Law and Politics

There has been circulating political rumours in Zimbabwe of the intention by ZANU PF to extend the term limit of its leader and current President of the country, ED Mnangagwa beyond year 2030, whilst the Zimbabwe Constitution of 2013, limits the president's terms in office to two, on a five year basis. The ZANU PF party, a liberation movement in Zimbabwe has been in power for the past four decades in Zimbabwe, and recently won August 2023 national elections under the leadership of Emmerson Mnangagwa. Just nearly two years after winning the elections, the party is rumoured to be proposing for the amendment of Zimbabwe Constitution of 2013. This is to allow its current leadership an extension of the two term constitutional limit that is coming to an end in the next three to four years time. On the height of this 2030 atmospheric speculation, President Mnangagwa appeared on social circles making vague and questionable statements, declaring himself to be a constitutionalist who will ab...

A new political norm is on a rapid rise in Southern Africa politics. A ghost of disputing pronounced election-outcomes within the political spectrum. In the 23 August 2023 elections in Zimbabwe, the Citizens Coalition for Change, a major opposition party denounced and disputed election results as rigged stolen vote, a habitual allegation not new in Zimbabwe political circles. Then, uMkhonto WeSizwe political party in South Africa, threatened the Independent Electoral Commission, an electoral  body with legal action in the 2024 elections, claiming the announced election results deflected from the accurate election outcome due to foreseeable irregularities and vote manipulation. The opposition parties in Mozambique claimed that the October 9, 2024 election results were rigged and refused to accept it, leading to violent clashes, and a court challenge. In Namibia, the biggest opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change, after losing elections, proclaimed its intention to cha...

Historically, dating back from the period of struggle for independence, Botswana has never been either an ally or regional friend to Zimbabwe, both on party level and national level. Besides its proximity and sharing a border with Zimbabwe, Botswana contributed nothing during Zimbabwe's struggle for independence. It took an observer position, and even went an extra mile of being a hostile neighbour to appease its British handlers. Zimbabwe won independence through the barrel of a gun. Botswana gained its independence in 1966, but their independence came in an exceptional way. The country was handed over to Sir Seretse Khama who was the leader and founder of Botswana Democratic Party at that time. This automatically disqualifies the BDP from a Liberation Movement levels of ZANU PF, ANC, FRELIMO, SWAPO et al, and reduces it to a mere political organisation.This handing-over process was made possible because Botswana was established as a British Protectorate meaning the country was no...

 In the minds and eyes of the ANC leadership, Government of National Unity is a consequence of the African National Congress' failure to obtain majority votes in the past elections as reflected by Gwede Mantashe's words. However, the GNU maybe a consequence of a plan that reached its apex to finally manifest. This is because of the design of the democratic system. Therefore either with or without ANC in leadership the consequence of the plan was ripe for harvest and GNU was its long-term purpose from the beginning. Some would ask, when we talk about the consequence of a plan, whose plan it is and what are the beneficiaries. Definitely not the ordinary people. The plan is founded by those who determine an acceptable democracy through defining it, and the defining of it, as it stands, is not intended to advance democracy's founding principle of politically empowering the electorate and serve the people, but to protect business interests and those interests currently can only ...

 The idea of multiparty in a democracy is destructive in Africa, to say the least. It contradicts the purpose of democracy. Multiparty is generally conceived as a situation whereby political parties can be formed, contest elections and compete for power without restrictions, restraints nor constraints. On the other hand, Historians claim that democracy in its Greek defining foundations is derived from the word demokratia meaning 'rule by the people'. The statement 'rule by the people' though vague, and open to different interpretations, objectively looking, it is indispensable to conclude that the statement stands for a unified people with one purpose, and democracy is the vehicle towards achieving that common purpose in a society composed of multi-ethnicities, tribal belonging  and political leanings. The concept of multiparty in its political formation works against the primary objective of democracy, of giving political power to the people to decide who should rule o...

The Kazan summit in Russia, with participation of 32 countries, 9 member States and 34 countries having officially applied for membership, the BRICS has outgrown its expectation with potential to expand. This an organisation formed as an alternative to the so-called hegemonic rules-based Western aligned system. The significance of Kazan Summit is in the number of participants and States willing to be members of the organisation. Definitely it tells story. Most countries have lost trust with American-led Unipolar-Rules-Based global system and are looking for a better alternative. Russia, China, Brazil, India and South are now providing the alternative through an equitable system of BRICS+ in a peacefully unified Multipolar System functioning under the umbrella of International Law, within the United Nations formula. An end to the policy of Unilateralism, normal exhibited in the colonial behaviour of Western countries Britain, Germany, France, United States et al, in dealing with Interst...