Opinion / Columnist
'Everyone is taking potshot at Zimbabwe' tweeted Mnangagwa in exasperation, knows the game is up
02 Sep 2020 at 17:28hrs | Views
"In sending back the first delegation led by gentleman Sydney Mufamadi with tails between legs, Mnangagwa simply racked up pressure on himself. Now the ANC sends in the hard man (Magashule)," said Professor Stephen Chan, according to a Zimlive report.
For once, I totally agree with Stephen Chan; by denying that there was no political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and humiliating President Cyril Ramaphosa's first envoy; Mnangagwa crossed the double red line!
The corona virus pandemic has forced many Zimbabweans who had gone to SA and the other neighbouring countries to escape political oppression and economic poverty to return back home. The tide of humanity has since slowed to a trickle as word got round that the economic situation in SA, Botswana, etc. are bad but nothing compared to that in Zimbabwe. Nothing!
Mark my words, as soon as the corona virus pandemic blows over, the flood gates of Zimbabweans going back to SA, Botswana, etc. will open! Indeed, President Ramaphosa knows this too. "We are having to deal with a situation on our borders," he reminded Mnangagwa.
"We are in a situation where everyone who wants a distraction from their own issues, takes a potshot at Zimbabwe," tweeted Mangwana; in sheer exasperation of one who knows the game is up.
President Mnangagwa will not dare stop Ace Magashule, ANC secretary general, led special envoy nor stop the delegation meeting with whoever else they want in Zimbabwe.
All Mnangagwa will do now is line up his Government Organised NGOs (GONGO), POLAD, etc. They will repeat one after the other, ad nauseam, that the July 2018 elections were free, fair and credible the Zanu PF regime is the legitimate government in Zimbabwe. They will concede the need for political unity and some power sharing arrangement but would insist on Zanu PF playing the leading role.
Chamisa will line up his civic society ducks too and they will tell Comrade Magashule Chamisa won the July 2018 presidential race (they will ignore the fact that he, just like ZEC, failed to produce the V11 forms, etc.) and legitimacy can now be restored by appointing Chamisa and a few other MDC leaders ministers in a power sharing arrangement.
To find a meaningful solution to Zimbabwe's 40 years of political and economic crisis one must first acknowledge its root cause - the country's failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Of course, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections. The regime is illegitimate and must step down.
President Ramaphosa should know that a Zanu PF and MDC GNU will never implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections, the pre-requisite for good governance and ending the crisis in Zimbabwe.
He has in his cabinet individuals like Minister Lindiwe Zulu who were heavily involved in the 2008 to 2013 GNU that failed to implement even one reform. It is naive, to say the least, to expect the same Zanu PF and MDC leaders from the 2008 GNU to implement the reforms this second time round.
President Ramaphosa does not have the political will to tell Mnangagwa he rigged the July 2018 elections and must step down. He will, instead, propose a new Zanu PF and MDC GNU in Zimbabwe knowing fully well it too, just like the 2008 GNU, will not end the crisis.
Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office. Never! By imposing yet another Zanu PF GNU President Cyril Ramaphosa will be racking up political and economic pressure on himself and SA because he will have, knowingly, inherited the Zimbabwe crisis as his own!
SA has 628 259 confirmed covid-19 cases and 14 263 deaths compared to Zimbabwe's 6559 cases and 203 deaths. Zimbabwe's population is 1/4 that of SA. The truth is Zimbabwe's corona virus figures are artificially low only because the country has not been testing, tracing and tracking as aggressively as SA. Whilst SA had carried out 3 million tests to end July, Zimbabwe had only done 145 000 tests in the same period.
Both SA and Zimbabwe have clearly taking a hammer blow from corona virus pandemic and the social, humanitarian and economic consequences will be felt for the next decade or more. SA will have her own very serious economic and social problems to deal with.
By, once again, failing to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis SA will invite Zimbabwe's problems on herself. Zimbabweans, escaping from the country's economic, political and now corona virus hammer blow, will flood back into SA.
President Ramaphosa cannot say he was not warned that a new Zanu PF led GNU as a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis was a waste of time. He was warned, repeatedly!
For once, I totally agree with Stephen Chan; by denying that there was no political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and humiliating President Cyril Ramaphosa's first envoy; Mnangagwa crossed the double red line!
The corona virus pandemic has forced many Zimbabweans who had gone to SA and the other neighbouring countries to escape political oppression and economic poverty to return back home. The tide of humanity has since slowed to a trickle as word got round that the economic situation in SA, Botswana, etc. are bad but nothing compared to that in Zimbabwe. Nothing!
Mark my words, as soon as the corona virus pandemic blows over, the flood gates of Zimbabweans going back to SA, Botswana, etc. will open! Indeed, President Ramaphosa knows this too. "We are having to deal with a situation on our borders," he reminded Mnangagwa.
"We are in a situation where everyone who wants a distraction from their own issues, takes a potshot at Zimbabwe," tweeted Mangwana; in sheer exasperation of one who knows the game is up.
President Mnangagwa will not dare stop Ace Magashule, ANC secretary general, led special envoy nor stop the delegation meeting with whoever else they want in Zimbabwe.
All Mnangagwa will do now is line up his Government Organised NGOs (GONGO), POLAD, etc. They will repeat one after the other, ad nauseam, that the July 2018 elections were free, fair and credible the Zanu PF regime is the legitimate government in Zimbabwe. They will concede the need for political unity and some power sharing arrangement but would insist on Zanu PF playing the leading role.
Chamisa will line up his civic society ducks too and they will tell Comrade Magashule Chamisa won the July 2018 presidential race (they will ignore the fact that he, just like ZEC, failed to produce the V11 forms, etc.) and legitimacy can now be restored by appointing Chamisa and a few other MDC leaders ministers in a power sharing arrangement.
To find a meaningful solution to Zimbabwe's 40 years of political and economic crisis one must first acknowledge its root cause - the country's failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Of course, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections. The regime is illegitimate and must step down.
President Ramaphosa should know that a Zanu PF and MDC GNU will never implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections, the pre-requisite for good governance and ending the crisis in Zimbabwe.
He has in his cabinet individuals like Minister Lindiwe Zulu who were heavily involved in the 2008 to 2013 GNU that failed to implement even one reform. It is naive, to say the least, to expect the same Zanu PF and MDC leaders from the 2008 GNU to implement the reforms this second time round.
President Ramaphosa does not have the political will to tell Mnangagwa he rigged the July 2018 elections and must step down. He will, instead, propose a new Zanu PF and MDC GNU in Zimbabwe knowing fully well it too, just like the 2008 GNU, will not end the crisis.
Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office. Never! By imposing yet another Zanu PF GNU President Cyril Ramaphosa will be racking up political and economic pressure on himself and SA because he will have, knowingly, inherited the Zimbabwe crisis as his own!
SA has 628 259 confirmed covid-19 cases and 14 263 deaths compared to Zimbabwe's 6559 cases and 203 deaths. Zimbabwe's population is 1/4 that of SA. The truth is Zimbabwe's corona virus figures are artificially low only because the country has not been testing, tracing and tracking as aggressively as SA. Whilst SA had carried out 3 million tests to end July, Zimbabwe had only done 145 000 tests in the same period.
Both SA and Zimbabwe have clearly taking a hammer blow from corona virus pandemic and the social, humanitarian and economic consequences will be felt for the next decade or more. SA will have her own very serious economic and social problems to deal with.
By, once again, failing to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis SA will invite Zimbabwe's problems on herself. Zimbabweans, escaping from the country's economic, political and now corona virus hammer blow, will flood back into SA.
President Ramaphosa cannot say he was not warned that a new Zanu PF led GNU as a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis was a waste of time. He was warned, repeatedly!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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