Australia is lifting sanctions against various ZPF officials. Why? Because the constitutional referendum has been announced. Makes you wonder whether they live down under or on another planet altogether. Maybe its the same thing because they seem to have conveniently chosen to ignore the assault on human rights defenders in the run-up to the referendum. They’re a bit of a cheap date if all they need is an “announcement”.

Rather amusing really to see the MDC pushing for a Yes vote in the Referendum through full page adverts in the press. Amusing because, whilst a robust Constitution is a must have, I wonder where the MDC get off saying this draft is worth supporting. For example the new Constitution says that every Zimbabwean is entitled to free basic education. Hmmm … and where is the money for this? The MDC also trumpets that the elderly are entitled to reasonable care and assistance, health care, medical assistance, AND social security and welfare from the state. Hmmm … and where is the money for this? Then of course we have the war veterans who, according to the new constitution are entitled to pension and basic health care. Hmm … and where is the money for this? Gloriously triumphant the MDC excitedly says that the new constitution does not allow for members of the security services to be members of political parties – this is a real HA HA HA moment. Because as we all know the security services take their orders from ZPF and if (a real long shot) the MDC ever occupies real office in Zimbabwe, the security forces would take orders from them. Another part of the MDC’s why you should vote Yes advert says that aliens who were born in Zimbabwe but of parents from the SADC region are now Zimbabweans by birth and they can now vote … hmmm, why only SADC Mr T?

COPAC, ZPF and the MDC should clearly state that whilst the new Constitution promises a lot, the inclusive government is unable to deliver on those promises.

People are being asked to vote Yes for a lot of hot air.

Think about it – politicians will say anything for a vote.

The basic qualification for voting in the Referendum is stated in section 6 of the Referendums Act: “Any person who satisfies the presiding officer of a polling station that he or she is eighteen years or above and is eligible to be registered as a voter on the voter’s roll” is eligible to vote.

It is not necessary to be a registered voter. Eligibility to be registered as a voter is all that is required. Voters’ rolls will not be used in the Referendum.

Documents Needed to Vote in the Referendum
At the polling station a voter must be able to provide proof of eligibility to vote. The new regulations stipulate what documents are needed [Regulations, section 3]. All the voter needs to do is to produce one of the following documents, on which “it is legibly shown that that the person is a citizen of Zimbabwe of or over the age of eighteen [18] years”:

Zimbabwe national identity document [except IDs of non-citizens - see more below] issued in terms of the National Registration Act [metal or plastic]

OR

“Waiting pass” which includes a photograph of the holder. A waiting pass is the document that one gets when applying for a national ID and that serves as proof of registration until the ID itself is received.

OR

A valid Zimbabwean passport.

Source: Veritas

On Friday morning as people were rushing to work I paid a visit to the barbershop. After spending almost a month without getting my hair cut, and also missing the city gossip from my barber man, I made my booking early.

As I was sitting on the bench waiting my turn I could hear whispering coming from two men sitting next to me. So I moved closer so that I could hear their discussion. I remember when I was growing up my mom used to tell me that men should not gossip but here I was eavesdropping and pretending to be reading the newspaper. I was staring at the COPAC draft Constitution summary published in the state-controlled newspaper.  Still trying to position my ears like a satellite receiver, my turn arrived and I grabbed the chair with my ears still attached to the conversation.

“Haa unonyepa haihwine” meaning you lie its not going to win. At first I thought it was a soccer match but later I heard names of political parties being mentioned. Why are these men whispering I asked my barber man?  He replied with a smile and said they are talking politics. They are arguing over the draft constitution, he added. The two gentlemen were in a debate on who will claim victory if the ‘YES” vote prevails in the referendum and does it also mean a certain party can triumph in the coming elections based on the referendum outcome. All I could hear were arguments – not many facts – maybe this was due to self-censorship, or maybe they hadn’t read a copy of the draft constitution.

Since this barbershop is also frequented by Members of Parliament (MPs),  I was told the debate started a week ago when one MP was saying that after the “YES” he predicts a win for his party in the harmonized elections in July. I asked for an opinion from my barber man and all he could say was that it depends on the situation.

Since it was a public place he was self-censoring his opinion.

Critics of regimes where hardships thrive are quickly labelled anti-revolutionary, pro-white capital and every epithet from the lexicon of rabid nationalists who have doubled their resolve to right past economic wrongs but in the process lost sight of their goals.

I recalled this when I watched on TV young fellows walking in celebration of the President’s birthday where the spokesperson of the young patriots parroted the kind of language that has come to define Zanu PF.

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

You have on one hand youth NGOs being harassed by the repressive state apparatus, while many more others such as those who have emerged from academic hallways as student activists being hounded by men in dark glasses.

On the other extreme you have fellow youths adopting the lexicon of hate speech and you have to ask why the circumstances of this demographic can elicit such radically polar interpretations.

Are these young people from the same planet, you wonder.

Surely one’s political beliefs are a democratic right, yet when such differences are extant, you have to view this as a typical case of privilege pitted against deprivation.

And when you look at it like that, you obviously conclude that these people who would be saddled with the same post-independence “born-free” epithet from the usual suspects have different access to state resources when in fact that wealth ought to be universal.

And that is the tragedy of present day Zimbabwe.

Those “eating” from the trough of patronage imagine a perpetuation of the status quo, while the laggards aspiring for a piece of the national cake seek its end.

With elections approaching, it is no wonder then to see young people fighting each other, and the political elites who many agree long lost their relevance find these young mouths to reclaim that relevance.

It is Benjamin Disraeli who wrote in the political novel Sybil back in 1846 that: “The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity.”

You have to ask yourself if this at all holds true here.

With the amount of violence that Zanu PF dishes out, Hannah’s quote below illustrates their fear of losing power. They are no longer in total control, and they know it.

Power and violence are opposites; where one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Violence appears when power is in jeopardy.
- Hannah Arendt