The worsening economic meltdown is forcing ED to do the unthinkable - step down P Guramatunhu

“Charova sei chando, kukwidza hamba mumuti!” (It will have to be bitterly cold to force the tortoise up a tree!) one would say in Shona.

Well Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation is forcing President Mnangagwa to think the unthinkable!

“Spokesperson for the MDC president Nelson Chamisa, Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda, has revealed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mr. Chamisa have begun talks aimed at ending the country’s decades-long political and economic crisis,” the Daily News reported.

“Firstly, we are saying to Mnangagwa let’s have negotiations. You must come and sit down so that we can solve the current economic crisis,” Chamisa told his supporters during the 29 November demonstration. 

“Zimbabweans are suffering. The crisis in the country is a crisis of governance, confidence, legitimacy and leadership. How can we solve this?

“We are saying let us unite. On our side we have good leadership qualities and you lack leadership qualities. So, we must unite and map the way forward.”

As much as President Mnangagwa is desperate to see end to Zimbabwe’s worsening situation of shortage of cash, foreign currency, food, fuel, medicine, etc. still even he cannot be that desperate and stupid to believe that cock and bull nonsense. Bringing in Chamisa and his MDC Alliance friends into this Zanu PF administration will not bring about any meaningful economic recovery for two basic reasons:

1. The economic reality at the start of the 2008 GNU where favourable to local economic change that brought immediate benefits. The scrapping of the Z$ end the country’s 500 billion per cent hyper inflation, literally over night, and the ending of the price controls alone allowed the shortages of goods and commercial activities to bounce back. This time there are no such quick local fixes.
2. The international community, especially the West, was not convinced the 2008 GNU would bring about any meaningful democratic change because Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were little more than office boys with glorified titles. It was for this reason that the West refused to lift the sanctions imposed against some Zanu PF leaders. As we now know, the West was right because not even one meaningful reform was implemented during the five years of the GNU. Still, the country did receive some financial assistance. The new GNU formed this time will receive no meaningful financial assistance because if MDC leaders were glorified office messengers in the 2008 GNU they will be poodles this time.

The principle reason why President Mnangagwa would want to bring in the MDC Alliance leaders into his regime is to share the blame for the economic mess. It will bring little comfort to the nation desperate to see meaningful economic recovery. The restless nation would want solution to end their suffering and not excuses!

“Zanu PF insiders claimed that the former liberation movement was already, on its part, pushing to have former Finance minister Tendai Biti in government — whether the currently indirect talks (with Chamisa) succeeded or failed,” reported Daily News

“There is no doubt that Biti has resonance with the West, and the United States in particular. The country thus needs him in government if we are to emerge from the present economic quagmire,” one ruling party source said.

The appointment would tickle Tendai Biti’s ego to no end. But we can be 100% certain that even he will fail just as Professor Mthuli Ncube has failed. There will be no meaningful economic recovery in Zimbabwe as long as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. 

Of all the people, the Americans know that Zimbabwe needs meaningful political reforms leading to free, fair and credible elections if the country is even to emerge out of the hell-on-earth Zanu PF has landed the nation. They also know that a Zanu PF led GNU will never ever implement the necessary democratic reforms to ensure free and fair elections. 

President Mnangagwa will promise to implement the reforms just as he did after last November military coup but when push comes to shove he blatantly rigged 30 July 2018 elections. 

President Mnangagwa and his junta rigged the July elections, they do not have the people’s mandate to govern Zimbabwe and they must step down. After 38 years of rigging elections and imposing themselves on the nation it is right and proper that the regime is told in no uncertain terms that it is illegitimate and must step down. 

Zimbabwe needs to appoint an interim administration that will be tasked to implement the democratic reforms agreed at the on set of the 2008 GNU. No Zanu PF or MDC leaders involved in the 2008 GNU will play a role in the new administration; if they had no clue how to implement the reforms last time, it is naive to believe they know now!

President Mnangagwa rigged the 30 July 2018 elections and now he is being forced to admit he cannot rig the economic recovery. The worsening economic meltdown is set to get worse, there is a real danger serious social arrest because the people cannot take the economic hardships of relatives dying for lack of medicine, etc. 

“It is the economic meltdown, stupid!” to paraphrase former US President Bill Clinton, that is going to force Mnangagwa to do the tortoise unthinkable - step down!