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NewsDay

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Zanu PF: The monster that eats its own children, their dreams too

Opinion & Analysis
In President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, we are raised and brought up under the illusion if not delusion, that the West is just about to mug us.

In President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, we are raised and brought up under the illusion if not delusion, that the West is just about to mug us.

GUEST COLUMN BY MAYNARD MANYOWA

We are told, the biggest enemy of our advancement is the “evil white man”, or the calculating imperialist. Sometimes it is the gays, the western sponsored opposition forces, or Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi’s absent skeletal remains.

In the depth of our psyche is the belief, instilled from childhood, that, Zimbabwe is where it is because the international community is actively involved in grand scheme to unseat Mugabe, and Zanu PF. This we are told, they do with the full intention of making sure black people do not own a farm, a mine or a company.

On the ground, Zimbabwe remains a very sick country.

It is of principal importance that we name and shame Zimbabwe’s problems in chief, pin-point the orchestrator of the struggle of the Zimbabwean people. On a basic level, Zimbabwe is vice-gripped by a never ending economic depression, monumental levels of poverty, negative economic growth, zero access to clean water and sanitation.

Chief among our difficulties is degenerative corruption, e repression and violence. We have very high levels of unemployment, liquidity problems, collapsing infrastructure, morbid industry and commerce and poor health-care to it.

The electricity crisis sounds like one of our smallest snags. Our government is broke to the point that it cannot afford to pay its own workforce. Zimbabwe has graduate vendors, destitute academics and touting intellectuals.

To begin with, we must draw our attention to the actions of our government in creating, sustaining, and even edifying the current crisis.

We must note that over the years, Zimbabwe has had several chances to alleviate the grave situation that is today. We have had numerous game changers, who could have flipped the bad situation into a more palatable one, not to mention a number of gifted entrepreneurs, all of whom, if given a chance, would have made the current situation better, with or without sanctions.

They would have achieved this feat through simple and honest industry, initiative and entrepreneurship. In other words, more jobs, a better economy, and better technological advancement.

Ryan Nush: “The Film Industry”:

Ryan Nush is probably unknown by readers. It is expected. Like so many before him, one of Zimbabwe’s rarest and most unique pioneering ambassadors had his hitherto unprecedented potential, as well as that to employ several hundreds of people, nipped in the bud, and spectacularly so.

While shooting Africa’s first action movie, Ryan Nush, together with some 16 young actors and actresses were arrested. Initially they were accused of trying to instigate a coup. The potential charges, were not only ludicrous and at odds with law, but plain silly. The official reports of the time indicate that they were arrested for possessing toy guns.

What is mind blowing is that even for Zanu PF this seems rather absurd, petty and childish. Yet we all know our government repeatedly sinks to new lows each day, to a point where nothing is hardly surprising anymore.

The irrationality of the toy gun case is really nothing new as well. Arbitrary imprisonment in Zimbabwe is the order of the day. This is hardly contestable. For example, months after the Constitutional Court ruled insult laws were unconstitutional several people are still arrested for criticising Mugabe on WhatsApp and Facebook.

Zanu PF and Mugabe have prejudiced and ruined the futures and economic prospects of several thousands Zimbabweans. One of the most publicised stories of Zanu PF and indeed the government’s insistence on denying ordinary Zimbabweans a chance to achieve their dreams, and make tangible those of others is that of Telecoms giant, Strive Masiyiwa. The details of his struggle are well documented by the man himself on social media platforms, as well as various other opinion articles.

It is quite ironic, that today, Masiyiwa’s almost crumbled dream is the biggest private entity in Zimbabwe. He employs several thousand people, directly and indirectly.

His company remits the largest amount of tax revenue to the government. Suffice to say, the Zimbabwean economy has one shining beacon — Econet Wireless. Yet, for near a decade, Zanu PF, largely through ex-Vice President Joice Mujuru frustrated this ambition.

While the likes of Botswana and Nigeria, et al embraced the vision of a man inspired to change the world, Zanu PF was determined to block the potential employment of several hundreds.

Mawere: ‘The Mining Industry’

Mutumwa Mawere is yet another African icon whose dreams were trampled on by Zanu PF. Despite initially supporting him, albeit without direct involvement, when the government found that Mawere held a deep loyalty to business principle than corrupt patronage, they nationalised his mine with the intention to punish him.

The point of all this is that, sanctions or no sanctions, our situation could be much better. But, Zanu PF, at every chance, will frustrate the dreams of one man and kill those of a million just to preserve their misrule.

Ryan Nush was a man ahead of his times and technology. So too was Strive Masiyiwa. Both were frustrated because Zanu PF does not embrace creativity. Zanu PF is scared silly of innovative young men who can change the world, and more significantly change the lives of several hundred thousand Zimbabweans. While brain drain is normal, Zanu PF has made it part of its unspoken mandate to chase away many and all exceptional people from the country.

It is not the West that is the enemy, nor sanctions, nor opposition, gays, or the absence of Mbuya Nehanda’s bones.

Zanu PF is the enemy of the people, and whatever effect external white capital interests have had on the nation, all that stands like a pea next to a mountain when compared to the determination of the revolution to kill us off, and our dreams too. All this while they live lavish lifestyles. ●Maynard Manyowa is a political & social analyst. You can reach him for feedback via his website http://www.maynardmanyowa.com, on Twitter — @iAmKudaMaynard or by liking his FB page — Maynard Kudakwashe Manyowa