'I won 2018 elections, there is no crisis' insists Mnangagwa - rigged hence existential crisis

"I wish to unequivocally state that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe as elections were held in July 2018 and a winner was declared in terms of the country's Constitution," stated Emmerson Mnangagwa.

"All contestants were invited to join this dialogue in the national interest. The door is still open for those outside (POLAD). Let me say the challenges facing our country call for continued unity of purpose across the political divide."

Zimbabwe's 2018 election was a farce and Mnangagwa can claim it was otherwise all he wants that will not change the reality. Of course, it was a farce when there was no verified voters' roll, 3 million Zimbabweans is the diaspora were denied a vote (compared to the 2.4 and 2.6 million votes both Mnangagwa and Chamisa respectively claim the garnered), millions of rural voters were reduced to nothing but medieval serfs beholden to Zanu PF chefs and their proxies, etc.

Chamisa and his various MDC faction member and the rest of the opposition candidates participated in the flawed and illegal elections out of greed as David Coltart readily admitted is his book.

In the Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe, David Coltart, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the 2008 GNU, gave details of how Zanu PF was flouting the electoral rules in the upcoming 2013 elections. It was clear the elections would not be free, fair and credible.

"The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections," wrote Senator Coltart.

"The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."

It is a crying shame that the MDC leaders and the rest of the opposition participants in the July 2018 knew their participation in the flawed and illegal elections would give the process some credibility and, by extension, give the vote rigging Zanu PF regime some modicum of legitimacy.

Still all the individuals, nations, organisations who observed the Zimbabwe July 2018 elections and have any democratic credentials worth the spit have unanimously condemned the whole election process.

"The electoral commission (Zimbabwe Election Commission) lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," stated the EU Election Mission final report.

"As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."

Zimbabwe was judged to be a pariah state precisely because the July 2018 elections "failed to meet international standards"!

Zimbabwe's economy is in total meltdown precisely because the international community have found it near impossible to do business in Zimbabwe, a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs!

The mistrust of the Zanu PF regime has reached rock bottom that IMF, WB, AfDB, Paris Club and many other international and national institutions have stopped giving Zimbabwe any financial or material assistance for fear the donation will be wasted through mismanagement and/or corruption.

"Ongoing mismanagement and corruption mean it is "out of the question" that the European Union will resume aid directly to the government of Zimbabwe anytime soon, according to the bloc's ambassador to the country," reported Spotlight Zimbabwe three days ago.

"The government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has "indicated that they would be interested in reverting back to budget support," EU Ambassador Timo Olkkonen told Devex in an interview last week. "I can't prejudge, of course, what happens with the [EU's upcoming development assistance] programming exercise - but I would say, from my personal perspective, I think it would be impossible."

Zimbabwe has not been spared by the worldwide corona virus pandemic. The Zanu PF regime's blundering incompetence in the handling of the virus has only made the situation worse. The regime ignored the WHO's advice of testing aggressively, for example. Zimbabwe has done only 20% and many tests per capita as our neighbour, SA. Our per capita confirmed covid-19 cases is a fraction that of SA but only because we have not been testing. By failing to identify those with the virus and putting them into isolation, means many infected people have been left to spread the virus.

Zimbabwe's economy was already in total meltdown before the corona virus outbreak, the pandemic has only made it even worse. In 2019, 34% of the population were living in abject poverty, according to a WB report at the time. The figure living in abject poverty today will have gone up.

Of course, Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic crisis and, as long as the country remains a pariah state, there is no way out of this crisis. After 40 years of rigged elections the people of Zimbabwe must finally bite the proverbial bullet and deal with the curse of rigged elections and pariah state.

"Let me say the challenges facing our country call for continued unity of purpose across the political divide!" No challenges call for an honest admission that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections condemning the nation to this pariah state status. Zanu PF has held the nation to ransom for 40 years, this must now stop!