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NewsDay

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Mnangagwa should make good on promises

ZIM TRANSITION
THAT Zimbabweans are eager to see changes in the economic, social and political arenas is not in doubt.

THAT Zimbabweans are eager to see changes in the economic, social and political arenas is not in doubt.

But, what is in doubt is what the new political dispensation, led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, will do for them.

The country has been under economic haemorrhage due to endemic corruption, social decay and poor governance by the previous Zanu PF regime. It is, therefore, fair for the citizenry to be circumspect in who they choose to support this time around.

Therefore, the war of words between MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, and Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association chairperson and new special advisor to the President, Christopher Mutsvangwa, is one of the many side issues that Zimbabweans would never want to see going forward.

To the majority of Zimbabweans, service delivery and good governance is at the core of their immediate deliverables and political haggling is the last thing on their hands currently.

Whether Mnangagwa invited Tsvangirai or not does not add anything to the country. We believe it was still going to be a tall order for Mnangagwa to convince Tsvangirai to join him as much as the MDC-T.

Mnangagwa is supposed to be in office for just over eight months and prepare the country for the 2018 elections.

Because the MDC-T will fight it out with Zanu PF, we have no doubt that either of them would have used their pole position in the transitional government to scuttle and derail the other’s position.

We do not see why the opposition should worry over their inclusion in the new Cabinet. Already, the MDC-T is chasing the ball, while Zanu PF is taking the unfolding events in its stride and controlling the narrative.

We have said this before that the opposition politics should have a fall-back plan if ever they still entertained the idea of becoming the ruling party.

It is clear that the opposition front is disabled by the new developments that unfolded in the country given their mantra was always “Mugabe must go”. Now that he is gone there is need for them to think from outside the box.

Politics is a game of numbers, the coming election is a decisive one given the issues at hand. What complicates matters for the opposition is if Mnangagwa’s team delivers on some of the promises he made in his inauguration speech and many other foras he has addressed lately, the opposition camp is doomed for good.

Mutsvangwa’s accusation against Tsvangirai could be a diversionary tactic which could work well for the ruling party, and we urge the opposition to see through his shenanigans than be fixated on Mugabe must go or even the composition of Mnangagwa’s Cabinet.

With all due respect, the Cabinet is Mnangagwa’s choices — repaying loyalty and seeking delivery at the same time.

But for ordinary Zimbabweans, Mnangagwa should just make good on his promises. And the opposition should go back to the drawing board and checkmate the ruling party. They should also prepare for the decisive 2018 polls regardless of the existing sticking issues.

Zanu PF will not reform itself out of power. If anything, they will seek to entrench their position in the remaining months.

The opposition can only raise hope of winning next year’s election if they remain focused. Zimbabweans have clearly showed their disdain of the oppressive former Zanu PF regime.

But, Zanu PF has renewed or reinvented itself, and clearly they will not take chances to win the next vote, hence, they will leave no stone unturned in their quest to retain power.

The opposition must wake up and smell the coffee.