Opinion / Columnist
Mugabe never accounted billions to build Blue Roof, talents he received and wasted; instead blamed British for everything
16 Mar 2023 at 10:11hrs | Views
Let me say from the on-set that white colonial exploitation of Africa has a lot to answer for why the continent is in the economic and political mess it is today. But this is not say the whites are solely to blame for Africa's problems; we, the Africans, are to blame too.
"After century of slavery and colonial exploitation the developed nations had a head start over Africa," you might argue.
You are right, the developed nations had more than a head start. But I am not interested in how many blocks ahead the developed nations were at this or that point in time. I am interested in what Africans have done with whatever we had at a given time.
I am not religious still I will borrow from Jesus' parable of the talents it is ad rem to what I am driving at.
The parable of master who, before going away, entrusted his three servants with five, two and one talent, "each according to his ability" Matthew's Gospel tells us. On his return the servant with five presented his master with the five talents plus five more. The one who got two presented the master with two plus two more he made. The Master thank each of the two servants for their hard work.
"He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 25 24 - 30
Most African nations are failed states, Zimbabwe being a textbook example, because we have squandered our many God given talents in terms of material and human resources.
Indeed, Zimbabwe's bounty of diamonds, gold, lithium and other natural resources have become a curse and not a blessing. Corruption has become rampant and the ruling elite who are the godfathers behind the looting are using the ill got wealth to bankroll their political activities. The Zanu PF Mafiosi has corrupted and controls all the state institutions, private sector is dominated by the regime's cronies - cartels and Zanu PF has corrupted the country's opposition rendering them utterly useless.
I have often wonder what the late Robert Mugabe would say on his judgement day. Zimbabwe had a sound economic infrastructure in 1980, when the country gained her independence. It had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa, according to Ken Yamamoto, a Japanese scholar. No doubt the dictator would give the usual toroid blaming the "wicked British and their western allies" for all Zimbabwe's social, political and economic troubles.
"You had money to build the US$ 4 billion Blue Roof mansion, enough money to design, supply, install and commission Batoka Hydro Power Station. In 2012 alone you squandered US$ 24 million on 8 hospital visits to the Far East for an eye check-up when major hospitals like Pararenyatwa were running of painkillers and bandages," the Lord will remind Mugabe.
"Your regime has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans in 37 years with you as the Zanu PF leaders to create and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship. You remained in power all these years because Zanu PF denied the people their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country."
If anyone deserves to be "cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth", it is Robert Mugabe and his fellow African leaders who have squandered their nation's wealth but, like the wicked servant in the parable of talents, will never admit to their foolishness and greed.
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess and political paralysis (both the ruling party and the coterie of opposition parties have no clue what to do to get out of the hell-on-earth we are in) because both Zanu PF and opposition leaders have turned out to be corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. The late Morgan Tsvangirai must too be in hell for failing to implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, for example. Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders and his friends with the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the generous salaries and allowances, the US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc.; and they throw the reforms out of the window!
The one African leader I hold in great respect is the late President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, his socialist experiment was a disaster for Tanzania. Still, I admire him for admit his own failures and, unlike the likes of Mugabe, seek scapegoat to blame.
"People have gone to the moon, and we are still trying to reach the village, and the village is getting farther," remarked President Nyerere when he learned in 1969 that the Americans had successfully landed on the Moon!
The genesis of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is not so much in the misguided economic policies and the rampant corruption but in the country's failed political system that has given corrupt and incompetent men and women absolute power and allowed them to stay in power for 43 years and counting. Nothing, absolutely nothing, of value will ever be accomplished until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance.
It is shocking that we still do not have the common sense to know we cannot have free elections without something as basic as a verified voters' roll, even after 43 years of the Mafia Zanu PF rigged elections and in this day and age. Those who will not learn from the past are destined to repeat the same foolish mistakes over and over again and will pay dearly for their folly. fail to hold free, fair and credible elections; we don't even know what constitute free and fair elections.
Since the 1969 Moon landing the Americans and the rest of the world have explored Mars and the world beyond our own Solar System, they have split the atom into its components and have produce vaccines for illness such as the recent corona virus in record time. Meanwhile we in Africa lagged even further behind, the "village is even further away" as President Nyerere had aptly put it.
Admitting we are our own worst enemy, as Mwalimu did, is the first step in our effort to pull ourselves out of this mess of our own making. What to do next will have to wait for the next time! For now, we must learn the first step and it well.
"After century of slavery and colonial exploitation the developed nations had a head start over Africa," you might argue.
You are right, the developed nations had more than a head start. But I am not interested in how many blocks ahead the developed nations were at this or that point in time. I am interested in what Africans have done with whatever we had at a given time.
I am not religious still I will borrow from Jesus' parable of the talents it is ad rem to what I am driving at.
The parable of master who, before going away, entrusted his three servants with five, two and one talent, "each according to his ability" Matthew's Gospel tells us. On his return the servant with five presented his master with the five talents plus five more. The one who got two presented the master with two plus two more he made. The Master thank each of the two servants for their hard work.
"He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 25 24 - 30
Most African nations are failed states, Zimbabwe being a textbook example, because we have squandered our many God given talents in terms of material and human resources.
I have often wonder what the late Robert Mugabe would say on his judgement day. Zimbabwe had a sound economic infrastructure in 1980, when the country gained her independence. It had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa, according to Ken Yamamoto, a Japanese scholar. No doubt the dictator would give the usual toroid blaming the "wicked British and their western allies" for all Zimbabwe's social, political and economic troubles.
"You had money to build the US$ 4 billion Blue Roof mansion, enough money to design, supply, install and commission Batoka Hydro Power Station. In 2012 alone you squandered US$ 24 million on 8 hospital visits to the Far East for an eye check-up when major hospitals like Pararenyatwa were running of painkillers and bandages," the Lord will remind Mugabe.
"Your regime has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans in 37 years with you as the Zanu PF leaders to create and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship. You remained in power all these years because Zanu PF denied the people their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country."
If anyone deserves to be "cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth", it is Robert Mugabe and his fellow African leaders who have squandered their nation's wealth but, like the wicked servant in the parable of talents, will never admit to their foolishness and greed.
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess and political paralysis (both the ruling party and the coterie of opposition parties have no clue what to do to get out of the hell-on-earth we are in) because both Zanu PF and opposition leaders have turned out to be corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. The late Morgan Tsvangirai must too be in hell for failing to implement even one token reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU, for example. Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders and his friends with the trappings of high office; the ministerial limos, the generous salaries and allowances, the US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc.; and they throw the reforms out of the window!
The one African leader I hold in great respect is the late President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, his socialist experiment was a disaster for Tanzania. Still, I admire him for admit his own failures and, unlike the likes of Mugabe, seek scapegoat to blame.
"People have gone to the moon, and we are still trying to reach the village, and the village is getting farther," remarked President Nyerere when he learned in 1969 that the Americans had successfully landed on the Moon!
The genesis of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is not so much in the misguided economic policies and the rampant corruption but in the country's failed political system that has given corrupt and incompetent men and women absolute power and allowed them to stay in power for 43 years and counting. Nothing, absolutely nothing, of value will ever be accomplished until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance.
It is shocking that we still do not have the common sense to know we cannot have free elections without something as basic as a verified voters' roll, even after 43 years of the Mafia Zanu PF rigged elections and in this day and age. Those who will not learn from the past are destined to repeat the same foolish mistakes over and over again and will pay dearly for their folly. fail to hold free, fair and credible elections; we don't even know what constitute free and fair elections.
Since the 1969 Moon landing the Americans and the rest of the world have explored Mars and the world beyond our own Solar System, they have split the atom into its components and have produce vaccines for illness such as the recent corona virus in record time. Meanwhile we in Africa lagged even further behind, the "village is even further away" as President Nyerere had aptly put it.
Admitting we are our own worst enemy, as Mwalimu did, is the first step in our effort to pull ourselves out of this mess of our own making. What to do next will have to wait for the next time! For now, we must learn the first step and it well.
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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