"I will get rid of ghost workers" Mnangagwa promised, again - who stopped you, it's been a year P Guramatunhu

I have never pegged myself as a cynic but in today’s Zimbabwe it is impossible not to be cynical when the whole nation is poisoned with cynicism and intrigue!

“Government is fully aware of the machinations by some detractors and economic opportunists who are bent on creating despondency in the country through the manipulation of the foreign currency market and creating artificial shortages," Mnangagwa told the party's Central Committee meeting. 

"This has caused untold suffering to our people. As a listening President, I have heard their cries and my Government is determined to provide solutions to these perennial challenges.”

How typical! How cynical! Which people have your heard; your fellow Zanu PF cronies or the millions of long suffering ordinary Zimbabweans? 

Here is the man who prided in telling the nation he was going to do things differently from the man he succeed, Robert Mugabe but other than the propaganda of “new dispensation”, “Zimbabwe is open for business!”; nothing has changed. Nothing! It is hard to take this regime seriously! 

“My government is going to get rid of the ghost workers!” said President Mnangagwa. 

Given the seriousness of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown one expected Mnangagwa to act swiftly and decisively in such matters as the country’s bloated, corrupt and wasteful public service. Why has done nothing for nearly a year?

This is a rhetorical question because we all know the answer. Indeed, instead of cutting the wastefulness of Robert Mugabe, President Mnangagwa has turned out to be a big spender in his own right. Many people believe he has squandered as much as $5 billion on new cars for Chiefs, party leaders and other key officials; chartered planes and other vote rigging and vote buying expenses. 

The ghost workers are an integral part of Zanu PF’s foot soldiers who intimidate and harass the people to attend Zanu PF rallies and then vote for the party. The party was not going to lay them off, not in the middle of a election campaign! Paying the ghost workers’ wages was just one election expense. 

Now that the Zanu PF has rigged the 30 July 2018 elections,  President Mnangagwa is making a new promise to lay-off the ghost workers. Whether he will do so is another matter; he has already show he has knack for taking his cronies out through the front door, make a big song and dance about it, only to take them back through the back door. 

When President Mnangagwa announced his new cabinet, many people praised him for reducing the size of his cabinet and for appointing new faces instead of recycling the deadwood. Now it turns out that former cabinet ministers have all been assigned positions in the “do nothing” second cabinet housed in Zanu PF party HQ complete with the entourage of retired permanent secretaries and other retired party/government officials. They will continue to receive their ministerial salary, limo, etc. 

President Mnangagwa was quick to lay the ground rules for the “do nothing” cabinet; they must “desist from making utterance for personal glory” and they are to wear the Zanu PF regalia. “If you keep to your mandate; “Munogara, mugogara, munechigaro chenyu!” (you keep you post forever!) 

Whether we, the ordinary Zimbabweans, care to admit it or not, the truth is the Mnangagwa regime cares about the ruling elite and, above all else, retaining absolute political power at all cost. President Mnangagwa does not care about the long suffering ordinary man, woman and child. 

The other day I saw an old lady (she looked 70+ but would not be surprised to hear she is 40 or less); the worried look on her face was enough to tell you something was wrong. She was frantically looking for her cardboard box with whatever she was selling and the little money she had. She is a street vendor eking a meagre living selling tomatoes or whatever; one of the 75% Zimbabweans now living on US$1.00 or less a day.

Life under Mugabe rule was tough and things have not got any better nor is there any reason to expect any meaningful change under Mnangagwa rule. President Mnangagwa does not care about the old lady or any of the impoverished masses no more that Mugabe did. 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is an incompetent, corrupt, vote rigging and murderous thug just as Mugabe before him. He is more concerned about the welfare of the ghost workers, the “do nothing” cabinet members and everyone else who help him to rig the elections and stay in power. He will continue to ignore the poor old vendor and millions of others like her because they have no political power to hold him to account regardless how much he lets them down. 

If we are serious about ending the economic suffering brought on by the criminal waste of resources, material and human, by the corrupt and vote rigging ruling elite that has cause so much human misery and deaths then we must restore the individual freedoms and rights of all citizens. 

The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is the 38 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule. The solution to Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is making sure we have free, fair and credible elections. 

If Zanu PF is still in power by the 2023 elections then we can be certain of one thing the party will rig and win those elections just as the junta has rigged this year’s elections and past elections. We cannot and must not allow this to happen.