A FORMER Cabinet minister has hit out at “docile” Zimbabweans, who are content to sleep in queues outside banks rather than take action over the country’s worsening economic situation.
NewZimbabwe.com
Ex-War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube was given a standing ovation by Members of Parliament when he made the remarks at a pre-budget seminar in the resort town of Victoria Falls last Thursday.
He said he was shocked by how Zimbabweans remain passive as their rights continue to be trampled upon.
The liberation war veteran was recently sacked from Cabinet by President Robert Mugabe in a reshuffle that saw several ministers perceived to be sympathetic to former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa being dropped.
His dismissal came after he backed calls for the 93-year-old Mugabe to name his successor and also faced charges of supporting a former liberation fighters’ faction led by Christopher Mutsvangwa, which also wants the veteran Zanu PF leader to step down.
Dube was also said to be an ally of Mnangagwa.
“People who deposit their money in the bank and are unable to withdraw it are docile and mentally retarded,” the former War Veterans minister said to the applause from fellow legislators at the meeting.
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“Our situation is because of a failed economy, but nothing is being done, but the leadership is good at finding scapegoats,” he told NewZimbabwe.com in a later interview.
“Just go around the cities and towns and see how people stand in queues day in, day out and not getting their money.
“They go home and do the same thing every day. And they don’t complain, is that normal?”
Zimbabwe has struggled with cash shortages for about two years with the government seemingly unable to address the problem. The introduction of bond notes in November has failed to make an impact as they are hard to get.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has blamed excessive government spending for worsening the crisis, warning that if not dealt with, the problem could worsen the cash shortages.
“Excessive government spending, if continued, could exacerbate the cash scarcity, further jeopardise the health of the external and financial sectors, and, ultimately, fuel inflation,” the IMF said earlier this year.
Finance minister Ignatius Chombo revealed last week that the government deficit would, this year, hit $1,82 billion against a target of $400 million.
