Coltart says Mugabe will never declare Mat drought a "disaster" - is divisive and mischievous. By Pat Guramatunhu

For anyone, anyone at all be he/she Zimbabwean or outsider, who has travelled around the country they will know that there are certain parts of the country that are very dry and arid and thus prone to suffer food shortages even when other parts have a good harvest. When the grain producing areas are not doing well, as is the case right now, it is clear the drought prone areas will be in serious trouble.

 

“There is little sign that the government is doing anything about the growing crisis. [President] Robert Mugabe and his family flew out to the Far East on holiday just before Christmas as if nothing was wrong,” said Mr Coltart underlining the growing national crisis.

“The State-controlled newspapers are largely silent about the growing crisis. When I first raised the issue on Twitter, all I got from the only Zanu-PF minister who is regularly on the platform - Jonathan Moyo - was his usual torrent of abuse.

“The fact is that this is potentially a far worse crisis than we have ever experienced before. When we last had a drought of this magnitude in 1992, the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) was better run and our silos were much fuller.” No thinking person would dispute his concerns.

 

It many people found objectionable is his pretence that the current serious drought is affecting Matabeleland North and South only.  

 

“While I cannot speak with authority regarding the rest of the country, Matabeleland is in the grips of one of the worst droughts we have suffered since 1991/1992,” said Mr Coltart.

 

Mr David Coltart was born and brought up in Rhodesia, fought in the civil war on the whites’ side and after independence he was one of the few whites who elected to stay on in Zimbabwe with all its trials and tribulations. He was a much respected Minister of Education in the GNU, a post that allowed him to travel to every corner of the nation. So for someone his age and with extensive knowledge of the country; one cannot believe he really believe the serious drought only affects the two provinces!

 

Whilst many people, notably MP Eddie Cross, have raised the alarm at the Zanu PF government’s sluggish respond to the growing drought crisis; Mr Coltart has offered to explain why the regime is doing very little or nothing.

 

“Zanu-PF will never declare Matabeleland a disaster zone!” claimed Mr Coltart.

Coming from a national leader of Mr Coltart’s standing; this is a totally irresponsible and mischievous statement.

President Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies are no longer interested in addressing the nations deepening economic meltdown, 90% unemployment, the food shortage, etc. We are in serious trouble and need to think of a way out of this mess fast. We will only make matters worse if we allow ourselves to be divided along tribal, regional or some such lines.