Zanu PF Anti-sanctions campaign: President Zuma and SADC wont be fooled that easily

The Zimbabwe coalition government or is it the Zanu PF subsector of the coalition government, deserves special accolades for exceeding expectations by securing more endorsements to the anti-sanctions campaign than was initially budgeted for. Well done.

Now that the signatures are readily available we shall be excused for believing that it is only a matter of time before the “illegal EU and USA sanctions against our country and more importantly against “our visionary” component of the SADC and AU foistered government are lifted and we live happily ever after. Surely all it requires is to show the architects of the illegal sanctions regimes how many of our patriots are against foreign intervention aimed at regime change and them being self proclaimed champions of democracy, granting the majority’s wishes. Or are we attempting to cross the bridge before we get to it here?

On Monday, 09 May 2011 and through our never failing National   Press flagship the Herald, Retired Zimbabwe National Army Major Anywhere Mutambudzi, (never mind the irony in the meaning of his names) now Director of Urban Communication Services in the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity disclosed that more than 2,2 million people had signed the government’s anti-sanctions petition and in the penultimate exceeding the targeted 2million signatures.

The 2,2 million signatures collected by 30 April 2011 was a matter of statistical record implying that it was statistically validated in every respect and therefore impossible to dispute or dismiss.

Even though the government was targeting 2 million endorsements it had printed 2.8 million papers on which signatures were to be appended of which 2.2 million had already been signed complete with national identification numbers and submitted to the Ministry.

“According to the statistics, Harare signed 340 000 forms, Bulawayo 782 240, Matabeleland South 94 724, Matabeleland North 89 739, Masvingo 216 000, Mashonaland West 231 919, Manicaland 182 950 Mashonaland East 307 651, Mashonaland Central 246 729 and Midlands 230 900.
Rtd Major Mutambudzi said there were 799 848 outstanding forms that were to be collected countrywide.” Herald 10/05/2011

So that the evidence of National support in regional political demographic is easier to see we have rearranged the statistics so that the highest figure is at the top and lowest at the bottom.

Yet to be signed	799848
Bulawayo	782240	782240
Harare	340000	340000
Mashonaland East	307651	307651
Mashonaland West	231919	231919
Mashonaland Central	246729	246729
Midlands	230900	230900
Masvingo	216000	216000
Manicaland	182950	182950
Matabeleland North	89739	89739
Matabeleland South	94724	94724
Total	3522700	2722852

Contrary to Major Mutambudzi’s claims that only 2.8 million forms were printed it turns out that the number printed was 3 522 700 of which 2 722 852 have been returned given that 799 848 forms are yet to be returned according to the government spokesman quoted by the Herald.

A familiar pattern of cooking figures is apparent from these government statistics. After every election disputes arise as a result of alleged manufacturing of results and this is a classical example of how Zanu PF and the ZEC have done it using the Herald to fool the electorate.

The credibility of government claims that it has collected 2.2 million signatures is already in tatters before the petition has been presented wherever it is intended. Further a government that does not know how many forms it printed for such a critical exercise as the a sanctions motion that is likely to fronted by SADC and the AU is unlikely to be able to convince these critical allies about the authenticity of its source documents .

Zanu PF is supposedly the main victim of the so called sanctions yet the statistics seem to point in the direction that there were more supporters to the anti-sanctions campaign from the urbanites than the rural peasants. Could this mean that Zanu PF has suddenly become more popular in urban Zimbabwe than it is in Rural Zimbabwe contrary to its claims to unwavering support in rural Zimbabwe?

Either the Herald got it completely wrong or Major Anywhere Mutambudzi went anywhere with his poor statistical acumen and ended nowhere other than causing troublesome confusion- as implied by his surname- for the government or Zanu PF whoever is clamouring for this campaign.

If the intention was to convince the nation that Zanu PF political fortunes have turned a corner among urbanites then the errors are most unfortunate as they betray the intent. If these were genuine errors they should by now have been rebutted by the government but its silence implies that this was the intended outcome from the propaganda behind the ant-sanctions campaign.

Since there is consensus in government about the need for “sanctions” to be lifted and the current campaign is supposed to be the basis upon which the imposers are convinced that the sanctions have outlived their purpose, why the deliberate distortions of the reality then.

Could it be that the majority Zimbabweans are not concerned about the sanctions and the government has had to manufacture nonexistent support for the campaign or could it be just a form of government sponsored electioneering by Zanu PF. It appears that Zanu PF is struggling with funding its campaign and is exploiting bankrupt state coffers to fund a hopeless anti-sanctions campaign that is not supported at grassroots. Alternatively Zanu PF is preparing a basis for electoral fraud where these flawed statistics will be used as backup for a Zanu PF electoral victory on the grounds that its anti-sanctions strategy was popular with the electorate and thus its electoral victory guaranteed when in reality the converse is true.

With this kind of “visionary leadership” from Zanu PF is it any wonder nobody believes them on anything they lead. Is it any wonder why our economy was left to plunge to the dungeons of doom under Zanu PF monolithic rule? This surely must be the blindest party in the 21^st century. MDC-T in particular must be wary of the dangers of associating with Zanu PF on the issues where parties are ideologically incompatible. Being in a coalition means there are differences in government and those differences must be respected in instances where they are impossible of reconciliation.