When Zimbabwe gained her independence in 1980, the country had the
potential to become a prosperous nation, the South Korea of Africa. The last 38
years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship has changed all that.
Zimbabwe is in economic ruins; unemployment has soared to the dizzying heights
of 80% plus, basic services such as supply of clean water, working sewage,
health care, etc. have all but totally collapsed.
3/4 of our people now live on US$30 or less per month; the poverty datum
line is US$650 per month.
The nation has had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship
but has wasted them all.
“Chawawana batisisa midzimu haipi kaviri!” so goes the Shona adage. The
English/Latin equivalent would be “Seize the day!” “Carpe diem!”
Most of the golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship fell to
the MDC and one has only to listen to some of the party’s leaders to know why
the opportunities were wasted.
“Today Zimbabwe reminded me why I think this is such an amazing place to
live,” wrote Eddie Cross, a leading MDC leader since 1999 until his retirement
from active politics last year.
“I drove down town to a cafe for breakfast with a few friends and
enjoyed a cup of coffee at a place where I was greeted by name by the security
guard at the gate and by every waiter.
“And it's not just the physical beauty of the place and the magnificent
weather, it is the people. … A church put out an appeal for aid for the people
caught up in the cyclone in the east and the police had to direct traffic when
the response simply overwhelmed the church. One elderly woman walked 17km to
give her surplus kitchen utensils — carrying them on her head. A local
businessman who saw the picture of her doing so came up with an offer to buy
her a home of her own.”
Are we talking about the same Zimbabwe where 3/4 of the population are
so poor they cannot afford even one decent meal a month much less a treat of
breakfast in a cafe!
If the aid from fellow Zimbabweans was so “overwhelming” then why was it
that two weeks after the cyclone there were still many Zimbabweans in desperate
need of food, drinking water, etc.
I know there are some filthy rich Zimbabweans out there who live in
palatial mansions, own multiple farms and businesses, have a fleet of posh
cars, travel outside Zimbabwe for all their education and health needs, live
extravagant lifestyles, fly in luxury private jets (at taxpayers’ expense),
etc., etc. This is the first time I have ever heard of a businessman buying an
old lady a home of her own, just like that!
If this was the real Zimbabwe then why would anyone want anything
changed.
Mr Cross is careful to distinguish the Zimbabwe now from the Zimbabwe of
Mugabe days which he, readily admits was a disaster for the nation.
“When President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the exercise in November
2017 to remove the then President Robert Mugabe from power, it was our people
who gave the operation legitimacy by a national demonstration of joy and
support for the tough soldiers on every street corner. This was not contrived
and people across the globe watched as we freed ourselves from a tyranny — many
with tears in their eyes as they watched history being made in a small way in
an African State that had lost its way after Independence in 1980,” wrote Mr
Cross.
“And boy, had we lost our way!”
So why did MDC fail to implement even one democratic reform to end
Mugabe’s tyrannical rule when the party had the golden opportunity to do so
during the 2008 to 2013 GNU? This is the question Mr Cross has failed to answer
in his article and in the past.
“Facing a hostile and sceptical world; including the Zimbabwe
population, the new leadership struggled to convince people that anything had
changed — but it had,” Cross continued.
“A transition was underway and the new government needed the help of
both the domestic and international community to fix the problems they had
inherited.”
The truth is, other than the cosmetic change of replacing the top dog,
Robert Mugabe, with Emmerson Mnangagwa; nothing had changed. Mnangagwa promised
to end corruption but has failed to do so.
In 2015 Mugabe admitted the country was “swindled” out of $15 billion in
diamond revenue. He never arrested even one swindler or recover one dollar.
Indeed the swindling continued as the then Finance Minister, Patrick
Chinamasa, told parliament in 2016 that the country was getting 1/6 of the
expected diamond revenue.
Mnangagwa has been in power for over a year and a half and yet he too
has yet to arrest one swindler and recover one dollar. The same players are
still mining the diamonds and collected revenue has not improved and so the looting
is still taking place.
“An amnesty for stolen funds has recouped $825 million in three months
but, as Mr Mnangagwa admits, the difficulty is in fighting a corruption so
deeply embedded that even government officials cannot tell who is (not)
tainted,” reported The National, Abu Dhabi.
Mnangagwa also promised to hold free, fair and credible elections but
has failed to honour that promise too. By blatantly rigging the elections, Zanu
PF has confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state.
The flood gate of new investors who were expected to answer Mnangagwa’s
“Zimbabwe is open for business!” call has not happened. The nation was assured
new lines of credit would soon open so the IMF and WB will once again bankroll
the country’s development efforts; that too has not happened. The domestic and
international help Mr Cross is talking about has not materialised.
Ever since the July 2018 rigged elections the country has lurched from
one economic crisis to the next caused by shortages of fuel, food, medicine and
foreign currency. Since the regime allowed the de facto local currency, RTGS$,
to float it has already lost a quarter of its value compared to its value in
January.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt thugs there
will be no meaningful economic recovery. The economic meltdown and the
shortages and the hardships they bring are set to get worse.
“Did we really think we could fix all our historical problems without
pain? If we did, we were mistaken,” says Eddie Cross.
How ironic and absurd is that! Zimbabweans have risked life and limb to
elect MDC leaders into power on the ticket they Eddie Cross and company will
implement the necessary reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. As if it
was not bad enough MDC leaders sold-out on reforms, they now have the chic to
ask the people to bear even worse human suffering and deaths in the vain hope
that will bring about economic recovery regardless of the continued Zanu PF
corrupt and tyrannical misrule.
@ Eddie Cross
ReplyDelete“When President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the exercise in November 2017 to remove the then President Robert Mugabe from power, it was our people who gave the operation legitimacy by a national demonstration of joy and support for the tough soldiers on every street corner. This was not contrived and people across the globe watched as we freed ourselves from a tyranny — many with tears in their eyes as they watched history being made in a small way in an African State that had lost its way after Independence in 1980,” you admitted.
Surely you are not saying that the nation is now free from tyranny when 8 months latter Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the elections and ruthless silence those who dared to voice their disappointment at the rigged elections and the worsening economic meltdown.
The nation’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is the root cause of the why we are in this economic and political mess. And, by the same token, those who think the country can ever recover from this mess without exorcising the demons behind the vote rigging and wanton violence are either naïve or reckless sell-outs.
Breakfast at the café! Good for you but how many Zimbabweans out there have to live for the whole week on what you spend on breakfast! It is very disappointing that people like Eddie Cross should refuse to see the tragic human suffering around them just because they are doing well and continue to enjoy the comforts of life!
"Facing a hostile and sceptical world; including the Zimbabwe population, the new leadership struggled to convince people that anything had changed — but it had," Cross continued.
ReplyDeleteHow anyone can say Zanu PF had changed when the party has just blatantly rigged the elections beggars belief. MDC leaders like David Coltart and Eddie Cross have again and again made these nonsensical comments suggesting last year's elections were free, fair and credible when the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll!
It is heart breaking that the ordinary Zimbabweans risked their life and limb, over 500 lost their lives and millions were beaten and/or raped in 2008 alone, to elect people like Cross into power in the hope they would deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for. Now, it turns out, these MDC leaders have no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections!
How I wish people like Coltart and Cross would do the nation a great favour and shut up!
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Wednesday accused local businesses of profiteering for linking price increases of basic goods to exchange rate movements of a new transitional currency.
ReplyDeleteSince the RTGS dollar was introduced in February, prices of staples including sugar, cooking oil and rice have risen as much as 60 percent, squeezing already hard-pressed consumers and fuelling resentment against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government.
The RTGS launched at 2.5 to the U.S. dollar on February 22 and now trades at around 4.3 on the black market.
Price changes should be determined by inflation trends, Ncube said, adding that month-on-month inflation was slowing.
"It is actually bad economics to link price increases to the exchange rate. That's not how you do it, it is profiteering," Ncube told reporters.
This is just nonsense, of course people should link prices to the exchange rate since most goods and services have a significant foreign currency input, direct or indirect.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs the country’s economic woes will only get worse. No investors and lenders will want to do business with a pariah state!
Minister Mthuli Ncube is clearly confusing sound economic principles with political spin verging on voodoo economics! The reality is Zimbabwe’s economy is in serious trouble and his blundering from pillar to post is not helping one bit!
"It is clear, therefore, that re-engagement will be more of a process than an event; That it will be anchored in confidence-building measures, sending the right signals with regard to reform and with regard to our commitment to the conduct of 'decent politics'; and the pursuit of economic policies that will restore and sustain macro-economic stability and that will provide guarantees on government's intention to meet its international obligations," said Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo.
ReplyDelete"Re-engagement will be more of a process than an event!" Yeah right. Whom do you think you are fooling! We all know that the re-engagement drive has stalled. "Zimbabwe is open for business!" is all but dead!
By rigging last year's elections Zanu PF confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and lawless thugs.
Ever since his "this is not a military coup but a military assisted transition" Moyo has fancy himself as a great orator whose mastery of the language is second to none. By the clever usage of language he could make people believe red is blue, rigged elections were free, fair and credible. Well the reality is he is just another ignoramus who, promoted way above his level of competency, has made a complete ass of himself!
The latest increment effectively means the lowest paid government worker will take home RTGS$ 600. According to the rate of 3.70 the lowest paid civil servant will get US$163 but the rate is expected to increase as civil servants get their salaries.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) secretary general Japhet Moyo said “RTGS$ 600 is a third of what workers are supposed to earn in terms of the PDL (poverty datum line) remember the PDL is a moving earache (sic) and currently is at 1800 by next week it’s expected to be double.”
This is a fudge, government is trying to bully the civil servants into believing that they are getting a pay rise when they are getting a pay cut. Most basic services such as education and health care have all but collapsed but are about to get even worse. The salary the civil servants are getting is not enough to pay for transport, food, accommodation, etc. There is no way one can expect a worker to turn up for work every day with no transport, on an empty stomach, etc.
Government pretends to pay the workers and they will pretend to work!
All those calling for the so called "national dialogue" must know their initiative is doomed to fail from the word go because they have not been honest in making this call.
ReplyDeleteWe are not talking of a nation that has just had national elections that failed to produce a clear winner and the dialogue is to allow the formation of a coalition government. We are talking of a country in which the elections were blatantly rigged and an illegitimate party now forms the ruling party. Those calling for talks are, by so doing, giving the illegitimate regime some modicum of credibility. There is nothing honest or honorable in doing that!
Zanu PF must be told in no uncertain terms that the party rigged last year's elections and so it does not have the mandate to govern the country. The only national dialogue with Zanu PF is to talk about how and when party will step down. Zanu PF must not be allowed to remain in power in whatever form because the nation's top priority now has to be to ensure the next elections are free, fair and credible. If Zanu PF is in power in 2023 then the party will rig those elections too.