ZIMBABWE : ZIMBABWEANS DECIDE, 2023

6.6 Million Zimbabweans head to the Ballot to Vote for a President and 210 Members of Parliament as ZANU-PF: Zimbabwe’s Independence Party that has Ruled Zimbabwe since its Independence, seek to extend its 43 Years in Power. August 23, 2023 Election is being seen by many, as a Rematch of 2018 Election between the now 80 Years old ZANU-PF Candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa who Won the 2018 Election with 51% and his main Rival, 45 Years old ‘Citizens Coalition for Change-CCC’ Candidate, Nelson Chamisa who came a Strong Second with 45% of the Votes Cast.

• 10 Men and 1 Woman are seeking to Unseat the Sitting President, Emerson Mnangagwa, who is seeking a Second 5 Years Term. President Mnangagwa took Power on November 2017 after leading a Bloodless Coup that ended a 37 Years Regime of his Longtime close Comrade and Boss, President Robert Mugabe. Over 20 Political Parties will be Challenging ZANU-PF’s Grip on Power in this Election.

• Hyperinflation, high Cost of Living, Food Inflation/Food Poverty, Unemployment, Struggling Healthcare System, Corruption, Cronyism and Impunity, Violation of Human Rights and Freedoms, Looming Debt Crisis, Currency Crisis and the ever depreciating Zimbabwean Dollar, Western Economic Sanctions, are among Issues that continue to trouble Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans To-date. October 2022 Labour force Survey by ZIMSTAT says that only 3.3 Million out of some 9 Million Working-age People in Zimbabwe are in some form of Employment, 88% of the 3.3 Million being in informal Employment. The Survey also established that 48.8% of Youths between the Age of 15-24 are just “Roaming around the Streets” without Formal Education or Training.

EMERSON MNANGAGWA AS PRESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE, 5 YEARS LATER:

• In the Run-up to July 2018 Election; President Mnangagwa pledged to within his first 5 Years establish and operationalize Special Economic Zones and ensure Consistent Economic Growth of at least 6% per annum between 2018 to 2023.

• On Agriculture, Mnangagwa promised to facilitate the Irrigation of at least 200 Hectares per District and Operationalize Zimbabwe Agricultural Commodity Exchange. He also promised to Issue Land Security Tenure Documents i.e. 99 Years Leases and A1 Permits. He also pledged to diversify Agriculture to include other Agricultural Products other than the dominant Tobacco and Wheat.

• On Healthcare, Mr. Mnangagwa promised to establish at least one New Hospital per District by 2023 and ensure that the Country’sTreasury allocate at least 15% of the National Budget to Healthcare in line with the Abuja Declaration.

• On Mining, Mnangagwa promised to support Beneficiation and Value Addition of Minerals by setting up Quotas for minerals including Platinum, Lithium, Diamond and Chrome Ore to be beneficiated or refined locally and impose Levies and Taxes on Exports of Raw Minerals. Zimbabwe has the biggest Reserves of Lithium, Platinum and Chromite/Chrome Ore in Africa. Zimbabwe has nearly 40 Recoverable Minerals that include Gold and Nickel. President Mnangagwa promised to amend Amend Zimbabwe’s Mines and Minerals Act Chapter 21: 05 to transform the Mining Industry.

• On Energy Mnangagwa promised to increase Power Generation by operationalizing Kariba and Batoka Hydro Stations, Shilands Power Station, repair and revamp Bulawayo Power Station and extend Hwange Power Station 7 and 8 and Connect all Rural Areas with Electricity.

• On Transport, he promised to operationalize NRZ and revamp Railways Infrastructure along Victoria Falls-Bulawayo-Harare-Mutare; Somabula-Rutenga-Chicualacuala/Beitbridge; Bulawayo-Plumtree and Chitungwiza-Harare Fast Rail. Develop Sub-regional Routes Lion’s Den-Chirundu towards Kafue, Harare-Nyamapanda towards Moatize; Beitbridge-Chicualcuala and Harare towards Makuze. Dualise Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu; Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls; and Kwekwe-Nkayi Road Network and regravel 300 Kilometers of Roads per year in all Rural Provinces by 2023.

• On Water, Mnangagwa promised to Construct the Gwayi-Shangani; Mutange; Musami and Kunzvi Dams, and Wenimbi Pipeline, and start a National Program to enhance and improve all Water Purification Plants.

• On Education, he promised to construct 2000 Schools by 2023, repair and establish at least one Vocational training Centre in every District.

• On Housing, Mnangagwa promised to deliver at least 1.5 Million affordable Housing Units by 2023.

• On Business and Manufacturing, President Mnangagwa promised to accelerate implementation of Ease of Doing Business Reforms, Enact Corporate Governance Bill, Recapitalize the Industrial Development Corporation and Implement SADC Industrialization Strategy.

President Mnangagwa and his ZANU-PF Party did not publish a New Manifesto for his 2023 Re-election Bid saying the past 5-Years Record speaks for itself.

FRONT-RUNNER Nelson Chamisa, a Lawyer and an Ordained Pastor says Zimbabwe’s Crisis is essentially a Crisis of Governance. In his “New Great Zimbabwe for Everyone” Manifesto, Chamisa and his New CCC Party says: “the Citizens Movement’s Philosophy places God First and Citizens at the Center for the flourishing of Happiness, Freedom, Peace, Unity, Justice and Properity to blossom Life, Liberty, Dignity, Security and Prosperity of each and every Citizen.” In his Manifesto, Chamisa has promised to build a $ 100 Billion Economy and create 2.5 Million New Jobs.

The Only WOMAN Candidate in this Election: Elisabeth Valerio and her UZA Party has her Manifesto pegged on 4 Pillars: Accountability, Stability, Dignity and Advancement.

The late Morgan Tsvangirai’s troubled ‘Movement for Democratic Change-MDC’ Party had Fielded Douglas Mwonzora who recently, controversially withdrew from the Race Citing Unfairness from the Electoral Commission-ZEC after disqualification of several MDC Parliamentary Candidates.

Zimbabwe Fact-File

• Zimbabwe, a Land-locked Southern Africa Country, Home to the 11^th Century Kingdom of the Great Zimbabwe is Today Home to 16.7 Million People.
• Economically, Zimbabwe is classified as a Lower Middle-income Country with a Nominal GDP of $ 21 Billion and a GDP Per Capita of $ 1,267.
• Agriculture and Mining are the main Contributors to Zimbabwe’s Economy: Tobacco, Wheat, Lithium, Gold, Nickel are some of the Main Exports from Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has the biggest Reserves of Lithium, Platinum and Chromite/Chrome Ore in Africa. Zimbabwe has nearly 40 Recoverable Minerals.
• In the most recent UNDP ‘Human Development Index’; Zimbabwe is ranked among “Medium Human Development” Category of Nations at Position 146 out of 191 World Nations and Number 132 out of 169 World Nations on the ‘Social Progress Index’. The 2 Indexes take Account of Key Dimensions of Human Development that is; Healthy Life, being Knowledgeable-Education, a Decent Standard of Living-access to basic Human Needs, Safety, Personal Freedom and Rights, Foundations of Well-being and Opportunities for Progress among many other Indicators of Social and Human Development/Progress.
• On the most recent ‘Transparency International Corruption Perception Index’ Report that ranks 180 World Countries by their Perceived Levels of Public Sector Corruption; Zimbabwe is ranked at Position 157 out of 180 Countries with a Score of 23/100.
• Zimbabwe is a leading Tourist Destination with 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Victoria Falls, Mutarazi Falls, Lake Kariba, Masvingo- the Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Chinhoyi Caves, Chiremba balancing Rocks, Natural History Museum, Hwange, Matobo and Mana Pools National Parks, are some of Zimbabwe’s top Tourist Destinations.
• ZANU-PF Regimes have continually attributed Zimbabwe’s Economic and Financial Troubles to Sanctions slapped on Zimbabwe by the United Kingdom, United States and the European Union back in the Year 2000 after President Robert Mugabe’s Radical Land Reforms. President Mnangagwa’s Effort to have the Sanctions lifted by paying Reparations to some 4,500 White Farmers who were kicked out of Zimbabwean Farmlands by President Mugabe to Resettle some 300,000 Landless Zimbabweans, has not borne Fruit, the historical Sanctions remain. The late President Robert Mugabe defended his Radical Land Reforms by saying they were meant to Correct Colonial Land grabbing and that he was only returning the Farmlands to the Rightful Owners.
• After Years of experimenting and struggling with many different Currencies in the Face of Inflation and Hyperinflation that in 2008 hit a World Record of 500 Billion Percent, forcing the Country to Print a Record 100 Trillion Zimbabwean Dollar Cash Note, and a Record of 8 different Foreign Currencies all being used as Legal Tender in Zimbabwe sometime in 2014: Zimbabwe is now experimenting with Gold Coins and a Gold-backed Digital Currency in a bid to prop and stabilize the Zimbabwean Dollar.

ELECTION RESULTS

On August 27, 2023: PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa was Declared the Winner of Presidential Election with 2.3 Million Votes or 52%. This Now clears Way for his ZANU-PF: Zimbabwe’s Independence Party that has Ruled Zimbabwe since its Independence in 1980, to extend its 43 Years in Power with 5 more Years. CCC’s NELSON CHAMISA once again finished Second with 1.9 Million Votes or 44%. Mubaiwa Wilbert of the NPC finished Third with 53,517 Votes according to Electoral Commission-ZEC Declaration.

President Mnangagwa’s Party, ZANU-PF also Won the Parliament Race, bagging 136 out of the 210 Elective Seats. Chamisa’s CCC Won 73 out of the 210 Parliamentary Seats. Gutu West Constituency Election was postponed.

“Nelson Chamisa who dismissed the entire Election Process and its Results as a “Blatant and Gigantic Fraud” also said he was the legitimate Winner. There is going to be Change in Zimbabwe whether Zanu-PF People want it or not. It’s not going to be easy but there shall be Change. We will not wait for Five Years, there has to be Change Now and we are going to lead in making Sure Change comes to Zimbabwe, we put a full Stop to this Madness, whatever it takes.”- Nelson Chamisa in a Statement.

Incumbent, President Mnangagwa expressed his Satisfaction with the Process and Results of this Election. “I am Grateful for the Trust you’ve placed in me through the Election. As we move forward, let us remember the Strength of our Nation lies in Unity and Stability. Regardless of our Affiliations, let us work together for the Progress and Prosperity of Zimbabwe.”- President Emmerson Mnangagwa. On those disputing the Results, President Mnangagwa said, “those who feel the Race was not run properly know where to go and complain”.