PRO-DEMOCRACY activist, Linda Masarira, has predicted a gloomy 2017, saying the economic and socio-political challenges experienced in the past year were likely to roll over into this year, as long as the Zanu PF government remains in power.
BY SILAS NKALA
In her New Year’s message, Masarira said the “rotten economy” was still the same, and the dysfunctional Zanu PF government is still in power with the failed Robert Mugabe still President.
“Our streets are still dirty, we still have corrupt ministers and government officials, there are still unnecessarily numerous roadblocks on our roads, there are still no jobs, industries are still shut, and no one knows as yet where the $15 billion is. No new economic and political reforms in sight,” she said.
“In the eyes of the ordinary citizen, the 2017 Zimbabwean situation is exactly the same as it was in 2016, with the added potential to get worse. Access to basics like food, farming inputs, access to social services like education and healthcare is still a real struggle for millions of us.”
Masarira said those, whose houses were demolished, were still homeless.
“We are still using bond notes, which are products of economic terrorism by the central bank. [Jailed MDC-T activists] Yvonne Musarurwa, Tungamirai Madzokere and Last Maengahama are still in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, Itai Dzamara is still missing, and stolen Zimdef funds have not been returned as yet. Around 400 innocent citizens still have pending court cases over politically-motivated charges in a clear case of abuse of State institutions by the dictatorship,” she said.
“The coming of a new year brings new hope, but for us to realise that hope we have to have new mindsets. It is critical for us all to know that we are our own saviours as Zimbabwean citizens to save ourselves from the social, economic and political prison that Zimbabwe has been turned into by Robert Mugabe and his cronies. There will be no super hero to come and free us.”
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Masarira said 2017 should be a year of unity for progressive Zimbabweans across social, economic and political divides to remove the Zanu PF the system from power and revive the country.
“We should intensify all our efforts, be they in educating the masses, mobilisation, demonstrations and recruiting our fellow citizens, especially that we are approaching 2018. We deserve a change and new things as soon as yesterday,” she said.
“Our independence must qualitatively transform the lives of the generality of the nation of Zimbabwe. Our politics must be underpinned by the need to make our independence meaningful to the majority of our people.”
