Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko will today clock 552 days in the ease and luxury of a five-star hotel in Harare, gobbling over $310 000 in accommodation alone at the impoverished taxpayers’ expense.
NewsDay Comment
Under normal circumstances, this would have raised dust a long time ago, and President Robert Mugabe would have kicked his deputy out of the top hotel to save the scarce financial resources.
Yet, the opposite is happening as the President is ignoring calls by the public to adopt austerity measures for the good of the country. Otherwise, how does one explain a situation such as Mphoko’s where one stays in a hotel for a good 18 months after refusing to take accommodation at an official government house simply for selfish egos?
Who does not know that Zimbabwe is going through abnormal — if not extraordinary circumstances — given the unprecedented political and socio-economic challenges spawned by Zanu PF misrule, corruption and misgovernance among many ills Mugabe has dismally failed to remedy over his 36-year rule to the detriment of the country?
Mphoko’s continued hotel stay is simply a microcosm of the macrocosm, typifying as it does the attitude of Mugabe’s government at a time Zimbabwe’s social services are in a tailspin due to dwindling international support caused by Mugabe’s intransigency, among other things.
It is no wonder that matters came to a head yesterday when a group of activists, frustrated by Mphoko’s attitude, particularly his refusal to move into his newly-renovated government house which cost $3,5million insisting that he wanted the property “touched up” to his satisfaction.
NewsDay broke the story on Thursday this week that Mphoko was reportedly refusing to move out of the hotel into a State mansion in Harare’s leafy Grange suburb amid claims he was not happy with renovations made to the house so far.
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The commotion which happened when a group the protestors stormed the hotel demanding Mphoko’s immediate removal was merely a demonstration of the feeling of the majority of Zimbabweans, who continue to endure the brunt of the economic downturn procreated by callous Zanu PF politicians.
The manhandling of the activists by the riot police sent the message that Zimbabwe is a repressive State, which is not safe even for tourists or investment.
The fact that Mphoko has spent over $300 000 in accommodation costs at the taxpayers’ expense is in itself an indictment of Mugabe’s administration and an indication of how the Zanu PF establishment he represents is so out of touch with what the ordinary Zimbabwean, are going through.
Mphoko has reportedly demanded more changes to the house to ensure it meets “his stature” at a time when the State is struggling to fund the required improvements due to a depleted revenue base.
This shows that he is not moved at all by the dire situation in the country. The presidential suite that Mphoko is staying costs $403 inclusive of bed and breakfast for two per day, while lunch and dinner cost $15 each, and an additional $130 for his two grandchildren he stays with — figures that the majority of Zimbabweans, can barely afford in a month.
Mphoko must be reminded that Zimbabweans will increasingly get frustrated by such conduct and by the look of things, it is probably just a matter of time before an explosion occurs. The Zanu PF leadership has long been an albatross on the necks of Zimbabweans.
They have been taken for a ride by Mugabe and Zanu PF politicians for far too long. Zimbabweans deserve better leadership, not a kleptocracy.
