FOR all of his warranted criticism of Copperhead’s many character and leadership failings, VAR is still in awe of the Viper and his “creative genius” when it comes to making fanciful political averments.
Take the Cult owner’s latest up the pole claim, for example, that he is “talking” to the United Nations with a view of getting the global inter-governmental organisation to supervise Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections in 2023, to avoid another disputed ballot.
Please Mazizi, take it from the clued in Video Assistant Referee and protect your fragile hearts from this rally poppycock, there simply isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that this will ever happen.
Another Flight Of Fancy
This is just another mega stretch of the imagination courtesy of Copperhead, in the mould of aerodromes in every village and spaghetti highways in Tsholotsho, Bulilima and Muzarabani by 2024! The reality is that the UN very rarely, and in fact, no longer provides election monitoring services to countries.
All it does now is offer electoral help to member states, including technical assistance, observation (not poll supervision and certification), expert panels and support in terms of creating a conducive environment.
To drive this point home, the last fully UN-supervised elections were conducted in Namibia in 1989. In 2001 and 2002, the UN did help to organise elections in East Timor, and also verified Ivory Coast’s polls in 2010. But much has changed geo-politically since then, to dissuade the world body from doing this.
In this light too, even if the UN were to agree to observe (not to supervise) Zimbabwe’s elections, this would not allow it to intervene in the electoral process or mitigate any election-day cheating that might happen. Anyway, even this is a stretch. Don’t hold your breath on seeing António Guterres’ representatives on the ground in Kontuthu Ziyathunqa next year.
Madam TalkZanu
Stories that are intentionally and verifiably false, and designed to manipulate people’s perceptions of the reality in our beloved teapot country are being churned out with a frenzy, especially on social media.
The aim, clearly, is to influence local politics, as well as to stir up and intensify social conflict in the country. Indeed, these fake stories are causing growing mistrust and hostility among Zimbabweans — turning neighbour against neighbour.
In this regard, it is very sad to see some compatriots, civil society organisations and foreign governments using fake news to undermine people’s faith in the democratic process and people’s ability to work together in the motherland.
This is why it is important that adroit national police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, has moved quickly to dismiss as false, reports that Madam TalkZanu was arrested on her way to a campaign rally in Matabeleland South earlier this week.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police dismisses a story circulating on social media platforms linked to Citizen Coalition for Change Bulawayo’s Swithern Chirowodza that Thokozani Khupe and other CCC activists were arrested as totally false.
“The police have not effected any arrest on Khupe and associates. The false story is dismissed with the contempt it deserves. It is totally wrong for politicians to claim arrest by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in false circumstances.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police, in actual fact impounded a South African registered Toyota Hilux registration number JW15PT GP belonging to Joubert Maplanka (64) for failure to produce a valid Temporary Import Permit at the 98km peg along Bulawayo-Plumtree Road.
“The vehicle has been in Zimbabwe since July 2021 and the TIP is no longer valid. Thokozani Khupe later came aboard a different vehicle and was not arrested at all. “We continue to urge journalists to verify information obtained from purported reliable sources before publishing such stories,” Nyathi said. VAR can only say hear, hear!
Afrophobia Explosion in SA
Hats off to Julius Malema and his Red Berets lieutenants for mobilising their members to defend the Kalafong Hospital, just outside Pretoria, where members of Operation Dudula are blocking foreigners from getting health care there.
As expected from Afrophobes, white people and light-skinned black people are being permitted to freely enter the hospital, while darkskinned people face a barrage of questions to prove their South Africanness. Curiously, SA police have not arrested or dispersed these Dudula members, despite an interdict having been obtained by health authorities against the Afrophobes vetting patients. Until next week, Azishe!