Opinion / Columnist
A year gone life has become worse in Zimbabwe
11 Aug 2019 at 10:11hrs | Views
Since President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa's election win in 2018 pitting MDC-Alliance Nelson Chamisa to lead the nation, life has become worse and it seems to be a daunting task for this new republic.
One year after winning the election the economy has been spiralling downwards at the speed of a bullet train leaving the citizens clutching on their straws.
When Robert Mugabe was ousted after four decades in power, his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa promised economic regeneration. Instead things have gone from bad to worse.
Mnangagwa's government has been coming with a lot of excuses accusing the opposition of throwing some spanners on the rebuilding process.
There is nothing called _kudira jecha_. One cannot separate economy and politics. Every economic boom will only follow a stable and conducive political environment. Investors are still sitting on the fence despite the mantra by the government that it is open for business.
Investors are only interested to come and invest in a country where they feel that their money will be safe and not abused. Zanu PF's hands are very dirty and cannot be trusted with the economy. They looted social funds from NSSA and Command Agriculture. The only way is to reform or else they will struggle and sink into oblivion.
We still have insurmountable challenges ahead as a nation and action must be taken. We still have insufficient supply of medical drugs, the scourge of corruption , erratic fuel supply and inflation which hovering above 500%.
There is no confidence within the stakeholders and market players. Power has absolutely corrupted the politicians. No one is ready to swallow their pride and bury the differences in order for the country to move forward.
Zanu PF thrives on starving the rural people then, just a few months before elections come up with dubious community projects and start handing out 5kg mealie meal, cooking oil and the poor folk vote for their bellies. This is a tool which ZANU PF has been using since 1980 giving freebies and politicising food aid.
Winning elections should not be the end in itself. It should be a means to an end. As it is, we know what winning elections mean to Zanu PF. The talk about winning elections has been a trump card for the revolutionary party but failing to fix the economy. It is another ticket to loot and line pockets. This has nothing to do with the people purported to have voted.
Zimbabwe is currently facing power shortages which drive the economy. $15 billion went missing during Mugabe's era and another $3 billion went missing in Command Agriculture. It is this same dispensation which is claiming that it is nipping corruption in the bud.
One can imagine how much these politicians have siphoned from government parastatals like NSSA for self aggrandisement.
With that kind of money Zimbabwe could have built a very big hydroelectric power plant. It is sad that we do not have progressive thinking politicians. We are currently buying electricity from Eskom and failing to come up with sustainable projects.
There are power cuts for approximately 18 hours a day and how can an economy take off under such very harsh conditions. This is very ridiculous and it means some offices are manned by lazy and people who are not innovative. We don't have leaders with the spirit of building the nation for the future generations but political leaders who have the insatiable appetite to line their pockets.
We have seen a government hiding under the banner of sanctions. They say sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States of America and the EU following Mugabe's controversial land reforms some 20 years ago, continue to stifle the Zimbabwean economy, limiting the country's access to foreign lenders. This kind of flip flopping and lack of policy consistency is haunting this new dispensation. When sanctions were imposed they said it was MDC which asked for them.
Today the same government is changing goal posts and accusing the former President. This is the same team about 20 years ago , which was bragging about the land reform saying it was irreversible.
It is sad that the government has blown billions of dollars and looted diamonds whilst Ethiopia is on the brink of completing the construction of Africa's largest dam and hydroelectric power plant. The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
It will be the World's 7th largest hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 6.450 megawatts.
Contacts
Facebook - Leonard Koni
Twitter - @Leokoni
WhatsApp - +27616868508
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
One year after winning the election the economy has been spiralling downwards at the speed of a bullet train leaving the citizens clutching on their straws.
When Robert Mugabe was ousted after four decades in power, his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa promised economic regeneration. Instead things have gone from bad to worse.
Mnangagwa's government has been coming with a lot of excuses accusing the opposition of throwing some spanners on the rebuilding process.
There is nothing called _kudira jecha_. One cannot separate economy and politics. Every economic boom will only follow a stable and conducive political environment. Investors are still sitting on the fence despite the mantra by the government that it is open for business.
Investors are only interested to come and invest in a country where they feel that their money will be safe and not abused. Zanu PF's hands are very dirty and cannot be trusted with the economy. They looted social funds from NSSA and Command Agriculture. The only way is to reform or else they will struggle and sink into oblivion.
We still have insurmountable challenges ahead as a nation and action must be taken. We still have insufficient supply of medical drugs, the scourge of corruption , erratic fuel supply and inflation which hovering above 500%.
There is no confidence within the stakeholders and market players. Power has absolutely corrupted the politicians. No one is ready to swallow their pride and bury the differences in order for the country to move forward.
Zanu PF thrives on starving the rural people then, just a few months before elections come up with dubious community projects and start handing out 5kg mealie meal, cooking oil and the poor folk vote for their bellies. This is a tool which ZANU PF has been using since 1980 giving freebies and politicising food aid.
Winning elections should not be the end in itself. It should be a means to an end. As it is, we know what winning elections mean to Zanu PF. The talk about winning elections has been a trump card for the revolutionary party but failing to fix the economy. It is another ticket to loot and line pockets. This has nothing to do with the people purported to have voted.
Zimbabwe is currently facing power shortages which drive the economy. $15 billion went missing during Mugabe's era and another $3 billion went missing in Command Agriculture. It is this same dispensation which is claiming that it is nipping corruption in the bud.
One can imagine how much these politicians have siphoned from government parastatals like NSSA for self aggrandisement.
With that kind of money Zimbabwe could have built a very big hydroelectric power plant. It is sad that we do not have progressive thinking politicians. We are currently buying electricity from Eskom and failing to come up with sustainable projects.
There are power cuts for approximately 18 hours a day and how can an economy take off under such very harsh conditions. This is very ridiculous and it means some offices are manned by lazy and people who are not innovative. We don't have leaders with the spirit of building the nation for the future generations but political leaders who have the insatiable appetite to line their pockets.
We have seen a government hiding under the banner of sanctions. They say sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States of America and the EU following Mugabe's controversial land reforms some 20 years ago, continue to stifle the Zimbabwean economy, limiting the country's access to foreign lenders. This kind of flip flopping and lack of policy consistency is haunting this new dispensation. When sanctions were imposed they said it was MDC which asked for them.
Today the same government is changing goal posts and accusing the former President. This is the same team about 20 years ago , which was bragging about the land reform saying it was irreversible.
It is sad that the government has blown billions of dollars and looted diamonds whilst Ethiopia is on the brink of completing the construction of Africa's largest dam and hydroelectric power plant. The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
It will be the World's 7th largest hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 6.450 megawatts.
Contacts
Facebook - Leonard Koni
Twitter - @Leokoni
WhatsApp - +27616868508
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Source - Leonard Koni
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