We are starving in the Garden of Eden - damning testimonial on leaders and us all

"38 years of criminal waste of human and material resources through gross mismanagement and rampant corruption by this Zanu-PF regime has destroyed the country's economy. For decades now, the country has relied on imported food aid, we are so impoverished we cannot even pay for the food," said Patrick Guramatunhu.

"We live in the day and age where human ingenuity has turn deserts from a sea of sand into a sea of wheat fields and orchards. And yet we, in Zimbabwe, are now starving in a country that is, for all practical purposes, the Garden of Eden. Such is the damning testimonial to the sheer incompetence of Zanu-PF leadership."

True, that is indeed "a damning testimonial to the sheer incompetence of the Zanu PF leadership". But it is also a equally damning testimonial to the sheer incompetence of the Zimbabwean populous.

Yes, Zanu PF has used brute force to impose this corrupt and tyrannical regime but it is undeniable that in the last four decades there have been many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. The best chances ever fell during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when Zanu PF had its hands tied behind its back by the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The party had agreed to the implementation of a raft of reforms to stop it rigging elections.

Whenever the devil and his imps closes the door to imprison good people, sooner or latter the Lord will open a window somewhere for their escape. We cannot say the Lord never opened a window for us. Indeed in the GPA, the Lord had given us a "get out of jail" card.

The question the people of Zimbabwe must answered and answer honestly is; why did the nation waste the many golden opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship?

There are two parts to the honest answer as to why the nation failed to get even one democratic reform implemented in the five years of the GNU:

a. the immediate reason is that Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends whom the nation had risked life and limb to elect into parliament and cabinet sold-out. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office; ministerial limos, generous salaries, a former white-owned farm for Welshman Ncube, a $4 million Highlands mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. In return the MDC leaders kick reforms into the prickly pear thicket.

b. "You can delegate someone else to carry out a given task but cannot delegate the responsibility to see that the task is done!" as my late mother would say. The people of Zimbabwe had risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered and hundreds of thousands had their limbs broken by Zanu PF thugs in the 2008 elections alone; to elect MDC leaders on the ticket they would bring about the democratic changes the nation was dying for. It was the people's duty and responsibility to make sure the MDC leaders implemented the reforms. The people failed themselves by failing to get MDC to implement even one reform in five years.

It is easy to see why the people were in no position to push Tsvangirai and company to implement the reforms; the people themselves had no clue what the reforms required for meaningful democratic change were much less how they were to be implemented. How can the people supervise the implementation of reforms when they themselves do not know what those reforms are!

Indeed, even to this day with the benefit of hindsight, many Zimbabweans out there still have no clue what the democratic reforms the nation is dying for are.

The EU, Commonwealth and even the country's own Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission have all come out with elections report giving details of the flaws and illegalities - pointers to the required reforms.

"The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. ….. many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards" stated the EU election observer's final report.

Of course, Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year's elections. With the country up to her eyes in serious economic trouble precisely because of Zanu PF corrupt and tyrannical rule and after 38 years of the same s***t one had expected the nation to stand up and say enough is enough. They did not!

The news that Zanu PF had blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections produced as much reaction as discharging a shotgun right into a sloth's face - it slowly open its eyes, blink a few times and go back to sleep.

As a rule of thumb, nations do get the government they deserve. In Zimbabwe we certainly deserve this corrupt, vote rigging and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its entourage of corrupt and incompetent opposition parties, over 100 at the last count. If the people of Zimbabwe are serious about ending the dictatorship and the economic meltdown that has left millions living on US$1.00 or less a day then they must snap out of their sloth-like slumber! There is no other way out.

Patrick, one rarely, if ever, get quality leaders out of a mediocre society just as one does not get cream, from a bucket of sewage. If you want cream, first get a bucket of wholesome milk! A quality electorate will produce quality leaders, guaranteed.

The country's characteristic dispositions in war and peace are the marked qualities of the people who live there! Zimbabwe has blundered from pillar to post in keeping with the essential character of the people themselves who cannot be bothered to learn from the past. "Nyika vanhu!" as one would say in Shona