It has been hard enough for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to
talk about Zimbabwe being on track to become an upper middle-income nation by
2030, “Vision 2030” as he calls it; when, four years since the November 2017
coup, there is nothing support the optimism. The glowing reports on Zambia’s
economic recovery have knocked the stuffing out of Mnangagwa!
“Since Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema came assumed
power last year, he has achieved key performance indicators, especially on the
exchange rate an indication of strong leadership and that people have faith in
his leadership,” reported Bulawayo 24.
“This is in stuck contrast to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has presided
over the rapid loss of value of the local currency since he grabbed power in a
military coup in 2017. The Kwacha has rallied against the United States dollar;
it was US$1: K22.59 in July 2021, but it's now US$1:K16.11.
"As the saying goes, when in doubt, observe the exchange rate. The lesson
from history is that you cannot manage an economy with propaganda. In fact, you
can engage in all the propaganda you want, but if the fundamentals are weak,
the exchange rate will expose you," Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice
President of Ghana, who is also an economist said.
“When Mnangagwa took over through a coup in Novenber 2017, the local
quasi-currency bond note (now Zimdollar) was pegged 1:1 with the US dollar
until February 2022. Now the exchange rate is officially US$1:ZW$546.8 although
on the parallel at US$1:ZW$700.”
Mnangagwa thought he was hitting the ground running when
announced that “Zimbabwe is open for business!” His rallying call following the
military coup. It was an obvious call to make given the sorry state of the Zimbabwe
economy.
Decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and
lawless and tyrannical oppression had left the country is economic ruins and
earned it cursed pariah state label. The seizure of the white owned farms triggering
the collapse of the country’s agricultural sector, the main engine of the
country’s economy, was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The Zimbabwe
economy shrunk by as much as 50% in the period 2000 to 2008.
By November 2017, when the military coup took place,
Zimbabwe’s economy was already in total meltdown as more and more companies
closed and no new companies opened. The economic and political environment made
it near impossible to do business. Zimbabwe was indeed closed for business!
Present Mnangagwa made two key promises to back up his “Zimbabwe
is open for business!” proclamation. He promised to stamp out corruption and to
hold free and fair elections. No one held their breath, especially the shrewd investors,
he was hoping to attract.
Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the 2018 elections and corruption
is as rampant as during Mugabe days, if not worse.
“Zimbabwe is open for business!” was just a lead balloon
that never took off!
Mnangagwa has tried to rebrand his administration different
from that of the former dictator Robert Mugabe; calling it a “Second Republic”.
The reality is Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote
rigging thugs. And as long as the country remains a pariah state there will be
no meaningful economic recovery!
President Emmerson Mnangagwa knows that all these glowing
reports of Zambia economic recovery will only increase the yawning for
meaningful change amongst Zimbabweans. The nation will not accept yet another
rigged election by Zanu PF. And yet that is exactly what the party is doing;
thanks to the MDC/CCC who have failed to implement even one token reform in 22
years and are insisting on participating in these flawed and illegal elections
for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait.
In the past, SADC countries have used the MDC’s
participation as an excuse to turn a blind eye to the rigging and grant Zanu PF
political legitimacy. The regional leaders, especially South Africa and Zambia
who have successfully held free elections themselves and are feeling to ill
effects of Zimbabwe’s economic chaos brought about by the growing tide of
economic and/or political Zimbabwean refugees, know they will be shooting
themselves in the foot is they rubber stamped Zanu PF rigged 2023 elections and
gave the regime legitimacy.
2 comments:
Zimbabwe's general election is several months away but many opposition figures say they are already battling intense government repression similar to the iron-fisted rule of Robert Mugabe, the former president who died in 2019.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government is responding with force to opposition to his rule, stoked by worsening economic conditions including inflation at more than 250% and the emergence of a popular new party.
Since the 2008 to 2013 GNU whose primary purpose was to implement the democratic reforms and stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence of 2008, Zanu PF has ignored calls to implement the reforms with renewed arrogance and confidence. To understand the source of Zanu PF’s newfound arrogance one must first understand why not even one meaningful reform was implemented in the five years of the GNU.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was President in the GNU and he saw to it that Morgan Tsvangirai, who was Prime Minister in the GNU, and his fellow MDC leaders were given all the gravy train trappings of high office the dictator gave to his own Zanu PF leaders; the ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a US$ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai himself, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about the reforms.
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life; they will never rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies, when sked why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms.
SADC leaders made one last minute desperate attempted to have the 2013 elections postponed until reforms are implemented. “If you take part in the next month’s elections, you will lose. The elections are done!” they warned MDC leaders to their faces.
SADC leaders tried to force Mugabe to postpone the elections but gave up when the dictator revealed that MDC leaders had never submitted even one democratic reform proposal in five years of the GNU. There were no outstanding reforms to implement. Not even one! So why postpone the elections!
MDC leaders participated in the 2013 elections and in subsequent elections since, knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging, for the same reasons they had done nothing to implement reforms during the GNU – incompetence and greed.
Since the GNU days, Zanu PF knew that as long as the party allowed MDC leaders a share of the spoils of power, the opposition will participate in the elections, no matter how flawed and illegal the process happened to be. President Mnangagwa has since the 2018 added the POLAD to reward the losers of the presidential rat race.
To ignore the key role MDC leaders have played and continue to play in keeping Zanu PF in power by failing to implement even one reform in 22 years and in participating in the flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy is to bark up the wrong tree.
Zimbabwe was a de facto one-party dictatorship before the 2008 to 2013 GNU, Zanu PF has learned that by giving away a few gravy train seats to create an illusion of multi-party democracy, the party can continue to enjoy all its dictatorial powers including the power to blatantly rig elections and even use wanton violence!
Opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has slammed President Mokgweetsi Masisi's blind calls for scrapping of sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe by the west while ignoring what brought the measures in the first place.
President Masisi's attempt to absolve ZANU PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa from the Zimbabwean crisis is not only an affront and insult to the suffering people of Zimbabwe, but it is also an attempt to revise history in the most deceptive way. It is similar to convincing us that Idi Amin was an honorable man.
The fact is, the sanctions are only targeted at designated people in Zimbabwe, who are key members of the Mugabe regime, including Mnangagwa. How this affects the economy of Zimbabwe is yet to be explained. President Masisi must confide in Batswana before he tells the world that he speaks on their behalf.
We call upon the Government of Zimbabwe to introduce the necessary reforms that will allow for true democracy to thrive.
Repression of political opponents and intimidation of those that challenge the ZANU PF regime should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
Instead of focusing on President Mnangagwa's personal problem of sanctions, we pray the two must provide economic reliefs to Zimbabweans at home to scale down economic migrants in other countries.
There is a mountain of evidence to show that Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is caused by the decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and contemptuous disregard of the rule of law earning the nation the pariah state label. Zanu PF has blamed the meltdown on sanctions but for propaganda purposes only.
Of course, it has been an insult for the regime to repeatedly ignore the real causes of the economic meltdown and deny the ordinary people a meaningful say in the governance the country under the pretext sanctions were the country’s only problem.
It is most gratifying that many of our SADC neighbour are finally waking up to the reality that root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. And that the crisis has caused untold suffering in Zimbabwe and the problem is spilling over into neighbouring countries. The upshot of this wakening is that SADC is NOT going to rubber stamp 2023 Zanu PF rigged elections and grant the region legitimacy.
Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections, as usual, but what is becoming increasing certain is that SADC will not grant the regime legitimacy! Zanu PF was denied legitimacy in 2008 following the blatant cheating and wanton violence; the regime is cheating and using violence again. History has the habit of repeating itself.
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