Zimbabwe has oil and gas - a blessing but only if shared by all and not looted by the few N Garikai

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially announced oil and gas deposits discovery in Muzarabani, Mashonaland Central province, following a study carried out by an Australian company, Invictus Energy Limited,” reported Bulawayo 24.

"The government of Zimbabwe will work very closely with Invictus to ensure that the Invictus realises its plans to sink an exploration well by mid-2020. After exploration well, the next stage will be commercial exploitation of the resource," he said.

For Zimbabwe, just as happened in so many other countries notably DRC and Sierra Leone; the discovery of such key resources as oil, diamonds, etc. has often turned out to be a curse and not the blessing one expected. The discovery of oil and gas deposits in Muzarabani is a blessing but only if we act decisively to make sure it does not become another curse!

The discovery of diamonds in Marange and Chiadzwa in 2004/5 only served to re-energise Zanu PF thugs and harden their resolve to hang-on to power at all cost. The prospect of losing political power in the 2008 elections and lose control of the diamond wealth that was just coming on stream was unthinkable. 

Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party lost the March 2008 vote to Morgan Tsvangirai’s tally of 73%, according to Mugabe’s Freudian slip. Zanu PF thugs under the leadership of none other than the now President Mnangagwa, order ZEC to recount the votes. After six weeks Tsvangirai’s vote was whittled down to 47%, enough to force a run-off. 

Zanu PF thugs, once again under the leadership of Mnangagwa, set out to harass, beat, rape and even kill innocent Zimbabwe; to punish the people for having rejected Mugabe and Zanu PF in the March vote and to make sure they voted for Mugabe in the June run-off. 

Mugabe secured an 84% landslide victory and Zanu PF retained its strangle hold on political power and the nation’s wealth and resources, including the diamonds. Over the years Zanu PF ruling elite and the party - money to bankroll it varied and expensive vote rigging and vote buying schemes - have benefited greatly from the discovery of diamonds in Marange. 

Of course, the discovery of Marange diamonds have been a curse to Zimbabwe; only a tiny fraction of the wealth from diamond has been used for the common good, the rest has gone into the deep pockets of the ruling elite hardening they resolve to keep the de facto one-party dictatorship at all cost. 

When President Mnangagwa staged last November’s military coup to seize power from his former boss, Robert Mugabe, the new regime promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. This was too good to be true considering he and his coup plotters were the same individuals who state the 2008 coup to stop Tsvangirai and MDC getting into power. 

No one was really surprised that Mnangagwa and his junta blatantly rigged the 30 July 2018 elections. No one!

By rigging the elections Mnangagwa was assured Zanu PF’s iron grip on power was guaranteed. But the assurance came at a price, by rigging the elections he confirmed Zimbabwe was still a pariah state. This has scarred away the much needed investors and lenders, no one wants to do business with corrupt and vote rigging thugs. 

Ever since the 30 July 2018 elections, the Zimbabwe economy has taken one knock after another, the country is facing serious shortages of foreign currency, food, fuel, medicine, etc. The regime has responded by going full throttle after forex dealers, has lifted importation of food and other goods, etc. But nothing to stimulate local production to create the much needed employment opportunities and reduce the pressure imports. 

Unemployment is a nauseating 90%, most basic services like the supply of clean water and health care have all but collapsed, 75% of the population are living on US$1.00 or less and, worse still, things are set to get worse! 

What is now crystal clear is there is no hope of any meaningful economic recovery as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state. What is also clear is that as long as Zanu PF remains in office to the next elections, the party will rig those elections just as readily as it has rigged elections these last 38 years. 

The pressure on President Mnangagwa to step down since they rigged the 30 July 2018 and are, per se, illegitimate has been growing. The discovery of oil and gas reserves in Zimbabwe is one piece of good news to the nation, no doubt President Mnangagwa wanted to announce the news himself.

Whilst the worsening economic situation has piling the pressure on the Zanu PF regime to resign, the oil and gas discovery has just re-energised the regime to hang on to power with renews hope and resolve.

The Zanu PF thugs have been singing “THE GOOD TIMES ARE HERE AGAIN!” at the top of their voices! Talk to anyone of these thugs about implementing democratic reforms and holding free, fair and credible elections and they will fall-off the chair laughing. 

Zimbabwe has oil and gas reserves and all hope of forcing Zanu PF to step down to allow the country to implement the democratic reforms and hold our first ever free, fair and credible elections is as good as dead. 

Zanu PF will now believe the country will use the wealth from oil and gas to finance all the country’s economic activities without the party risking losing power in a free, fair and credible elections. 

In practice, a Zanu PF regime that is NOT democratically accountable to the people will take the lion’s share of the wealth generated from the oil and gas to feed the insatiable appetite of the party ruling elite and use the rest to bankroll the party’s devilish vote rigging and vote buying schemes. This is what has happened to the wealth from the diamonds and exactly the same will happen to the wealth from oil and gas. 

If people think it has been hard to force Zanu PF to dismantle the de facto one-party state the nation has suffered and many have died unnecessarily these last 38 years. Ever since the party had the billions looted from Marange diamonds, the task of dismantling Zanu PF became significantly harder. The task will not become any easier should the de facto one party state still be there when the money from oil and gas start to flow. 

The discovery of oil and gas should be cause for all Zimbabweans to celebrate but only if the resources will be used for the good of all Zimbabweans and not the few ruling elite, as happened with the diamonds. If there was ever a time when Zimbabweans must unite and speak with one voice it is now. 

Our demand is simple: We demand a new system of government in which the freedoms and rights of all, including the right to free and fair elections and the right to life, are guaranteed. We demand the full implementation of all the democratic reforms agree at the on set of the 2008 GNU. 

Unless there is democratic reform in Zimbabwe the discovery of the oil and gas will be a blessing to the corrupt and tyrannical ruling elite and a curse to the oppressed and voiceless povo! We have duty to ourselves and posterity to put this abomination right!