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The name “Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe” speaks for itself.

It is a union of about 80 local organisations that thrives on crises. Without a crisis, the organisation can’t exist; it has no basis to. Where and when there is no crisis, our experience of the past 18 or so years is that the coalition actually creates one to justify its existence and in that way, the constant flow of Western funding.

Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe (CCiZ) rose to infamy at the height of the illegal regime change campaign, from 2000 to around 2013. The organisation was drumming up support for the MDC-T; talking crises that it said could only be resolved by an opposition government, not a democratically-elected Zanu-PF Government.

It was part of the retinue of Western-funded, pro-MDCs organisations that sought to remove Zanu-PF from office. Fortunately for all patriots, it didn’t work too well for the crisis league as their illegal regime change effort failed. CCiZ slowed down its activities during the inclusive government days, 2009 to 2013.

It rose again after the 2013 elections but its activities were muted thanks to donor fatigue that had also adversely affected its parent entity, MDC-T at around the same time.

The organisation has discovered a new “crisis” following the July 30 elections that their partner, Mr Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance, lost. Now it is a “crisis of legitimacy,” a characterisation that echoes Mr Chamisa’s. As we reported yesterday, CCiZ and a group of six Western nationals have been working with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to address the latest “crisis.”

They convened a workshop at a private lodge in Harare from December 3 to 7 and came up with a strategy to incite Zimbabweans to revolt against President Mnangagwa and the Zanu-PF Government to force a unity Government with opposition political parties or to set up a “transitional authority.” More than 80 people representing 40 NGOs affiliated to CCiZ attended the workshop.

CCiZ chairperson Mr Rashid Mahiya and a committee member, Mr Pride Mukono, reportedly coordinated the meeting held under the theme: “The Crisis of Legitimacy in Zimbabwe.”

“The agenda of the meeting was to force the Zanu-PF Government into a GNU or a so-called Transitional Authority and they agreed that the only way to achieve that was through rallies, demonstrations and media manipulation,” said the source.

“Their belief is that these activities will result in the generality of Zimbabweans revolting against President Mnangagwa and the Zanu PF Government.”

The CCiZ denies that the meeting had ulterior motives but we aren’t convinced because in the past the organisation has never admitted to be working against the Government and supporting the opposition.

The strategy that the workshop agreed on is well known — rallies, demonstrations and media manipulation. MDCs have used it many times, as have their supporting civil society organisations. It indeed has convinced some, but in large measure the majority of our people have refused to be fooled.

We have no doubt that the latest attempt at destabilising the Government will fail once again.
CCiZ and its opposition colleagues must know that on July 30 Zimbabwe held an election which was declared free, fair and representative of the will of the majority. Zanu-PF won more than two thirds majority in Parliament while its leader, President Mnangagwa won with more than 50 percent of the valid vote. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) declared the results accordingly.

Mr Chamisa welcomed the parliamentary election results, but surprisingly refused to concede defeat in the presidential election claiming the result was rigged. Consistent with the electoral law which says that a presidential candidate who feels that a presidential election was not conducted in terms of the law, he approached the Constitutional Court.

This meant that President Mnangagwa’s inauguration was delayed by 23 days during which the ConCourt heard submissions from Mr Chamisa’s team and President Mnangagwa’s. The former proffered no evidence of vote rigging thus the court on August 24 declared the President duly elected.

Two days later, in terms of the Zec election result confirmed by the court, he was inaugurated.

There is no greater legitimacy than that deriving from the people’s popular vote as expressed on July 30, endorsed by the highest court in the land about a month later. Therefore, as a matter of fact, there is no “crisis of legitimacy” that CCiZ is attempting to forge. In our view, the organisation will not be able to mobilise the people to mount any successful revolt on the basis of a non-existent crisis.

We are cognisant that there could be some protests here and there, which could harm people and property as has happened in previous opposition marches. In view of this, we urge authorities to continue enforcing the law. The people across the country are urged to be vigilant as well and refuse to be used into acting on a crisis that doesn’t exist.