After euphoria and grief, what next?

Menemene was a "legendary" thief known throughout the district of Zaka and beyond.  At the height of the liberation war, he was as much of a household name in our villages as comrade Musa. Though known to law enforcement agents, it remains a mystery why he was not arrested and locked up to spend a lengthy period of incarceration at either Mutimurefu prison or Buffalo Range. Many people thought he had some kind of supernatural powers which enabled him to evade the police as he got away with stolen property that ranged from chickens, underwear to bicycles.

What reminds me of this "legend" of the late 70's is the manner in which ZANU PF has "won" election 2013. They have played Menemene of the 21st century. When you think of how they have done it, you are left with mixed emotions. You don't know whether you should just laugh or cry. Even some of the ZANU PF candidates were perplexed by the results, understandably so.

When the news broke out, several Zimbabweans across the globe had one word on their lips; DISASTER. Some would only say "Zvakaoma" while others said "Tozviisa kuna Mwari" meaning "we leave everything to God", in total despondency. Meanwhile, there was no sign of celebration on the streets but shock, disbelief and anger. This on its own tells a story.

The only positive thing about the election is that innocent and defenceless citizens were not killed raped or maimed. Properties were not destroyed as we used to see in the past. But absence of physical violence alone does not necessarily qualify an election as fair.

A curious observation is that in 2008, it took ZEC more than five weeks to announce final results, this time around, it took them just three days! Doing simple mathematics, it was taking between two and thirty seconds for voters in certain constituencies to cast their vote, and this was voting for MP, Councillor and President. Such efficiency could find a place in the Book of Records if it were true!

It would appear that when radicals pushed very hard for the July 31 election date without agreed reforms, disregarding African institutions in the process, they had already done their numbers. They just wanted a formality to give credence to chicanery. Spirited refusal to avail the voters' roll to contesting parties as required by law was one of the biggest tricks in the bag. Some have suggested that The Registrar-General should be rebranded to The Rigger-General. Many people concur. It is in that office where the election was won and lost aided by ZEC's complicity. Never through the ballot.

By the time proclamation was made and people started making a stampede for voter registration, ZANU PF had their numbers already sealed, and hence, The Registrar-General literally went on a go-slow during the 30-day constitutional registration period thereby disenfranchising millions of potential voters. Paradoxically, ZEC went ahead and printed eight millions ballots, most of them duplicated.

As if that was not enough, the RG printed several registration booklets just in case they were needed during the voting period. Indeed, they came in handy as we saw thousands of voters producing these registration slips and proceeding to vote despite not appearing on any voters' roll. Rigging architects created a crisis for which they had a solution already. Secret polling stations added to the mix.

Daylight robbery was done in constituencies that ZANU PF lost by a narrow margin in 2008 as well as those held by senior MDC leadership such as Matobo North. They sacrificed Phillip Chiyangwa and Jonathan Moyo for window dressing. How on earth could MDC win Chinhoyi but not Mt Pleasant? Of course, one of the two was rigged and it can't be the former. Even some of those who benefitted from the grand scam won't have the confidence to raise their heads in public. Dzinokunda rufu!

In this political lunacy, the greatest loser is none other than the economy. Soon, it will be back to queues for everything. Schools and hospitals will become museums again. Water sources will be breeding grounds for cholera and typhoid. Indigenisation will destroy everything until there is nothing left to indigenise. The question remains; after all the euphoria and grief, what next? If I had an answer, I would say let's work hard and find each other. There is no other way. Looking beyond President Mugabe is a must, not an option. He can't be part of the future. Even he knows it.

Moses Chamboko writes in his personal capacity – chambokom@gmail.com