“Zimbabwe receives $150 million in U.S. aid funding annually to combat food insecurity and support climate resilience programs for 2.1 million people,” said a report in The Zimbabwean.
“Uncertainty Grows in Zimbabwe as the Trump Administration Considers Cutting Foreign Aid.”
It is the ordinary Zimbabweans who are worried and not the ruling elite! They could not care less.
Anyone can go around in Zimbabwe and see the schools and clinics built, equipped and paid for using USA aid. Every year, millions of Zimbabweans, have relied on the Americans and other foreign donors for food, medicine and other bear necessities of life; they know they cannot rely on their own Zimbabwe govern.
Over a year and half ago President Mugabe admitted that $15 billions in diamond revenue was "swindled". To date, no one has been arrested, not a single dollar recovered and the Minister of Finance, Patrick Chinamasa, has since given up hope of ever getting any diamond revenue. The diamond mining is going on 24/7 but no one is paying any tax thus confirming the "swindling" is going on unabated.
Many people believe the industrial scale “swindling” in Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields in costing Zimbabwe as much as $15 billion per year. $150 m of USA aid has accomplished so much; how much more would $15 b have accomplished? You do the maths!
As a Zimbabwean, I too am concerned to hear America is going to cut its aid to the country, because I know many Zimbabweans, dependent on the aid, will suffer. Still, I can understand why the American taxpayer, as is the case with many other nationals, is suffering from donor fatigue. Every year, without failure, for the last four decades; Zimbabwe government officials, academics, individuals, everyone have all trooped in and out of the American Embassy, begging for help of one form or another. The donors have been amused to see what the beggars are doing!
The same Zimbabweans pestering the donors with their begging bowl have never lifted a finger to stop the $15 billions per year being “swindled” under their own noses. Zimbabwe’s ruling elite, especial President Mugabe and his family, live such an extravagantly lavish lifestyle that even filthy rich Hollywood stars would cringe at such criminal waste. So, if the victims of the Zimbabwe’s criminal waste of the country’s resources cannot be bothered to stop it; why should the American taxpayer or anyone else out there be expected to step in and alleviate the victims’ suffering.
There is, of course, a practical aspect to aid; there is a limit to the size of gap donor aid can bridge. Zimbabwe’s economic situation has grown worse and worse and the begging bowl has grown bigger and deeper and the line of beggars has grown longer. Even if the Americans double their aid to Zimbabwe, instead of cutting it; the size of the begging bowl and queue will grow because the insatiable greed of the ruling elite increase ten-fold overnight if need be to soak up the wealth and generate the poverty.
The prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe was never dependent on how much the nation collected in the begging bowl but rather on how well the nation managed its human and material resources for the good of all and not just the few ruling elite!
If Zimbabweans allow Zanu PF to rig next year’s election and thus allow the swindling and criminal waste of resources to continue then, of course, the nation’s economic misery will get worse. We will have only ourselves to blame for this since it is in our power to stop the vote rigging and put an end to the decades of misrule.
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders not to contest the July 2013 elections with no reforms in place and Tsvangirai and company ignored the advice. Not even one reform was implemented since the rigged July 2013 election; SADC leaders’ advice is even more relevant today!
We can stop Zanu PF rigging next year’s election by demanding the implementation of the democratic reform, which, if implemented will stop vote rigging; BEFORE the next elections.
Today, we, Zimbabweans, are the poorest in Africa because of four decades gross mismanagement and rampant corruption under this corrupt and tyrannical Robert Mugabe dictatorial rule. Not even the generous donor aid from the Americans and other nations was enough to save us from the economic meltdown brought on by the Zanu PF criminal waste of resources. We, Zimbabweans, have let ourselves down because it was for us and not anyone else to ensure we have a competent and accountable government at all times from the day the country attained her independence in 1980. We did not.
“Mudzimu inorwira anozvirwira!” (God helps those who help themselves!) as one would say in Shona. Zimbabwe’s economic situation of 90% unemployed, 72.3% of the population now living in poverty, etc. is now so serious and urgent the country will become socially and politically unstable is nothing is done to revive the economy. It is for us, Zimbabweans, and no one else, to find a solution to our present problem of bad governance!
The threat by the Americans to cut foreign aid, should help focus the nation’s minds on the task in hand – implement the reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections.
7 comments:
@ CZ
"Anyway, I am happy with the work you are doing on the ground… we have already won the elections," you said.
Well that is now obvious that even Dr Nkosana Moyo has accepted this reality and has shut up and withdrawn from the race. I really cannot think of anything else that would have forced him to shut up and force him to withdraw - although time will tell if he will not put his name forward just so he can have his name on the ballot paper.
He would like the framed ballot as an addition to the wall paper of certificates, degrees, doctorates, photograph with ambassadors, Ministers, Presidents Chief Executives, etc., etc. An A0 size colour print of the ballot paper with his name and photograph would gratify his ego, for a half an hour.
CZ, rigging next year's elections has been easy, too easy if the truth must be said given the chaos in the opposition camp. But there lies the problem, everyone can see the whole election is just a sham; the discredited opposition are only contesting for the scraps of gravy train seats.
Do you really think SADC leaders are going to allow you to get away with yet another rigged election as they did in 2013? Of course, if they were to give their thumbs down as they did in 2008 the rest of AU and the world will do the same. This time, it will not be another GNU with Tsvangirai.
So, rigging next year's election is the easy bit the impossible bit is getting SADC to endorse the result! Good luck Comrade, you are going to need all the good lucky you can get!
It has taken nearly 40 years for justice to finally catch up with you CZ. The wheel of justice turns but slowly but it turns! Et justitiam in rota volvitur: sed lente et vertit!
MDC donors deserted the party in droves in 2013 when it was clear the party leaders were corrupt and incompetent and had just sold-out in failing to get even one democratic reform implemented. There was no excuse for this failure other than greed.
Ever since the rigged elections, MDC has done nothing to show they accept they blundered and have learned something from their past mistakes. If anything the party has either pretended not to hear each time the issue of their past performance is raised or vigorous defended their record.
So, we can count on Morgan Tsvangirai and friends to blunder from pillar to post just as they have always done. There are not many donors who would want to spend their money bankrolling a project they know will never deliver anything!
MDC is broke and the party’s only hope of getting any money right now is from Zanu PF. Mugabe has everything in his vote rigging system working like a Swiss-clock work, he is cocksure of winning the elections. However, the public want to see a two horse race and not one horse one donkey race. MDC’s financial problems is just one area that has the party so serious handicapped the difference between the two is impossible to hide. Just to even things a little, Zanu PF is preparing a financial bailout for MDC.
Mugabe has not only ordered is he Zanu PF thugs to stop harassing and beating up MDC supporters and a few week ago went one step further and order Zanu PF thugs to beat up ZANU PF THUGS would beat opposition supporters. However, if Zanu PF thugs were now to hear that the tyrant is bankrolling MDC, they will beat up the tyrant himself because convinced he is a regime change agent disguised as Mugabe. The cover of Mugabe bankrolling MDC must not be blown and the tyrant has NIKUV, his trusted cloak and dagga partners in crime, is working on how best this can be done.
Is President Mugabe visiting Iran because President Trump has been turning the screw on that country. Mugabe thrives on thug warfare and would love to visit North Korea and Venezuela if only Zimbabwe had the economic and military muscle to flex.
As it is, he is in Iran with a begging bowl; he is too proud to call it begging and so prefers to say he is borrowing. No one is fooled by that one, they know his credit rating is junk! Everyone knows of Mugabe and his family's extravagant lifestyles and the grinding poverty of millions of ordinary Zimbabweans.
Mugabe has long become of those visitor most nation loath to welcome in their country because he will cause a scene, nag with all all the begging, or something. Now even his fellow dictators are loathing him for fear of being compared to him.
Poor Didymus Mutasa he really does not understand what is going on here. He is not poor just because he was booted of Zanu PF, he could still be a member and yet still be poor. He saw the likes of the late Enos Nkala and Nathan Shamuyarira; they remained as faithful as dogs to Mugabe to their dying day but that did not stop them sinking into grinding poverty. The two died paupers!
If Mutasa had opened his eyes, even as far back as the 1980s, he would have seen that Zanu PF was dragging the nation deeper and deeper into economic trouble because the regime's reckless spending and mismanagement was doomed to failure. He should have told Mugabe the madness must stop but he did not because as long as he got a share of the spoils of power and looted wealth he was happy.
Mutasa was so happy with the dictatorship he install himself as the Manicaland Godfather and ruled the province with an iron fist! He boasted of the CIO's reach in every home, making Zimbabwe a Police State in which the people live in fear of the regime. He ordered the beating, rape and even murder of his political opponents.
Even if Mutasa was readmitted back into Zanu PF he will be shocked to discover his economic position will not change because there is no wealth to give away. Indeed, the dog-eat-dog in fighting still going on even after Mutasa and other were booted out is about fighting over the little wealth. Zanu PF is doing another load-shedding!
What Mutasa should get into his thick head is that the Zanu PF dictatorship was doom to fail and it has failed. The best course of action now is to scrap the system, implement the democratic reforms and replace the one-party dictatorship with a healthy and functional multiparty democracy based on the respect of all Zimbabweans' freedoms and human rights.
We are not going back to the Zanu PF one-party state just to give Mutasa a chance to get Mugabe to pay his ZESA $70 000 electricity bill, etc. and assure him a decent burial as a national hero and not the pauper's burial that awaits him as of now.
@ Brian
Whilst I agree with many of the things you said, I do not believe Zanu PF will get away with another rigged election as easily as they did in 2013.
SADC leaders reminded Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends of the need to implement the democratic reforms throughout the five years of the GNU. Sadly Tsvangirai & co. did not hear a word because they had their snouts in the gravy train feeding trough. Mugabe saw to it that the trough was well supplied with ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a former white owned farm and $ 4 million mansion for Ncube and Tsvangirai, etc., etc. To show their gratitude to Mugabe MDC leaders kicked reforms into the tall grass.
Long before the July 2013 elections, SADC leaders KNEW with certainty that Zanu PF was going to rig the elections and they warned MDC leaders not to contest the elections with no reforms.
“If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done,” SADC leaders warned the MDC leaders at the June 2013 regional group summit, according to Dr Ibbo Mandaza who was there.
Tsvangirai & co. once again ignored the advice of SADC leaders. As we know Zanu PF went on to rig the elections and when MDC complained of the “stolen elections” SADC leaders ignored the complains because they had been warned this would happen.
“MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why they were there,” SADC leaders commented, in sheer frustration at the MDC leaders’ incompetence. Indeed, SADC leaders have ignored MDC leaders ever since the rigged July 2013 elections.
Of course, SADC leaders are painfully aware that there is no way Zimbabwe can have free, fair and credible elections without implementing the democratic reforms first. The same things that made them certain the July 2013 elections “were done” long before voting are happening again this time. The regime is delaying voter registration, it is now less than a year to voting, and still the registration has not started. It will then be rushed through so there will be no time to check anything.
Last time SADC leaders accepted the rigged election results because they were angry with MDC leaders. They will not do so again, especial when they know that Zimbabwe’s political problem is now a serious threat to the stability of the country and the region. Last time Botswana wanted Zimbabwe’s election audited, next year she will not be the only one saying so.
President Trump is under increasing pressure from all sides and here is one area where he can vent his anger and get away with it. Cutting aid to Zimbabwe will not mean much to the American taxpayer but will mean a lot to Harare. President Trump will cut the aid for the latter reason even if it was going to cost America money, just to fix Mugabe, especial if the latter was to give one of his traditional anti-west vitriolic speeches!
With not even one democratic reform in place everyone in the opposition camp knows that Zanu PF will just rig the elections as they have done so many times in the past. The only reason they are all contesting these flawed elections is decide who will win these few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away at such times.
Everyone in the opposition camp knows that even in opposition strongholds Zanu PF will have a significant number of baseline - Zanu PF needs this to secure the landslide victory in the presidential race. And so the opposition cannot afford the luxury of having too many opposition candidates contesting the same seat. The coalition talks is to agree who will contest.
The most important thing to note here is the coalition is about sharing out the scraps Zanu PF throws away and not about dislodging Zanu PF and ending the dictatorship.
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