'Zanu PF creating fake MDC to win 2023' - why bother, won 2018 with genuine MDC

Dear Knowledge Hakata,

"As a political student this is my prediction of what is happening and what is going to happen in Zimbabwe. Zanu PF knows that they won't stand a chance in 2023 presidential elections and to counter that they had to create fake opposition party in the form of MDC Khupe and her political demagogues," you predicted

Your name is Knowledge but, sadly, knowledge is the one thing you DO NOT have!

Zanu PF has been rigging elections for donkey years now because the party KNEW it would lose power if it held free, fair and credible elections. Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections following the November 2017 military coup but failed to implement even one token democratic reform because he did not want to risk losing the elections.

Mnangagwa knew that if he could get the MDC to participate in the elections regardless of the electoral flaws and illegalities he can rig the election and get away with it. He offered the opposition a few gravy train seats as bait and it worked. There were 23 presidential candidates alone!

"MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections," insisted Nelson Chamisa. Of course, he knew that Zanu PF was rigging the July 2018 elections, he had no measures to stop the rigging and yet he still participated out of greed.

Zanu PF went on to win 2/3 majority in parliament and the presidency in the July 2018 elections.

By participating in these flawed and illegal elections the opposition are giving "credibility" to the flawed process. And they know it, as David Coltart readily admitted.

In his 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 to all 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."   

By giving credibility to the illegal election process the opposition is also, by extension, giving legitimacy to the vote rigging, ipso facto, illegitimate Zanu PF government.

Zanu PF's electoral chance of winning the 2023 elections have not improved from that in 2018 and hence the reason the party has resolutely resisted all calls to implement the democratic reforms. The only likely reforms to be carried out are to create the position of Leader of the Opposition complete with a few Shadow Cabinet post; the office bearers will be entitled to ministerial limos, generous salaries, etc. The opposition will find the bait even more irresistible!

Mnangagwa won 2018 elections because Zanu PF had the carte blanche dictatorial powers to rig the elections. The party has retained all the dictatorial powers and so would he bother creating fake opposition parties to win the 2023 elections?

Ever since the High Court ruling that said Nelson Chamisa's seizure of power following Morgan Tsvangirai's death in February 2018 had violated MDC's own constitution; MDC leaders have been at each other's throat. The most important point here is to accept that MDC leaders are their own worst enemy in this mess. It is foolish, to say the least, to blame Mnangagwa and Zanu PF for MDC leaders' own breath taking incompetence and greed.

The irony is Zanu PF has managed to stay in power post the 2008 to 2013 GNU thanks to the breath taking incompetence and greed of the MDC. And in turn MDC leaders themselves have in power thanks to the breath taking naivety of opposition supporters like Knowledge Hakata who binary mentality will not allow them to see MDC leaders for what they are - sell-outs.

People like Hakata cannot talk of Chamisa except in conjunction with Mnangagwa. Since he has judged the latter a corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrant, which many of us would agree with; and compared to Mnangagwa, Chamisa is an angel! This is nothing new.

Before independence the whites were the devil incarnate and Mugabe and Zanu PF were the angels. It took 20 years for before many Zimbabweans finally accept that Zanu PF was a party of corrupt and murderous thugs. And today, after 21 years of risking life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power and with nothing to show for it; many Zimbabweans are yet to accept that MDC leaders are not the angels they imagined.  

Of course, the mental refusal of seeing and judging Chamisa except in the light of Mnangagwa and no one else is as flawed, limited and foolish as one who will only view the world in black and white when there are are all the colours of the rainbow.

How tragic that we are living in the age when other have landed on the moon; a carrying out route operation on the most delicate human organ, the brain; and a thousand other things beside. In Zimbabwe we still do not know what constitute free, fair and credible elections; something the Greeks bequeathed mankind 2 500 years ago!