Poor, poor Africa each time we take one step forward it is, more often than not, followed by two or three steps backwards. It is little wonder therefore that Africa, save for the golden age of the Pharaohs of Egypt and South Africa’s all too brief moments in the sun Nelson Mandela years, has remained the most backward continent in the world.
Yes the rest of the world have taken it in turns to exploit and oppress the Africans, first the Arabs in their Dhow, followed by the European slave traders, no sooner was slave trade abolished the Europeans were back in the scrabble for Africa and, before the dust had settled marking the end of white colonial rule, we have new colonial masters in all but name - the Chinese!
Africa is not the only continent that has been colonised, true; but it is the only continent to suffer wholesale colonial rule and, worst of all, to be milked without mercy.
“The white colonialist used divide and rule tactics!” some African apologists have argued. What they will never admit to is it is easy to divide what is already divided and fragmented!
Throughout human history nations and empires have thrived and prospered when the individuals within were united over a common value be it rule of law, religion, share destiny, etc. and everyone felt valued.
It is near impossible to unite people who do not trust each other one bit! In Africa our relationship with each other has been underwritten by the desire to dominate the other or they will dominate you!
We should have learned from the history of others and our own past mistakes by now but we have not. To learn from the past one must be willing to look in the past, look in the mirror, and be brutal honest with what is there. We are not!
Nigerian Journalist, Caleb Okereke, did not take kindly to people comparing President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that the 3rd November US elections were rigged but without producing any evidence to Robert Mugabe’s ranting Zimbabwe elections were free and fair ignoring the mountain of evidence of the blatant cheating and wanton violence.
“Such comparisons may appear harmless on the surface, but they have problematic real world consequences,” argued Okereke in the article “Why it is wrong to draw parallels between Trump and Mugabe” in Al Jazeera and Bulawayo24.
“This is problematic for multiple reasons. First of all, it is an argument built on the false assumption that American democracy is not vulnerable to authoritarian interventions and power grabs like “lesser” democracies elsewhere in the world, and especially in Africa. It is an argument born out of America’s belief in its own moral superiority and its political class’s inherent racial biases.”
The Greeks, the nation that gave the world democracy as a system of government, were painfully aware that for democracy to work the people must be educated and hence the reason they laid so much emphasis on freedom of expression and individual freedoms. There it is 2 500 years ago and already the appreciated free of expression.
The education of the people is an on going process that never stops and hence the reason all healthy and functioning democracy value freedom of expression and a free and independent media.
It is therefore foolish for anyone, anyone at all, to assume American or any other democracy out there “is not vulnerable to authoritarian interventions and power grabs”. There is nothing to guarantee the people will always be well informed and will never ever elect a tyrant. Nothing. Caleb Okereke not only makes the foolish assumption but is trying to foster it on others.
Zimbabwe’s democracy, if one dare to call the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship that, is weak and feeble; poison and food compared to America’s democracy. I am a black Zimbabwean and I am proud to say this but say it because it is the truth.
I just don’t get, what exactly is Okereke is wittering about! As far as I am concerned, Mugabe and Trump are two human beings who love of power knew no bounds. The former was able to stay in power for 37 years because the country’s democratic institutions are weak the latter lasted 4 years and the people booted him out of office. Why should comparing the two individuals be such a racially charged matter?
Okereke, who is racially superior than the other here; Robert Mugabe or Donald Trump? And superior in what way?
In my view, Caleb Okereke has looked in the mirror and seen the full portrait of Robert Gabriel Mugabe, a corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrant. Mugabe is just one representative sample of many other African despots.
People comparing Mugabe to Trump have reminded Caleb of Mugabe. But instead of confront and confounding Africa’s curse of despotic tyrant Okereke is seeking to silence all those critical of Africa’s failed leaders by playing the race card.
“On the surface, these may seem like harmless comparisons between political leaders with similar dictatorial tendencies,” continue Okereke.
“But why do so many choose to draw parallels between Donald Trump and African leaders when the recent history of the West itself is full of political leaders who have been as autocratic, as power hungry, and as willing to undermine democratic procedures as their African counterparts? Was it not Western colonialism that paved the way for many of Africa’s democratic failures in the first place, anyway?”
And are Africans so corrupt, incompetent and inept they cannot not pave their own way out of the mess?
It is a crying shame many Zimbabweans now look at the white colonial days with nostalgia as the golden years compared to the hell-on-earth Mugabe years!
The number one reason the country is in this mess is because for decades many Zimbabweans would not accept Mugabe was a corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrant. By the time the penny finally dropped, Mugabe and the dictatorship was well established and it has not been easy to dismantle it.
Of course, there are many Zimbabweans who still refuse to condemn tyrants like Mugabe. Like Caleb Okereke, they see it as their patriotic duty as an Africa to defend a follow African, even a proven corrupt and murderous tyrant! Worse still, they expect the rest of Africa to unite in support of such nonsense!
Mugabe was a corrupt, vote rigging and murderous tyrant; that is a historic fact. Why anyone should waste time defending the foolish notion that it was not his fault or that he is not as bad as Trump, beggars belief. Instead of addressing the problem of bad governance that has held us back as a people, we waste time fighting a contrived race war instead!
One thing we can say for sure is the ranting of Trump is nothing compared to the ranting of Mugabe claiming rigged elections were free, fair and credible. What is Okereke objecting to here? That one tyrant was racially superior than the other in the quality or substance of the ranting or what? This is just racial correctness gone mad!
ReplyDeleteThe number of poor people in the country increased to 8.9 million in 2019 - more than half of its estimated population - from 8 million in 2017 while those living in extreme poverty increased to 6 million from 4.5 million according to the latest Poverty report by Zimstat and the World Bank.
ReplyDeleteThe report updates the Poverty, Income, Consumption and Expenditure Survey (PICES) conducted in 2017, which had to be revised due to the rapid economic changes that occurred in the Zimbabwean economy from 2017 to 2019. It shows that shows that extreme poverty rose to 38% in 2019 (April-May) and general poverty as measured by the lower bound poverty line rose to 51% from 43% during the same period.
Extreme poverty is defined by the World Bank as leaving on less than US$1.90 per day and the lower bound poverty line (moderate poverty) as living on US$3.20 per day. Lower-middle-income countries like Zimbabwe use the lower-bound poverty line for policy information and planning.
Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has been an open and public affair, we have all seen the mismanagement and corrupt get progressive worse and worse in the last 40 years. We have all done nothing about it all these years and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
The corona virus outbreak happened at the time when out economy was in total meltdown following decades of misrule, the outbreak have turned a tragic situation into a catastrophe. Having a corrupt, incompetent government at the beginning of the outbreak has been a nightmare but retaining throughout the outbreak and beyond is suicidal!
When it comes to power, Trump and Mugabe were two peas out of the same pod. Mugabe had a corrupted/captured parliament, judiciary, Police and even opposition to help him retain a firm hand on power; Trump was not so lucky!
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion that it is racist to compare the two leaders is a nonsense. There are some people who just do not like to see Mugabe criticised and will use all manner of excuses to defend him. They don't deny he was a corrupt and murderous tyrant only that he was black and therefore their man.
What is disappointing with some of these Mugabe blind loyalists is their indifference to the sorry state he left the country in. Millions of Zimbabweans now live in abject poverty and over 30 000 were murdered in cold blood by the tyrant and people like Okereke do not give a damn about all that! There is Africa for you!
"On the 11th of September, 1999 our forbearers heeded the national call and founded this great Movement. Its leadership was drawn from the Labour, Constitution and Student Movements and its mandate was to deliver Zimbabwe from the political, social and economic morass and quagmire that it had been consigned following long periods of national irresponsibility. The long cherished ideals of the liberation struggle, for which thousands of our gallant brothers and sisters paid the ultimate price had long been forgotten. In place thereof totalitarianism, tyranny, pestilent corruption, inequality, deprivation, paternalism, clientism, regionalism, tribalism and sexism had taken root in our national body politic."
ReplyDeleteAfter 21 years, 5 of which MDC was in the GNU, you have failed to accomplish even one thing. Not a sausage! All you care about is power, you are not any different from the Zanu PF thugs you seek to replace.
Biti referred to an "economic malaise" borne of incompetence on the part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to run the economy.
ReplyDelete"The Zimbabwean economy is in an unprecedented tailspin and is suffering from massive headwinds across all sectors, whereby in 2019 the economy shrunk by a staggering 12,5%. What it essentially means is that we are back to depression economics," Biti said. "This is in sharp contrast to what the government claims when they say that the economy is on the mend, that it will soon reap benefits for the people, which will subsequently lead to a middle-income economy by 2030."
He also rubbished allegations that sanctions were affecting the economy, adding that the ruling party was just using them as a scapegoat for Ncube and Mnangagwa's failures.
"The factors are primarily man made; the factors are primarily as a result of incompetence and cluelessness by the government. We are returning to depression economics, because the Zimbabwean economy is very cyclical, it loves these booms and slumps, booms and slumps," he said.
The nation has known since the late 1980s that Zanu PF was corrupt and incompetent. The nation made a concerted effort to remove the party from office but failed because Zanu PF rigged the elections. By the late 1990 the nation had reached a political consensus; if the nation was ever to going to reform Zanu PF from office, the nation will need to implement some democratic changes designed to stop the party rigging elections.
MDC was formed in September 1999 riding on the wave of popular cry for democratic change from which the party deprived its name. The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC into office on the understanding the party will bring about the democratic changes the nation was dying for.
Sadly, after 20 years on the political stage, 5 in the GNU, MDC has failed to get even one meaningful reform implemented.
It is really infuriating that Tendai Biti and his MDC colleague loves reminding us all just how much we are suffering because Zanu PF leaders are incompetent, something we have known since the late 1980s. Zanu PF is still in power only because Biti and company have failed to implement even one reform to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.
What the people of Zimbabwe have been slow to realise is that Biti and his MDC friends will never implement the reforms, they are really not up to the task. If the nation is serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship and with it the economic meltdown, then we must find the men and women who are competent and focused who will implement the reforms.
What Biti and company are fishing for is another GNU with Zanu PF so they can once again be ministers and have the ministerial limos, generous salaries, etc., etc. MDC leaders’ ambition is to keep Zanu PF in power and remain as the regime’s acolytes, feeding on the scraps Zanu PF gives away.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation has reported that Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Kazembe Kazembe are in a closed meeting at the offices of the Musina Local Municipality in Limpopo to discuss immigration matters.
ReplyDeleteAccording to SABC, Motsoaledi and Kazembe will later visit the Beitbridge border post. The meeting comes as undocumented foreign nationals continue to enter South Africa from Zimbabwe through the porous border.
The paper further on said that the army and the police have started a campaign to push undocumented foreign nationals back to Zimbabwe.
The root cause of this immigration problem is Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown. 40 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption have left Zimbabwe’s economy in ruins. The people have become increasingly restless as they demand an end to their economic suffering. Fearful of losing its iron grip on power Zanu PF has reacted to the people’s restlessness by increased political repression.
The millions of Zimbabweans in SA and beyond are economic and political refugees.
The people of Zimbabwe themselves know the solution to the country’s economic and political crisis is to implement the democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections and end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, the sold-out and failed to implement even one reform.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections and instead of SADC leaders standing up to the regime and demand free and fair elections; they turned a blind eye. “The elections went well!” said President Cyril Ramaphosa. What a foolish thing to say!
There are many people who are fighting to end the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe by making sure the country implements the reforms tonsure free and fair elections. It is in Zimbabwe’s interest and that of SA and all in the region that Zimbabwe’s economy is revived and the country returns to political stability. All people are asking for is for SA and SADC leaders in general to be honest and stop endorsing rigged elections. Surely that is not too much to ask!
Mthuli Ncube piles more misery on Zimbabweans
ReplyDeleteWell that is all he has ever done since the economic meltdown has got worse not better ever since his appointment as Minister of Finance!
The country recorded 110 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours with 106 being local and the remainder returnees from Botswana and no deaths were recorded in the same period.
ReplyDeleteOf the new cases, Bulawayo was leading after recording 53 followed by Matabeleland South on 28 and Midlands recorded 15.
As at 25 November 2020, Zimbabwe had 9 506 confirmed cases, including 8 336 recoveries and 274 deaths.
Bulawayo has in the past five days recorded seven deaths which constitutes 77 percent of the total deaths reported in Zimbabwe during the same time.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed the Girls College incident saying contact tracing is currently ongoing.
He bemoaned the increase of Covid-19 in the province saying it’s a worrying trend.
“We are recording a steady rise in number of Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province of late. This is obviously a worrying trend, but we believe it’s also testament to our strong surveillance system in the province. It means we are suspecting and testing the right segment of the population. It’s testament to good contact tracing,” he said.
“This unfortunately also reveals that Covid-19 continues to spread in the community. Bulawayo is expecting a sharp rise in number of returning residents from Botswana and South Africa, Injiva. As such, we are working on some measures to put in place to ensure safety of communities and to minimise spread of the virus over the holiday season.”
For a country that has failed to carry out 1 000 test per day even in the face of soaring corona virus cases it is therefore irresponsible, to say the least, for Dr Mlilo to be making such outrageous claims. “Testament to our strong surveillance system!” when the country has one of the lowest covid-19 tests per capita in the world!
The truth is Zimbabwe has carried out so few tests it really has never had a full picture of how many people out there had the virus. We have been blundering along and hoping for the best. Just as well, corona virus is not as deadly as Ebola!
Okereke is just showing the same blind loyalty to Mugabe that the hard core white supremacists have been showing to Trump! Okereke does not care that Mugabe has brought untold suffering and deaths to his own people just as the white supremacists do not care about the injustices white have brought on blacks. It is only when one talks about the suffering and deaths that Sani Abacha brought to Nigeria that someone like Okereke will sit up and listen.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is stupid that one should only understand another's pain when the shoe is the other foot; that is what human empathy is all about!
Yes! Okereke is dead against Trump being compared to Mugabe because the latter is a more superior being! To Caleb Okereke and many, many black Africans, Mugabe is a super hero because he dared to give the west the middle finger! It does not matter that he never did any western nations any harm, it was all shadow boxing; to his adoring fans it was a knock out punch every time! As for the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans whose lives Mugabe made hell-on-earth, they are collateral damage best forgot.
ReplyDeleteMention Sani Abacha and Caleb Okereke, like so many of his fellow Nigerians, would probably be not be so dismissive of the suffering and deaths dictator have could brought on their people. It is of course, this duplicity, that makes people like Okereke such hypocrites! This foolish duplicity is as common in Africa as weed!
The AU and SADC leaders have all joined the Zanu PF bandwagon blaming the sanctions for all Zimbabwe’s problems and in calling for the sanctions to be lifted. Even after Mugabe himself admitted Zimbabwe was being swindled of US$15 billion in diamonds alone, the AU and SADC leaders still insisted in blaming the sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown. And yet President Ramaphosa and his ANC government booted out Jacob Zuma out of office for being corrupt. The continental and regional leaders have gone to endorse Zanu PF’s rigged July 2018 elections!
The sheer hypocrisy and dumb stupidity of some of our fellow Africans is what is holding the continent back!
The development was revealed by Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavhima Friday that results received so far indicated that 20 learners had tested positive for the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteHe said:
Out of the 53 Covid-19 tests initially conducted at the school, 14 positive results were received with 10 girls and 3 boy.
The cases have since risen to 20 with 14 girls and 6 boys. The school has a total enrolment of 394.
Mavhima said immediate action taken by the school includes separation of affected students from the rest, disinfection of all halls of residence in the school, isolation of all positive and symptomatic cases as well as quarantining of negative cases.
Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga indicated that Harare-based Prince Edward High School also recorded positive cases.
In other words, there were not enough test kits to test all the 394 students much less the teachers and parents! This is no surprise given the country was failed to do 1 000 test a day country wide let alone in one province. We are just blundering along with no clue what the virus is doing much less what to do about it. The nation is just thankful that corona virus is not as deadly as Ebola.
Zimbabwe is in a mess, for the last 40 years we have watched the country sink into this hell-on-earth and did not do anything about it. The chickens have come home to roost. If we do not stand up and do something to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance, the root cause of all the country’s problems, then we will continue to suffer and many will die!
Government will prioritise rejoining the Commonwealth as a launch-pad to unlock international goodwill and sustain re-engagement milestones already realised through resumption of political dialogue with international blocs such as the European Union.
ReplyDeleteIt is envisaged that rejoining the Commonwealth will fast track the resolution and ratification of outstanding Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, as well as launch bids to host internationally accredited global events and conferences.
This is contained in the National Development Strategy 1 launched by President Mnangagwa last week, which is a five year economic blueprint set to replace the Transitional Stabilisation Programme that will end this year.
This is just wishful thinking. Mnangagwa was told in no uncertain terms that he must hold free, fair and credible elections if Zimbabwe was to re-join the Commonwealth. He blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and is now trying to sneak in by the backdoor. How naive!
Zanu PF has largely managed to get away with the rigged 2018 elections because the MDC A sold-out and participated giving the regime some modicum of legitimacy. Both Zanu PF and MDC A are hoping to repeat the same dirty trick in 2023 only this time they will not get away with it. No stone will be left unturned in making sure the whole world knows MDC A are sell-outs who are participating in flawed and illegal elections for the sake of a few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait.
A totally discredited MDC A will not give Zanu PF the modicum of legitimacy the regime needs. Not even the usual see-nothing, hear-nothing and as dumb as a stone SADC leaders will not dare rubber stamp another rigged Zimbabwe elections.
Zanu PF’s reign of terror is drawing to a close. Change is coming! The writing is on the wall; Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are just putting on a brave face by pretending they cannot read!
@Newsday
ReplyDelete“PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa must listen to what the people are saying. We have had election disputes in Zimbabwe since time immemorial. They became more pronounced in 2000 when the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai came onto the scene.
It is now in the public domain that whenever the ruling Zanu-PF party is cornered, it sings Western-imposed sanctions chorus.”
The root cause of Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis is the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF cannot admit that and so has come up with a scapegoat - sanctions. It is a great pity that there are still some people naive enough to be so easily hoodwinked even in the face of all the evidence billions of dollars wasted building such sprawling mansions as the Blue Roof - Zimbabwe's Parthenon to the demigods corruption and greed.
Zimbabwe had its golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. Sadly, the opportunity was wasted; MDC leaders sold-out and failed to implement even one reform. MDC leaders have since been running with the Povo whilst hunting with the Zanu PF thugs.
If we are serious about end the Zanu PF dictatorship then we must also be serious about recognising MDC leaders for the sell-outs they are. MDC will never implement the democratic reforms and deliver free, fair and credible elections, that is a fact!
ZIMBABWE’s hospitality giant, Impala Car Rental, which has a big footprint in the tourism sector, and is implicated in the abduction and torture of severely traumatised journalism student Tawanda Muchehiwa (pictured), is owned by the state security service, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), The NewsHawks can reveal.
ReplyDeleteAn investigation over two months into Impala’s affairs and Muchehiwa’s abduction in Bulawayo on 30 July shows the car hire belongs to the CIO. The kidnapping occurred a day before the 31 July protests, preceded by a sweeping crackdown on civic and political activists, including journalists, by state security agents.
Documents obtained during the investigation show that Impala – registered as Impala Carriers (Pvt) Ltd – is now owned by Chilten Trust, a CIO entity, represented by company chief executive Thompson Dondo in the car hire firm’s registration documents. Impala’s registration number is 2519/1989.
Although Impala registration documents have been removed from the company registry in Harare, The NewsHawks managed to meticulously piece together the record
Thanks to the decades of the wholesale looting such as the diamond mining concessions granted to Army, Police, CIO and a few select individuals a number of individuals in Zimbabwe are filthy rich and their now have a very large footprint in every sector of the country’s economy. The recent awarding of all the six TV licences to well connected Zanu PF loyalists says it all.
Whilst there is serious in fighting amongst themselves and in the various Zanu PF factions all these men and women know that whatever happens power must remain in Zanu PF hands.
When Joice Mujuru and her faction was booted out of the party in 2014; only she and a few of the top leaders were booted out, the rest of the low ranking supporters switched their loyalty and remained in the party. The same thing happened again after the November 2017 military coup that toppled Mugabe and the G40 faction.
Zanu PF is going to resist all efforts to end the Zanu PF dictatorship by all means fair or foul and it is geared to do so. It is not impossible to get the democratic reforms implemented, it can be done, but it will require focus and determination - something one would not get from Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends, given their track record.
Gutu Rural District Council led by its chairman, Nicholas Zambara has flatly refused Nelson Chamisa the MDC A president the chance to build a boarding school and a hospital in his home area in Ward 23 in Chiwara.
ReplyDeleteGutu South has 10 secondary schools and one boarding (Mukaro High) and the majority of children in the constituency walk 17km to school every day. They leave home at 4 in the morning and get back at 8pm. The only other boarding in the constituency is Sandon Academy, an expensive private school owned by Zanu-PF national secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke.
Gutu South which is one of the most populous constituencies in the country has no referral hospital and villagers hike 70km to Masvingo and the situation is exacerbated by the absence of ambulances.
Debate almost degenerated into a fistfight during a full council meeting on Thursday when Zambara claimed that villagers in Chiwara had rejected the idea of the school and hospital
This is a very common story in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF is so insecure that the party feels threatened for anyone else to do anything to benefit the community.
It is a great pity that Chamisa and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms which would have ended the Zanu Pf dictatorship and in 5 years they failed to implement even one reform. And now Chamisa and company have all but given up the fight to implement the reforms and deliver free and fair elections for all Zimbabwe. They have been participating in flawed elections for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away plus the share of the Political Party Finance (Act) payout. As party leader Chamisa gets 20% of the pay out and last time that came to $680 000.00!
No doubt project like the school and hospital will help to make MDC leaders remain relevant. However the nation has to realise that with no reforms the country is never going to escape from the iron rule of Zanu PF. By participating in flawed and rigged elections MDC A are now helping Zanu PF remain in office.
The MDC Alliance has accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration of being insensitive to the health of teachers and pupils.
ReplyDeleteShocking details of how teachers and pupils are using below standard sanitizers in schools have emerged.
“Dishwashers and Multipurpose Cleaners are being used as sanitizers in schools around the country.
Are teachers really safe?
Many schools, especially in the rural areas, do not have clean running water and so the pupils and teachers cannot do the common hygiene act of washing one's hands regularly. We are just lucky that corona virus is not as deadly as Ebola otherwise the country would be in a lot worse serious trouble than we are now!
BENEFICIARIES of Pfumvudza and drought relief programmes should not be coerced into covering transport costs as it is Government’s responsibility to deliver grain and inputs to them, Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza, has said.
ReplyDeleteHe said those being asked to make such payments must report the cases to the police.
Corruption is rampant in Zimbabwe, officials will be find ways of making a quick buck for themselves and the looting is going all the way to the top. Mnangagwa has failed to account for US$3.5 command agriculture funds in the past because no one keeps any records - if you are going to steal it is much easier to do so when you know whatever you say goes!
Gutu Rural District Council led by its chairman, Nicholas Zambara has flatly refused Nelson Chamisa the MDC A president the chance to build a boarding school and a hospital in his home area in Ward 23 in Chiwara.
ReplyDeleteGutu South has 10 secondary schools and one boarding (Mukaro High) and the majority of children in the constituency walk 17km to school every day. They leave home at 4 in the morning and get back at 8pm. The only other boarding in the constituency is Sandon Academy, an expensive private school owned by Zanu PF national secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke.
Gutu South which is one of the most populous constituencies in the country has no referral hospital and villagers hike 70km to Masvingo and the situation is exacerbated by the absence of ambulances.
The MP for Chiredzi South revealed in January 2019 that best performing school in the Grade 7, Form 2, O level and A level in the constituency had 3% pass rate with the majority registering 0%. No doubt many rural constituencies in Zimbabwe, including Gutu South, have equally bad results. Decades of little investment in education have taken a heavy toll; Zimbabwe's education service has all but collapsed.
The same fate of decades of little funding was resulted in the collapse of the health services too.
Surely, the way forward here should be to revive the schools and hospitals that are there now and make them functional again and only then can one then talk of building new schools and hospitals. What is the point of building new schools when there is no money to furnish and equip those that are there and no money to pay teachers a living wage!
Chamisa and his MDC friends were elected into office for the purpose of bringing about democratic changes and thus the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 20 years, 5 of which in the GNU, MDC has failed to bring about even one change. Chamisa is offering to build this school and hospital is but a gimmick!
@ Grace Kwenji
ReplyDelete“It is important though as we discuss our future to critically and analytically dissect these political developments, lest we continue to be hoodwinked by unscrupulous politicians. Blind followers do not build powerful movements, with the might to dislodge entrenched nationalist ruling parties.”
You are spot on, blind followers do not build powerful movements; forget the bit about dislodging Zanu PF.
One cannot consider Zanu PF itself to be a powerful movement, it is imploding precisely because it is a party of corrupt, incompetent and ruthless thugs whom Mugabe was able to keep united as long as he kept up the supply of wealth for them to loot. As soon as the wealth started to disappear the thugs started fighting each other. Zanu PF has enjoyed public support, at least in the first decade or two of our independence, but only because the Zimbabweans are blind followers!
For the last 20 years, Zanu PF has been imploding and yet MDC has still failed to deliver the coup de grace; proof of just how corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders are. MDC has the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to get even one reform implemented in 5 years!
The very fact that there are still Zimbabweans out there who still believe MDC will deliver free, fair and credible elections and end the Zanu PF dictatorship is itself proof of just how naive, gullible and blind the Zimbabwe electorate are. It is no surprise that the country’s corrupt, incompetent and unscrupulous politicians, on both sides of the political divide, have taken full advantage of the blind voters to stay in power.
A blind electorate will never produce a competent government, that goes without saying! Like it or not we deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the equally corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless MDC opposition.
@ Koni
ReplyDeleteDuring Mugabe’ era we did not see the army shooting civilians like what the people noticed in 2018 and 2019. Then what legacy was restored?
Zimbabweans must unite and put to task and interrogate this government for selling them a dummy.
Have you already forgotten the Gukurahundi massacre were the 5 Brigade murdered over 20 000 innocent civilians and Mugabe had another 10 000 or so murdered after that. Interesting enough Mugabe's henchmen were the same individuals behind the November 2017 military coup and the murders of civilians thereafter.
All those who believed the November 2017 military coup was going to deliver any meaningful political change for the better were naive, to say the least.
@Hlaba
ReplyDelete“Only shonas do. Mathebeles are under siege!”
One of the hallmark of a blind follower is the inability to rise above the petty politics of tribe, gender, race, etc. and focus on what really matters. There are Shonas, Ndebeles, whites, blacks, etc. in all Zanu PF factions, all factions of the MDC, etc. and yet some people will insisting on seeing one faction of Zanu PF as Zezuru or whatever, for the sake of advancing their tribal narrative.
It is no secrete that MDC has enjoyed more support from Mat South and North, Bulawayo and Midlands and from the diaspora. It is also a historic fact that MDC leaders have proven to be incompetent, corrupt and sell-outs and yet they have continued to enjoy unquestioned support from these constituencies. If that does not prove just how shallow and naive these people are, what does? It is nonsense to suggest these people have remained blind followers because they are under siege from MDC!
@ Mwembe
ReplyDeleteMDC has failed to deliver even one meaningful democratic change in 20 years because the leaders are corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. What Grace has said is one has to be a blind follower to still continue to have faith in MDC as the party that will bring democratic change in Zimbabwe. You call such followers "staunch supporters" as if that will make any difference to the bottom line - democratic change!
Your inability to see the wood from the trees is a curse to the nation. Zimbabwe is dying for meaningful democratic change and your blind loyalty is standing in the way of change!
@ Mwembe
ReplyDelete“What women does she stand for when women are being kidnapped and raped by security forces and she has never opened her mouth to condemn it.”
What good has come out of MDC leaders done condemning Zanu PF kidnapping and raping, killings, rigged elections, corruption, etc., etc. when the same MDC leaders do nothing to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship even wen they are given the golden opportunity to do so?
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC into power on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for. The party has had 20 years, 5 of which in the GNU, and yet have failed to deliver even one democratic change.
It is really wonderful to see that there are an increasing number of Zimbabweans, Grace is one of them, who are now holding these MDC leaders to democratic account. Zimbabweans are desperate to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance and that will only happen if we implement the democratic reforms; condemning Zanu PF kidnapping and rape, etc. alone does not cut it!
@Matthew
ReplyDelete“Viva Chamisa!!!!! the MDC Alliance leader Viva!!!!,any political commentator or politician who seeks relevance or steal voters for his/her ailing party always familiarise his/her language with Big Brands like MDC Alliance or Chamisa. Household like Coca_Cola, that is how Chamisa is like, Viva!!!!!”
You are the very epitome of the blind follower Grace has described above. Man is supposed to be a creature of reason and not one to follow blindly like sheep.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect MDC into power on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. “CHANGE! CHINJA! GUQULA!” party leaders and supporters have chanted for the last 20 years. And yet the party has failed to bring about even one change in 20 years. Not even one!
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship for 40 years and counting. That is the consequence of MDC’s failure to deliver democratic change! Worse still, if the country does not snap out of its sloth-like slumber and do something to end the Zanu PF dictatorship the nation will continue to sink deeper and deeper into this hell-on-earth of our own making.
By the way Chamisa, Biti and the rest of the MDC leaders did not implement any reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU because they were too busy enjoying the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, generous salaries, US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. They have been participating in these flawed and illegal elections because they also knew Zanu PF was offering a few gravy train seats - these, they could not resist.
Whilst the nation has suffered greatly from MDC’s failure to deliver any changes the party leaders themselves have done very well. “Pretty good wages for one little kiss!” as MDC leaders’ patron imp, Judas Iscariot, would say! “Viva Chamisa!” responded the blind MDC followers.
Disturbing reports that the ZANU PF run Gutu Rural District Council shot down a noble proposal by MDC Alliance President, Nelson Chamisa to build a state of the art boarding school and a hospital in his rural home must be condemned in strongest terms by all rightful thinking citizens.
ReplyDeleteIn this 4th Industrial Revolution era when other countries are bridging the gap between rural and urban areas, it will be folly for us to allow the barren ZANU PF Stone Age mentality to take centre stage at the expense of development of our rural areas.
Honestly how in this modern age can a local government board turn down such a rare opportunity to uplift people’s lives when the same Rural District Council has failed to build even a single pit latrine.
There is no denying that Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because of 40 years of Zanu PF misrule. As far back as the late 1990s the people of Zimbabwe realised that Zanu PF was holding back the country’s development and that nothing will change as long as the party rigged the elections.
The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC into power on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for. MDC leaders have failed to deliver even one change in 20 years, 5 of which in the GNU.
Zimbabwe's education and health services have all but collapse not just in Chamisa's village but country wide. Is MDC A going to build schools and hospitals in every village, town and city across the country or is this just a gimmick? To revive the country's economy we must end the Zanu PF misrule and not waste time on gimmicks!
It is very disappointing that MDC supporters are making a big song and dance about Zanu PF stopping Chamisa building a school but have said nothing about MDC selling out of reforms which would have stopped Zanu PF misrule for the whole nation! Is this a case of being worthless farthing wise but pound foolish!
Carl Marx was right. “Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
ReplyDeleteReligion, the very addictive drug, has thrived the most in those communities where individual expression particularly intellectual is taboo and so the brain as atrophied into fatty tissue after decades and generation of inactivity.
So Miles Munroe is right, his words did go “over many a Zimbabwean’s head” used as they are to praying demon whom they helped to get into power by allowing him to blatantly rig the elections, to be righteous.
The people have risked life and limb to elect the MDC opposition into power on the understanding they will implement the democratic reforms to end the demonic Zanu PF rule. The Mugabe bribe the MDC leaders and they forgot about the reforms and have since being helping Zanu PF to stay in power for a share of the spoils. The people have been praying for the demons’ acolytes too to be righteous!
As long as the people remain high in their religious opium fog, there will never be any meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe. Millions will suffer and die as the country sinks deeper and deeper into this hell-on-earth of our own making!
@ Mwebwe
ReplyDeleteZanu PF has been in power for 40 years now precisely because MDC sold-out on implementing the reforms. To argue that reforms are in the past and we should just forget them is to argue that after 40 years of Zanu PF rule we should give up and suffer in silence. If you are one of the millions ordinary Zimbabweans wallowing abject poverty giving up the fight to end the madness is not an option.
Just because MDC leaders have failed to implement the reforms because they are corrupt and incompetent it does not mean there are no Zimbabweans out there who can implement the reforms.
It is not for you, MDC leaders or supporters to forget about the reforms, particularly since since it is MDC leaders who sold-out. Stop being bigheaded in thinking MDC can dictate to the nation what to do.
@ Mwebwe
ReplyDelete“Wilbert Mukori what are you doing yourself to dismantle Zanu PF instead of hallucinating about reforms which did not take. Did you hear this lady condemning the abductions bcoz she is women right defender a fake one of course. Do you think blaming MDC will dismantle Zanu. My Jesus.”
Some one must carryout the important task of informing the people of Zimbabwe why the country is still stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship, 20 years after they risking life and limb to elect MDC to bring change. And even more significant explain to the people why it is folly to expect any change as long as MDC leaders remain as the champions of change. It is pleasing to see people like Grace taking up this important task with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands.
Africa is desperate to do something right and end this culture of forever looking scapegoats for Africa's failures!
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