The
greatest threat to this nation’s very survival today is the worsening economic
meltdown. It is a great pity that President Mugabe failed to address this
threat during his last meeting with the war vets. The fact that someone like Secretary
for War Veterans, Walter Tapfumaneyi, should think the greatest threat to the
nation is from Grace Mugabe and her G40 faction being disrespectful of war vets
shows how many of these war vets continues to live in their own make-believe
world!
“President Robert Mugabe "skillfully managed" a
potentially volatile situation by meeting the country's former freedom fighters
three weeks ago averting State capture, a senior government official has said,”
Bulawayo 24 reported.
“Secretary
for War Veterans Walter Asher Tapfumaneyi yesterday said that Mugabe's meeting
with war veterans pre-empted "an untenable situation" following
threats to the country's military establishment by a youthful faction within
Zanu-PF. Without mentioning anyone by name, Tapfumaneyi said youthful members
of the governing Zanu-PF party were attempting to discredit the military and
war veterans.”
The
greatest threat the nation is facing today is the serious economic meltdown which
has seen unemployment soar to 90% plus, forced millions of our people in a life
of abject poverty and despair, the country’s health and education services have
all but collapsed, etc. The economic hardships brought on by the economic
meltdown has spared no one, most of the war vets demanded the meeting with President
Mugabe to demand answers to their worsening economic situation.
The
factional fighting in Zanu PF is being fuelled the economic reality that the
national cake has shrunk considerably when the appetites of the ruling elite
has grown in leaps and bounces. Only a few can have a piece of the cake and
those who get nothing face abject poverty like the rest of us. It is no wonder
therefore that the factional wars in the party have been fierce.
At
the heart of the country’s economic and political problems is the worsening
economic meltdown and the situation is unsustainable and it is posing a serious
threat to the stability and even survival of the nation.
In
the Zanu PF factional wars the G40 members have questioned the war vets’ flaunting
of their liberation war credentials to justified why they must continue to be
granted privileges in the party. Without wanting to be dragged into the party’s
dirty dog-eat-dog fights one has to question Tapfumaneyi’s poor judgement in
comparing this trivial matter to the national crisis!
If
the “state capture” was averted because the war vets told President Mugabe they
are the “stockholders” of Zimbabwe then the Secretary Tapfumaneyi is not only concerted
but down right stupid. Whilst the nation owe a great debt of gratitude to all
those who contributed in the war of independence, especially to those on the
coal face of the struggle; the demand that the people give up their freedoms
and basic rights including the right to free and fair elections in payment for
the debt is a price no nation in its right mind will ever accept!
The
present arrangement where Zanu PF members and war vets have taken onto
themselves the power to deny the rest of the population a meaningful vote and
even the right to life is totally unacceptable. War vets have the one vote each
same as everyone else; what they do not have the right to veto the democratic
will of the people.
The
nation has failed to remove President Mugabe and Zanu PF from office in the
past regardless of the people’s democratic wish to do so because the regime has
failed to hold free and fair elections. In the last 20 years the war vets have
played a very prominent role in denying the people the free vote; this must
stop forthwith!
Forget
Secretary Tapfumaneyi’s misplace ego, the greatest threat to the nation today
is the worsening economic situation and not G40 members question his right to a
veto in party and national elections. We need to address the economic meltdown
as a matter of great urgency and the only sure way to address it is for the
nation to have free, fair and credible elections.
The fact that Zanu PF is corrupt and incompetent has failed to deliver the free, just and pros-perous Zimbabwe we had all hope for is self-evident and beyond dispute. The nation is in serious trouble and in need of urgent solution; that too is clearly obvious. Why people like Secretary Walter Tapfumaneyi should still be talking of the failed system and of himself and fellow war vets as if they are special really shows just how stupid these individuals are.
ReplyDeleteI agree the nation has more serious and urgent matters to attend and must not waste time message misplaced egos. Any war vet who thinks they deserve a veto must be told in no un-certain terms that they will get a vote same as everyone else. The freedom and rights of every Zimbabwean are not privileges to be given to some and denied others and this is something that must be drummed into the heads of some of these war vets and Zanu PF hardliners.