'Mugabe's Zanu-PF packed with liars'

Opposition political parties have said President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party is chasing shadows and is packed with liars who have no clue on how to solve the myriad of problems that Zimbabweans are faced with.

Mugabe and his party have been facing stiff criticism over the past years, after failing to take Zimbabwe out of its current economic and social doldrums.

Presently, Mugabe's government is even failing to raise civil servants' salaries on time.

Several analysts have warned that the country may be plunged into civil unrest if a lasting solution to the problems currently bedevilling the country is not found.

MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu yesterday said, "it is clear that Mugabe is chasing shadows and does not understand economics".

"After all he claims to hold a degree in economics. Mugabe is concentrating on unimportant issues while the people of Zimbabwe are suffering. Any government that routinely fails to pay its civil servants on time is considered to be a fragile government," Gutu said.

He said running a fragile government means the country "is slowly but inevitably degenerating into a failed state".

"This is exactly what  happened in the then Zaire where Mobutu Sese  Seko had to flee the country after his regime had failed to pay soldiers and other civil servants their salaries for a continuous period of eight months.

"Zimbabwe is heading towards the Zaire scenario. Very soon, Mugabe will be another Mobutu. He might be forced to flee into exile as the country's economic situation continues to rapidly deteriorate. The only viable option for Mugabe now is to immediately step down from office. No other solution will work. Trust me," Gutu said.

The Mugabe-led government is struggling to make ends meet, as no sector seems to be properly functioning, regardless, Mugabe in power since 1980, has vowed that he will not step down.

Spokesperson of the Tendai Biti-led People's Democratic Party Jacob Mafume and the party's secretary for finance and economic affairs Vince Musewe, said Zanu-PF is packed with liars, who are concerned with power more than the people they govern.

"…Zanu-PF is driven by one thing and one thing alone, the power retention agenda…it has no other interest other than that of maintaining its hegemonic rule over Zimbabwe and the reproduction of its system of patronage, capture, fear and predation.

"…this is a rogue State oiled by kleptocracy, corruption, nepotism and electoral authoritarianism," PDP said in a statement.

In the joint statement, Mafume and Musewe said, Zanu-PF is not willing to reform, despite Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa's re-engagement efforts with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other global creditors.

"We have argued that since Lima, the regime has been busy lying to a gullible international community in order to lay its desperate fingers on resources and resources alone, without the pain of reform," PDP said.

The party further said Zanu-PF has since collapsed and has been lying to the IMF that it met its target to kick-start the funding process.

"The wheels have come off and the true nature of the beast has been exposed. The emperor as we have always argued has no clothes," PDP said.

It added, "This government has all along been living dangerously beyond its means. It has never respected fiscal discipline or austerity. It has been financing its insatiable appetite for waste through issuance of toxic treasury bills which are now well in excess of $3 billion".

The party said the re-engagement process is doomed, because of the lies and government's insincerity on the whole issue.

"On the 4th of May 2016, the regime announced the reintroduction of the bond note. That announcement was a material fact that ought to have been disclosed to the IMF Article IV (consultation) team that was in Zimbabwe for three weeks in March 2016. That announcement ought to have been disclosed before the IMF board that met in May 2016. The regime did not disclose it. It did what it does best, lie of course," the party said.

PDP added that the economy is not producing and will continue not producing as long as Zanu-PF remains in power.

"Production has collapsed, de-industrialisation and unemployment are the order of the day."

With the government in such a catch 22 situation, the Welshman Ncube-led MDC also said the current situation is proof that Mugabe and his party have failed.

"Zimbabwe is currently in the hands of vultures and unrepentant sinners who  are too scared to leave office. The theft of $15 billion dollars in his office and failure to pay government workers in time is enough for Mugabe and the corrupt Zanu-PF team to step down," the party's spokesperson Kurauone Chihwayi said.

He added that now is the appropriate time for Mugabe to leave office and give Zimbabweans a chance to revive the economy.

"Zimbabwe is on its way to the graveyard if Mugabe remains in office but not all of us will allow the hearse to reach cemetery," Chihwayi said.