Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa is in office but not in power
08 Jan 2019 at 11:15hrs | Views
Emmerson Mnangagwa's presidency is characterised by passiveness, indecisiveness and escalating fuel shortages, looming strikes from civil servants, electricity black-outs and outbreaks of waterborne diseases. The incessant cholera outbreaks being a trademark of his incumbency. While he is lavishing in presidential decorum, he apparently lacks the chutzpah and accompanying willpower to clean out Zanu-PF corruption in government departments, parastatals, fuel supply chain, the worthless bond currency and mushrooming black markets. As of now, the country is inundated with expired medical drugs on sale in the streets. Whither to, Mr President?
The president is clearly a sitting lame duck. Mr Chiwenga and other generals are hovering anxiously in the background, holding the reigns and stubbornly pulling the strings. They are still reminiscing the Mugabe era where government ministers lived in opulence at the expense of the suffering taxpayers. Those days, when the country only belonged to Zanu pf people and no one else. Mr Mnangagwa is thus an honorary president who cannot clean up police corruption, end shortages, introduce a new currency and reign in on underperforming government officials. Doctors are suffering, teachers are overwhelmed, workers are underpaid and everyone else is seized with a worthless bond note currency. The country is clearly on auto-pilot, heading to an unknown destination and no one in government seems to be noticing the impending disaster.
The situation cannot be helped by the new finance minister. He is the new nutty professor personified. He came in amid pomp and ceremony. Apparently, the euphoria is dying down now as all can see that he has failed to tackle the currency crisis head on. He should have opened the Zimbabwean market to more players both local and international. He should have started with a thorough cleaned up of all Zanu pf briefcase companies and middle men who are holding the country to ransom through irregular fuel supplies, artificial food shortages, hoarders of basic commodities and manipulators of the local currencies. The finance minister has failed to instil discipline, stability and calmness on the Zimbabwean economy. His presence on the market is either unnoticed, ignored or irrelevant. The economy is still largely dominated and manipulated by corrupt players.
Frazer Muzondo
MDC UK and Ireland
ROHR International Zimbabwe
The president is clearly a sitting lame duck. Mr Chiwenga and other generals are hovering anxiously in the background, holding the reigns and stubbornly pulling the strings. They are still reminiscing the Mugabe era where government ministers lived in opulence at the expense of the suffering taxpayers. Those days, when the country only belonged to Zanu pf people and no one else. Mr Mnangagwa is thus an honorary president who cannot clean up police corruption, end shortages, introduce a new currency and reign in on underperforming government officials. Doctors are suffering, teachers are overwhelmed, workers are underpaid and everyone else is seized with a worthless bond note currency. The country is clearly on auto-pilot, heading to an unknown destination and no one in government seems to be noticing the impending disaster.
Frazer Muzondo
MDC UK and Ireland
ROHR International Zimbabwe
Source - Frazer Muzondo
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