Opinion / Columnist
ED threaten US$ black market dealers - on what charge, 'Same shit … different thug!'
15 Oct 2018 at 15:29hrs | Views
"Same shit …. different island!" A vintage Caribbean Tourist T-shirt depicting a ganja smoking black Rasta with his trade mark dreadlocks complete with red/yellow/green/black vest greeting a dumfounded white tourist with the middle finger salute.
President Mnangagwa and his regime have wanted the whole world to know that 15 November 2017 was a special day for Zimbabwe. It is the day of the military deposed Robert Mugabe from power after 37 years as Zanu PF top dog and the country was completely transformed. Hence all this talk of a "new era, new dispensation, new Zimbabwe, etc., etc." President Mnangagwa has led from the front in the singing of "Zimbabwe is open for business!" chorus, appropriately attired in the multi coloured scarf.
But after a whole year of this 'new dispensation', nothing has changed.
Chaos, looting, vote rigging, lawlessness, politically motivated violence and murders, criminal waste of human and material resources, tragic human suffering and deaths, medieval disease such as cholera, hunger, unemployment, hyper-inflation, etc., etc.; these are all familiar Mugabe era problems. They are all still here in Mnangagwa's era. Absolutely nothing has changed.
I have ordered myself a T-shirt with caricatures of Mugabe and Mnangagwa; the former dozing (his favourite occupation) and the later with a confused face and appropriately attired in the rainbow scarf stuffed with 2023 ballot papers (his favourite occupation) with the caption "Same shit …. Different thug!"
"PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's bold declarations that the currency exchange market operating in dark alleys driving Zimbabweans into penury is a national security issue could not have come at any better time," News Day reported.
"We are heartened that Mnangagwa has finally broken his silence on an emotive issue that has the potential to dent the little goodwill the country still has."
This is just one example of President Mnangagwa blundering from pillar to post. Yes Zimbabweans are being fleeced by these foreign currency dealers but both the people and dealers are the victims of the economic meltdown brought about by regime's misrule. The people have the simple choice of either buy the US$ from the deal black-market traders or starve to death. The dealers rather have a steady job if there were jobs to be had with unemployment rate at a dizzying 90%!
If the truth be told, it is the Banks and the regime itself who are fleecing the ordinary people by insisting on 1:1 exchange rate of US$ to Bond Notes or RTGS and pay-out in the Bond notes knowing fully well everyone trades in US$ and there are premium exchange rate to be paid to get the green buck!
If President Mnangagwa is serious about driving the foreign currency black market dealers out of business then he must instruct the Banks to pay people in whatever currency they wish at the official exchange rate!
Zimbabwe scrapped the Z$ is favour of a basket of other foreign currency. It is nonsensical that anyone should ever be arrested for possession and dealing in any of the legal tender currencies!
During the hyper-inflation years of 2000 to 2008 only the Z$ was legal tender. RBZ governor Gideon Gono printed Z$ to buy foreign currency from individuals at the ridiculously low official exchange rate. The Chefs got forex at the official rate and sold it on the at ridiculously high black market rate making breath-taking profits! This is why Mnangagwa is taking us back; the ordinary people will be fleeced and the Chefs alone will profit.
"Our place at the table of progressive nations that we seek to claim after years in the wilderness rests on the actions we take on issues like this one," continued the News Day editorial.
Too late mate, there is no place at the table of progressive nation for the retrogressive and vote rigging nations. The recent elections were so flawed no one could verify Mnangagwa's election victory.
"The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," stated EU Election Observer Mission in their final report.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
How ironic that the illegitimate President should be the one arresting innocent citizens for possessing money they have earned legally. The forex is in short supply not because of the traders but out of desperation to hide the regime's failed economic policies, arrogance and stupidity.
It is the people of Zimbabwe who should effecting a citizen arrest of President Mnangagwa and his junta regime for high treason – for rigging the elections for the umpteenth time.
Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess because of 38 years, and counting, of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. The same corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and ruthless thugs who ruled the roost before 15 November 2017 are the ones still in power today - same shit … same thugs …. different day!
President Mnangagwa and his regime have wanted the whole world to know that 15 November 2017 was a special day for Zimbabwe. It is the day of the military deposed Robert Mugabe from power after 37 years as Zanu PF top dog and the country was completely transformed. Hence all this talk of a "new era, new dispensation, new Zimbabwe, etc., etc." President Mnangagwa has led from the front in the singing of "Zimbabwe is open for business!" chorus, appropriately attired in the multi coloured scarf.
But after a whole year of this 'new dispensation', nothing has changed.
Chaos, looting, vote rigging, lawlessness, politically motivated violence and murders, criminal waste of human and material resources, tragic human suffering and deaths, medieval disease such as cholera, hunger, unemployment, hyper-inflation, etc., etc.; these are all familiar Mugabe era problems. They are all still here in Mnangagwa's era. Absolutely nothing has changed.
I have ordered myself a T-shirt with caricatures of Mugabe and Mnangagwa; the former dozing (his favourite occupation) and the later with a confused face and appropriately attired in the rainbow scarf stuffed with 2023 ballot papers (his favourite occupation) with the caption "Same shit …. Different thug!"
"PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's bold declarations that the currency exchange market operating in dark alleys driving Zimbabweans into penury is a national security issue could not have come at any better time," News Day reported.
"We are heartened that Mnangagwa has finally broken his silence on an emotive issue that has the potential to dent the little goodwill the country still has."
This is just one example of President Mnangagwa blundering from pillar to post. Yes Zimbabweans are being fleeced by these foreign currency dealers but both the people and dealers are the victims of the economic meltdown brought about by regime's misrule. The people have the simple choice of either buy the US$ from the deal black-market traders or starve to death. The dealers rather have a steady job if there were jobs to be had with unemployment rate at a dizzying 90%!
If the truth be told, it is the Banks and the regime itself who are fleecing the ordinary people by insisting on 1:1 exchange rate of US$ to Bond Notes or RTGS and pay-out in the Bond notes knowing fully well everyone trades in US$ and there are premium exchange rate to be paid to get the green buck!
If President Mnangagwa is serious about driving the foreign currency black market dealers out of business then he must instruct the Banks to pay people in whatever currency they wish at the official exchange rate!
Zimbabwe scrapped the Z$ is favour of a basket of other foreign currency. It is nonsensical that anyone should ever be arrested for possession and dealing in any of the legal tender currencies!
During the hyper-inflation years of 2000 to 2008 only the Z$ was legal tender. RBZ governor Gideon Gono printed Z$ to buy foreign currency from individuals at the ridiculously low official exchange rate. The Chefs got forex at the official rate and sold it on the at ridiculously high black market rate making breath-taking profits! This is why Mnangagwa is taking us back; the ordinary people will be fleeced and the Chefs alone will profit.
"Our place at the table of progressive nations that we seek to claim after years in the wilderness rests on the actions we take on issues like this one," continued the News Day editorial.
Too late mate, there is no place at the table of progressive nation for the retrogressive and vote rigging nations. The recent elections were so flawed no one could verify Mnangagwa's election victory.
"The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," stated EU Election Observer Mission in their final report.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
How ironic that the illegitimate President should be the one arresting innocent citizens for possessing money they have earned legally. The forex is in short supply not because of the traders but out of desperation to hide the regime's failed economic policies, arrogance and stupidity.
It is the people of Zimbabwe who should effecting a citizen arrest of President Mnangagwa and his junta regime for high treason – for rigging the elections for the umpteenth time.
Zimbabwe is in this political and economic mess because of 38 years, and counting, of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. The same corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and ruthless thugs who ruled the roost before 15 November 2017 are the ones still in power today - same shit … same thugs …. different day!
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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