Even the two thirds majority attained by Zanu-PF was fixed for them by ZEC

Like many Zimbabweans, I spent most of Wednesday 22 August 2018, following Constitutional Court proceedings. What captivated me the most was the presentation from Nelson Chamisa’s lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu. By the way I voted for Mr Mnangagwa and a Zanu-PF MP. The judges kept on questioning him as it should be. I am also inclined to agree with the observation from Senator David Coltart that the lawyers for ZEC and Mr Mnangagwa seemed to have gotten a free pass from the judges. This also brings with itself another unspoken issue among Zimbabweans, is the Zimbabwean judiciary truly independent? It was not lost on me that the current chairperson of ZEC is herself a judge of the high court. The previous chairperson of ZEC being the one who sat on the March 2008 presidential election results for a month is himself a judge president.

 Then there is Justice Chinembiri Bhunu who presided over the case where MDC activists were sentenced to 20 years for the murder of a police officer on what some argue was flimsy evidence.  Justice Chinembiri Bhunu is part of the Constitutional court judges presiding on the election petition. From what I have seen on social media, the majority of Zimbabweans seemed to have reached a consensus that Nelson Chamisa will lose this case. I agree with Advocate Thabani Mpofu that this election was fixed by ZEC for the benefit Mr Mnangagwa.If we consider the two thirds majority that Zanu-PF attained in parliament, this was also fixed by ZEC in order to benefit Zanu-PF. If one looks at the actual valid votes cast for candidates, you will notice total number of votes cast in urban MP seats is general higher as compared to rural MP seats; there was a deliberate attempt to have less number of MP seats in urban areas and more in the rural areas in order to benefit Zanu-PF.

In my view the so called two thirds majorities that Zanu-PF attained in parliament does not really represent the will of the people.  For example ZEC split UMP into two seats namely Uzumba and Maramba Pfungwe and yet for example Epworth that has a bigger voting population is still one parliamentary seat.  Another example is that if one takes four rural seats in Matebeleland namely Gwanda North, Gwanda South, Matobo South and Insiza South, the combined votes for the four seats are far less than Goromonzi South an urban seat. For example Harare province was allocated 28 seats when it should have around 38 seats as it has about 18% of the country’s voter population.

As individuals based both in and out of the country, we have to make decisions on our future regardless of the decision of the court this afternoon. Ever since the first disputed election in 2000, individuals would make decisions of whether to emigrate from the country or not. After each disputed election the country’s economy would suffer. Just imagine an investor coming to invest in a country where the election was clearly stolen and a court of law condoning such an election conduct. What outcome should that investor expect should he or she take his dispute to the same court of law?

The few questions that I can’t seem to get an answer. Why did Mr Mnangagwa rush to announce an election soon after the coup? Where they going to hand over power so soon after removing Mr Mugabe? Why waste so much money to hold a sham election that leaves the country so divided? I still remember the unity across political divide on 18 November 2017 when we marched to State House to demand Mr Mugabe’s resignation. Why did Mr Mnangagwa not put together a unity government for a few years to sort out the economy first? Why hold an election when you know that you won’t abide by the will of the people?

These immortal words from the late Morgan Tsvangirai are true even today, “Zanu-PF can rig an election, but they can’t rig the economy”. The tragedy is that it ordinary people who will suffer due to a failing economy.

The collective decision of Zimbabweans is wiser & must prevail

I voted for Mr Emmerson Mngangagwa and a Zanu-PF MP but I am not celebrating these results. Instead all I have been having were nightmares that started when I saw all those videos of soldiers firing live ammunition at unarmed protesters in the streets of Harare. Of course Zanu-PF won two thirds majority in parliament but this is not the true representation of the will of the people when you look at the voting numbers in urban areas. In my constituency of Goromonzi South, the total number of votes cast are almost 50 000. There was a deliberate ploy to limit the number of seats in urban areas and increase the number of seats in rural areas. However for presidential elections each and every votes counts and I suspect that Chamisa might be saying the truth when he says he won this election especially when you look at the conduct of the government after the election.

The results for each of to the 10 800 election were counted on-site and the results were posted outside each polling station and there was no dispute there. The problem arose when those results were collated at the national centre. It is an open secret that Emmerson Mnangagwa is deeply unpopular across the country and this was an election that he desperately needed to win at all costs. Everyone is asking Chamisa to go to court and this is unnecessary as all that is required is to engage the expertise of independent mathematician to properly collate the figures provided by each of the 10 800 polling stations to come up to the true votes for each candidate as that will truly represent the true will of the people.

 We warned Mr Mnangagwa not to rush into an election after he took over in November 2017 and instead put up a government of national unity for a few years and sort out the economy. Now we have a disputed election and citizens know how they voted and they are not accepting results. Some in the international community can accept the results but without the buy-in of citizens both in the country and outside the country the country cannot move forward. Some professionals have decided to leave the country and those in the diaspora will post pone investing in the country. In April this year, I decided to go back to work and during the induction in the presence of other 40 recruits, my CEO asked me on my assessment on Zimbabwe and I told him my honest opinion then to say there was hope then. In fact when I was self-employed or when I went for interviews at many companies, I would meet many influential people and the question on Zimbabwe always comes up and I have to give my honest opinion. How many Zimbabweans have hope for our country at the present time?

Zimbabwean election needs the thump-up of its citizens both at home and abroad. Zimbabweans of all walks of life are the true ambassadors of our country as we are in touch with policy makers throughout the world and when they ask us of our opinion we will tell them the truth. This past Friday, I was supposed to go back to Zimbabwe to finalise preparation for the coming tobacco farming season and I was too depressed about the events in Zimbabwe to even go back home. This morning, I was talking to one of my trusted associates back in Zimbabwe and he was telling me of soldiers continuing to assault people in the townships at night. Also the international media are carrying stories of the military brutality and the heavy handedness of the police. It seems we are back to Mugabe era or worse.

 

For this country to move forward, the true will of the people must prevail and I am reminded about what the Late Professor Masipula Sithole wrote in 2000 before the 2000 Constitutional Referendum, "The collective decision of Zimbabweans is wiser". Mr Mnangagwa made an unwise decision to call for an election and he must accept the true result and not rule by the gun. Mr Mngangagwa must fall on his sword.