THE crushing of dissenting voices by the Zanu PF government is just, but a tip of the iceberg compared to what is to come under the new dispensation, especially as the 2023 elections draw nearer.
While most of us ululated and heaved a sigh of relief on the coming in of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, we lost sight of the fact that a leopard does not change its spots.
It started with the killing of peaceful demonstrators on August 1, 2018, which was followed by countrywide anti-government demonstrations spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in January 2019, which saw the death of 24 people, as workers and citizens protested against the deteriorating economic situation following a 150% fuel price hike.
The reaction of the “mafia organisation” was more than what was expected, with the powers-that-be engaging in door-to-door visits, beating up innocent people.
We become desperate when army generals leave their barracks to meddle in civil affairs.
Police officers and soldiers reacted by going about shooting and beating demonstrators.
The Constitution has now become the proverbial white elephant and is totally disregarded by those who should enforce it.
Some of us, who still have a graphic recollection of the 2018 gruesome massacres, become very scared when authorities brag about not aligning the laws to the Constitution.
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We also become very scared when the police are the new champions of disrupting political gatherings as what transpired at the MDC Alliance gatherings in Masvingo last week.
We become even more scared when the police “see no evil, hear not evil” when an attempt on the life of MDC Alliance leader happens right under their noses.
We become worried when Zanu PF activists such as Tafadzwa Mugwadi dismiss an assassination attempt as stage-managed.
Even if President Emmerson Mnangagwa goes, we are likely to face a more dangerous monster coming from the rookie ambitious crop within the Zanu PF leadership, some of them yet to taste real power. We are going to have young vampires, who will trample on our civil rights to retain power.
Signs are already there that we could experience a bloodier and more violent 2023 election than the 2008 poll.
Zanu PF politicians have already put on boxing gloves and literally declared war on Chamisa. –Chief Chiduku
Zimbabwe moving in cycles
ZIMBABWE is reeling under the effects of bad leadership and awful ruling Zanu PF party governance.
With what is happening under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule, it would not be surprising if Zimbabwe becomes the country with Africa’s worst performing economy like what happened in 2008 before the late former President Robert Mugabe begged MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai to form a government of national unity.
In 2008, a loaf of bread cost billions even after the removal of 13 zeros from the local currency.
From the look of things, we are headed back to that dark period, where people lost their life savings. That has already happened with the conversion of people’s savings in United States dollars to Zimdollars.
When the government goes broke, it raids foreign currency accounts of its citizens. That is sad and disgusting.
Right now, things have gone out of control.
Fuel prices are going up every month, making basic goods unaffordable for many.
Zimbabwe is moving in cycles. From the days of the economic structural adjustment programme in the 1990s to the hyperinflationary era of the 2000s and now this!
Every decade, the government robs its people.
And now, it is turning to MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora and other briefcase parties under the Political Actors Dialogue banner for the formation of another GNU to arrest the situation.
Are we so blind that we fail to see this? –Mai Ruru
When will Africa wake up from economic slumber?
THE Chinese bamboo is an amazing tree. Its seed stays underground for five years without germinating, but when it does, it grows considerably big in one week.
What is important is not how long it delays, but how fast it grows.
Don’t give up on your dreams for Africa no matter how long it stays underground. It’s a matter of time; you need staying power.
The Chinese bamboo seed lies underground, waiting for the right time to sprout. Africa, once dubbed a dark continent, has started emitting light.
No situation is permanent. Africa needs its citizens to keep focused. Who is going to stand up and say “I am ready to rebuild Africa?”
Previously, Africa failed to realise economic growth. This was mainly due to inaccessibility of information to the Africans who are supposed to effectively take charge of their economies.
Now, an average African can access vital economic information through the increased use of technology in economic and business affairs. This has closed the gap between African economies and the rest of the world.
Ten years ago, it was almost impossible for an ordinary African to communicate with the rest of the world. These ordinary citizens are now empowered and have become drivers of their own economies.
Without a doubt, such massive economic participation by ordinary citizens is a guarantee of a huge economic turnaround in Africa.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame once said: “In Africa today, we recognise that trade and investments and not aid are major pillars of development.”
Ordinary Africans have, for long, been seen as people in need of donations. This was mainly because of Africans’ passive participation in economic issues.
However, people in Africa are now active in the economy; they are now entrepreneurs and not charity cases.
This, therefore, supports and explains what Kagame meant when he said: “The way to go is to believe in our capability and strategies for economic growth. Before laying the foundation, the first key to unlock is to believe.”-Anon
