'Mugabe steals from the poor'

The MDC-T organiser Abednico Bhebhe has said President Robert Mugabe is stealing from the poor people whom he has turned into slaves through abandoning the people's interests.

"We have been turned Zanu PF slaves as the former guerilla movement abuses Zimbabweans with reckless abandon. Zimbabwe needs change, and only us can we bring change to this country…" he said.

"We find ourselves in a sad situation where we are now made to foot the $1.2 billion debt that was doled as agro-support to Mugabe, Ministers and many other Zanu PF officials"

Through his Blog Bhebhe said Mugabe has signed into law the controversial RBZ Debt assumption bill, forcing taxpayers to pay the Central Bank's $1.2 billion debt on agro-support extended to Mugabe and his allies.

"The beneficiaries never paid a cent for the agricultural equipment that included combine harvesters and tractors and with the signing of the bill by Mugabe, ordinary Zimbabweans will now pay the debt on their behalf," Bhebhe said.

"We have been turned Zanu PF slaves as the former guerilla movement abuses Zimbabweans with reckless abandon. Zimbabwe needs change, and only us can we bring change to this country."

He said public hearings were conducted by the Parliamentary portfolio committee and many were against the adoption of the Bill unconditionally.

"This is mainly because its adoption makes mockery on issues to do with transparency and accountability," he said.

"The public made it clear they prefer that beneficiaries of the farm mechanisation programme – Mugabe, ministers, top civil servants, top security bosses and other high-profile individuals – pay for what they owe."

He said Zimbabweans are asking why the debtors are not being named if everything is above board, moreso given that Muagbe's signing of the bill has made government inherit the debt, making it the taxpayer's liability.

"We have a government that steals from the poor, loots state resources, and turns to the poor to pay for the loot. We have a government that perpetuates the suffering of the already poor citizenry," said Bhebhe.

"By keeping quiet and not fighting this regime, we become complicit in the destruction of the country. Yes, the regime holds the most repressive machinery and is secretly beefing it up fearing uprisings from angry Zimbabweans, but we must not be intimidated. We must also not tire in investigating who stole what, who benefited what from the RBZ mechanization programme and document their names and their loot so that they pay-up in future."

He said Nigeria in March recovered its millions that was stolen and stashed away by the late dictator, Sani Abacha. About $380 million Nigerian money was stolen by Abacha and stashed away in Switzerland. ‎The money was confiscated on grounds the Abacha family was a criminal organisation, according to the Swiss authorities.

‎"Previously Switzerland has returned to Nigeria more than $700 million that late Abacha hid in Swiss accounts. This should give us solace and inspire us to also recover our millions in future that are being stolen by the Zanu PF guerilla movement," he said.