and positive; a future of cooperation and dialogue. A future whereby Zimbabwe is an active and responsible member of the global community."

Of course, his audience did not believe a word of any of this nonsense. The real irony here is that he believes the nonsense himself and walked away convinced his audience believed every word he said!

How can Zimbabwe say the "dark times" be behind us when Zanu PF has not done little to end the scourge of corruption or any of the other  problems holding back the nation, for example! In 2016 Robert Mugabe confessed the nation was being "swindled" of a staggering US$ 15 billion in diamond revenue. Although Mugabe remain in office for another year after the confession, he never arrested even one swindler.

Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe with a promise to follow a "zero tolerance on corruption" policy. He has been in office for over a year and yet he too has not arrested one swindler or recovered one dollar of the looted billions. Indeed, the looting has continued unabated! The swindlers are the untouchables!

Mnangagwa also promised to hold free, fair and credible elections when he took over. A promise he clearly had no intention of keeping because he pointedly refused to implement even one single democratic reform, designed to take away Zanu PF's carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig elections.

The EU MPs and officials, Professor Ncube was addressing would have read EU Zimbabwe Election Observer Mission report. The EU had as many as 240 observers on the ground, itself a sign of how seriously they value free and fair elections as a basis for good governance. The observers' final report was pretty scathing.

"The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner," stated the report.

"The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign.
 
"As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."

So by blatantly rigging the elections Zanu PF confirmed Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs just as was the case during Mugabe's days. This slammed the door shut to all hope of economic recovery; investors do not do business in pariah state.

"We are undertaking a shared journey towards a better and more secure future. The road is long, winding and at times bumpy. But there is no other way. This is the road to an upper middle-income economy, ala Vision 2030, and if we travel it together, with patience and purpose, we will realise our vision," Minister Ncube concluded.

"The new Zimbabwe cannot go it alone.  We must open our arms to the international community, international investors, and international financial organisations."

Minister Ncube, by failing to do something to end corruption, failing to hold free and fair elections, etc. Zimbabwe has effectively slammed the door shut in the face of would-be investors. The new Zimbabwe you see through your Zanu PF rose tinted ministerial limo it not the same pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs, investors see!

Minister Ncube is hoping to get new investment and funding from the EU; he will get none! He will be travelling to the US with the same begging bowl only to get the same response.

President Mnangagwa, Minister Ncube and the rest of the Zanu PF junta want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to be seen as a democrats joining the rest of the international community to do business. And yet they also want to hang on to Zanu PF's dictatorial powers and privileges including the right to blatantly rig elections and for the few ruling elite to continue looting the nation's resources at the expense of the majority.

How can the EU or anyone treat Zimbabweans as a serious people if someone like Minister Ncube would lie about something as well established and factual as Zanu PF rigged the recent elections! Our failed to hold Zanu PF to account has not helped our fight to end tyrannical rule.
 
We are clearly not yet ready for a just, free, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe. If we were then there is no better way to demand free, fair and credible elections then demanding that those who rig elections must be punished; so far we have always rewarded the usurpers by granting them absolute power. Mnangagwa rigged last year's elections he is cocksure he will remain in power to the 2023 elections. We are no yet ready to say no to that!