Zanu-PF way beyond redemption

IT never ceases to baffle the mind what exactly the ruling Zanu-PF party intends to achieve by singing on rooftops about its supposed "achievements".

Surely, after authoring the unimaginable misery and suffering of millions of Zimbabweans — with half the population languishing in extreme poverty — what "achievement" can possibly redeem this regime?

President Emmerson Mnangagwa can come to us with tales of road rehabilitation, the expansion of an airport, construction of a few dams, a handful of new investments, and increased power generation, but that can never undo the pain and anguish his regime has caused us.

It is akin to a criminal who brutally massacres one's family and sexually violate all female members, then tomorrow returns bearing gifts, such as groceries, expecting this to exonerate him from his diabolical deeds.

What good is there in giving, for instance, so-called "empowerment projects" — usually vending stalls, or chicken rearing, or detergents production projects — when the same government plunged the country into abject poverty and joblessness?

What benefits can, for instance a teacher, derive from selling second-hand clothes  from which he cannot even make enough money to feed his family.

Yet, teachers used to earn an income that could provide them with relatively decent lives?

As a son of a teacher and a nurse, I am fully aware of the respectable lives these men and women previously enjoyed, whereby they could afford buying their own suburban houses, cars of their choice and enrol their children at some of the best schools.

But today, due to the wanton destruction of our once prosperous country by those in power — even after combining a nurse's salary and the income from her so-called "project", there is no way she can afford to purchase, or build, a modest house for her family.

Many civil servants have been reduced to renting or leasing a few rooms, in what Zimbabweans commonly refer to as "lodging".

In some cases, it is unsurprising to see a teacher "lodging" a room at the home of the parents of his/her student, or a police officer at the house of a known criminal, thereby severely compromising their integrity.

As such, should these teachers, nurses or police officers be thankful to Mnangagwa for rolling out these "empowerment projects", or should the most logic response not to hold him answerable for degrading and ruining their lives?

Surely, when a university graduate finds himself selling second-hand clothes, from a stall "generously donated" by Zanu-PF, on what basis should he be grateful to the party for this gesture?

Is the same party not to blame for crushing this young man's dreams and aspirations, who devoted nearly two decades of his life to intense study, in the hope of securing a well-paying job?

Then we have homeless Zimbabweans who are now being given supposed "title deeds" by Mnangagwa.

How did they end up building their houses on undesignated land — which they did not legally own in the first place?

Yet, a few decades ago, Zimbabweans from all walks of life, could afford to buy their own residential stands in areas that were legally allotted for that purpose.

However, as a consequence of the collapse of our economy, at the hands of a kleptomaniac regime, whose appetite for looting national resources knows no bounds, many Zimbabweans were left homeless and unable to purchase their own pieces of land.

This opened them up to land barons, most of them aligned to Zanu-PF, who exploited desperate homeseekers for their self-enrichment.

As such, when Mnangagwa is doling out "title deeds", the beneficiaries need to ask a simple question:

"Had the Zanu-PF government not pushed us into poverty, should we not be owners of beautiful legally built homes, and not fallen prey to land barons?"

There is nothing more heart-rending than watching the vulnerable and destitute, especially rural folk, celebrating after receiving handouts (food and other basic necessities) or free agricultural inputs dished out by the government or ruling party.

What is there to celebrate?

Who drove these people into the depths of impoverishment, in the first place?

There is really nothing that the Mnangagwa regime can do that can redeem it for the harrowing pain and suffering it brought upon Zimbabweans.

Instead of thanking him as their saviour, ordinary Zimbabweans need to hold Mnangagwa accountable for their misery.

The people of this country need to understand that there would have been no need at all for all those projects and gifts had the Zanu-PF government done its job properly.

In normal countries, citizens do not rely on the State or ruling party for survival.

What can possibly give a greater sense of pride and self-respect than fending and providing for oneself through one's hard work?

This is only possible under a leadership that is faithful and competent, which places the interests of the nation ahead of its own.

Zimbabweans should refuse to be indoctrinated by the Mnangagwa regime into believing that their suffering is an inevitable fate of life.

Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: http://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/