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NewsDay

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Zim’s inclusive govt not for the people

Columnists
There are more questions than answers in the ongoing debate in Zimbabwe with regards to why our political, social and economic standing has not changed for the better after formation of the inclusive government. It is surprising though, that Zimbabwe is still struggling with massive water and power cuts, poor health services, tuition fees beyond […]

There are more questions than answers in the ongoing debate in Zimbabwe with regards to why our political, social and economic standing has not changed for the better after formation of the inclusive government.

It is surprising though, that Zimbabwe is still struggling with massive water and power cuts, poor health services, tuition fees beyond the reach of many, company closures translating into huge job losses, skills flight as evidenced by almost 4 000 000 of the country’s nationals who have left the country in search of greener pastures in the Diaspora.

There is rampant corruption at both local and central government levels. Employment creation has been brought to a virtual standstill while the few people working are earning poor salaries below the poverty datum line.

The poverty datum line in Zimbabwe currently stands at $502/month.

Prostitution is on the increase exposing many citizens to the high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids.

Supermarket shelves are full of imported goods. If one pays a visit to any of the supermarkets, they will notice most of the products are imported.

There are reported cases of some supermarkets selling products which are past their sell-by date which is testimony to huge stocks of imported goods with very low turnover since many people have no substantial disposable incomes.

Roads are full of potholes which remain unfilled. Revisiting the issues of endless water and power cuts which have become a common feature in our lives, what troubles the mind are huge water and electricity bills that ratepayers receive every month-end for services which are not even there in the first place.

Residents are receiving very high bills monthly. Equally surprising is the swift disconnection of services even at the slightest of delay in settlement of bills.

We do not deserve, neither should we continue tolerating, this kind of embarrassment. Our suffering is a result of failure by three principals in the inclusive government.

They spend most of their energies engaging in unnecessary quarrels which have nothing to do whatsoever with service delivery.

Since formation of the inclusive government, there has been bickering over appointment of governors, ambassadors, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, Attorney-General Johannes Tomana and Agriculture minister-designate Roy Bennet, all at the expense of bread and butter issues that affect the people.

All this shows that the inclusive government is not there to serve the people.

As long as we have President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in the political equation of this country, we may as well forget about solving our problems.

There is greater need than before for Zimbabweans to wake up to this reality. We are faced with a very difficult situation whereby if President Mugabe wins an election, Tsvangirai will not recognise the outcome.

If Tsvangirai wins, President Mugabe will not surrender power.

We are stuck. It’s better to vote the three principals to the GPA out through democratic elections. It’s time to usher in leaders who have the interest of the people at heart. Leaders guided by a vision for the Zimbabwe that the people want.

Let us stand up and demand that the unity government be replaced by the establishment of a transitional national authority (TNA). The TNA should be made up of people drawn from political parties excluding top leaders of all political parties.

Other members would be drawn from civil society, business and the churches.

A national revival conference would be convened comprised of representatives from these sectors and a small group of competent men and women would be selected to form the TNA.

For a stipulated period, the TNA would work to establish the electoral body, resource it materially, register voters, draw up constituency boundaries and spearhead a genuine national healing and reconciliation programme.

The suffering of the people cannot be extended any further. It is never too late to turn. The future of the country is in our hands.

Let us all play a role in creating a Zimbabwe full of opportunities. Our country can be a greener pasture itself.

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