by Gift Mashoko
From the deliberations at the Constitutional Court, yesterday, it seems MDC Alliance’s chances of winning their electoral challenge are very slim, considering that they failed to provide their so-called explosive evidence to buttress their rigging claims.
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa once hinted that if the court verdict does not go their way they would take to the streets unleashing violence to protect their purported vote. After a miserable showing of the MDC Alliance court arguments, it is obvious that they are going to lose this court case. So is Chamisa going to his Plan B (violence) which in fact was his sole plan as evidenced by his electoral campaign message?
It is not surprising that Chamisa would be calling for violence as the MDC Alliance’s DNA is engraved with violent traits. Recently, they caused the death of six innocent civilians after they took to the streets demonstrating against a purported Nelson Chamisa win even before the presidential results had been announced.
After losing the election to President Mnangagwa, Chamisa challenged the outcome at the Constitutional Court arguing that he had won the Presidential election in the July 30 harmonised election. In Chamisa’s petition to the outcome, he claimed that he had won the Presidential election by 60%. It would then be logical that Chamisa would prove in court, how this win was achieved. After the poll hearing, it became evident that Chamisa’s challenge was only a ploy to delay the inevitable, Mnangagwa’s inauguration and engage in their sole strategy; violence.
MDC Alliance had in July said that they did not have confidence in Zimbabwe’s judicial system, but they went on to file their petition/ challenge in the Constitutional Court which is the same judicial system they said they did not have faith in. Chamisa had said that they would not waste their time by taking their grievances to courts, as he alleged that such a move was unnecessary since the Judiciary was compromised. After being advised to approach the courts by President Mnangagwa, Chamisa said he was not going to court as he was not dull. He said that he would rather go to the people, who he referred to as the court of public opinion as he would call for the people to decide. It was huge surprise to witness, Chamisa taking his case to the court, but this was just a smokescreen to hoodwink their sponsors who were urging them to approach the courts, though Chamisa already had his sole plan, violence.
Everyone would recall how Chamisa insisted that they would do what they used to do at university and that this time they would do it 10 times more. Violence. He might not go to the streets to demonstrate and burn tyres, but he will incite his supporters to go to the streets
Apparently the sentiment is also shared by other MDC Alliance officials as Welshman Ncube recently said in the event that the courts throw out the case, the opposition would explore other options, which he did not disclose. Nelson Chamisa in his recent press statement where he was asked by journalists if he would accept the constitutional court’s ruling even if it was not in his favour. To this Chamisa said he would first assess the process and then make an appropriate pronouncement.
One would then ask why they took the case to the courts in the first place if they are saying they will not accept the Court verdict. It would mean they are claiming to be bigger than the law and putting the law into their own hands. What exactly did he mean? What is evident is; approaching the judicial system they spoke negatively of was just a smokescreen of their real strategy to unleash violence.
MDC Alliance should just learn to accept that they lost the Presidential election and move on, maybe that way they might go or give up with a little bit of respect. Their violent traits say a lot about them, they do not deserve to lead a nation. Zimbabwe has been peaceful ever since the new dispensation got into office and MDC Alliance has since disturbed the peace with their violent behaviour.
