African Leaders lost variance

By Benny Gudo

Opinion

August 22nd 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – Another problem is in the offing this time in Southern Africa’s Zimbabwe where incumbent president in liaison with the country’s electoral commission ZEC are caught hands down in one of the worst electoral fraud in the history of Africa. The electoral commission ZEC declared President Emmerso Mnangagwa with a 50.8% vote against his main challenger Advocate and pastor Nelson Chamisa of the movement for democratic change MDC who got 44.3%.

However the results announced were challenged in court, and this coming Wednesday all is set for the legal battle between the two. But looking into the MDC petition in general there are enormous irregularities, glaring mathematical errors and over voting that may culminate to cancellation of the results or a rerun only if the judiciary demonstrate maturity and impartiality. This is the mammoth task at the moment and no one knows what will happen as the courts have a biased proven record of tilting cases in favour of the ruling party Zanu-PF hence the stakes are high that the courts would endorse the flawed results.

In contrary, given the veracity of the allegations any outcome that goes against the will of the people will spawn chaos and bloodshed for the opposition party and civic groups won’t let go without a fight. It’s likely that further protests would reignite in cities and towns that mostly voted for change.

If unabated the situation would contaminate not only Zimbabwe but the entire southern region like what we see in South Sudan right now. What started as a binary contention spiralled into a full fledged war that has caused the death of tens of thousands South Sudanese. Even to this day the new nation is enduring the ramifications of this man-made war.

Now, the question at stake is why African leaders behave like colonialists in their own land? Professor Jallow of Gambia once made a disturbing broad historical scan showing that since independence the African state has fallen into an endless trap, compelling new leaders to engage in “blind mimicry and
neocolonialism.”

“In other words, after independence, African governments adopted and perpetuated most of the instruments and traditions of colonial rule and their attendant legitimating ceremonies and practices without questioning their utility or relevance for an independent people,” he stressed.

This is true because we are witnessing a replica of colonialism in our home lands. All over Africa democracy is an enemy of the state apparatus especially the ruling elite. Whenever they face tiff competition they resort to violence.

President Salva Kiir choreographed coup lies in 2013 in order to eliminate his main challenger Dr Riek Machar. Such plot was cooked run up to the National Council Elective Congress of the SPLMA office bearers to which he knew Machar could challenge the chairperson’s powerful post which was in his hands so he peddled lies with a deliberate aim of eliminating his foe.

Zimbabwe, unlike South Sudan saw a military coup that toppled long ruler Robert Gabriel Mugabe last November following tremendous internal fights within the governing party Zanu-PF wherein the former leader fought with his long time lieutenant and deputy Mnangagwa. Several members were purged including Mnangagwa who later collaborated with the military comrades to wrestle power from the noneganerian.

It was not the tussle between the two that enticed many in the country but the inclusion of the military and the masses that marched towards state house to register their displeasure of Mugabe’s rule. But few months later the union between the two broke as the same military shot dead close to ten protestors and injuring dozens when they opened live fires towards thousands of opposition protestors who were demanding for a release of Presidential election results.

Now the standoff is why the military killed protestors in a vote won by the incumbent? If Zanu-PF won the election why did ZEC delayed with the results? Those were some of the questions people could caucus because they know how the same ZEC operates – in circumstances of Zanu-PF victory they announced results immediately as they came, if otherwise they delay.

Like I said before the crop of our leaders in Africa are not people oriented leaders rather they are wealth-oriented ones. They choose to die for the sake of it. We saw it in Gambia, Kenya, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, DRC and now Zimbabwe to mention the least. Without fear or favour less than ten countries in Africa have leaders with the people’s mandate to rule, the rest are computer generated ones and coup plotters. The power of the bullet is abused for the sake of ruling.

Now what can we do to reclaim our stolen glory? This is the daunting task at hand and we are yet to see how the generality of Africans at pains shall do. But the stakes are high that the upsurge of violence and uprisings will increase if those in power insist to ignore principles of democracy and good governance.

The author can be reached via: gudobenniy@gmail.com