Opinion / Columnist
ZESA Hwange Unit 8, 300 MW, to boost supply. It's 43 years overdue, what's there to celebrate!
16 May 2023 at 12:28hrs | Views
"Hwange Thermal Power Station's Unit 8 is expected to be synchronised with the grid on Tuesday, and will progressively add another 300 megawatts that will boost supplies to both domestic and industrial consumers." Announced The Herald on Twitter with the usual fanfare, song and dance!
For the record, this Zanu PF regime received the feasibility studies for Hwange Unit 7 and 8 and Batoka Gorge Hydro in 1980! It has taken 43 years to complete Hwange Unit 7 and 8 and God knows how long it is going to take to build the dam.
These projects, like so many other projects up and down the country, should have been completed years ago. Zimbabwe has the resources but has the misfortune of corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical leaders whose priorities is the glory of Caesar at the expense of the good of Rome.
Corruption has been rampant. Grace Mugabe alone has reportedly salted away US$5 billion, enough to pay for the two power projects.
When Mnangagwa took over from the late dictator Mugabe, he promised the Second Republic will stamp out corruption. The country is losing US$1.6 billion to gold smugglers every year and, according to the recent Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia, he is the godfather behind the looting.
Hwange Unit 7 and 8 are long overdue and there is precious little to celebrate. The last 43 years since independence have been a disaster for Zimbabwe and there is a crying need to end to this failed system of government.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections to extend the regime's stay in power by another five years. It is too late to get any meaningful reforms implement and too late to stop the regime going ahead with the flawed elections.
CCC and many in opposition camp are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections out of greed as David Coltart, CCC Treasurer General confessed.
"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," confessed Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
"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."
We cannot stop Zanu PF rigging the 2023 elections nor stop CCC participating out of greed.
However what we can do is to make sure everyone, absolutely everyone, especially SADC leaders know that these elections are flawed. How can the elections be judged free and fair when there is no verified voters' roll, rural voters are frogmarched to vote, 3 million in the diaspora are denied the vote, etc., etc.?
SADC leaders know that Zimbabwe cannot hold free and fair elections without first implementing the democratic reforms. After all it was the regional body that helped set up the 2008 to 2013 GNU whose primary task was to implement the reforms.
Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were given the responsibility to implement the reforms sold out. Mugabe bribe the MDC leaders with trappings of power and the rest was history.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders not to participate in the 2013 elections without implementing reforms, a last minute chance for Tsvangirai and company to redeem themselves. They ignored the advice. There is no greater fool than one whose eyes are glazing with greed!
"MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU and the forgot what they were there for!" commented one SADC diplomat in disgust.
SADC leaders have condoned the rigged 2013 and 2018 elections and granted the vote rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy in despair and disgust at MDC leaders' betrayal.
What the regional leaders have failed to appreciate is in punishing MDC leaders they have punished the ordinary Zimbabweans too who bear the brand of four decades of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. This concept of collective punishment is abhorrent and diabolical!
In 1980, Zimbabwe had the potential to be the South Korea of Africa, a free democratic and prosperous nation. We are a failed nation and one of the poorest all because of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. We must cure ourselves of this curse!
We are asking SADC leaders to judge whether the 2023 Zimbabwe elections are free, fair and credible on the basis of the evidence on the ground. Nothing more, nothing less. Surely, that is not too much to ask!
For the record, this Zanu PF regime received the feasibility studies for Hwange Unit 7 and 8 and Batoka Gorge Hydro in 1980! It has taken 43 years to complete Hwange Unit 7 and 8 and God knows how long it is going to take to build the dam.
These projects, like so many other projects up and down the country, should have been completed years ago. Zimbabwe has the resources but has the misfortune of corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical leaders whose priorities is the glory of Caesar at the expense of the good of Rome.
Corruption has been rampant. Grace Mugabe alone has reportedly salted away US$5 billion, enough to pay for the two power projects.
When Mnangagwa took over from the late dictator Mugabe, he promised the Second Republic will stamp out corruption. The country is losing US$1.6 billion to gold smugglers every year and, according to the recent Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia, he is the godfather behind the looting.
Hwange Unit 7 and 8 are long overdue and there is precious little to celebrate. The last 43 years since independence have been a disaster for Zimbabwe and there is a crying need to end to this failed system of government.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections to extend the regime's stay in power by another five years. It is too late to get any meaningful reforms implement and too late to stop the regime going ahead with the flawed elections.
CCC and many in opposition camp are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections out of greed as David Coltart, CCC Treasurer General confessed.
"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," confessed Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
"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."
However what we can do is to make sure everyone, absolutely everyone, especially SADC leaders know that these elections are flawed. How can the elections be judged free and fair when there is no verified voters' roll, rural voters are frogmarched to vote, 3 million in the diaspora are denied the vote, etc., etc.?
SADC leaders know that Zimbabwe cannot hold free and fair elections without first implementing the democratic reforms. After all it was the regional body that helped set up the 2008 to 2013 GNU whose primary task was to implement the reforms.
Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were given the responsibility to implement the reforms sold out. Mugabe bribe the MDC leaders with trappings of power and the rest was history.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders not to participate in the 2013 elections without implementing reforms, a last minute chance for Tsvangirai and company to redeem themselves. They ignored the advice. There is no greater fool than one whose eyes are glazing with greed!
"MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU and the forgot what they were there for!" commented one SADC diplomat in disgust.
SADC leaders have condoned the rigged 2013 and 2018 elections and granted the vote rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy in despair and disgust at MDC leaders' betrayal.
What the regional leaders have failed to appreciate is in punishing MDC leaders they have punished the ordinary Zimbabweans too who bear the brand of four decades of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. This concept of collective punishment is abhorrent and diabolical!
In 1980, Zimbabwe had the potential to be the South Korea of Africa, a free democratic and prosperous nation. We are a failed nation and one of the poorest all because of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. We must cure ourselves of this curse!
We are asking SADC leaders to judge whether the 2023 Zimbabwe elections are free, fair and credible on the basis of the evidence on the ground. Nothing more, nothing less. Surely, that is not too much to ask!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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