President Robert Mugabe’s desperate cry for the fulfilment of his party’s promises to the electorate are sincere and well meant, but unfortunately, the ability by his party or himself to action these promises are next to nil.
NewsDay Comment
The reasons for Zanu PF’s failure to make good its promises include unavailability of resources, corruption, misappropriation and outright theft of the little available resources, general mismanagement of an economy which itself is getting sicker by the day.
Given the state of the country’s economy, there is no way Zimbabwe can create 2,2 million jobs in the next five years. If anything, more jobs will be lost.
Already hundreds of people have been rendered jobless after elections as several companies downsize or close down because of debilitating economic difficulties.
Mugabe is dreaming if he thinks that – given the prevailing economic situation – factories are going to start running or that the National Railways of Zimbabwe (which is currently seeking to retrench hundreds of workers) will start operating, or that Air Zimbabwe will be back in full flight, or that the country’s roads will be rid of potholes. Mugabe and Zanu PF should think realistically and not make people expect miracles to happen.
The mere fact that under the leadership of Zanu PF and Mugabe, Zimbabwe has failed to point at a single physical investment put in place from direct proceeds of the country’s biggest source of wealth — diamonds — explains a lot of things.
We do not have even a single hospital, or school or road or shopping complex or any meaningful investment that has been built from diamond proceeds. We have nothing to show for our platinum or our gold.
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What is not in doubt is that many individuals especially, in Zanu PF, have grown filthy rich through stealing these resources and nothing has been done about it.
The excuse for doing nothing has been that there is no evidence – even though it is known that the individuals are stealing.
What more evidence is required to arrest and prove non-tolerance to national plunder could there be than a situation where, in Mugabe’s words, an official demanded a bribe and the issue was exposed in the presence of the country’s chief of police and relevant ministers. Up to date, no arrests have been made and the suspicion is that too many sensitive people, including those with the powers to arrest and prosecute, are involved.
And, the Zanu PF government has, since retaining power in July, done nothing to attract meaningful foreign direct investment, the rock upon which any economy can build its foundation. Clearly, things have gone economically worse that they were before elections and Zimbabweans have begun to feel the heat.
There is no doubt the people are going to, if they have not already begun to do so, ask where the good life that Zanu PF promised them is? Zanu PF is destroying people’s lives further by making them homeless and jobless.
The demolitions are going to leave self-empowered people destitute after their tuck-shops, hair salons or general dealer shops are brought down.
Those that had stopped paying rent to landlords must go back to look for rentals after their new homes are destroyed by the party that won elections promising to “indigenise, employ, empower and develop”.
