Trump must have had Zimbabwe amongst "s**thole countries", more reason because we have let ourselves down N Garikai

Zimbabwe was in the top five richest nation, in terms of per capita income, in Africa in 1980 when the nation attained her independence. In 38 years, we have not just dropped to the bottom five poorest nations in Africa but are bring up the rear. Zimbabwe is the poorest nation on the world’s poorest continent, Africa! If that alone does not qualify us to be Africa’s “s**thole”, to borrow from US President Donald Trump’s lexicon, then let me hasten to reiterate that, by right, we should be one of the richest nation!

''I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor, but it's no great honour either,'' said Tevye, speaking to God in Joseph Stein’s master piece, Fiddler on the Roof.

Let me say here and now; I to subscribe to Stein’s ethos; there is no shame in being poor or in being the poorest of the poor living a “s**thole” country – per se. (There is certainly nothing honourable about being unemployed, living on US$1.00 or less a day or starving to death!) The shame comes from doing nothing about it one’s poverty.

Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown did not happen overnight nor is it a nature. Zimbabwe’s poverty is man-made; 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. As a nation, we, Zimbabweans, have earned our new position as the world’s poorest nation and rightly deserve to suffer.

Of course, Zimbabwe’s economic mess is man-made, the filthy rich ruling elite are the alpha and omega of Zimbabwe’s economic mess. We have the peculiar situation of the poorest of the poor living cheek in jowl with the filthy rich. What is strange about Zimbabwe’s filthy rich is they made their huge fortunes in the period the nation’s economic fortune was taking a nose dive. There only two possibilities here; either they are exceptionally talented business people or they are the most corrupt and ruthless Mafia type thugs the world has ever seen.

Here, have a closer look; Zimbabwe’s filthy rich live in mansions, with vast business empires (most of which are heavily subsidised), a have fleet of posh cars, 40 gold watches, etc., etc. They are not gifted footballers or actors and have no known talent. There is no paper trail of tax-returns or lottery windfalls to say how and when they made their fortune.

All one can say with certainty is that there is a direct correlation between the rich’s economic fortune and their political standing. Those which the political clout or good political connections have done exceptionally well economically in Zimbabwe these last 38 years. Gross mismanagement, corruption and wholesale looting of the nation’s resources have been the norm in Zimbabwe!

It is this criminal waste of human and material resources that is the root cause of Zimbabwe’s record breaking economic collapse and fall from being in the top five richest nation in Africa to being the poorest in the world. It is this jarring difference of the filthy rich living off the misery the poor that makes Zimbabwe the “s**thole” of Africa. And it is our collective indifference that has allowed the power hungry and greedy few to drag the whole nation all these years and this deep into the abyss.

"If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an infidel.” Timothy 5:8.

There is no doubt that most Zimbabweans, Timothy’s infidels, have suffered greatly for our sins commission and omission in allowing Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs drag the nation into this hell-on-earth. We certainly deserve to suffer and should hang our heads in shame for having allowed the nation to go to the dogs.

To the many G40 members who were booted out of Zanu PF recently, you played your part in dragging the nation into this mess, and now it is payback time. You will have first-hand experience of how tough life really is for those of us living on S**t Street as compared to your decades of comfort and leisure living on Easy Street. There is poetic justice in the likes of former Minister of Local Government, Ignatius Chombo, losing all those properties and loot amassed from robbing poor ratepayers blind and doing time in Chikurumbi Prison.

Just so there is no misunderstanding; there are Prison Cells with Lacoste faction members’ names on the door. Zimbabwe will not get out of the s**thole Zanu PF drags us into until we arrest the Mafia political thugs who have captured the nation’s state institutions and have held us all hostage to their insatiable appetite for absolute political power and the influence and wealth it has brought them. VP Chiwenga and President Mnangagwa, you should, by right be keeping Chombo company for all your looting, treasonous vote rigging, acts political violence, murders and military coups.

Zimbabwe’s only sure way to end the decades of misrule is for the country to a good competent government and for that we must have free, fair and credible elections. President Mnangagwa and his coup cabinet have stubbornly refuse to implement the democratic reforms without which it is impossible to have free, fair and credible elections.

Implementing the reforms is our ticket to get out of the mess Zanu PF dragged Zimbabwe into. If President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF thugs think they are going to get away with another rig elections as they have done in the past, they had better think again because, unlike in the past, Zimbabweans now not only know why they are in this s**thole but, most important of all, how to get out!

President Donald Trump must have had Zimbabwe as one of Africa’s s**thole countries more reason because the country is a total mess we, the people of Zimbabweans, let ourselves down by letting Zanu PF thugs drag us into the abyss. We are a nation that has been hurting to do something right! Well here is our chance to do something right and finally pull ourselves by the shoe strings out of this s**thole – implement the reforms and get a competent government!