Tsvangirai categorically denies SADC warned against standing in 2013 without reforms

There are three things one can now be absolutely certain of with Tsvangirai; one that he will flip-flop from one position to the opposite with the regularity of a pulsating star from chronic indecision and inherent incompetence. Two that he will blunder; he is the type who would cross the street to step on a banana-skin and fall; blundering in public office can be very costly affair to the whole nation. Three he will vehemently deny all the above; that he is a flip-flopping, indecisive, incompetent and blundering idiot; even in the face of a mountain of evidence!

Tsvangirai has made many blunders ever since he emerged on the Zimbabwe political stage as leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999. But without doubt his biggest and most costly blunder to the nation was MDC's failure to implement even one democratic reform during the GNU.

SADC, donors and many individuals reminded MDC leaders to implement the reforms during the GNU but their warnings fell on deaf ears. Mugabe had laid a gravy train feast for Tsvangirai and his MDC friends; with their heads in the feeding trough they could not hear.

In sheer desperation SADC and others warned MDC not to take part in the July 2013 elections with no reforms but again the later paid no heed. Here is Tsvangirai in full throttle denying SADC ever warned him!

"...I understand there are people who have been saying that the MDC-T participated in the 2013 elections against the advice of SADC, against the advice of some of the people in the country. Far from it," said the former Prime Minister.


"SADC did not advise us in any manner or form not to participate. In fact, they acquiesced with a push by Mugabe to have an election in spite of the absence of reforms."

In an interview to the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper in 2014, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, a former MDC-T Minister during the GNU admitted SADC and the whole world had warned MDC not to take part in the July 2013 elections without reforms.
"We failed to secure critical reforms before participating in the elections," admitted Sipepa Nkomo. "The whole world advised us not to get into the elections without reforms, and so in everything that we have been saying we have failed to acknowledge that we also made a mistake."
"It is common knowledge that Lindiwe Zulu (President Jacob Zuma's international relations adviser) advised us. Zuma also advised us and even the SADC Heads of State meeting in Maputo (Mozambique) also advised not to participate in the elections without electoral, media and security sector reforms, among others."
Soon after the July 2013 rigged elections, SADC leaders released a scathing criticism of MDC's failure to implement the reforms accusing MDC leaders of "enjoying themselves whilst in the GNU and forgetting why they were there!"

Indeed, even if Sipepa Nkomo and everyone else are lying that MDC was warned of the importance of the democratic reforms and why they should be implemented; Tsvangirai must explain why MDC had forgotten why they were in the GNU if it was not to implement the reforms to prevent the repeat of the disputed 2008 elections marred by wanton violence and vote rigging.

It was not just SADC leaders who were disappointed by MDC's pathetic incompetence throughout the GNU, the donors, who had help finance MDC's political activities, were disappointed too. They deserted MDC in droves. All the various MDC factions have one thing in common; they are all broke!

"We have made an assessment that for as long as there is a conduct of elections the way election management is being carried out in this country, it will neither create democratic space nor will it liberate the people of Zimbabwe," Tsvangirai said. He was justifying MDC-T's 2014 congress resolution to boycott elections until reforms are implemented.

"My understanding is that an election is a contestation that the contest must be equal to all players. In this case, we have actually recognised that we are legitimising the fraud and the fraudulent activities of Zanu-PF."

This is just another MDC-T blunder because no one in the right mind will ever blame Zanu-PF for not having implemented the reforms knowing fully well that it was MDC who should have implemented the reform. Tsvangirai's public denial that SADC and others warned MDC not to take part in the elections without reforms only serve to undermine the whole world's confidence in him and MDC!

In fact the real reason all the MDC factions are boycotting elections is a financial one – they are broke!

If we are to see any meaningful democratic changes in Zimbabwe then we must go back to the democratic reforms MDC should have implemented during the GNU. But if we are to avoid a repeat of what happened during the GNU, we must do some spring-cleaning of Zimbabwe's political opposition partners – we must get rid of individuals like Tsvangirai who have already proven beyond all doubt that they are corrupt and incompetent.

The only thing certain with Tsvangirai is that he will blunder and this nation is paying dearly for his last blunder that allowed Mugabe and Zanu-PF back into power; the last thing we want is him making yet another national blunder! Electing a blunderer once is forgivable but electing him again and again knowing he is a blundering idiot is simply unforgivable!

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Wilbert Mukori can be contacted at zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com