2013 promises haunt Zanu-PF

As the watershed 2018 national polls beckon, President Robert Mugabe's warring ruling Zanu-PF is in a big quandary about what to say on account of its dismal failure to deliver on any of its 2013 election promises.

Among the promises that are coming back to bite Zanu-PF are its utopian pledges to create 2,2 million jobs - as well the much-trumpeted, pie-in-the-sky mega deals with Russia and China, which were signed in 2014.

Analysts told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the Zanu-PF propaganda machinery was "battling" to explain the failures in the light of the country's dying economy, with citizens no longer trusting the party and its leaders.

Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said it was clear that Zanu-PF was "a monumental failure" which was good at promising "hot air".

"Zanu-PF will never deliver on any useful electoral promises.

"They are the epitome of political failure. The opposition can capitalise on these monumental failures by Zanu-PF and coalesce together to kick it out," he said.

"It is a year before the next election and Zanu-PF is set to return with another bag of empty promises.

"The People's Democratic Party (PDP) contends that even when Zanu-PF became the de facto, illegitimate government they still had the obligation to deliver by virtue of occupying office," PDP spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.

"In their 2013 election manifesto ... Zanu-PF made a sensational promise that they would create 2,2 million jobs if they get a five-year term, translating to 440 000 jobs a year.

"Instead hundreds of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, with more than 6 000 companies closing between 2013 and 2015 owing to the hostile economic environment that Zanu-PF reverted to after the government of national unity," Mafume said.

"As at present, hospitals are also in bad shape, and lives are lost because of curable diseases. The majority of Zimbabweans are sinking in abject poverty and corruption is rampant.

"State-organised corruption cartels are the order of the day, a good example of which is the creation of a police state which has a tolling mandate on the roads," he added.

MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu, said Zanu-PF would never bring anything new, after it had "created vendors instead of the promised 2,2 million jobs".

"The so-called mega deals penned with the Chinese in August 2014 are a huge pie in the sky. The Chinese are smart business people. They will not pour their money into an economy that is totally dysfunctional, where there is no respect for property rights and where the rule of law is not upheld.

"Anyone who thinks that Zimbabwe's economy can be successfully turned around with Robert Mugabe at the helm as president is certainly overdue for a psychiatric examination," Gutu said.

Another political analyst  Shakespeare Hamauswa, also said Zanu-PF could never bring positive change to the country.

"The party is failing to manage simple political equations on succession, and so how can they manage economic issues?

"The main problem is that the people are letting the politicians to decide on their behalf. This is why even without any tangible promises Zanu-PF may emerge victorious again in 2018," Hamauswa said.