"While indeed we still say to those who imposed sanctions on us, remove them because there is no justification for the embargo, we should not bury our heads in sand because of those sanctions," said President Mnangagwa.
"We should realise that we have resources in our country. We must therefore focus on harnessing those resources to develop, modernise and industrialise our country and our economy.”
"We should realise that we have resources in our country. We must therefore focus on harnessing those resources to develop, modernise and industrialise our country and our economy.”
Mr President, Zimbabwe is in a very serious economic situation right now and the root cause is that for the last 39 years the country has been ruled by the men and women who have their “heads buried in the sand”, as you aptly put it. Consider your statements above:
1) Zimbabwe economic decline started soon after independence in 1980 and by 1990 Zanu PF was forced to adopt two five-year Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes (ESAP), in the hope of reviving the economy. The two programmes failed to deliver the economic recovery and by 2001 when the west imposed the sanctions the Zimbabwe’s economy was already in the gutter.
2) Even if one accepted that the sanctions are the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown. After 20 years of “harnessing our resources, modernising and industrialising our country” without success, the economy has sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss these last 20 years, surely it is high time Zanu PF admitted it has failed.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is not the sanction but the criminal waste of the nation’s human and material resources through gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. Ordinarily, the nation would have nipped these problems in the bud by holding those ruling and ruining the nation to democratic account and, ultimately, remove them from office. Zanu PF rigged the elections and so the nation was stuck with the incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical regime.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections to impose itself on a nation dying, literally, for free, fair and credible elections.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by incompetent, corrupt and vote rigging thugs the economic meltdown will only get worse. You, Mr President, can falsely blame the sanctions for the country’s economic woes and pretend you can rig economic recover; you are burying your head in the sand. The economic meltdown will only get worse.
The only way out is for Zimbabwe to cure itself of the criminal waste of the country’s resource by curing itself of the curse of rigged elections. Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, the regime is illegitimate and must step down. By stepping down, Zanu PF will create to political time and space for the appointment of an interim administration tasked to implement the democratic reforms and to hold free, fair and credible elections.
"We should not have sanctions impugn our capacity and capability to use our resources to the benefit of our people. We should rise using the resources at our disposal and move forward," said Mnangagwa.
Zanu PF has been promising to revive the economy for donkey years and year on year things have got progressively worse and worse. The regime is using the same discredited claim to justify hanging on to power. The regime will also use brute force to silence all dissent. Zanu PF is holding the nation to ransom and we must say no!
If Zanu PF remains in power until 2023, the party will rig the elections to extend its ruinous rule by another five years.
The greatest challenge before us all today is to make sure that Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections are free, fair and credible. After 39 years of rigged elections and paying dearly for our folly it will be insane to let Zanu PF rig the elections ever again!
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Incompetent and corrupt tyrants like Emmerson Mnangagwa want to portray themselves as clever and arrogant and hence the regular silverback gorilla chest-drumming sessions of posturing and defiance. Zimbabwe will develop and prosper regardless of the western imposed sanctions, Mnangagwa insist. You are right to point out that the country’s has continued to sink decade after decade, deeper and deeper into the abyss. So where is the development, you asked.
The tyrant has himself acknowledge the lack of development and blame it on the sanctions - the very thing he prided in defying.
You have called Mnangagwa’s bluff on his arrogant claim to deliver development regardless of the sanctions because you can count. After decades of chest drum and little else Mnangagwa has to admit that his sanction defying measures have failed!
In 2016 Mugabe admitted the country had lost a staggering US$15 billion of diamond revenue to swindlers in three or four years. For the next year or two the regime and its apologists stop blaming sanctions for the nation’s economic problems because no one believed them, not in the light of wholesale $15 billion looting confession. The regime has reverted to the old excuse of sanctions in the last year - confident many Zimbabweans have already forgotten about the problem corruption.
Mugabe never arrested even one diamond swindler or recover one dollar of the loot. Mnangagwa promised to end corruption but he too has yet to arrest one swindler and recover one dollar. Former Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa admitted in parliament that government was getting 1/6 of the expected diamond revenue - proof the wholesale looting is still taking place to this day.
Corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants like Mnangagwa say and do anything and get away with murder, literally, because they rule over a people who cannot count and have short memories! “Kukanganwa chezuro nehope!” as one would say in Shona.
Unless the people of Zimbabwe shape up quick smart, the country will never ever emerge out of the hell-on-earth it now finds itself stuck in. A healthy and functional democracy demands a wide-awake electorate and not one so naive and gullible they believe anything no questions asked!
Zanu PF has learned over the years that a lie repeated several times becomes "the whole truth nothing but the truth" especially in the minds of the naive and gullible. The party has repeated the lie that it was the sanction that caused the economic collapse and the Zimbabwe electorate has swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.
True, the Zimbabwe economy was already in deep trouble by 2001 when the sanctions were imposed but few Zimbabweans can remember what happened yesterday let alone what happened 20 years ago!
Zanu PF propaganda machine has never failed to promise the people that the party will deliver economic prosperity regardless of the sanctions. The party has failed to keep the promise since the economy has sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss.
It is said one can fool a blindman over white or brown bread but not over the hot chilli in the relish. Zanu PF promised to create 2.2 million of jobs in 2013 and Mnangagwa repeated the same promise for the 2018 elections. Even the most naive and gullible Zimbabweans know that unemployment in the country has soared to the nauseating heights of 90% and remained there for decades! The economic meltdown is the hot chilli no amount of propaganda can fool anyone into believing it is not real.
It is the economic meltdown that will force the people to demand change or they will continue to die like sheep in a slaughterhouse. The regime knows that the next street protest could well be the one to finally end its iron grip on power. The economic situation in Zimbabwe is economically, morally and politically unsustainable.
The Zanu PF regime will go but by resisting peaceful democratic change the party has elected, ipso facto, violent revolutionary change. It is a great pity that Zanu PF has forced the nation down this revolutionary change route; there will be crying, gnashing of teeth, death and destruction and it is the last thing we wanted!
Protest leaders and military officials have been negotiating over the makeup of a transitional government, as protesters call for "limited military representation" in a sovereign council that would lead the country as it transitions to civilian rule over three years.
Both sides are split over the makeup and leadership of the council, with the ruling generals refusing to relinquish power.
Commenting on the matter MDC Treasurer General David Coltart said, "Please please pray for Sudan. The military are currently shooting protestors all across Khartoum. At least 8 killed already and the death toll is climbing. Hospitals where injured protestors are being treated are being attacked by the military as well."
The people of Sudan have suffered and many have died under the corrupt and tyrannical Omar Al Bashir rule. The sit-in started 6 April and one has to salute the protestors for their determination and resolve. It is of paramount importance that the people should stay the course and stand firm in their demand for meaningful change. Even when the transition government is formed, the people must make sure the civilian representatives do not sell-out.
In Zimbabwe the people trusted Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to deliver changes during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The MDC leaders sold-out and failed to implement even one reform in five years. Not one! Unless the people of Sudan are vigilant, the same will happen to them!
"The teachers are agitated and taking heed of the ARTUZ organized job action slated for 3-5 June," ARTUZ said in a statement. "Teachers are united and demanding salaries in United States dollars or they will not work.
The RTGS$ was 1:1 to the US$ in January this year and today, six months later, it is 8:1. So all those who are paid in RTGS$ have just had their wage cut to 1/8 of its January value. Anyone who thinks the worker can continue to come to work, eat and pay their bills as if nothing has happened do not live in the real world.
OVER 50% of Zimbabwe's national herd of 5,2 million cattle is at risk of being wiped out by this year's drought if no mitigatory measures are put in place within the coming few months, farmers and livestock experts have warned.
The future of livestock is very bleak owing to escalating diseases, critical shortages of dipping chemicals as well as the devastating effects of the El Niño-induced drought.
Pastures have depleted while water bodies are drying up in most parts of the country, leaving animals — both wild and domestic — fighting for survival.
This is a bad year but what males our situation worse is that the country had no reserves because we did make hay whilst the sun was shinning. Even today, if mitigatory measures are taken timeously there is a lot that can be accomplished but, given Zanu PF’s track record, no measures will be taken.
Zimbabwe is desperate for meaningful political change leading to competent and good governance!
“We should realise that we have resources in our country. We must, therefore, focus on harnessing those resources to develop, modernise and industrialise our country and our economy," said Mnangagwa.
This is now a meaningless cliche; where is the development? The country is now in total ruins and blundering from pillar to post and the man in charge keeps wittering about bring development! What are you waiting for, bring it on!
Ever since Mugabe fell out with the IMF and WB in 1999 for failing to service the country's mountain of debt; Zimbabwe has reacted with defiance. Mugabe started off with his "Look East!" policy. Mnangagwa is just repeating the same Mugabe provado. The tragedy is the look east policy and all the avalanche of proclamations that have followed have all achieved nothing.
The truth is sanctions are not the cause of the country's economic meltdown; it is gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. The nation has failed to address these problems because Zanu PF rigs elections and stifle meaningful debate on any national issues.
Zimbabwe is today the poorest nation in Africa and millions of our people are now dying of the poverty induced diseases and hunger. Zimbabwe needs to end this oppressive de facto one party dictatorship by implementing democratic reforms and end this curse rigged elections.
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