By Peter Olorunnisomo – The elections in Zimbabwe have had its uneasy spell. This is very understandable giving the undercurrent of a ‘change of heart’ across the African sub-continent where the peoples have had to find verifiable answers to the challenging questions that rage on the benefits of political leaderships that have spanned decades with commensurate benefits of stewardship.
The international observer group to the elections conducted just last week have come forth with a verdict that concludes that there were flaws in the voting exercise. Whether these flaws gave political advantage to either the incumbent Mnangagwa or the challenging Chamisa has not really been established.
However, it is to be noted that most election exercises that take place in Africa hardly unseat the incumbent office holder particularly when it comes to the issue of the Presidential or Prime Ministerial offices.
Ordinarily the expectation and the exit of strongman, Robert Mugabe, was that the country would enjoy unity under President Emmerson Mnangagwa and, indeed, the impression was so. But the elections however prove that there is a greater desire by the people to follow the sweeping wind of change possibly to consider a younger person for the democratic responsibility and dispensation in doing away with the ‘old’ order.
But could this be the fuel for political ambition that occasioned desperation bringing about the deaths of supporters when the citizens’ political sentiments are engineered in pronouncing election verdicts before results are formally announced?
This would probably undermine the understanding for peace and security which are more often than not delicate factors to engineer instability on the political terrain in Africa and the rest of the developing world.
And insecurity if definitely what Zimbabwe can ill-afford at this point in time.
The role of Tendai Biti has been called to question in the post-election violence in Zimbabwe and being wanted, fled. But barely twenty-four hours after refusing him asylum in his preferred destination, Zambia, the Zambian authorities have deported the former Zimbabwean minister of Finance, as his lawyer confirmed.
There are avenues of redress and addressing the flaws that the voting exercise may have proven which would be peaceful, engaging, and at worst, long drawn but it would not result in deaths. After all, the African terrain speaks volumes about well political leaderships have their peoples politically served.
Zambia took the action despite a High Court order against the move. Zambia’s Foreign Minister on Wednesday told the BBC that they had refused to offer asylum to the opposition leader and former Finance Minister.
Joe Malanji said Biti had applied for asylum after entering Zambia on Wednesday. “He wanted to seek asylum but his grounds are not meritorious. As it is, we are just keeping him for safe custody before he heads back to Harare,” the Minister told the BBC.
Without disclosing what Biti’s grounds were, he stressed further that: “It is not up to us to tell when he’s going back; it’s up to the Zimbabwean authorities.”
Earlier reports had noted that the fleeing politician had been arrested as he attempted to enter Zambia but Zimbabwe intelligence records show that a hundreds of traders blocked his arrest allowing him to enter Zambia.
Biti, a leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, is being sought by Zimbabwe authorities for his alleged role in post-election violence that claimed six lives.
Contrary to electoral laws, he is reported to have pre-empted the announcement of results. He had repeatedly said that the Alliance’s candidate in the July 30 polls, Nelson Chamisa, was the valid winner of the polls.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), announced that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had won the polls by 50.8% of valid votes cast. Mnangagwa takes office this weekend to begin his first five-year tenure.
Chamisa has stated his party’s readiness to challenge their loss in the courts. A number of opposition members are currently on bail for their participation in post-elections violence that was met with a military crackdown after the police failed to control the situation.
Zambia deserves commendation and the integrity of leadership needs to be recognised. It was common to have such persons escape to other African sister nations when they have ‘soiled’ their hands in acts that warrant and occasion the loss of lives of the very same people that patriotically commit to protect. It is instructive to African countries who do not see that such ‘admissions’ only lead to further unrest and loss of lives in the sister nation being fled from. They are thus complicit in such ‘genocide’. This also spells deterrence to politicians who manipulate their people to occasion their deaths.
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