Opinion / Columnist
Biti relates epic capture by 'balaclava and gun-wielding soldiers' - who mourns povo, victims of his greed
11 Aug 2018 at 20:21hrs | Views
Tendai Biti was hurried and haunted out of Zimbabwe and he almost escaped to Zambia only to be nabbed at the last minute and brought back to Zimbabwe. He has been telling us his adventure and we will, no doubt, hear the story retold hundreds of thousands of times.
"Firstly, Biti said he dramatically escaped abduction at his offices last Wednesday when he addressed a Press conference," reported News Day.
"He claimed a fleet of about 15 unmarked cars, some with South African number plates, tried to block him, but one of the lawyers at his law firm jumped onto the drive way and made it impossible for the suspected abductors to execute their plan.
"Biti said he went into hiding, but his family members and friends were later subjected to harassment that they were yet to recover from.
"Biti told the court that the security agents at the border post manhandled him, but he escaped with the help of a group of women who came to his rescue.
"He said the Zambian police had a torrid time restraining his alleged "abductors", adding after his escape he spent a night in a police toilet with colleagues as his pursuers bayed for his blood. He was eventually arrested after three gun-wielding soldiers with balaclavas stormed the Zambian police station, before being taken back to Zimbabwe in breach of a Zambian court order blocking his deportation.
"The State allege that the accused "acted in common purpose, connived and hatched a plan to enter into Zambia by evading immigration clearance from both Zimbabwe and Zambian authorities"."
I am not here to retell Tendai Biti's adventures but to condemn his reckless greed that has landed this nation in this fine economic and political mess. I am here to moan the six innocent Zimbabweans shot dead by soldiers in the aftermath of 30 July 2018 flawed elections and the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who will pay dearly the consequences of yet another rigged elections.
These elections should have never taken place, not without first implementing the reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The elections went ahead because Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti and the other MDC friends dragged the nation into these elections. I blame these MDC leaders for what happened before, during and after the 30 July 2018 elections.
I feel sorry for Biti's family and friends for all the harassment they have been subjected to but has no sympathy for Tendai Biti and co. Indeed, I am furious at Biti and his MDC fiends, because it was their breath-taking incompetence and downright betrayal that has landed us into this mess!
After the blatant cheating in the March 2008 election when Tsvangirai's 73%, confirmed by Mugabe himself in a classical Freudian slip, was whittled down to 47%, just enough to force the run-off, after six weeks of cooking up the figure. Followed by the worst case of wanton violence and barbarism to force the people to vote for Mugabe in the run-off. It was clear there was no chance of Zimbabwe holding free, fair and credible elections without first doing something to end Zanu PF's overwhelming carte blanche powers to cheat and rig the elections.
SADC leaders forced Robert Mugabe to agree to the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) which was tasked to implement the democratic reforms designed to take away Zanu PF's draconian carte blanche powers to deny the people their basic freedoms and human rights and to stop the regime cheating and rigging elections. The task of implementing the reforms fell on Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and the rest of the MDC leaders. They had five years to implement the reforms and yet failed to get even one reform implemented. NOT EVEN ONE!
"Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!" (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life and not to rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boasted at the time when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms. Of course, MDC leaders sold-out big time and it is about time that they are held to democratic account!
"Insanity," said the great Physicist, Albert Einstein, "is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!"
Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and the MDC gang dragged into these elections knowing fully well that with not even one democratic reform in place, Zanu PF will rig the elections. After 38 years of rigged elections, MDC leaders dragged the nation into these election expecting a different result, expecting to win rigged elections, not because they are insane but more significantly their insanity is induced by greed.
MDC leaders were warning of the sheer folly of taking part in elections with no reforms in place. "If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!" SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and company on the eve of the 2013 elections.
MDC leaders paid no heed to the warning because they had their beady eyes on the few gravy train seats they knew Zanu PF would give away as bait.
"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 (2013) elections," explained Senator David Coltart, MDC cabinet minister in the GNU.
"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."
So Coltart, Tendai Biti and the rest of the MDC leaders knew that the nation gained absolutely nothing from participating in the flawed 2013 elections. Instead the nation was condemned to another five years of Zanu PF misrule and economic meltdown.
Initially MDC passed the party resolution not to participate in future elections without first implementing the reforms. "No reform, no elections!" became the carrion call in the opposition camp. But as the date of this year's elections approached, greed invaded the opposition's minds like the swarm of locust, devouring every blade of grass, every brain cell, leaving them impermeable to reason.
There is no discernible reason why this year's elections went ahead with no democratic reforms in place, especially after what happened in 2008 and 2013. NONE! No nation can afford to drag the whole nation into such perilous danger of another five years of economic meltdown and political instability to gratify the insatiable selfish greed of the MDC leaders.
Make no mistake about it, Tendai Biti is thrilled to bit that he finally got a seat back on the gravy train; he does not give a damn that these elections were rigged, the mindless violence that followed, that the nation is now facing another five years of Zanu PF misrule, etc. Only a few weeks ago, when he has garnering for the people's votes he promised "to die for democracy, for the cause" (a cause he forgot for five years when he has hobnobbing with Mugabe). But when the Zanu PF thugs were unleashed on the defenceless civilians neither Biti nor any other MDC official anywhere to be seen.
If you are not angry with the likes of Tendai Biti then it is because you do not understand how he and his MDC friends sold-out big time in failing to implement the democratic reforms and continue to drag this nation into unnecessary danger for selfish political gain.
"Firstly, Biti said he dramatically escaped abduction at his offices last Wednesday when he addressed a Press conference," reported News Day.
"He claimed a fleet of about 15 unmarked cars, some with South African number plates, tried to block him, but one of the lawyers at his law firm jumped onto the drive way and made it impossible for the suspected abductors to execute their plan.
"Biti said he went into hiding, but his family members and friends were later subjected to harassment that they were yet to recover from.
"Biti told the court that the security agents at the border post manhandled him, but he escaped with the help of a group of women who came to his rescue.
"He said the Zambian police had a torrid time restraining his alleged "abductors", adding after his escape he spent a night in a police toilet with colleagues as his pursuers bayed for his blood. He was eventually arrested after three gun-wielding soldiers with balaclavas stormed the Zambian police station, before being taken back to Zimbabwe in breach of a Zambian court order blocking his deportation.
"The State allege that the accused "acted in common purpose, connived and hatched a plan to enter into Zambia by evading immigration clearance from both Zimbabwe and Zambian authorities"."
I am not here to retell Tendai Biti's adventures but to condemn his reckless greed that has landed this nation in this fine economic and political mess. I am here to moan the six innocent Zimbabweans shot dead by soldiers in the aftermath of 30 July 2018 flawed elections and the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who will pay dearly the consequences of yet another rigged elections.
These elections should have never taken place, not without first implementing the reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The elections went ahead because Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti and the other MDC friends dragged the nation into these elections. I blame these MDC leaders for what happened before, during and after the 30 July 2018 elections.
I feel sorry for Biti's family and friends for all the harassment they have been subjected to but has no sympathy for Tendai Biti and co. Indeed, I am furious at Biti and his MDC fiends, because it was their breath-taking incompetence and downright betrayal that has landed us into this mess!
After the blatant cheating in the March 2008 election when Tsvangirai's 73%, confirmed by Mugabe himself in a classical Freudian slip, was whittled down to 47%, just enough to force the run-off, after six weeks of cooking up the figure. Followed by the worst case of wanton violence and barbarism to force the people to vote for Mugabe in the run-off. It was clear there was no chance of Zimbabwe holding free, fair and credible elections without first doing something to end Zanu PF's overwhelming carte blanche powers to cheat and rig the elections.
SADC leaders forced Robert Mugabe to agree to the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) which was tasked to implement the democratic reforms designed to take away Zanu PF's draconian carte blanche powers to deny the people their basic freedoms and human rights and to stop the regime cheating and rigging elections. The task of implementing the reforms fell on Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and the rest of the MDC leaders. They had five years to implement the reforms and yet failed to get even one reform implemented. NOT EVEN ONE!
"Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!" (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life and not to rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boasted at the time when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms. Of course, MDC leaders sold-out big time and it is about time that they are held to democratic account!
"Insanity," said the great Physicist, Albert Einstein, "is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!"
Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and the MDC gang dragged into these elections knowing fully well that with not even one democratic reform in place, Zanu PF will rig the elections. After 38 years of rigged elections, MDC leaders dragged the nation into these election expecting a different result, expecting to win rigged elections, not because they are insane but more significantly their insanity is induced by greed.
MDC leaders were warning of the sheer folly of taking part in elections with no reforms in place. "If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done!" SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and company on the eve of the 2013 elections.
MDC leaders paid no heed to the warning because they had their beady eyes on the few gravy train seats they knew Zanu PF would give away as bait.
"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 (2013) elections," explained Senator David Coltart, MDC cabinet minister in the GNU.
"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."
So Coltart, Tendai Biti and the rest of the MDC leaders knew that the nation gained absolutely nothing from participating in the flawed 2013 elections. Instead the nation was condemned to another five years of Zanu PF misrule and economic meltdown.
Initially MDC passed the party resolution not to participate in future elections without first implementing the reforms. "No reform, no elections!" became the carrion call in the opposition camp. But as the date of this year's elections approached, greed invaded the opposition's minds like the swarm of locust, devouring every blade of grass, every brain cell, leaving them impermeable to reason.
There is no discernible reason why this year's elections went ahead with no democratic reforms in place, especially after what happened in 2008 and 2013. NONE! No nation can afford to drag the whole nation into such perilous danger of another five years of economic meltdown and political instability to gratify the insatiable selfish greed of the MDC leaders.
Make no mistake about it, Tendai Biti is thrilled to bit that he finally got a seat back on the gravy train; he does not give a damn that these elections were rigged, the mindless violence that followed, that the nation is now facing another five years of Zanu PF misrule, etc. Only a few weeks ago, when he has garnering for the people's votes he promised "to die for democracy, for the cause" (a cause he forgot for five years when he has hobnobbing with Mugabe). But when the Zanu PF thugs were unleashed on the defenceless civilians neither Biti nor any other MDC official anywhere to be seen.
If you are not angry with the likes of Tendai Biti then it is because you do not understand how he and his MDC friends sold-out big time in failing to implement the democratic reforms and continue to drag this nation into unnecessary danger for selfish political gain.
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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