“The record is mixed, at best. No doubt he (Mugabe)
gave black Zimbabweans dignity, pride and opportunity. In the early days of
independence, we built a new school every day, every district got a hospital, all
institutions were integrated and the task of creating a national army out of
the tens of thousands of men who had carried arms in the war was successfully
completed. Every significant town got a polytechnic and 14 universities were
created. Life expectancy rose in 20 years to 63, literacy to 95% and hundreds
of thousands of young people graduated with skills and knowledge that has made
them a hot commodity the world over. Today 10 000 Zimbabweans teach mathematics
in South Africa,” wrote Eddie Cross.
Zimbabweans have taken great pride in being the
most literate nation in Africa without examining what that really means.
The standard literacy test is that one should be
able to read, write and do basic arithmetic. The three Rs.
The test has proven to be woefully inadequate.
What is the value of being able to read, write and
do arithmetic if one has no clue that it all means and, better still, cannot
apply any of the knowledge to one’s own daily life.
Talking of Robert Mugabe, the man was a corrupt,
incompetent, vote rigging and murderous tyrant. In his 37 years of tyrannical
rule the dictator destroyed the nation’s once promising economy. The country
was once the breadbasket of the region and under Mugabe it became the basket
case of a failed state. Zimbabweans are starving in a land that is for all practical
purposes the Garden of Eden.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs’ greed for political
power, wealth and good living was insatiable. Mugabe’s wealth is estimated in billions of US
dollars and include 13 farms in Zimbabwe; mansions in SA, Hong Kong, Singapore
and Zimbabwe; a castle in UK; cars; cash; etc.
The photograph of Mugabe’s lavish 25 room, three
story Blue Roof mansion contrasted with the grass-thatched mud hut will go down
in history as the epitome of human greed gone mad!
What good is Zimbabweans’ 95% literacy rate if they
did not have the common sense to stop Mugabe’s greed and insanity!
“In his determination to dominate, to control and
to make sure his power was never challenged, Mugabe wrecked the economy and
left us with a currency that was worthless, a lower standard of living than we
had at independence, a whole raft of failed institutions — hospitals without
drugs and even cleaning materials, schools without chalk and an infrastructure
that barely functions. He left us with unsustainable debts and crushing
international isolation. On balance, I think he will be judged as the leader
who failed his country and his people,” concluded Eddie Cross.
Even this MDC leader, known for praising Mnangagwa
and his wishy-washy ideas, known for his blundering incompetence in MDC’s failure
to implement even one reform, could not fail to see Mugabe for the corrupt, incompetent,
vote rigging and murderous tyrant he was.
Even Eddie Cross could not ignore the mountain of evidence
proving Mugabe was a dictator. Sadly, the same cannot be said of his fellow MDC
leaders like David Coltart, Tendai Biti and Nelson Chamisa who have continued to
praise Robert Mugabe, a carryon from their sell-out GNU years.
Robert Mugabe was a corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrant it is not shocking that some one like you Mr Cross should struggle to reach that decision give you and your fellow MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent. Still, you did managed to reach the right conclusion; the same cannot be said about your MDC colleagues! Chamisa praised Mugabe because "he voted for me!" He does not care how many opposition members and supporters Mugabe kill in his 37 years in power!
ReplyDelete“Zimbabwe hospitals unprecedented state of crisis!” reported France 24.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest failing in Zimbabwe is the people's failure to hold their leaders to democratic account. Mugabe and his cronies started to use health care services outside the country decades ago accelerating the collapse of the local service, starved of funds. Even the opposition leaders joined the bandwagon; Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader died in a hospital in SA.
Mugabe was in his Singapore hospital for five months at a cost of of US$50 000 per day. All paid by the taxpayer.
Zimbabweans have known this all these years and have never said a word.
Indeed, Zimbabwe's health care services would have totally collapsed by now if it was not for the generosity of the donors. Up to 98% of medicine is donor funded.
Democracy only works if the citizens are informed and take their duty to hold the leaders to account seriously!
The biggest failure in Zimbabwe is not that of leadership but of the people themselves. Democracy only works when leaders know they will be held to democratic account. Mugabe and his cronies knew they were not accountable to anyone and so they looted, sucking the life blood out of the economy and nation.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mugabe and his cronies started using health care and education services out side the country at great expense to the taxpayer it was clear the leaders did not think much of the local services. Worse still, denied of funds, the local services were going to get worse. One did not need a university degree or to be literate to see this coming. This was common sense!
The photograph of Mugabe's palatial Blue Roof mansion juxtaposed with the grass thatched mud hovel of the rural peasants, the voted's residence vs the voters', has aroused no feelings from most Zimbabweans. It was water off a duck's back. Indeed, some even thought it "funny"! Even those whose lives is hell-on-earth because of the decades of Zanu PF corrupt and tyrannical rule, consider their situation with shocking fatalistic indifference!
It may well be that Zimbabweans got their independence too soon, before they had learned o appreciate that it is their duty to ensure good governance. Be that as it may, there is no turning back; Zimbabweans must quickly learn that it is their duty as citizens to understand the big issues of their day and to hold leaders to democratic account.
95% literacy rate based on who can read and write. Ask how many understand what they read and you will be surprised how many are no better than parrots!
FORMER first lady, Mrs Grace Mugabe is receiving Government assistance to protect part of her business empire — Gushungo Farm and Diary — she founded with late former President Robert Mugabe, which in recent months has been invaded by marauding illegal gold panners.
ReplyDeleteThe venture came under target from illegal miners after the former first family travelled to Singapore, where Mugabe received treatment for about six months, before his death a fortnight ago.
The Mugabes have amassed a humongous fortune; palatial mansions in Hong Kong, Singapore, UK, SA and Zimbabwe; 13 farms in Zimbabwe, business interest all over the world, secret bank accounts with millions of dollars; posh cars; etc.; etc. Their fortune was made at a time when Zimbabwe’s economic fortune suffered a nosedive. Of course, the two are related.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies imposed a ruthless de facto one-party state on the nation so they can enjoy absolute power and with it the right to loot the nation blind. Zimbabwe’s ruling elite are filthy rich and their amassed wealth assumes it true sadistic meaning when viewed in the light of the millions thrown into abject poverty who were sacrificed to make it.
Mnangagwa can only help Grace save some Mugabe’s looted wealth now whilst he is in power. When there is regime change, and it is now a matter of when and not if, the looted wealth will be recovered and given back to its rightful owners – povo.