Is someone in government sabotaging ED Mnangagwa?

Zimbabweans are a people of strong political opinions who have always debated vigorously the issues of the day. During the Chimurenga war, freedom fighters convened Dare Rechimurenga to debate the pace of the war. To end the war, the freedom fighters participated in the London. The general population of Zimbabwe debate politics, economy, and social decay in our country. In 2017, the country came together to debate the toxic corruption tendencies.

The downside, the debate is greatly inhibited. All the debates are never freely or publicly done; it is always done in private. There is a distrust of government's tolerance of the general populace's point of view. Pointing controversial issues is always considered an attack on the government.

And as a result, Zimbabwean debates are too partisan fueled by political parties telling lies about each other. Zimbabwe is now a divided society that it will take a powerful figure who is not contemptuous of those who hold different views to him. Zimbabwe needs a leader who advance his arguments with reason and persuasion.

But what do we hear today in the public square? The country is facing enormous challenges. The myriad of problems has resulted into bitter charges and countercharges. Shrill language and threats. We are subjected to a cacophony of partisan invective that drowns out the voices of reason and prevents consensus. The rising chorus of incivility has had a corrosive effect on our lives. We have seen a forty-year rise in corruption in our society. Since the New Dispensation took over the running of the country, corruption became the new normal. It is imperative that we stop shouting and begin acting because every day we wait is pulling us further into oblivion.

We are all aware that to obtain a free, self-governing society, we need an open exchange of ideas. Open exchange of ideas requires civility rooted in mutual respect for each other's opinions and viewpoints. Our country has slid away from civility—there are individuals carrying surveillance of diverging ideas starting from village level. Even Zimbabweans living in the diaspora are under surveillance through so social forum groups. We must restore civility to public discourse if our country must survive.

We need a debate about the state of our country. I know there is so much to debate about, but we could start with police roadblocks like the one at Nyanda in Masvingo. This roadblock is a large operation comprising of are policemen, Soldiers, ZINARA staff, Immigration staff, armed support unit, etc. It is scary to approach. Why do we need such a huge operation?

Why should we care? I have passed through this roadblock numerous times in a Kombi as a passenger and almost every time I pass through, I spend 45 minutes. It is almost certain the driver is asked to surrender his license or car keys. The driver is not cited for any offence but is asked to pay US$10 if they need to proceed. Failure to pay means the driver and all passengers are stuck at the roadblock. All the roadblock personnel including the soldier present connives to fleece the drivers of their hard-earned dollars.  

The actions of the police results in some risky behavior from the Kombi drivers. To avoid being fleeced, Kombi drivers are curving dirty roads that avoid tollgates and police roadblocks. This is putting the lives and welfare of passengers into danger. These backroads are not well maintained and some of them go through Conservancy.

In my case, my Kombi driver drove through the Conservancy opposite Nyanda mountains. I spend almost an hour going around the Conservancy. Due to incessant rains, the road we took is in very bad condition and very slippery. We completed the route on foot as the car repeatedly got stuck in the mud.

This is the state of our country. I thought the soldiers were asked to join the roadblocks as a way of discouraging corruption tendencies by the police but, alas, they are the ones now at the top of the corruption grave train.

This left me wondering, is someone in government sabotaging ED Mnangwa and his government? Is Mnangagwa aware of these practices? Why am I suspicious? Because any new policy is aiding in corrupt tendencies. Those tasked with policy enforcement simply use the policies to milk citizens. Next time you hear about a new policy, just understand a new vehicle to fleece people has been opened. No mercury, no importation of cars over 10 years, no kombis, no issuance of new national registration cards are all vehicles for corruption. All these policies are used as a means of fleecing the unsuspecting citizen.

Let us stop talking and act.