Zimbabwe Taxing Reality:Burden Vs Compliance

 

Convience Vs Burden

As a business owner, I'm sure you're no stranger to the complexities of tax compliance. The recent changes to VAT payment periods have left many of us scratching our heads, wondering how we're expected to stay afloat.

Limited Time for Compliance 

With a mere 3-week window to make VAT payments, it's no surprise that many businesses are feeling the pinch. For those receiving payments after 30-60 days, it's a logistical nightmare. How are we expected to balance our cash flow and meet our tax obligations?

Conflict Vs Consultations

The current system seems to punish compliant taxpayers, while those who fly under the radar get to carry on unscathed. Is this really the best way to encourage compliance?

It's time for ZIMRA to take a step back and reassess their approach. Consultations with the business community would be a great place to start. Let's work together to create a system that's fair, reasonable, and supports the growth of legitimate businesses.

Some potential solutions could include:

- Extending the VAT payment period

- Offering incentives for compliant taxpayers

- Implementing a more streamlined tax clearance process

- Increasing transparency and communication between ZIMRA and businesses

It's not too late to make a change. Let's work towards a tax system that supports businesses, rather than hindering them.

A Proponent's Perspective of the Zimbabwe land reform programme

 

The Zimbabwe Land Reform programme, initiated in 2000, was a landmark policy aimed at addressing historical land ownership imbalances and redistributing land from predominantly white-owned commercial farms to black Zimbabweans. As a proponent of this programme, it is argued that the land reform was a necessary step towards correcting colonial-era injustices, promoting equitable land distribution, and enhancing socio-economic development for the majority of Zimbabweans.

Historical Context and Justification

Zimbabwe's land ownership patterns were a legacy of colonialism, with a small white minority controlling vast tracts of the most fertile land. The Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) sought to dismantle this unequal structure by redistributing land to landless and under-resourced black farmers. Proponents view this as a justified measure to align land ownership with the demographic and political realities of an independent Zimbabwe. By empowering black farmers with land rights, the programme aimed to foster greater inclusivity in agriculture, a key sector of Zimbabwe's economy.

Socio-Economic Impacts

 Supporters of the land reform highlight its potential to transform the lives of beneficiaries by enhancing food security and livelihoods. The transfer of land to smallholder and emerging farmers has boosted food production and reduced poverty among rural communities.

The redistribution of land addressed historical inequities, giving previously marginalised groups access to a vital resource. The land reform programme has allowed more people to have access to land, and there could be broader economic participation and development in rural areas.

Challenges and Considerations 

The programme had noble objectives, but implementation faced challenges, which included the imposition of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe

The sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe as a result of the land reform program were indeed a crucial aspect of the country's economic and political landscape. The USA and EU imposed sanctions and sponsored political opposition parties by funding them.

The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) was passed in 2001, restricting international financial institution support and imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe due to concerns over land reform, human rights, and governance.

Impact of Sanctions on the Zimbabwean Economy

 The sanctions have contributed to Zimbabwe's economic challenges, limiting access to international funding and hindering economic growth. Zimbabwe has been unable to access new World Bank loans due to its debt arrears, which total around $21 billion.

As a proponent of Zimbabwe's Land Reform programme, it was a necessary intervention to correct historical injustices and promote equitable land ownership. Despite implementation challenges, the long-term vision of empowering black Zimbabweans through land redistribution aligns with principles of social justice and inclusive development. Moving forward, strengthening support systems for new farmers and fostering sustainable agricultural practices will be critical to realising the full potential of the land reform.

Nelson Chamisa is Blue

 

Nelson Chamisa may be the finest example of what’s ailing the Zimbabwean opposition. Nelson Chamisa has never been voted in or out of his "leadership" position since 2013. He illegally claimed the MDCT presidency in 2017, and nicodemusly the MDC Alliance and then CCC.

Legitimacy

I wrote about Nelson Chamisa's lack of legitimacy when he hijacked the MDC Alliance in 2017 my opinions on it have not changed since then.

Nelson Chamisa has tried to portray himself as a mass movement leader. A mirage of great proportion in his own mind and few bootlickers around him. The fact is that until Nelson Chamisa can be democratically elected to a leadership position his political career will never truly take off.

FEAR OF ELECTIONS

Alongside this weakness Chamisa is paranoid and he is afraid of people around him to the point of failing to delegate his "authority" to legit structures of his so-called "mass movement".I also talked about his student politics approach to national politics. He foolishly tried to alienate and isolate his fellow leaders in the opposition. People like Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube and Thokozani Khupe have been the victims of Nelson Chamisa's fundamental leadership weakness.

In other words, Nelson Chamisa's weakness and paranoia have caused him to surrender his CCC presidency. He has no real supporters within the mass movement. This is the result of the personalisation of the CCC movement.

CONGRESS AND THE BOOTLICKERS

What the reader may find interesting though is that Nelson Chamisa should have called for a Congress instead of surrendering the CCC presidency. The decision to step down was selfish and individualistic. The decision has split CCC  between his bootlickers and the real opposition. We now have two or three main camps.

I have seen and heard the noise from the bootlickers and others. The bootlickers have showered Nelson Chamisa with praises and the other camps have also quiped in with equal measure of anger. The perennial bootlickers like Fadzayi Mahere have resigned from Parliament in solidarity with Nelson Chamisa.

Nelson Chamisa's leadership style attracts a certain type of person. The bootlicker and the hangers-on, people who have no ideology and the cash activists. These people will hang on to Nelson Chamisa's every word and ideas. They believe in him and if you disagree with them they will label you a ZANUpf infiltrator. This bootlicking mentality is what drives Nelson Chamisa's ego. The bootlicking mentality masks the mediocre leadership qualities of Nelson Chamisa.

This polarization between bootlickers and the other camps of the CCC has come into play. You will have to look at Promise Mkwananzi's bootlicking stance against Job Sikhala's position. This is a crystal clear example of the cracks in the opposition and is the direct result of Nelson Chamisa's lack of good leadership qualities.

FROM RED TO YELLOW AND NOW BLUE

Finally, I would like to point out that the cracks in the opposition are due to a lack of true elected leaders. We cannot blame Sengezo Tshabangu, ZANUpf or other external forces for the crises in the opposition. The blame has to fall at the door of  Nelson Chamisa and his bootlickers. We must not forget "strategic ambiguity" or "God is in it"  and the odd bible verse on  Nelson Chamisa's social media handles. 

We must also not forget the bootlickers and the hangers who have supported and propped up mediocracy from the MDC (RED) to CCC (Yellow) and now Blue. 

The Case for the use of our Local Currency

Cash versus the Digital Currency and RTGS

The RBZ should know that ordinary people in the street need cash for various reasons. The people in the informal sector and the unbanked need both the Zimbabwean dollar and the US dollar for transactional purposes for their day-to-day use. The informal sector and the unbanked do not need digital currencies(RTGS) but want hard cash unlike the formal sector and those who have access to banks and banking facilities. The RBZ is making it difficult for the informal sector by reducing bank cash withdrawals.

Effect of Low Cash Withdrawl Limit 

The effect of the low cash withdrawal limit imposed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has caused the rates of the RTGS against the US dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar to rise sharply on the black market. It is the formal sector that is driving the rate of the RTGS black market rate as companies are buying the US dollar on the black market instead of going to the RBZ auction. The informal sector plays a small role in the black market as they have little or no access to the RTGS. The cash rate in the informal sector is lower than both the black market rate and the RBZ auction rate. 

Value of Physical Money and Cash Rate

The RBZ is failing to appreciate that physical money in Zimbabwean dollars or USA dollars has an intrinsic value which carries a positive premium versus the negative premium on RTGS.The negative premium results in the RTGS having costs loaded on every RTGS transaction.

 Physical money, which a person can touch and get immediate value after a transaction carries more weight than the RTGS or its digital equivalent which needs third parties to complete a transaction. It is a fact that almost all transactions in the informal sector are done on a cash basis as compared to the formal sector. 

The Power of Cash

The cash rate, the value of cash against the US dollar, is lower than the RBZ auction rate and the black market rate. This indicates that the Zimbabwean dollar has a role to play in our economy both in the formal and informal sectors. The RBZ should exploit the power of cash by pegging the Zimbabwean dollar cash withdrawal limit to the auction rate. The RBZ must recognise that the local currency withdrawal limit plays a role in stabilising the foreign exchange rate.

Accessibility as a Cost

The informal sector, the unbankable and the rural population need help accessing banking facilities like bank cards and banks. These people can only access banks through third parties at a cost. The costs of using RTGS are loaded on their transactions via government taxes, bank charges, unavailability of power, mobile network availability and transport costs to convert the RTGS into cash at the physical bank.

My argument is that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe must increase the withdrawal limits for the people to have access to cash. This will improve the use of our local currency and increase our confidence in the Zimbabwean Dollar.

Of Consensus, Democracy and Confusion

 Where is the democracy in the CCC outfit??

The election is a democratic process of choosing a person to get into public office. The process here in Zimbabwe starts typically at the grassroots level. Nelson Chamisa has come up with a weird and ambiguous way of coming up with candidates. The process which he calls "consensus"   is a way of imposing favoured friends as election candidates. The imposition of candidates is a sure way to lose an election. 

Our questions as Zimbabweans to the CCC are;
 Where is the democracy in this secret process of "consensus"? 

Who is the democratically elected leader of the CCC?

Where are the primary elections of aspiring members of parliament?



Bribing The Leader And Forgetting the Voter

The opposition party or cult,  the CCC, has sitting Members of Parliament paying $1000 to the self-imposed Nelson Chamisa to get their place in the next election. 

The question here is, is this a democratic process? Are the same MPs going to pay the voters in their constituency? The CCC approach to the election process is undemocratic and it will cost them voters and they will definitely lose the elections.

The MPs have bribed their leader and forgotten the people who are going to vote for them.




The Parties and Primaries

The Zanu-PF primaries are the true democracy at play. Let the masses elect their leaders, young, middle-aged or old. The crux of the matter is the ability of the chosen candidate to perform. The general public must question the way the CCC alliance is handling the election process. Those shadowy NGOs and fake civic organisations must comment on the going on in the CCC.

Youth Vote And Generational Renewal

This notion of thinking that youngsters are the alternative leadership is misplaced. The Zanu-PF primaries indicate that a party can undergo generational renewal using the available democratic processes. A good leader will always be identified by the electorate.


The youth vote is not the monopoly of the opposition parties as seen by the youth participating as voters and candidates in the Zanu-Pf primaries. The CCC must look at itself if they need to be relevant and appealing to the youths of Zimbabwe.

We the people of Zimbabwe are all for the youth. The future of the country and the revolution is in their hands. Let the youths play a role in all our democratic processes.

Zimbabwe is forever!!

Notice

The above blog post was previously published on 20 April 2018 on this blog

Zimbabwean Gold Mafia Exposed

The so-called Jeezera series on the so-called Gold Mafia of Zimbabwe has come and gone. The "expose" that Al Jazeera Investigative Unit (I-Unit) copied and pasted from what  I believe is an old CIA plot generated by the US Embassy. It is a tall tale and a web of falsehoods.

The people involved in Zimbabwean Gold Mafia are a group of people employed by the Zimbabwean government to export gold on the government’s behalf. It is a scheme to bust the USA and EU sanctions placed on political leaders and government entities².

 LOOTING OR SANCTION BUSTING

The so-called Gold Mafia have one goal:  Sanction Busting! Here is a government that is under sanctions that have been declared illegal by the United Nations. The government is buying gold from licenced dealers, who in turn have bought it from artisanal miners.

The licenced dealers sell their gold to Fidelity ( a wholly-owned government company run by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe). The Reserve Bank with concurrency of the Zimbabwean Treasury(Ministry of Finance) and the Cabinet ( Office of the President and Cabinet) can sell the gold to anyone. The three institutions have the people of Zimbabwe's mandate to sell gold, without consulting the USA, UK or the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit (I-Unit). 

The process of selling our gold is legal and above board except if you are a USA citizen because the Zimbabwean Government act is at odds with the ZIDERA sanctions bill made in the USA senate in 2000.

TALL TALE or NGANO DZATSURO NAGUDO

The Al Jezeera Investigative Unit has told us a tall tale. The very act of having a phone call without a face at the other end of the line is a sign that they are selling us the people of Zimbabwe a lie. In this age and hour where we can Skype, Google Meet or Zoom the clever guys at Al Jazeera would like us to believe that we are still in the 1970s. In Shona, we say "Ingano dzaTsuro naGudo" .....a  tall fairy tale!!

HOW TO JOIN THE GOLD MAFIA

The Al Jeezera Unit should have had a fifth episode of how a Zimbabwean can be part of the Gold Mafia. It would have been helpful to the doubting Thomases among us. 

It will have gone like this: you can buy a claim or go to the nearest river, I recommend Mutare  River and take your sieve and start work. If you get your gold point, sell it to a licenced buyer. Get your money and be part of the gold Mafia.

For those with money, you can apply for a gold buying licence from Fidelity, buy gold from makorokoza in the above paragraph, process the gold and sell it to Fidelity. Get your money and you are now part of the Gold Mafia.

I am waiting for the Al Jeezera Investigative Unit to come out with Episode 5 of the Gold Mafia. I know they can not investigate with half-telephone conservations on this one.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 14/5/2023(1) BREAKING: Al Jazeera Investigative Unit’s Zimbabwe Gold Mafia .... https://www.zimeye.net/2023/03/02/breaking-al-jazeera-investigative-units-zimbabwe-gold-mafia-documentary-unleashed/ Accessed 14/5/2023.

(2) How a ‘Gold Mafia’ is looting Southern Africa, washing dirty cash. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/23/gold-mafia-looting-southern-africa Accessed 14/5/2023.

Nelson Chamisa And The White Supremacists Sponsored Poll

The Poll from Hell

Early this month I woke up to see not only one tweet but a barrage of tweets on my Twitter timeline. It was not your usual tweet but a tweet announcing that Nelson Chamisa had come out tops on a poll survey. He was leading Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa by a wide margin.

 

 I looked at it at the team that had done the poll and I laughed at the name! I looked at the sponsors of the survey and I nearly choked over my cup of tea! I looked up and wondered at the objective of flooding my timeline with those tweets. I then realised that it was a poll made in hell. Why you may ask me?

 

Cecil John Rhodes

Rhodesia was founded and plundered by a company called the British South Africa Company a charted company created by Cecil John Rhodes with the blessing of Queen Victoria, the Queen of England. 

 

This company was to become the owner of all of the land and minerals between the Zambezi River and the Limpopo River. It was the start of the white supremacists' domination and the creation of one of the most complex systems to oppress black people. It is also the source of the poll from hell that has jettisoned Chamisa to the top of the white supremacists' favourite lists.

 

Anglo American Corporation

When Cecil John died in 1902 the British South African Company was transformed into Anglo America Corporation. The company was inherited by the Oppenheimer family from Rhodes. The company was into every aspect of the Rhodesian economy. The AAC ran everything from farming, mining, manufacturing, finance and banking. 

 

The AAC's hold on the Rhodesian economy was only to break up into nebulous and obscure subsidiaries with head offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and London in 1980 after Independence. A point to note is that AAC subsidiaries were the conduit that the Rhodesian supremacists used to beat the United Nations sanctions. This white supremacist complex still has deep holds on our economy and our politics. The need to reclaim and control the Zimbabwean land resources is the reason for the poll from hell.

 

The  White Supremacists' Industrial Complex and Brenthurst Foundation

Let me now link the poll from hell with the white industrial complex. The link is the Brenthurst Foundation and the so-called Sabi Trust poll survey. The Brenthurst Foundation is the baby of the Oppenheimer family which is funded by the former AAC companies. The Brenthurst Foundation in turn funded the poll from hell.

 

I would like to lead the reader to why Chamisa come out tops on the poll from hell. Nelson Chamisa attended secretly a workshop on regime change (you can give it another name) in November 2018. The workshop was disguised as a "human rights" workshop. The workshop was to explore ways to fund opposition parties in all former British Colonies.

 

I personally view the poll as a reward to Chamisa for attending the workshop. This point out how the Rhodesian white supremacists' industrial complex has continued to influence our politics.

 

Pasi neMhandu !! Down with the enemy !! Zimbabwe will never be a colony again!!

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's wrong turn on Withdrawal Limits

 I was surprised by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's announcement of the increase in the weekly withdrawal limit from ZWL$5000 to ZWL$15000 on personal accounts. The announcement was made too late as the increase was not in tandem with the rise in the value of the United States dollar on the auction rate. There is no logical explanation or justification for the new withdrawal limit.

 

The RBZ had no rational explanation for the low withdrawal rate in as much as it affects the informal sector and the so-called unbankable rural citizens. The move by the bank to increase the withdrawal limit on personal accounts without increasing the monthly withdrawal limits ceiling is baffling.

 

The RBZ deliberate move to increase the unbankable group of our citizens into poverty as cash access to both the Zimbabwean dollar and the USA dollar will now be available only through the black market. The move will in the long run discourages saving and increase the informalization of our economy. Informalization will in turn decrease the country's taxation base.

 

The RBZ should have tied the withdrawal limit to the USA dollar equivalent, for example using the poverty datum line, the weekly limit should be around USD125.00 which will add up to USD 500. This is at today's black market cash rate of ZWL137500  weekly and ZWL550 000 monthly. These two limits should be allowed to move in tandem with the RBZ weekly auction rate.

The RBZ move to keep the cash withdrawal limit at unrealistic low levels will cause the margin between the Black Market Rate and the RBZ auction rate to widen.

 

The Governor explained that the withdrawal limit is in line with average wages earned is an insult. The Governor must be made aware that the wages are inadequate and people are living below the poverty line. The majority of our citizens both in formal and informal sectors have to hustle to cover the difference between their wages and the poverty datum line to survive. The hustle to cover the gap needs cash.

The RBZ should  revisit  the  cash withdrawal limits and increase them to realistic levels.

Nelson Chamisa's leadership qualities and fear of elections

The Faulty Begining

 Nelson Chamisa's story in politics started with college protests against a sitting black government. The demonstrations were all about food and allowances. He was a leader of misguided students who used their stomachs to think. The demonstrations were a direct act of peer pressure without political direction or conviction. It is against this background that the leadership qualities of Nelson Chamisa become questionable today.

Rhodesian Leanings 

 When Nelson Chamisa left college he moved into the newly formed and Rhodesian-sponsored Movement of Democratic Change. The MDC was sponsored by the land-dispossessed white settlers and fronted by Morgan Tsvangirayi. Nelson Chamisa by joining the MDC makes him a sellout from my point of view. The MDC under Morgan Tsvangirayi and on behalf of its Rhodesian sponsors called for and assisted in the drafting of the ZIDERA sanctions bill in 2001. Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti had the guts to beg for an extension of the ZIDERA sanctions in February 2018. The very act of a black Zimbabwean flying to Washington DC and sitting in the United States Senate and calling for an extension of sanctions against his own people and country is disgusting. There is no sane Zimbabwean who can trust an unpatriotic person and character like Nelson Chamisa to be the President of Zimbabwe.

 Nelson Chamisa an Unelectable Dictator 

 Nelson Chamisa has not only displayed dictatorial and dishonest from the very day he lied that he had been "appointed" by Morgan Tsvangirayi to lead MDC-T after the latter's death. He was never elected to be a leader of MDC -T and even avoided going to congress. Nelson Chamisa dodged the MDC-T congress and formed the MDC Alliance. It is a fact that Nelson Chamisa had to form and appoint himself President of CCC formation after the courts stopped him from using the name and offices of the Movement of Democratic Change. The fact to all Zimbabweans is that Nelson Chamisa has not been in any party elections since the year 2013. 

Our question as Zimbabweans, is how can a person who has never contested in his own party or party win national elections? How can a person who leads an unelected and structureless entity win an election? 

 The 2023 Verdict 

 The truth is that Nelson Chamisa will not win the 2023 election because of the question of legitimacy, his stance of supporting sanctions and the gap between his structureless group of friends from the grassroots electorate. He cannot be the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Of Congress, Chaos and Democracy

 The story going around is that the Citizens Coalition for Change Leadership wants to go into the 2023 general elections without going to congress.  It is a surprise move coming to people who claim to be champions of democracy. The people of Zimbabwe are surprised and confused that in 2022 a democratic party can not hold a free and fair selection of its leadership. Nelson Chamisa has handpicked a clique of his friends and cronies and catapulted them into the CCC leadership and executive without the approval of the general membership of the party.

 The CCC membership has got an imposed executive and leadership but has it got the right candidates to contest an election? Where are the so-called structures which will coordinate the party's activities? Are Zimbabweans stupid enough to vote for imposed candidates? Democracy must prevail over dictatorship and cronyism.

 Nelson Chamisa has been talking about rebranding after losing the name of the party, the party headquarters and his leadership of the MDC. I believe it is time that he recognises that he must change his tactics of bulldozing and imposing himself on people. It is time he recognises that without following due processes he will definitely lose support and will lose the elections come 2023. 

Is CCC a party or just a group of Nelson Chamisa's friends and bootlickers? I would like to quote Methuseli Moyo of ZAPU who said "Without a congress, CCC remains a collection of friends deploying each other into positions. As such, they be handicapped to challenge ZANUpf on any issue to do with democracy and procedure". It is a fact that Nelson Chamisa lost the 2018 elections and what if his membership wants to change candidates? This was reflected in the March by-election when the CCC imposed a candidate, Regai Tsunga in Mutasa South, and it lost the seat to ZANUpf. 

What we see here, the so-called paragons of democracy are denying their membership their democratic right to choose candidates of their choice by dodging Congress. It is not the first time that Nelson Chamisa has dodged congress. He smuggled himself into Harvest House after the death of Morgan Tsvangirayi without following due processes and the party's constitution. He went on further to hold a sham congress at midnight in Gweru. It is a habit only found in dictators.

CCC Yellow Baby And ZANUpf Old Habits

 A new baby or a New Yellow baby Suit??

 Nelson Chamisa claimed that the party he had formed was a new party. This was despite the fact he remained an unelected leader of the new party. The MDC Alliance leadership was and is the same CCC leadership. The CCC stance and narrative on sanctions echoed the MDC Alliance calls. The confusion to the voter was apparent.

The confusion manifested itself in Sakubva . Although Nelson Chamisa claimed to have filled the Sakubva Stadium, the majority of people in ward 4 voted for the  Zanu-PF candidate. The people actual voted the same in Mutasa South where Regai Tsunga lost about 2000 voters as compared to the 2018 elections. 

Of Supporters, Floating voters and Members

It is important to note that the floating voters affect the bye-election. The floating voters are the sympathisers. These are the voters the politicians prey on. These are people whom we see being given freebies by politicians. The freebies can be money, food and t-shirts.

It is a fact that CCC has sympathizers and supporters while as  ZANUpf on the other hand has members. Supporters and floating voters have little or no conviction to participate in elections. They need to be incentivised while members can easily be mobilised to vote through their organisational structures.  Members who are mobilised have a  duty to vote.

The floating voter is the CCC advantage in urban areas and is a ZANUpf disadvantage in urban areas. Membership and coherent structures are ZANUpf's strengths in the rural areas and CCC's weaknesses. Chamisa has no structure to talk about in rural areas.

This was reflected here in Manicaland in the Dangamvura/Chikanga and Mutasa South  by-elections 

Old Habit And Wrong Candidates selection

The choice of candidate does matter in an election. It is folly to put up an unpopular candidate like Isau Mupfumi. He is a perennial loser and also a bad loser. The ZANUpf leadership were fooled at the primaries. Mupfumi lost the primaries and there was no way he could win the by-elections.

The CCC leadership also used its undemocratic "consensus" to impose Regai Tsunga on the people of Mutasa South and cost them the elections.

The  Mutasa South residents supported Misheck Mugadza who had won the ZANUpf primaries free and fairly. The ZANUpf candidate is well known as a community developer and hence loved in the area.

The outgoing CCC MP lives in the urban part of his constituency and is rarely seen in the rural parts of his constituency.

Who won the Elections?

As a parting shot, ZANUpf won an extra Member of Parliament seat in Manicaland. Democracy won the by-elections. Imposition of candidates by consensus or threats lost the elections. That is the lesson for 2023 Elections.

The Coalition of Confused Citizens

The proclamation of the by-election by the President of Zimbabwe has caused the opposition parties to react differently. The MDC-T paid a visit to the State House and urged the President to "bring genuine, inclusive and unconditional dialogue. Our proposed dialogue issues include political, social and economic reforms." said Senator Douglas Mwonzora. 

 There was a completely different reaction by the Chamisa-led MDC Alliance. It was not only the proclamation of the by-election, which caught Nelson Chamisa and friends by surprise but the visit to the State House by Douglas Mwonzora. The visit to State House by the MDC T delegation was distorted by MDC Alliance social media brigade as a move to have the by-elections stopped. 

 The noise on social media by the Chamisa Chete Chete brigade was a reflection of the unpreparedness for the by-elections. The so-called MDC Alliance ( led by Nelson Chamisa) has no political structures to talk about. It is a loose group of people opposed to the MDC-T.

The proclamation of the by-elections scuttled and unsettled Nelson Chamisa's plans. He was left with no choice but to come up with a new name. A new party called  Citizens Coalition for Change was formed from the ashes of the so-called MDC Alliance. The effect of this name change will have some effect on the diehard MDC Alliance supporters. It is bound to cause confusion for both the supporters of MDC-T and the general public on voting day.

Nelson Chamisa claimed that he had formed a new party without any changes in its leadership, ideology and empty party structures. This was to culminate in the party fielding multiple candidates on nomination day. This confusion on both the nominee and supporters was fuelled by an undemocratic imposition of preferred cadres by "consensus". The process caused the party to fail to field some candidates in some areas.

The MDC Alliance supporters who supported Chamisa are now confused with the whole process. The electorate will have to accept the candidates selected by the CCC leadership and not their choices. This undemocratic process will cost the new party dearly at the polls.

We are going into the by-elections having a coalition of confused citizens. Let the fun begin!!!!

MDCA circus goes rural

I wanted the headline of this blogspot to read "MDCA fake attacks and the rural votes" but l said no. Why you may ask? The above headline is the most accurate to describe the drama and excitement that Nelson Chamisa and his MDCA hooligans are generating on social media.

 UN Rapporteur Circus

 The child president and his team has taken their circus to another level.We can say they have upped their childish game, and the result as usually will backfire when elections time come. The circus was for the UN Rapporteur benefit but she never mentioned it in her report. 

 Here is a party , which claims to be popular, but potraying itself unpopular by setting up its own fake roadblocks, fake car chases and fake gun attacks.It is as if the rural people are attacking them but to them it is "Zanupf elements" and "state security agents". 

 Of Herdboys and Cattle Crossing 

 I would like to inform the MDCA drama team that the rural areas are 100% Zanupf and for the record our state security agents do not miss targets. The MDCA team should also take note that herd boys and their cattle crossing a road does not constitute a roadblock. Just wait for the cattle to pass......and the catapult on the herd boy's neck are not guns too!!! The rural voter at all the places where the MDCA drama groups have staged false attacks and fake roadblocks will not vote for a fake party. 

 The Facts and Conclusion 

 There are ten electoral provinces in Zimbabwe and only two are have 80% urban population, that is Harare and Bulawayo. The eight other provinces are 80% rural. The MDCA have a lot of work to do rather than playing games.They have to cover 2000 wards in 200 constituencies and have at least 11000 election agents to cover every polling station.

 Can we have less noise on social media and less drama in the rural areas? If the circus continue ZANUPF will win with a bigger margin than before.

A summary of the UN Special Rapporteur Report on sanctions against Zimbabwe

 

The illegality of Economic sanctions

 The United Nations Special Rapporteur indicated and highlighted that unilateral economic sanctions against Zimbabwe are illegal. The USA and EU sanctions are a violation of international law and they violate the  human rights of all Zimbabweans and hence they must be lifted

Effect on the general population

 She went on further to point out that even the United Nations has stopped imposing legal economic sanctions or targeted sanctions because they affect civilian human rights. The USA and EU sanctions are targeted at all Zimbabweans and as a result, and the economy has not been performing well and the general population were being affected.

Forced Reforms

The Special Rapporteur said in her report that no nation must be forced to undertake any reforms based on sanctions. She indicated in her report that dialogue between international players and internal players must be done with consideration of rule of law, international law, human rights and without the use of sanctions.

Consequences of Economic Sanctions

The Special Rapporteur was of the opinion that sanctions are forcing economic and business players in Zimbabwe to look for opaque methods to bust the sanctions. These methods have led to the formation of cartels and corruption.

Basking in the Social media light

I believe to build a business empire, own an opinion (not a marketing budget)
The internet is home to some of my biggest haters.

Others think I am a genius.

While my cynics and fans aimlessly scroll through Twitter on a typical day, l jump on the cyber stage for fun just  to share yet another strong opinion:

Haters gonna hate. But likes and retweets from raving fans start pouring in almost instantly.

My blog just go show you the Zimbabwean politics: polarised and toxic!!

My blog posts, Facebook posts and tweets may contain strong opinions which may leave you with mixed feelings. Just read on and be free to leave your comments.

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I won’t stop calling people out on their wrongdoings especially the so called opposition political parties.

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Malaba's Saga and functions of a functioning government

 THE SAGA EXPLAINED

 I have been forced as a layman to comment on Justice Malaba's Saga. Yes, it is a saga where half baked lawyers and the perennial paid political activists have head a field day trying to sell a dead horse to the people of Zimbabwe. The High Court has literally told us that CJ Malaba was fired. Where on this round Earth has that ever happened? The High Court can not fire the Chief Justice!!! It has neither the authority nor the right!!

THE ANALOGY TO THE SAGA

My point as a layman and a citizen of this country is explained here figuratively, of course. If an employee of a shop is caught stealing. The police are called in and he is arrested,.The thief is sent to a competent court of law, where he will be tried and sentenced. Now here is the catch, he will be found guilty and sentenced to a suspended sentence (because he only stole a sweet!). Will he go back to work...it is the employer who will decide to fire him or accept him back. Do you see why the court can not fire the person? 

SEPARATION OF FUNCTIONS

 Now let me go back to parliament which the learned people call the Legislature. This is where the law that enabled the Executive to extend the Chief Justice term of office, was passed. It is the parliament right to pass the laws of this country. The High Court which is part of the Judiciary can not sit and vote on any bill in Parliament. The very act of the Judiciary trying to override the Legislature is unethical and unconstitutional.

CONFUSION OF THE FUNCTIONS

The Judiciary has not only tried to upend the Constitution of Zimbabwe but is acting like the Executive. The mechanics of implementing the law lies with the Executive. The Judiciary is responsible for the interpretation of the law. This separation of duties between the three arms of Government is well known even by us laymen. So why do we have lawyers acting like village or township idiots!!

 These crazy lawyers will not want us all to know is that the High Court set as a court of first instance on this constitutional matter. The judgement is not binding and hence the judiciary can not force either Parliament to repeal the amendment or cause the Executive to fire the Chief Justice. The final arbiter in this matter is the Constitutional Court.

IMPLEMENTATION OF  THE LAW

Final I would like all Zimbabweans to accept that we have a functioning and competent institution in the  Executive and Legislature. The separation of functions is important for a government to function. No one arm of government should interfere with the functions of another arm.

 Here is the catch. The High Court can not fire CJ Malaba. The High court can not appoint a new CJ. It is the sole responsibility of the Executive to hire and fire the CJ. The Executive must implement the laws of the country without fear or favour.

Let us go to Concourt!!!!

Of Sellouts , Convergence and Constitutionalism

 

The Sellouts

There are questions that we may ask as Zimbabweans. How is it that about 300 000 White settlers dominated 7 million blacks in Rhodesia? The answer is simple: Black folks helped them to sustain colonialism. These are our own sellouts our very own black kith and kin who can sell our country for a few pieces of silver like the biblical Judas. These are the cashvists , outright sellouts and those USA award-winning journalists. They do not care about our rights as a people, our constitution or our country.

Nelson Chamisa. Tendai Biti and Godwin with the then USA ambassador after the hearing in the USA Senate on the extension of sanctions in February 2018

The Hopeless Political Activists cum Journalists

This month we have had political activist cum journalist Hopewell Chin'ono make a lot of noise on social media. This earned him the attention of the public and he got his fair share of criticism on his Twitter and Facebook walls. Hopewell has gone too far even by his own rabidly misleading standards.  This journalist lies can not go unchallenged even now. Here is a black man and a Zimbabwean who vigorously defend racism and  Western evils like slavery, colonialism and sanctions. 

Convergence in Confusion

In April we have seen Nelson Chamisa apologising to his followers. He has been slapped hard by both common sense and common law. He indicated clearly that the 2018 MDC T primaries were not properly conducted. He stopped short of saying that the primary elections were rigged. I strongly believe that he has seen the 'convergence in his 'confusion', to borrow his words. I think he should go ahead and apologise to real MDCT supporters about how he stole the MDCT presidency. He has not been reading his former party's constitution.

Nelson Chamisa shaking President Mnangagwa hands on his inauguration as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe

The Real Convergence

The emerging opposition party MDCT led by Douglas Mwonzora has an important role to play. It has to be a patriotic opposition. It has to leave the MDC Alliance positions and attitudes. The party must embrace and accept revolutionary politics. It has to decouple itself from foreign powers and influence. The role of a proper opposition party is to ensure accountability and transparency on governance issues. This is what I call the real convergence.

Constitutionalism and the Second Amendment

In April we saw the Legislature pass the second amendment to the Constitution. The amendment reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people. It also shows our political system is capable of renewal and adapting to gradual changes, as our nationhood matures. It is a fact that the opposition was against the amendment but democracy prevailed.

In conclusion, we are still one nation, we have our own enemies amongst us and the spirit of the Chimurenga lives on. We have a revolution to defend.....iwe neni tine basa!!

Threat of a Nation Address

 Much Ado About Nothing

The state of the nation address by Nelson Chamisa turned up to what we have expected. We have the usual empty but potential dangerous threat of public disorder and a call to his "stupid" followers to break the law. This has been said and been done before., and we expect nothing to come out of the "threat" of the nation address!!

 I would like to familiarise you with the famous English playwright William Shakespeare play called "Much Ado About Nothing". In this play, a couple is in love and a lot of drama and mischief is done to destroy the relationship. People are arrested, people are confused, some people are lied to in this well-written play. The twist in this play is that the couple will marry at the end despite all the chicanery and noises.

The play is parallel to the life of the MDC Alliance and its leader Nelson Chamisa. He started with nothing in 2018 when he declared himself the de facto leader of a non-existent party. He went on to contest the elections and come out with nothing.  He orchestrated numerous demonstrations and he comes out with nothing all the time!! Nelson Chamisa's political journey has been about nothing!!

Empty Threats

In his address, Nelson Chamisa is threatening a sitting government by telling that he is ready to govern and urge his supporters to follow what he calls a "New Zimbabwe Blueprint." The so-called blueprint is just a list of empty threats of pending and imagined civil disobedience. How can you be ready to govern if your party is haemorrhaging members?

 Nelson Chamisa actual state in his address that his non-existent party will create "pockets of resistance". These are empty but very dangerous threats. It is in Nelson Chamisa best interest to form a party and attract followers so that he can win the 2023 elections and govern.

Fading lies 

In his speech, he calls his former party the MDC-T, a government-controlled opposition and I believe his imagined party, the MDC Alliance, is independent of any form of control. Members are defecting and leaving the party in droves to ZANUpf and to MDC-T. The MDC Alliance is fading into the horizon. Nelson Chamisa permanent campaign of lies about a stolen 2018 election and illegitimacy of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to impress both his handlers and his supporters.

Context and Content

Finally after all is said and done, the speech can be discounted to call for recognition and to attract attention. The content of the speech was to threaten the general populace by calling for civil disobedience. The context, in this case, was to create in our minds a " twin crises' of the COVID19 pandemic and to cover up the exodus of MDC Alliance supporters to MDC-T and Zanu-PF.

Zimbabwe awaits Mr Nelson Chamisa next list of threats!!

The Chimurenga counter-revolutionaries:

 I am just a blogger and I do not want to be confused with those award-winning journalists. I write to free my memory and to express the feelings and opinions of people around me. What l hear or read l always want to debate and interrogate its historical context. I believe nothing can happen for no reason....and reason rests in the past.

To put my idea to test today l want to explain why a USA award-winning journalist like Hopewell Chin'ono is unemployable in the United States as a journalist but can play James Bond against his own home country government. I want to explain why a whole Professor Alex T Magaisa spent his time writing anti-government diatribe packed with half-truths and has the cheeky to call it the Big Saturday Read. 

The reason for both men attitude towards the Government of Zimbabwe is historical. We should understand why Hopewell Chin'ono would like to attack Jah Prayzah on social media. We must understand why Alex T Magaisa would attack Morgan Tsvanirayi's son on social media. The two are not only seeking attention on social media but the attacks the reflects self-hatred seeded in them by white supremacists associations that sponsors them.

Hopewell Chin'ono hatred of the state emanates from his upbringing. He is the proverbial Zimbabwean born person who went to the diaspora after independence. He came back only to find out some of his contemporaries had moved on in life. The contemporaries had more money, political power and had fitted well in the post-independent Zimbabwe. You can feel the bitterness in his writing and documentaries.

Alex T Magaisa is just like Hopewell Chin'ono and more. Here is an academic who has been here and there, and he believes he knows it all. He comes back in 2009 to be a special advisor to the then Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the failed Government of National Unity. Magaisa was a total failure at his task as Morgan Tsvangirai's advisor that the MDC literally broke up during his tenure. Magaisa had no option after MDC lost the 2013 election, but to put his tail between his legs and pack his bags.

What we have in the two gentlemen of Zimbabwe origin is the deep  Rhodesian narrative in their writings and conduct. How can a journalist like Hopewell Chin'ono specialise in espionage on behalf of people who have sanctions against our country? How have we allowed him to call sanctions-busting corruption? Why have we not questioned his sources of information? Is it not crazy that the USA will award him another prize for excellent journalism for his antics of regular visits to Chikurubi Maximum Prison?

On Alex Magaisa, I have noticed he spent some weeks writing his so-called  Big Saturday Read trying to discredit the land reform in general and the Chimurenga Revolution in particular. He rubbished the whole land reform program and even came up with a list of people he wanted to "expose".

 The likes of the two are what l call intellectual bankrupt academics.  These are people who believe that they have a monopoly of the knowledge of not only our political system but of the destiny of our nation. In reality, these are counter-revolutionaries who have sold their souls to the white supremacists. 

I believe this quote accurately describes the two to the point; "They are harbingers of hate, violence and intolerance. They are just misguided and violent thugs and hooligans who possess neither a solid ideological grounding nor a viable alternative to governance. They belong in jail"  said Obert Gutu on Twitter. I think following the #Demloot video every Zimbabwean knows where Hopewell stands and this dovetails with Obert Gutu's description above!!!

I have to go back to history to conclude this post. Chimurenga is our history. In the history of the Chimurenga revolution,  counter-revolutionaries have come and gone, our revolution has not stopped as the will of the people is supreme. You cannot stop a revolution by writing rubbish or by posting one-liners on social media. The people power lives beyond the pen and keyboard. It is out there with the electorate.

Finally, I would like to quote John Lewis, a disciple of Martin Luther jr and the USA civil rights activist who passed away in 2020 but had recently said, "Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.'

Counter -revolutionaries cannot stop the Chimurenga revolution, they can only delay our progress!!!

COVID 19 for The Reckless, The Ignorant and The Innocent

 The Reckless

The Covid19 pandemic is reeking havoc through our communities and some of us has been reckless, deliberately spreading it by action, word and conduct. 

 

I was surprised by the comments of the MDC alliance leader Nelson Chamisa when the lockdown was announced. He made some reckless comments as he described the government call for level four lockdown as aimed against poor people.He goes further to say government should have consulted stakeholders before imposing the lockdown and reading between the lines he see the lockdown as political motivated. The statement reflects not only Nelson Chamisa's naivety but may actual be reflection of the common and uninformed sections of our people. The recklessness is born out of ignorance of the disease which we are dealing with. 

Law enforcement agencies has been reckless in allowing people to pass on roadblocks without letters of authority. They have been reckless to allow illegal passenger vehicles to pass in exchange of bribes. The passengers have been reckless to board unsafe and unsanitary vehicles. We have been a reckless nation and we must pay the price. We will pay the prices for these action by the deaths of our family members and our fellow citizens.

People have ignored government call to stay at home.People are not wearing masks. People are not practising social distance or observing the physical distances in crowds...some people are refusing or avoiding sanitisation.People are just being recklesss and we as Zimbabwe will pay the price of this recklessness.

The Ignorant 

There is a lot of misinformation about Covid19. A quick browse on social media posts and the ignorant content will surprise you. There are wild stories of the origin of  COVID19,  there are thousands of homemade remedies and even fake stories of survivors. It is this ignorance which is helping to spread the virus 

It is true that crowds or any gathering are super spreaders of COVID19.  We have  ignorantly held parties,conducted private lessons, attended funerals and even held music shows , like the Chilspot guys from Mbare. It is this level of ignorance that government must target all its  efforts.

Law enforcement  agencies must intensify their efforts in the best way they can in order to bring this disease under control.

The Innocent 

Lastly we have the innocent children amongst us. We should protect our children from the disease. Schools are super spreaders and teachers who are conducting lessons of any kind must be prosecuted. Parents who send their children should be prosecuted, as they are no different from the Mbare trio.

 

In conclusion we have to change our attitude towards this disease, we have to treat and see the disease as an enemy. We need to hide from it...by staying at home ....masking up ....and let us give it the respect it deserves. Let us fear it and let us fear death. Covid19 is a death sentence! !