Desperate Mnangagwa exposed after premature oil announcement

Invictus' rebuttal of oil discovery claims is not only an embarrassment on the person of Mnangagwa but exposes the insatiable appetite to score cheap political points by the current regime.

The MDC views Mnangagwa's statement to have been premature for it is a statement that should not have been made in the first place. The damage could have been minimal had the statement been released by a junior officer. The appetite to take credit even for the natural is what created the mess.

For a person with an already questionable reputation drowning in legitimacy issues, schoolboy blunders of this nature must have been avoided.

Our nation is in a crisis, a crisis of confidence. It is therefore important for those in authority to conduct themselves in a manner which rebuilds confidence. The premature announcement by Mnangagwa on the contrary creates reliability issues on his part and his administration dealing a serious blow to any attempt to build confidence.

We are of the view that the issue of discovery of a precious resource such as oil is sensitive and should be treated with caution especially in respect of national security.

The MDC however hopes that the exploration bears positive fruit, oil deposits if discovered can be a step towards transformation of lives of the Zimbabwean people. Oil on its own just like diamonds is no guarantee to economic turnaround.

Good governance, a caring state and vision are equally important.

In the event that oil is discovered a mechanism to ensure that the resource does not become another curse must be in place.

We expect government to put place a system which will ensure that resources benefit the Zimbabwean development agenda while maintaining national security.

Focus on premature press conferences is therefore misplaced.

Jacob Mafume
MDC National Spokesperson