The United States on Thursday night drew up a list of what some think are very stringent demands before they can begin a re-engagement process with Zimbabwe.
Reaction has been mixed, with some welcoming it, while others have been dismissive, saying Zimbabwe is a sovereign country and the US should not be dictating terms to us.
However, a cursory glance at the demands shows that there is nothing over the top from the US and if President Emmerson Mnangagwa is true to his dictum that Zimbabwe has nothing to hide, then implementing these would not be difficult.
We have argued our voices hoarse in the past few years that there is no reason why military officials should be working at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and if Zimbabwe is to take its seat among democratic countries, then the army has no reason running elections.
There is no justification whatsoever, as elections are a civilian process, but for some reason, Zanu PF thinks there is nothing untoward about this.
In that same regard, the military is heavily involved in politics in this country and this is the exact antithesis of democracy.
The military should not be seen campaigning for any candidate or being involved in politics — something that is in black and white in our Constitution, but is regularly flouted.
Democracy activists have also for years been demanding equal access to State media, but this has fallen on deaf ears.
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ZBC belongs to everyone, as it is a public asset, but Zanu PF has monopolised it and shut out opposition political parties.
Mnangagwa has promised free and fair elections this year, but has paid lip service to freeing ZBC and allowing every political party access to it.
There is no way there can be free elections without equal access to State media and in this regard, the President ought to put his money where his mouth is
Zimbabweans need to know the truth as to what happened to activists Itai Dzamara and Patrick Nabanyama, while the government still has not proffered an apology or a meaningful truth, peace and reconciliation commission for what happened during the Gukurahundi, but on these fronts the government has been mum.
Mnangagwa has so far had a warm welcome on the global stage, but the American demands have brought him down to earth with a thud, as instead of mollycoddling him, the US have been blunt and shown him what is needed for a country to be regarded as truly democratic.
If Mnangagwa is serious about engaging the world, running free and fair elections and Zimbabwe being open for business, then there is no harm in implementing what has been asked of him by the US.
