ZIMBABWEANS from a wide section of society yesterday said they would today commemorate the country’s 37th independence anniversary under a cloud of despair and uncertainty as a result of deeply entrenched corruption and poor governance by the Zanu PF regime.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda, said the country had sunk so low that some people were even wishing independence had never come.
“There are children, who were born in 1980 and 37 years on, they have not enjoyed the fruits of the liberation struggle, they have never got a job. The situation is so bad that some people are beginning to miss the days of our oppressors. You hear Zimbabweans say the days of (the late former colonial leader) Ian Smith were better,” he said.
Matemadanda said the rot was being fuelled by greedy Zanu PF politicians, who have allegedly held President Robert Mugabe captive, as they enriched themselves by looting State coffers dry.
Opposition MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai said: “Every Zimbabwean must ask themselves whether we really deserve this suffering in a country for which so many paid the ultimate sacrifice. Fellow Zimbabweans, let us use the opportunity next year to poise our country for growth, inclusion, unity and development. Indeed, as I have said before, none of us have any reason to fear the change that is now imminent upon this our beloved country in 2018.”
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Harare mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni, said instead of improving the lives of the people through infrastructure development and basic freedoms, the Zanu PF government had taken the country back to the stone age.
“We are nowhere near! And the future is not assured either, look at the state of the roads, infrastructure and the general standards of life of the people around you. Would you call that independence? The city will get worse before it gets better because the tough but necessary decisions are being resisted!” he said.
Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson, Jacob Mafume, said true independence was only being enjoyed by Mugabe and his acolytes.
“We have so many years of so-called independence, yet Zimbabwe families are desperate and have nothing to show for all the years. The political independence is all but lost, as a number of laws make sure you can be taken to court for your beliefs and opinions, the irony being that those taken to court are the lucky ones, as the others are simply beaten or have food denied them,” he said.