Protests not an easy Road, but crucial

There is only one therapy that will see Zimbabwe to possible socio-economic recovery, and that is a free and transparent election and arrayed before the voters would be candidates presented by some range of political parties. These nominees again should have been freely elected by the party members during primaries, the state media covering and broadcasting processes and outcomes of diverse parties' candidate selection proceedings, thereby providing voters with opportunity to make informed choices of preferable leaders. This will go a long way in weeding out corrupt imposition of candidates by the diverse contesting political parties, a practice prevalent and trademark of Zanu-PF.

If candidates are imposed it will be difficult or even impossible for electors to select suitable candidates. Some people view this kind of thinking as a generously idealistic prescript or requirement but that is what is seemingly the only alternative given the state of the rot in the opposition and ‘ruling' Zanu-PF. Imposing candidates weakens both opposition and ruling party Zanu-PF alike. Ideal doesn't mean impossible, after all it is only we the people who can make the ideal real. Some countries like Japan have realized near idealistic ambitions and have highly organized, well-regulated and robust economies made possible only through generally good administration procedures monitored through checks and balances. Japan is highly successful and is the largest holder of foreign currency reserves in the world. The population of Japan is close to 146 million, and Japan is roughly the same size with Zimbabwe which has about one tenth the population of Japan. Checks and balances are largely stifled and avoided in Zimbabwe where it is presumed that most in authority in government and Zanu-PF party are engaged in some gross corrupt activities.

The major determining factor in achieving free and transparent election and accountability from our mandated principals is the degree of freedom our state media reporting has, complimented by the independent media efforts. The advantage of exclusive use state media by dictators is that state media has substantial funding from tax revenue so that public funds are used to hurt the public through unlimited propaganda and lies. In mature democracies government has a little to do with establishing and controlling state media. Only desperate and underperforming regimes want to own media and control it as an avenue to propagate lies, hide and vindicate own failure and incompetence and to use such media as an instrument of terror and oppression of the masses. So one the first steps to ultimate freedom and subsequently fair election is the freeing up of the information restriction and control by government. The proclaimed constitution of Zimbabwe provides for plural, private owned radio and television stations. But since the constitution came into force in 2013, many applications by private parties to set up broadcasting stations have been rejected by a Zanu-PF fearing and controlled broadcasting and licensing board.

The grand coalition is also failing to take off because of deficiency in fair electoral process in choosing a single leader to stand against Mugabe. Those in MDC T naturally prefer Tsvangirai to take lead the grand coalition whereas those in People First would trust Joyce Mujuru to better lead. A fair and transparent way of selecting a single leader to stand for the coalition is derailing the project. The wishes of the electoral base in this matter is disregarded. To me a grand coalition to elect a single leader seems an impossible task. I highly appreciate the efforts being done by the National Electoral Reform Agency in trying to de-skew the electoral space. The opposition parties should lead by example by holding fair and very transparent primary elections so as to differentiate their ways from the unfair practices of Zanu-PF. This if done, can instill a lot of confidence in the people and lure in more members to the opposition, firming it. It will also go a long way in establishing democracy in Zimbabwe.

But what we witness in the opposition arena today resembles events in its nemesis Zanu-PF, so we keep guessing on the sincerity of opposition in wanting to bring true change in Zimbabwe. In In People First many are unsure of the process that saw Joyce Mujuru become the leader of the party, whether it was by birthright or else. Perhaps it was just the virtue of her VP position in Zanu-PF that sprang boarded to-PF helm. Let us not forget that the VP position she had was not gotten by going through some voting, she was merely appointed. So this kind of politics resembles the politics of the failed Zanu-PF particularly on the imposition of candidates.  Lack of fair choosing leaders in Zanu-PF was key to its ineffectiveness and therefore apathy to the sufferings of the people because positions don't depend on the grassroots people. RG Mugabe himself has never been freely nominated for elections, but was merely forcefully endorsed by provincial leaders many of whom were ejected from the party for preferring any other candidate. If leaders are merely imposed they save those who appointed them, if they are voted for by the masses, then they will serve the masses. Zanu-PF imposed candidates generally serve the interest of RG Mugabe whilst disregarding the plight of the people. Since 1980, only few parliamentarians and ministers ever opposed RG Mugabe, and of those who did, they were labelled enemies of state. Even if they had illustrious liberation war credentials, when they died, Zanu-PF even chose to have their remains interred somewhere else and not at the National Shrine. You see how far it can it go, so don't wonder why poverty is widespread in Zimbabwe.

So this imposing of candidates is the major weakness of the opposition, giving way to Zanu-PF to continue in poor even at zero or negative service delivery. I define negative service delivery as paying for services that one will not get, a good example being PSIMAS insurance contributions by civil servants. MDC has fragmented into several parties because of lack of fairness in leadership selection. Sincere political parties fight for the freedom and welfare of their people more than they fight for positions, power and self-aggrandizement.

Corruption will never end in Zanu-PF since perpetrators are protected by RG Mugabe himself. Perpetrators are only exposed of their corrupt acts once they begin to disagree and fall out of favor with RG Mugabe, like in the case of Joice Mujuru, where state controlled media began arraying her corrupt acts after she was ejected from the mainstream Zanu-PF. RG Mugabe rewards his cronies through letting them be as corrupt as they wish, on condition that they keep supporting and praising him and never oppose him. People like Home Affairs Minister, Dr Ignatious Chombo is skilled in that art, so it is not coincidental that he is very wealthy. Some regard him as the most corrupt individual in Zimbabwe..

The army and air force commanders have also waded in but only through pretense just to give an impression of wanting to combat corruption. But the nation will not forget how the security forces have been and is still instrumental in perpetuating RG Mugabe's rule through terrorizing villagers and polling agents to twist the election to the incumbent's favor. This is the highest form of corruption. The air force commander, Air Masrshal Perence Shiri's role particularly in Makoni will not be forgotten where he is well known to have encouraged and bankrolled the Zanu-PF torture bases during the election of 2008 and 2013. Nor will those of villagers Nembudziya forget the terrifying Brigadier SB Moyo's terroristic endeavors during the 2008 elections and Unity government era. After all the army corruptly enriched themselves with Maguta fund where tendering procedures were suspended and where an audit was never done for the fund. Lieutenant General Douglas Nyikayaramba was then director of the programme on behalf of
Perence Shiri, so many are surprised that Douglas Nyikaramba talked against corruption in the August house.   Former Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono just dished out money into the programme as he solely and personally saw fit and this fueled inflation that led to the eventual failure of the Zimabwe dollar in 2008. The nation will not also forget the $15 billion diamond money looted when the army was in control of the Chiadzwa diamond fields. With the military openly saying it will not support anyone without liberation war credentials for president, we definitely have a military government in Zimbabwe where soldiers choose who they want to back to be the next executive, thereby destroying all the fundamentals of democracy. In 2008 RG Mugabe refused to transfer power after losing to MDC, for this feat, he depended on the leverage and exploit of the military. So let not the army play the nation fools.

Having said all this, it leaves many of us with only one highway to change and eventual freedom, the peaceful protest approach. Zimbabweans have lost all hope in the present government as the situation keep getting worse and many people are becoming poorer, with service delivery is no longer in existence. People are dying at public hospitals due to lack of basic drugs for controllable diseases and the state media sweeps this under the carpet. Rather than work overtime to turn around the state of affairs those in Zanu-PF have instead strengthened their succession battles and corruption has gone totally out of control and unchecked. Corrupt Zanu-PF members are not being prosecuted and this only encourages more corruption. So Zimbabweans must no longer count on Zanu-PF to bring change in Zimbabwe. With the opposition looking less sincere and weak, citizens are stranded. They can either only wallow in total rot and poverty or they brace up, come together and protest, to effect change. Everything that could go wrong in Zimbabwe has indeed gone wrong, the opposition is still quiet while RG Mugabe is shameless enough to resign. It is surprising that opposition has yielded to the unjust ban on peaceful protests. Unfettered peaceful protests are constitutional and are the hallmark of a sound democracy.  

Zimbabweans should therefore protest to demand the resignation and overhaul of the rogue government. Everyone in Zimbabwe is being hurt or disadvantaged significantly in some way through the continued imposed rule by Zanu-PF. Even if all hospitals and schools close, even if all civil servants don't get paid, even if all Zimbabweans get unemployed and people die of hunger and disease, and though Zanu-PF will not be willing or able to provide relief to all these difficulties, still Zanu-PF will not give up power, but will rather choose to pull out of International Court of Justice, just to continue with the outrageous injustice, corruption and plunder of resources, free of rebuke. The level and extent of corruption shows that the ruling party Zanu-PF is unmoved at all by the sufferings of the people. Let not anyone have false hope, Zanu-PF will never serve the interest of the common people, even under ED Munangagwa, the heir apparent, through hook and crook. The people of Zimbabwe should not care about who leads them, they should care of and inaugurate a transparent and functional process that governs how the person is elected and mechanisms to avoid abuse and overuse of power, as is the case now with RG Mugabe, who is not and has never been at any given time, accountable to the Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe does not need strong and powerful rulers, only faithful and firm institutions.  

Zimbabweans we must choose to protest to demand freedom, though a rough highway, we still will succeed and therefore extricate ourselves from these problems which were precipitated and still maintained by Zanu-PF autocratic and selfish rule. Zimbabweans have the responsibility of altering the status quo so as to usher us into a state where we can not only freely choose our next leader, but also be able to reign and control him/her. But if us Zimbabweans choose to cower and continue the scavenging livelihood, we will continue to suffer immensely while the conscienceless, security forces propped Zanu-PF would still remain unmoved, but will continue to misrepresent us, mismanage our own affairs and continue to loot state coffers. Let us revive the spirit and argument the efforts of the fearless Itai Dzamara. It is our right to petition and protest, we are not foreigners, but we are in the land of our birthright, and it is not anyone else's but our responsibility to use the right and lawful means to fight against irrationality and imbalance. These protests are long overdue. We hope the opposition will organize more marches to put pressure and convey the message to RG Mugabe and his corrupt syndicate and system, to let them know that it is no longer with our consent that they preside over our, and that they must give power back to the people where it rightfully belongs, the power to elect leaders and regulate them. We also hope that the police will not take illegal orders from their superiors to just beat up peaceful protestors indiscriminately.  RG Mugabe himself should heed the message and do the right thing, facilitate formation of an apolitical transitional government whose only obligation would be to cleanse ZEC and oversee a free and fair election, an election fully illuminated through unbiased state media reporting, and subsequent transfer of power to the preferred candidate who would then have a legitimate mandate. Of cause RG Mugabe can really initiate this process immediately and avoid being pressured to resign by petition. Events on the ground warrant that he must immediately relinquish the mandate which he initially stole, and allow for a fair election observed by any who care.

The then new people driven government will then make new policies with advice and full participation from Zimbabweans focusing on arresting poverty and economy decline and this will see economic recovery and eventual prosperity. The accountable government will be more aggressive and effective in its fight against corruption thereby reducing leaks now rampant because of Zanu-PF government led negligence. But Zanu-PF will go down as a party that plundered Zimbabwean economy, impoverished and ruined people's lives.