Editorial Comment
AFTER coming into power on the back of a military coup in November 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa embarked on a charm offensive, both locally and international. He has been preaching the gospel of his “Second Republic”, which we were made to believe would correct everything that went wrong under former President Robert Mugabe’s reign.
But since then, the wheels appear to have come off his train, and the latest bid by Zanu PF to spend at least $1 million on an unnecessary and costly solidarity march is proof that the party and its supporters live with their heads buried in the sand. The country is facing a serious fuel crisis, with citizens having to sleep in fuel queues, and the ruling party would rather commit a whole million dollars to bus and feed jobless people to march for the President.
If, indeed, the President won the elections, why does he need a solidarity march? These are the things that should have been buried alongside Mugabe’s political career. These extravagant events serve to show that the current political leaders – which allows such silly shows to go on – is unrepentant and has stuck to the same old ways of doing things that got us where we are today as nation.
Someone needs to drive some sense into Zanu PF that such marches do not benefit the country at all. They only serve to show those countries that had been keen to assist Zimbabwe that we have not turned the corner, as everyone expected. When a President globetrots with a begging bowl, while his party invests time and energy to raise money to fund a useless march simply shows his government is not serious.
Instead of mobilising resources to help knock the country’s economy back into shape, these jobless youths would rather lend all their energies to Zanu PF, just to massage the egos of those in power, when they should rather be focused on nation building.
It’s really pointless to bring people to Harare from the different provinces for the march, feed them and give them money for transport back to their provinces, where they will continue struggling to put food on the table. Why not invest that money into projects that will bring real benefit to those people and the nation at large? Food for thought.
