Mugabe told use Sona to announce resignation

Opposition parties have told President Robert Mugabe to use Thursday's State of the Nation Address (Sona) to announce his retirement as he no longer has any viable solutions to extricate Zimbabwe from the current crisis.

After last year's debacle when the nonagenarian ploughed through the wrong speech - People's Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Jacob Mafume said the Zanu-PF leader should first look at his personal health before he talks about the state of the country.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda announced last week that Mugabe will deliver the supposedly critical speech on Thursday.

But very few people are holding their breath as the Zanu-PF strongman has usually stuck to his populist policies that are blamed for the country's woes.

"He must do the honourable thing - which is to resign. We need to look at the state of the person giving the address, he can't walk, he can barely read, he is almost on life support as a person and he spends much of his time . . . in different hospitals across the globe.

"Clearly, his state is equal to the state of the nation, tired, in intensive care and nothing is moving, it is a dead nation. He is presiding over the funeral of a whole nation so what he is reading is not a Sona, he will be reading an obituary for a nation that he has brutally murdered," said Mafume.

MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu weighed in saying that against a backdrop of a rotten economy characterised by biting cash shortages and rising unemployment there is nothing that Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, will say that will solve the myriad problems besetting the country.

" . . . there's nothing to look forward to mainly because Mugabe is way past his sell-by date. It will be more of the same. What Zimbabwe needs right now is a brand new government that will be in a position to drive a developmental agenda and resuscitate the comatose economy," Gutu said.

Mugabe is not only failing to steer the economy but has also dismally failed to deal with factionalism rocking his party.

"Mugabe is overdue for retirement. His Sona will be puerile, lifeless and completely devoid of anything positive and concrete to revive the ailing economy," Gutu said.

In 2013, Zanu-PF romped to a controversial victory after promising to create 2 million jobs, provide houses and also the creation of a $1,84 trillion economy but the opposite has been happening with most companies closing shop due to unfavourable operating conditions.

Despite shrill calls for his resignation and various means of protests against his 36-year rule, Mugabe has dug in and only last week did he give a hint that he might step down.

Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire, said there is nothing to look forward to Mugabe's Sona speech.

"There is nothing serious about it, even the president does not give it seriousness.  It's just a religious activity that is done every year end but does not help anyone.

"With the kind of cluelessness of Zanu-PF, they won't be anything of substance," Mawarire said.

He said the mere fact that the event is called a Sona, will not give the speech any form of magical powers, unless if Mugabe tells the people that he is retiring.

Mawarire added that Mugabe must instead tell the country to start preparing for elections that will "usher a new government with competent people who are able to turn around the economy".

"Otherwise if Sona is not a resignation speech it won't make sense that is what the nation is eagerly waiting for. He has made a lot of promises but delivered nothing. He also promised two million jobs but nothing has been delivered. We look forward to hear his resignation," he said.