‘Civil unrest inevitable’

By The NewsDay | Jul. 16, 2022 | 2 Min read

In a report, Comaliso director Rejoice Ngwenya said policy inconsistencies and the love for “command” economics were some of the biggest drivers of the economicturbulence.

By LORRAINE MUROMO THE Coalition for Market and Liberal Solutions (Comaliso) research group has said civil unrest cannot be ruled out because of the deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

In a report, Comaliso director Rejoice Ngwenya said policy inconsistencies and the love for “command” economics were some of the biggest drivers of the economic turbulence.

“The central government has failed to respond to these demands, positioning the nation for nationwide industrial unrest,” he said in the report.

“This whole cacophony of economic turbulence translates to political discomfort, forcing the central government to harden its stance on dissenting voices.”

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa early this week said the economy was being sabotaged by unnamed “dark forces”.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has also claimed that the economy was being sabotaged as the local currency continues on a free-fall, sparking a wave of price hikes.

Early this week, government threatened to withdraw trading licences for business rejecting the Zimbabwe dollar in favour of the United States dollar.

But Ngwenya said there was need to de-politicise the economy.

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“There is an urgent need to demilitarise and de-politicise the economy to allow inclusion, equal access and empowerment. Creating a real market-led economy today has become difficult because the invisible hand of demand and supply is decapitated by price manipulation,” he said.

“Our government is too big, attempting to respond to every challenge with a new ministry, department or statutory instrument.”

Analysts yesterday said the Comaliso report was spot on, with Effie Ncube noting that the evidence-based research was consistent with the current situation.

“A number of things have been done by the government which have added up to this. There is no one that can invest in a confused economy,” Ncube said.

Another political analyst Methuseli Moyo added: “Policies do not work in isolation. They go hand in hand with domestic politics and international relational issues.”