WHO bewitched our once beautiful country? The only inspiring words from President Emmerson Mnangagwa was at his inauguration speech at the giant National Sports Stadium, when he said: “The voice of the people is the voice of God.”
By Leonard Koni, Our Reader
Recently when I was watching a video of him giving some masks to the Zanu PF women’s league, I was taken back to the days when he was Vice-President when he used to say “tichingotonga”.
Surprisingly, he is still using the word “kutonga” literally meaning to rule.
Zimbabwe does not need rulers, but leaders. The word ruling is more synonymous with a distinction in dictatorship, brutality, vindictiveness, greed, mismanagement, misrule, corruption and an inept government.
Three years after the coup, the unemployment rate is still high. The health sector is still in comatose. Service delivery is in shambles. People are still living under abject poverty. The Zimbabwean dollar is weakening everyday.
On June 10 this year, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe was flanked by service chiefs as he held a Press conference dismissing a rumour that there was a coup brewing.
How does the government address a media conference with the top leadership of the security structure in attendance to address a coup rumour?
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This coup rumour is just a side show to distract people from the real challenges facing the country. People are aware of corruption which is currently taking place.
Mnangagwa is in self-destruct mode and, unfortunately, his Zanu PF supporters are cheering him on like what they used to do during the late former President Robert Mugabe’s era. It looks like we have finally come to the dead end and now sliding to a point of no return. As such, the Zimbabwean situation has now reached a boiling point.
Prices are galloping. Bread was 90 cents during Mugabe’s time and now, it’s $60. We are slowly going back to the former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono’s economic era, where the country was using trillions of dollars.
This clueless regime has plunged the majority of Zimbabweans into deep poverty.
Like before, people have been used to fight the Zanu PF battles and were left clutching thin air and with nothing to show.
People who were used as foot soldiers to remove Mugabe from office are now facing their match and the battle lines have been drawn.
The people have been abused in Zanu PF factional battles. To divert people from focusing on most pressing issues, the government has set a day for national prayer and fasting. This is total hypocrisy.
Does Zimbabwe need a date for prayer and fasting? I know Zimbabweans are very prayerful people and have been practising that since time immemorial and they do it nearly everyday.
Currently, the country needs a President who will implement political reforms as well as Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry recommendations. Those soldiers who killed six civilians in 2018 have not been brought to book, but we are told the police are working around the clock to arrest them.
Zimbabwe needs a President who will not take ages to fire corrupt government officials and those breaking laws of the land. The people are crying for a President who will stop and put some plugs to those looting in the government.
The people are looking for a President who will not fire or threaten whistleblowers who are reporting corruption cases.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. Since when has prayer and fasting ever solved politician-induced problems such as poor governance, looting, abductions, arbitrary arrests of members of the opposition, arresting of lawyers, selectively application of the law and corruption.
For the nation to move forward, it needs good governance, restoration of rule of law, stop looting public funds, respect of human rights and uprooting corruption at all levels regardless of one’s position, status or political affiliation.
There are no hostile foreign governments planning to dislodge Mnangagwa, but government’s missteps and corruption are the chief suspects.
