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NewsDay

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Real change only possible after Mugabe leaves

Opinion & Analysis
AFTER burying a comrade who died last week, ranting at the West — his opponents as usual — and presiding over the United Nations World Tourism Organisation summit in Victoria Falls...

AFTER burying a comrade who died last week, ranting at the West — his opponents as usual — and presiding over the United Nations World Tourism Organisation summit in Victoria Falls, President Robert Mugabe, at 89, embarks on the business of running the country in what is undoubtedly his last term in office. Report by Rashweat Mukundu

The irony was not lost to observers that as he took his oath of office, seated behind him where current and former presidents from Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. Compared to Mugabe, these are all young, but more importantly their presence shows the political transition that has taken place in their own countries.

Zimbabweans and the rest of the world have known only one leader for this country — that is Mugabe. In his inauguration speech, which sounded like any other such speech that we have heard from the President since 2002, he promised as much and laid out his vision for Zimbabwe.

Unfortunately, like many other such promises in the past, it is very unlikely, if not impossible, for Mugabe to fulfil such promises. Key, “Team Zanu PF” promised to create 2 million jobs as well as unlock economic value to the tune of $2 trillion. If this is achieved in the coming five years — or to be generous in the next decade — then Zimbabwe will join and to some extent surpass some of the Asian Tigers in economic development.

The truth is, however, that Mugabe will leave office having achieved nothing of any sort of these promises. On the contrary, if he zealously adheres to his indigenisation agenda, then the next five years will likely turn Zimbabwe even backward from where we are now. Any economic development programme that brings success has to turn away and shun failed policies. It took the death of Chairman Mao for China’s new political leadership to chart a new economic path that is credited with its current success.

I, therefore, argue that it will take the departure of Mugabe from our political landscape for Zimbabwe to chart a new economic path that with good stewardship will result in positive change. Mugabe, as he demonstrated in his inauguration speech, is incapable of change.

Like Mao, his primary concern is power retention. He has no clue how to use that power and leverage his influence for the general good of society. Dare I say that when the land reform programme started in 2000, it was a spontaneous and chaotic process which he had no control over and he was by all measure a late comer.

He saw an opportunity to use this programme as a political tool hence he has been in support of it till now. The proof of the conceptual challenges of the land reform programme, despite its necessity, are in the failure by Zimbabwe to feed itself to date.

Indeed as if to confirm this, Mugabe promised starving rural communities maize from Zambia on his campaign trail in July. There was no explanation why we cannot grow enough maize apart from blaming the outgoing Finance minister Tendai Biti.

For this reason, I argue that instead of expecting a lot from Mugabe, we need to push him to do the very basics that would leave Zimbabwe intact and in a position to move forward after his departure. The first of the basics is simply to ensure peace.

The President must ensure that the infrastructure of violence, embedded in the security sector, is destroyed. This includes the extra-judicial powers given to a small clique of security chiefs who basically decide on governance issues and make decisions outside their formal job descriptions.

In essence, Mugabe must retire his top security team in the police, Central Intelligence Organisation and the army.

Another basic agenda that Mugabe can do is to maintain the foreign currency regime until that time when the economy is stable enough — and that I am sure is after his departure — to sustain a return of the Zimbabwe dollar.

Thirdly, Mugabe must ensure that he destroys the underworld of corruption that is presided over by his lieutenants, many of which are in the security sector, government and aligned business.

This clique derives its power from abusing minerals from gold to diamonds. These people neither pay taxes, nor formalise their operations. Even formal entities that are mining diamonds are opaque operations with as many millions, if not billions, of dollars being put to personal use and not benefiting the country.

Mugabe will do Zimbabwe a great favour if he dismantles these networks and ensures that all mining operations, especially in the diamond and gold sector, are transparent and resources benefit all and not a few connected individuals.

If he can muster the guts, Mugabe must deal with corruption in many other sectors where his ministers and supporters are looting. This includes the destruction of wildlife conservancies, local government, and State-owned enterprises which are bleeding due to looting and corruption.

More importantly, Mugabe needs to resolve the long-standing Gukurahundi issue — this by ensuring that victims are compensated, wounds healed and the nation reconciled. This is his baby and he needs to take care of it before he leaves. Before he leaves our political landscape, we hope that Mugabe will work on reversing a culture of laziness and entitlement that he has created in his followers. It ranges from top civil servants, ministers and some in the security sector, who believe that we owe them a living.

More than being liberated from dependence through farm allocations, this grouping is even more dependent on the State. These are people who cannot run even a tuckshop, yet live lavishly at the expense of the State.

In the final analysis, if Mugabe can leave us where we are today, many will be grateful, for the fear is that his policies and bloated ambition, yet unattainable agenda and promises, will take us back to 2008 and even worse.

Real change will begin when Mugabe leaves office, and many hope that prospect is not far off. If he is gracious enough, let him hand over power to Vice-President Joice Mujuru as soon as possible so that transformation can begin.

Mugabe must ensure that he destroys the underworld of corruption that is presided over by his lieutenants, many of which are in the security sector, government and aligned businesses