It is interesting, disturbing in fact, that state media is goading complaints about the number of people turned away and also assisted to vote on July 31 as insignificant that even considered in a recount, will not tip the vote in favour if Tsvangirai. Thus by implication, Tsvangirai is being told he is pissing against the wind.

But then that’s missing the whole point. Yet with state media, missing the point is big business!

That this happened in the first place points to deeper flaws of the whole election and with complicity from people vested with public trust but became no different from a school teacher who rapes students.

If people could be turned away, it certainly becomes a violation of their constitutional right to exercise their franchise, if people could be assisted to vote under dubios circumstances, it raises questions about guided voting, all of which are serious breaches of SADC’s own Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections to which Zimbabwe is expected to adhere.

Even if the numbers will never catch up with the ridiculous percentage points claimed by Zanu PF, that this happened points to Zanu PF’s misplaced sense of triumph in that you cannot claim victory and prepare a shindig when everyone is crying foul.

Yet it again points to Zanu PF’s disregard for fair play (which would be naive in politics but is certainly desired!), but then one will recall the late John Makumbe saying Zanu PF did not want this new Constitution because it was too democratic for Zanu PF’s liking!

Even as the matter is taken to court as a mere “right thing to do” despite all evidence of it being a futile exercise considering the 2002 challenge was flushed down the loo, the whole idea is to put this on record that this whole election – not just the results – was a farce.

It’s not even about overturning Mugabe’s victory, but Zimbabwe being serious in ensuring people’s vote is not tampered with. As it is, all things point to that this is what exactly happened.

How can one share what he has stolen from you. We tried it before with the GNU and who was running the show? It was Zanu PF! This time around if MDC takes up the posts then in a way they will be accepting the poll results. Let’s stand aside  to show the world that we are saying no to poll result and allow Zanu fail on their own. – Joshua

Simba Makoni’s MKD – unsurprisingly – has joined the chorus condemning the July 31 election results, saying it’s surprising that some SADC leaders were jumping to congratulate Mugabe’s purported victory when SADC as a bloc was yet to issue any official declaration.

These “congratulations” are something that has made the whole business of challenging the election result Herculean for disgruntled parties, and as one journalist asked Makoni, if these SADC leaders are already singing Mugabe’s praises, and if the courts throw out the MDC-T challenge, what then?

Makoni is a firm believer in the human spirit to overcome evil, perhaps even on the same convictions as MLK Jr. himself.

The former FinMin believes complaining to SADC itself about the election is not a waste of time, but an issue of presenting formal protests, and it is also interesting to watch the role CSOs will play now as SADC once again is called upon to “deal” with the Zimbabwe question in summits to come.

But like Makoni said, SADC leaders have been quick to make proclamations because they want to move on. And that’s the same message Zimbabweans are being told: accept the bitter poll outcome and move on. But is it that simple?

No wonder soon after it emerged that Mugabe was taking the trophy, the police were quick to warn that they would brook no street protests.

However, the question remains, what are bitter Zimbabweans and political parties going to do about it, and that’s what some SADC leaders in their Africanist wisdom imagine are addressing.

There is now Zimbabwe-fatigue, Makoni said, yet warning that any attempts to brush aside complaints that have emerged about the July 31 election could prove to be regrettable folly for the regional leaders as they will face the same problems in their own backyards come election time.

Not only that.

There is no way the endorsement of this election by some SADC leaders can be seen as an attempt to steer Zimbabwe from further crisis because a crisis has already been created by apparently endorsing these results.

And these flawed aspirations to “stabilize” Zimbabwe could blow in their faces as Zimbabwe de-stabilises the region by the massive movement of its people across the borders spurred by disgruntlement. But then what’s new?

What’s new is that this election had been expected to stem that tide and as the law of unintended consequences would have it, the opposite could well be very true!

In that regard, Makoni believes the endorsement of the election results could in fact have worse possible outcomes for the region.

It is obvious then that Mugabe has once again been able to keep everyone in the region busy laboring on what to do next, but the truth is that considering the many summits held to deal with Zimbabwe’s political crisis over the years, some countries want to attend to other issues, domestic issues that the incumbents know have a bearing on their own political fortunes.

But then such has become the position of the regional bloc where its teeth have turned out to be nothing but dentures.

Makoni believes the SADC leaders who have sent congratulatory messages to Mugabe are taking the easy route, and like Pilate perhaps, are simply washing their hands and leaving the country to the wolves.

“From your discussions, one would like to find out how Gukurahundi victims in Matabeleland could suddenly bury the hatchet and vote for Zanu PF, a party which committed those atrocities, and also given that Zanu PF had never won a single seat there since 1980.” Rudo Gaidzanwa.

I have noticed that there are people out there who do not think the MDC leadership should be fingered in the party’s 2013 election loss. They have been swift to label anyone who has dared to suggest culpability of the MDC leadership in the 2013 electoral loss as unprincipled sell outs or ingrates who were all the while in hiding while only the MDC leadership, alone, fought bloody selfless battles for the same people’s independence from Zanu PF.

In some cases, MDC sympathisers have even had the cheek to blame the people for the loss accusing them of apathy, and as such architects of Zanu PF victory! Such is the arrogance and disdain pervading the democratic movement that it has lost the decency to locate fault within – even for clearly inherent mistakes. What they accuse Zanu PF, they are now perfecting.

My point is, stop gagging people in expressing their frustrations over the election loss. People cannot have a similar mono way of grieving. People deal with grief variously, and when you feel you are within your right to want to regulate expression of grief then you are equally within your right in deserving the term intolerant.

MDC die-hards need to wake up to the fact that the bulk of their supporters are a product of a protest awakening to Zanu PF insensitivities of the 2008 period. MDC supporters moved to MDC in search of a caring and delivering leadership, which would distinguish itself in the unfair conditions prevailing. Not a leadership that masters the art of crying citing unfair electoral conditions in Zimbabwe! The MDC knew on day one that the jungle had Zanu PF and what that meant. Yet it would appear they carried lipstick and tears in their hunt pack.

The people are irate at MDC not Zanu PF and its rigging because they feel MDC leaders slept on the job and trivialised the task at hand.

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