Mugabe must end suffering and not test people resilience or providence

We in the Zimbabwe Social Democrats condemn in the strongest terms this Zanu PF regime's continued indifference to economic hardships Zimbabweans are facing today as a result of the country's worsening economic meltdown. Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi's characterisation of the people's suffering as proof of their "resilience" was particularly insensitive and offensive because no one was born into this world to suffer much less to be used as a guinea pig to ascertain how much suffering they will endure before they protest.

The Minister told his counterparts in the just ended SADC meeting in Victoria Falls that Zanu PF won last year's elections.

"You all know the results of the July 2013 elections. All detractors anointed to cause regime change were decimated. The people spoke emphatically. They refused to remove their government due to economic challenges," Minister Mumbengegwi claimed.


We would like to once again remind the Minister that the results of the July 2013 elections have been disputed not only by his so called "detractors" but by some SADC members have said the same thing, Zimbabwe's Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice has dismissed the elections as "a fiasco" and even one of Zanu PF Deputy Minister, Fortune Chasi, has since admitted of elections "irregularities".


The regime has had a year to release the voters roll for public scrutiny and thus help settle this matter once and once for all but has failed to do so.

The only conclusion any reasonable person can surmise from evidence of bussed voters the whole world saw on TV, eyewitness reports, Zanu PF's own behaviour, etc. is that the July 2013 elections were not free, fair and credible.

ZSD is committed to ensure there is a full judiciary inquiry to investigate all the events relating to Zimbabwe's July 2013 elections with a view of establishing the historic facts and to punish all those guilty of this treasonous act of vote rigging.

When Zanu PF promised to stabilize the Zimbabwe economy and create two million new jobs the party was aware of the Western sanctions it is now blaming for its failure to deliver on its promises. The party's manifesto promises were made on the basis of getting the funding of its $27 billion ZimAsset economic recovery plan. After a year of frantic begging the regime has failed to get even a dollar; not even its old allay, the Chinese, who have never imposed any sanctions against anyone in the regime, have contributed even one Yuan to the ZimAsset begging bowl.

The only way to end Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is for this regime to accept it has failed so that the democratic reforms necessary for free and fair elections can finally be implemented and new elections held. Only a government emerging from such elections will have the mandate to implement the tough reforms to end the chronic and criminal waste of human and material resources, the root cause of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.

Zimbabwe's economic crisis is not going away but will only get worse as long as nothing is done to stop this criminal waste.

A month ago Zanu PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo announced that Zanu PF was ready to hold talks to map the way out of this economic crisis sadly the regime has since developed cold feet on the talks. Minister Mumbengegwi's comments would suggest the regime has now decided to hold on to power on the basis that Zimbabweans will never come out in the street and demand change regardless how bad the suffering gets.

"All our detractors cannot understand how people who go through such economic difficulties fail to create chaos and instability," Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengewi boosted.

"But the resilience of Zimbabwean people has become legendary. Yes, legendary! The resilience is unmatched and unparalleled."


We strongly condemn the regime's position because, firstly, it is morally reprehensible that nothing has been done to end the inhuman and avoidable suffering our people have faced for decades now just because they have shown "unmatched and unparalleled resilience".  

Second, it is most unwise to test providence. It is a great thing that our people have shown so much patience and restrain but if we test their patience to breaking point; will this not open the flood gates of bottled up anger creating a tsunami that will overwhelm us all? Whatever untold damage, death and destruction that such a tsunami should cause, President Mugabe, his Ministers and the entire Zanu PF leadership must know that they will be held to account for it all.


We in the ZSD once again call upon President Mugabe and his fellow Zanu PF leaders to do the right thing and accept change now and end the intolerable suffering caused by the worsening economic meltdown before the health and/or social time-bombs the nation has been sitting on explode and overwhelm us all!  

zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com