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Culture shock grips Zimbabwe
Itai Zimunya
April 08, 2008

Today Tuesday 8 April 2008-as Zimbabweans eagerly await an order from the high court for ZEC to announce the result of the presidential election, the key question vexing the people of Zimbabwe is why Mugabe is refusing, not failing, to announce these electoral results nine days afterwards.

According to the summation of data posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) outside constituency electoral centers across the plains and cities of Zimbabwe, it has been gathered that Mugabe lost to Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In trying to find the reasons for this delay, several theories have been postulated. Pedestrian thinkers state that Mugabe is buying time so that he calls for a recount during which process he rigs and narrows the estimated 200 000 vote-gap between him and Morgan Tsvangirai. Another school of thought argues that Mugabe knows and has acknowledged defeat but because he is not used to defeat over the last 27 years as the head of state, the shock of this defeat has taken him off-guard and he needs time to find his terms first before he moves, a move to, by any means necessary, win the run off. Hence the lid on the presidential results.

The two theories have merit in our view. The ballot-stuffing-window-theory is made true by a Zanu PF functionary and former Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Patrick Chinamasa. Chinamasa alleges that the vote was rigged and Zanu PF wants a recount. Matching this plan to the story of the state security details breaking into the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) offices in Masvingo province- without any guarding or restraint- Zanu PF thugs with ballot boxes in the dark house. Only one option is real. There is nothing that can stop ballot stuffing and U-turn announcement by ZEC that MDC candidates they had earlier declared as Members of Parliament actually lost to Zanu PF, basing on the new ballot papers marked between the 5th -8th of April 2008.

New winners will be declared, especially giving Zanu PF the majority in the lower house. This mid-day rigging is a clear coup on the masses. It is a subversion of the people's will and it will be a shame to see any regional government that engages this emerging backdoor Zanu PF government.

Without dismissing the possibility and impact of the above rigging theory, it is the deliberate focus in this piece to look at the aspect of culture shock in this election. Is the delay to announce the electoral result more of a culture shock on the part of Mugabe- or it is a deliberate plot to manage his victorious re-run?

Wikipedia.com says Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with strong disgust (moral or aesthetical) about certain aspects of the new or different culture.

The 29 March 2008 election delivered a culture shock to the people of Zimbabwe such that, days after that election, both the ruling Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) coalition and the opposition Zanu PF went into some psychological zone of disbelief. Whilst it was the message of the ruling MDC that, "Mugabe must go" and that "Now is the time", the probability of transforming this rhetoric into the real victory was beyond many people's comprehension. Not because of the MDC's weakness- but because of Zanu PF's chicanery. The victory news was the surprise of the decade to Zimbabwe.

On the other hand, defeat to Zanu PF "does not happen" in real life. To them, the electoral defeat on March 29 is like a dream. Robert Mugabe and his henchmen including Shuvai Mahofa, Kumbirai Kangai among others only knew a life of governing and privilege. Robert Mugabe had and has no other life save around 1 Chancellor Avenue in Harare. He had no other title other than Your Excellency in the last 27 years. At the age of 84 years, and having spent 27 years in power, absolute power- some content that it is not easy to hear results of a defeat and just pack and go.

To the generality of Zimbabweans- it would not occur in their sober thought that Mugabe would go. This fighting he is doing and deliberately refusing to announce the results of his loss- is the common Mugabe that Zimbabweans know. Former Minister Patrick Chinamasa was well known for his hoarse voiced-vulgar language on television dismissing every call for state accountability as a "demand by the imperialists"- pronounced -"impiriarists" to reverse the gains of our independence.

Mugabe and his henchmen are disoriented and need the healing of time to get back to their senses. On the other hand Zimbabwe the people are so stressed such that the time that Mugabe is taking to sooth himself is unleashing further suffering the innocent masses of Zimbabwe can not contain. If this anger continues to rise beyond which individuals can contain it- natural law prescribes that there will be a burst of anger in Zimbabwe. It could be spasmodic and that is the last thing that SADC wants.

It is clear that the people of Zimbabwe went into the March 29 election against all odds. The state media, whose daily print and electronic media are state monopolies whom the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) note that, excluding adverts flight by the opposition, had stories skewed the upper of 80% for Mugabe and his party.

It is at the core of this piece to assert why the international communities, especially the SADC and the AU need to start sending their emissaries to Zimbabwe.

One group consisting mainly of the minority Zanu PF and its affiliates are filled with fear of the unknown. They fear operating in a life where they have to buy fuel on the open market, where they have to pay for their farm machinery and consumables.

On the other hand is the dominant coalition who because of joy and happiness of surmounting the dictatorship, do not know the next step. Addressing the media at the Quill Club in Harare on the 3rd of April 2008, Jonathan Moyo, an eminent political scholar and politician in Zimbabwe noted that perhaps the government has no notes on how a head of state is changed since our one Mugabe has been there since time-independence. The government/cabinet files have no procedure of changing a president and this is what the region may help with.

It is clear in the eyes of everyone that the people of Zimbabwe spoke. They want change. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF were voted out. However, as captured above, we note very disturbing maneuvers by Zanu PF to stage a coup on the mass voice. The meaning of this coup, even though the people may not defend their votes, is multi-thronged. Significant is the entrenchment of people's hatred of Zanu PF and the calls for justice and zero amnesty on all cases of political and socio-economic malpractice since independence in 1980.

Zanu PF is breeding genocide whilst the region watches. President Thabo Mbeki's call for the world to wait for Zanu PF to announce the results is naïve too. What will Mbeki say- given that the officers in the President's office have begun to raid ballot boxes and "analyzing them?". Whilst it is common sense that results are announced first and contested later, Zanu PF is contesting un-announced results. Whilst it is the duty of the ZEC to announce the results, it is taking citizens to go to court to "force" ZEC to announce the results- which both the courts and ZEC seem not to want. And Mbeki says wait?

Two things are certain on the basis of the vote of March 29 2008. Either Mugabe is going or there will be a failed transition leading to an illegitimate military junta in Zimbabwe. I am not persuaded that the later is what the region wants. For all intends, all caring people should rescue Zimbabwe from the cliff it is hanging. Falling into a deeper crisis could be averted by sobering Mugabe from this shock defeat. The ruling MDC also needs to be sobered in zeal- to focus on the bigger national question and not minor entities.

In conclusion- we need to assert that the people's duty was to go and vote. People voted, and since the theory of governance suggests that the will of the people shall prevail. The basic expectation in Zimbabwe is that the will of the people be sovereign. Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai or any other person may not declare their interests as supreme to those of the country. On this note, Mugabe must be told to go where the people of Zimbabwe sent him. Whilst many had softened and silently agreed to his amnesty- his continued power play whilst people suffer of hunger and poverty, without HIV/AIDS remedy and food, he will just be injecting a dose for his unconditional removal by the masses of Zimbabwe.

*Itai Masotsha Zimunya is a socio-economic researcher in Zimbabwe. Email: itaizim@yahoo.com

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