Quick remedy to solve Zimbabwe crisis

Time has come when we all have to put politics aside and adopt progressive imagination to deal with our current scenario. It is not proper for country which was a bread basket nation before would adopt the dependence syndrome mentality to countries like Botswana, to an extent of begging for pads and bandages. I once highlighted in my previous publications that Zim Government must deal with the issue of public relations. It was an embarrassment for ministry of information and Zimbabwe Broadcasting officials retracting statements which they earlier on pronounced on the state media and this has gone far and below the level of a belt. What has gone wrong with our country? We should not allow such desperation to drag our country in this mud. We must learn to admit failure and accept that we don't have, but we must apply principles and we must not throw away our dignity because we are desperation. Our country is likely to be duped by purported investors, who will come to Zimbabwe pretending to be investors, because of the kind of ignorance and level of desperation we are displaying as a nation. I urge President Mnangagwa to deal with his PR team to avoid further humiliation by foreign Governments. Botswana Government made it clear last night with a circular, which we did not give Zimbabwe any kind of assistance, but State broadcaster had already paraded false information regarding the deals between Zimbabwe Government and their Botswana counterpart. This must stop forthwith and we must exercise caution when dealing with matters of public interest.

Policy clarity

There is need for consistency in terms of policy guide. There has been several changes regarding policy clarity on monetary and fiscal policy which then does not inspire or bring any investor confidence. There is need for the Government of Zimbabwe to engage meaningful academics and policy makers on clarity on certain aspects of the economy. There was rampant invasion of several mines countrywide and fresh farm invasions which does not reflect any positive side of our ruling Government. Some key opposition forces went to an extent of losing farms to key ruling party officials which further dent the Government's image and put Zimbabwe under spot light on human rights violations. There is need for creation of ministry of Planning and Policy formulation to further deal with policy clarity and investment issues.

Inclusive approach

What is difficult for Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa to meet and resolve the political and economic impasse we have at hand? What a waste of tax payer's money, having dialogue meetings which do not yield anything. It's time to set aside political ideologies and focus on economic development and development agenda. We need an inclusive approach when dealing with matters of national interest. Look at Kenya, look at Botswana, Uganda, Rwanda and these are the results of inclusiveness. We cannot continue to be in an election mood. Yes the dispute was there, but let's reasonably go back to the drawing board as a nation and see where we went wrong, and deal with decisiveness approach, so that we can build our nation. In this era it's an embarrassment to talk of abductions, brutal cases, this is the time for technological advancement, and promote economic development. Does this mean we will spend a decade without jobs because our country is marred by violence and election disputes? This is the time we expect Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa to sit down and resolve their political differences for the good of our nation. We have economic documents such as ZIM ASSET, JUICE, SMART and BUILD, why can't we have them and come up with a proper empowerment broad based plan.

Broad Based Empowerment Plan

The idea is to empower citizens. Minority are the ones with lavish life style, living large at the expense of the majority of citizens. I would suggest that every deal that the Government signs must have a large chunk which accommodates women, youths and other key economic sectors. Can this be normal to have an individual controlling larger stake in our economy? The poor will continue to be poor and rich will get richer. One thing you have to take note is that, about 97% of our population belongs to the informal trade, and this is the same group with potential voting system which has a potential of changing the political landscape. There must be a broad based empowerment policy plan which must accommodate everyone in all sectors of the economy. We had alluvial diamonds in Marange, there is nothing to show in Manicaland, look at their infrastructure, yet they are the ones who had diamonds which were worth 60 billion. Everything was looted and Zimbabweans remained poor despite being the second largest platinum producer in Africa. Government must revise all its deals to accommodate the idea of empowerment.

Deal with corruption

Corruption is the root of all our problems in Zimbabwe. Look at ZINARA, ZESA and all other state entities, corruption is the order of the day. No one is in jail because of corruption. How then do we define the Zimbabwe is open for business mantra with such toxic economic environment? The Government remains silent on corruption, our state institutions are marred with corruption. So many Government projects have been brought to halt because of corruption.

Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo is an academic and development practitioner studying Doctor of Philosophy degree at Women's University of Africa and He can be contacted at tinamuzala@gmail.com