Zimbabwe’s economy has been in decline since the country’s independence in 1980, we have done nothing to stop the rot and the chickens have come home to roost! Everyday there is one or more stories of the tragic human suffering, a consequence of the economic meltdown.
“Zimbabwe has recorded an increase in commercial sex
workers, with Harare adjudged to be the biggest red-light district, a new
survey by the National Aids Council (Nac), Health and Child Care ministry and
the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network has revealed,” reported Bulawayo
24.
“A recent survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) revealed
that 59,6% of women in the country were unemployed and many of them were
apparently turning to commercial sex work to make ends meet, according to the
recent report.
“In the report titled Zimbabwe's situational analysis of drug use and injection
in five provinces to form HIV and TB programming for people who use drugs, Nac
and partners noted that: "In Harare the most often mentioned source of
income is sex work (36,07%); the higher rate in this province is linked to the
mobilisation strategy, which include recruitment of respondents in an area
where sex work takes place."”
All the gains the nation had made in uplifting the lives of
woman through such initiatives as Girl Child Education, etc. are all being
undone.
“No one will be left behind and no place will lag behind!”
President Mnangagwa has often said. Well, these women HAVE been left behind!
They have no future!
Indeed, the whole nation is being left behind because no
nation can survive much less prosper when 59,6% of its mothers, sisters, aunties,
etc.; the homemakers without which no home can stand!
Zimbabwe is in serious economic, social and political
trouble because of the economic meltdown. The country has been in economic
decline since independence in 1980 and the rot has only got worse and, as long
as the country remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote
rigging thugs, there will be no meaningful economic recovery.
Forget the idiotic Zanu PF claim of the country is on course
to become an upper middle-income nation by 2030, the so-called Vision 2030. It
is just nonsense.
If we are serious about ending Zimbabwe’s economic and
political nightmare then we must implement the democratic reforms and hold free
and fair elections.
Nelson Chamisa and his CCC friends’ promise to end the Zanu
PF rule by winning rigged elections, they claim to have winning in rigged
elections (wire) strategies; is just another mirage by moonlight! Their
flagship wire strategy of mass voter registration followed by mass voting is
already dead in the water. As of 30 May 2022, four years since the launch of
their strategy, the party has only registered ¼ million or 4% of their 6 million
target.
It is too late to get any reforms implemented before the
2023 elections and there is little one can do to stop Zanu PF holding and
rigging the 2023 elections. Chamisa and company know Zanu PF is rigging these
elections and that participating with only give Zanu PF legitimacy.
Zanu PF needs the opposition to participate in these
elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process got to avoid a repeat
of the 2008 when SADC refused to grant the party legitimacy because of Zanu PF’s
blatant cheating and wanton. And so to entice the opposition to participate in
the 2023 elections, regardless of the rigging and violence, Zanu PF is giving
away a few gravy train seats. Chamisa and company have found the bribe irresistible!
After the 2018 elections, President Mnangagwa created Political
Actors (POLAD), a supernumerary body, for the sole purpose of thanking and rewarding
the losing presidential candidates for participating in the 2018 elections who
publicly proclaimed the election was free and fair. The 2023 elections will, no
doubt, attract just as many presidential and parliamentary candidates. the 22
So, it is too late to implement any reforms, we cannot stop
Zanu PF holding and rigging 2023 elections nor can we stop Chamisa and the rest
of the opposition camp participating in the flawed elections. What is plan B?
Plan B is to make sure that everyone, especially SADC
leaders, are aware the whole election process is flawed and illegal. How the
elections be free, fair and credible when the regime has failed to produce
something as basic for elections as a verified voters’ roll. Everyone must know
that CCC and the rest of the opposition are participating in these elections
out of greed, pure and simple. Zanu PF is rigging these elections. CCC has lost
political credibility. And so the election process must be dismissed as a sham
and Zanu PF denied legitimacy.
Zimbabwe must be forced to form yet another GNU as happened
in 2008. This time competent men and women must be appointed into the GNU to
make sure the democratic reforms are implemented.
The increase in sex workers, the collapse of basic services
such as education and health care, etc. these are all symptoms of the economic
and political rot in Zimbabwe. Implementing the reforms and holding free and
fair elections is the cure. Zimbabwe’s economic and political chaos has disrupted
normal human life and caused untold human suffering and deaths; the cup is full
to overflowing.
2 comments:
In 2019 the MP of Chiedzi South Constituency held a meeting with the school heads in his area. The best performing schools at grade seven, form 2, form 4 and form 6 had 3% pass rates. The country’s health care has collapsed, there a photograph of patients sleeping on the floor at Mplilo Hospital. One can image the sorry state of the rural hospitals and clinics.
And now we hear a staggering 60% of our women are sex workers!
Of course, it is idiotic to keep wittering about Vision 2030 and the nation pulling itself by the boots’ strings from poverty to upper middle income. Zanu PF has dragged the nation from middle income status in 1980 to poverty with the nation had one of the best educated population in Africa and had inherited a robust economy. We are going to pull ourselves out of poverty with what?
The economic and political situation is desperate; there is a crying need to implement the democratic reforms and end the Zanu PF dictatorship. It is shocking how this nation is sleeping into this nightmare!
CENTRE for Sexual Health, HIV and Aids Research (CeSHHAR) says more than 57% of female sex workers in the country's 22 hotspot areas are HIV positive.
The revelations follow another study by the National Aids Council (Nac), Health and Child Care ministry and Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network, which stated that Harare is the biggest red-light district with a high rate of sex workers at 36,07%.
Indications by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency are that women constitute the biggest number of unemployed people in the country at 59,6%.
Most women are now resorting to sex work to make ends meet.
This is a man-made crisis in that the root cause of this social problem is four decades of groos mismanagement and rampant corruption by this Zanu PF regime. Ordinarily the nation would have removed Zanu PF from office as soon as it became clear the regime was corrupt and incompetent. We could not do this because Zanu PF rigged elections.
The nation came to a consensus, we needed to implement democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections. The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding the party will deliver the democratic changes. MDC has failed to deliver even one reform in 22 years and worse still they are now participating in the flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy for the sake of a share of the spoils of power.
To get back to implementing reforms we must first accept the political reality that MDC/CCC are no longer fighting in the people’s corner!
My heart bleeds for all these women whose future is a nightmare for no fault of their own. My heart bleeds for the whole nation, what future do we have in country where everything is falling apart! How can we be so indifferent about our own sisters and daughters and about our own life!
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