Heal Zimbabwe, we want both peaceful and free elections - they are not mutually exclusive

"In a move that is expected to ensure that peace and tolerance prevails ahead of the 2018 elections, youth in Chipinge South have vowed to intensify peace campaigns that will ensure that community members uphold peace and tolerance," said a Heal Zimbabwe report in The Zimbabwean.

"This came out during a Sports for peace tournament hosted by Heal Zimbabwe in Chipinge South on 29 July 2017. The tournament was organized under Heal Zimbabwe's National Peace campaign, #13MilVoices4Peace, an initiative that seeks to encourage community leaders and members to uphold and pledge for peace ahead of the 2018 elections. The sports games were attended by 200 people, and six traditional leaders."

This is the kind of simple mindedness that is worrying. Do these simpletons really believe that the a few games of football have exorcised and laid to rest the political demons behind the culture of political violence and vote rigging that have haunted the nation for the last 37 years.

SADC leaders recommended that we implement the raft of democratic reforms and should not take part in any elections until we have implemented the reforms. Now it turns out we do not need even one reform implemented and we still going to have free, fair and credible elections thanks to "Sports for peace football tournaments"!

How naïve! How shockingly naïve! This must be the kind of naivety that inspired George Orwell when he wrote his classical book, Animal Farm.

"It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, "Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!" wrote George Orwell.

Compared to the wanton violence of 2008; Zimbabwe had relatively peaceful elections in 2013 and next year's elections are likely to be equally peaceful. But that is only because Zanu PF has fine-tuned its vote rigging schemes and has billions of dollars looted from Marange to bankroll them.

The regime has devised schemes making it difficult for the opposition supporters to register to vote; those who do register, they were denied the vote by making sure their details were deliberately posted in another constituent voters' roll other than the one the individual expected; etc. Meanwhile it has devised ways to allow Zanu PF supporters to cast multiple votes; bribed traditional leaders who then frogmarch villagers to vote for the regime; etc.

The regime has stubbornly refused to release the voters roll although it is a legal requirement. Even to this day, the regime has refused to release the 2013 voters' roll because Zanu PF knows many of its vote rigging schemes will be uncovered.

The fact that fewer people have been harassed, beaten, rape or murdered in politically motivated violence does not mean Zimbabwe's elections are now free, fair and credible. The regime is rigging the vote and that is why we still need to implement all the democratic reforms to free ZEC, the Police and other state institutions of Zanu PF control and influence to carry out their duties without fear or favour.

"As part of pledging for peace ahead of the 2018 elections, all the participating teams signed peace pledges which symbolize their commitment to uphold peace and intensify peace initiatives in the area," said the report.

It was Zanu PF thugs who were behind all the wanton violence in the past; did any of the thugs sign the pledge? No!

What is the use asking the victims of the violence to sign a pledge to keep the peace!

President Mugabe and all his Zanu PF thugs will happily sign a peace pledge on one condition – that the party rigs the vote to guarantee its "no-regime-change" mantra! Indeed, the party scaled down its violence in 2013 and will do so again next years as long as not even one democratic reform is implemented to affect its vote rigging schemes.

Zimbabwe is in this economic mess because of 37 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption under this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. The economy is in such a mess that 90% of our people are unemployed and Zimbabweans are the poorest in Africa. The situation is simply unacceptable.

It was Zanu PF misrule that landed the nation in this economic mess and for the last 37 years the nation has been stuck with the regime because it has been rigging the vote to stay in power. Only a democratically elected government, which will remain accountable to the people will meaningfully address the country's economic mess.  

So, to end the economic misery the nation is experiencing we, the people, demand the implementation of all the democratic reforms designed to end political violence and vote rigging and guarantee peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. The current Zanu PF offer of peaceful elections whilst it continues to rig the vote is simply unacceptable!

Heal Zimbabwe, the people of Zimbabwe want peaceful elections but they also want to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country through the holding of free, fair and credible elections. They want to elect government that will get them out of the economic mess Zanu PF has landed us into.

The two, peaceful and free elections, Heal Zimbabwe's Sport for peace initiative will, at best deliver the peaceful elections but do nothing to stop the vote rigging. Those seeking to separate the two have playing straight into Zanu PF's hands; the party has used the threat of violence to impose its vote rigging schemes. Every Zimbabwe as a right to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. What right does Heal Zimbabwe have to bargain away, to appease Mugabe, even one iota of this fundamental right?