Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe has US billion dollars overseas, can wipe out debt within 24 hrs
13 Oct 2024 at 19:56hrs | Views
The recent Bulawayo24 article tells us that Zimbabwe is cash-strapped: it has a staggering debt of US$ 31billion; both domestic and international. This statement is partly true. In paper, Zimbabwe is in serious debt, dating back 35 years ago when Mugabe regime defaulted on international debt repayments for several reasons. (an article for another day).
There is money that belongs to Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans in international Banks in the far East. Diamonds revenues are in billions that could repay debts overnight. It is a good thing that General Chiwenga talks about corruption in the country that has ravaged the fabric of the nation. He openly condemned it as such. Chiwenga realizes the repercation of syphoning national diamonds revenues to feed foreign banks. The penny has finally dropped; he is categorically condemning corruption. (A monkey that learns to type can in a million years, write a Britannica) However, it took Chiwenga dead seven years to realize the danger of stealing national revenues: corruption ravages the fabric of the nation. Well said, General.
Has the government paid off the white farmers? What was the farce of raiding farms if we are worse off now after the brutal and bloody farm invasions of 2000. We Africans are good at cutting the nose to spite the face. Two-thirds of Zimbabweans starve to death because of self-inflicted chronic food insecurities; A government known for self-inflicted failure planning, there has never a time after the farm invasions when Zimbabwe was food secure. The white farmers will leave the country for Australia or elsewhere: a natural reaction.
There is however money in our midst to make international debt repayments. We start with Chiwenga who has just condemned corruption. Can he, for the good of the nation, bring back US$ 7,5 he stole behind our backs together with his Zezuru home-boy Mugabe? He has just bought a chopper from South Africa: with what money did he buy the chopper? He must demand Dr. Grace Mugabe to surrender another US$7,5 to the national coffers. If our debts both domestic and foreign is US$31 billion, we could halve our debt to US$ 15 billion to pay off the national debt.
Before we touch on Mnangagwa and his bales of US$ billion dollars stashed in his homes; we ask General Chiwenga to sell his multiple homes he got through revenues that belong to the nation starting with his home in Borrowdale; at the top roof were first alphabets of C & M: Constatine & Merry must be auctioned. The next home to sell is the blue roof house of Grace and Robert Mugabe at Borrowdale. The sales of these houses will bring big revenues that could be used in health programmes country wide. How many farms does the Mugabe family have: about 13 farms? Sell them to those who can afford, money is needed urgently to clean up national and international debt. In Dubai repossessing Zimbabwean homes should be done: the purchase of those homes was stolen from national coffers. We need that money back. Or there must be proof that the financing of them was clean money from private owned businesses.
When Zimbabwean Gen Zs start national-wide demonstrations, please go for the bales of cash stashed in Mnangagwas homes and surrender those bales of ill-gotten cash to the national coffers to alleviate chronic debt that has been hanging on our throats for three decades. You must also have plan A & B before the uprisings take place. We will lose much if it was no planned, thought-through revolution: how to recapture our freedom back. (if ever we had freedom before) Has the critical mass been met to go for all-out revolution. Who are you replacing in power from Zanu PF? Do you sincerely think that Chamisa is the right choice to replace Mnangagwa and Zanu PF?
I am asking these questions because the people of Mashonaland have made mistakes before. The choice of Mugabe as president of the first republic was a blow on all tribal divides. Muchazochema futi when you realize that Chamisa is not the right person to lead a hungry-for-freedom, hungry for law-and-order in today’s Zimbabwe. Indicators in Chamisa show that he will be a worse dictator than what you are now removing from power today. History is stubborn, it can repeat itself easily.
I remember not long ago: in 2017 when the coup took place. During the coup deliberations, Mugabe, in his narrow tribal instinct, told Chiwenga direct, "takeover power and become president yourself, not Mnangagwa", said Mugabe. He could not make it more obvious about what or who Mnangagwa is. Chiwenga refused the offer on a silver plate offered to him by his fellow Zezuru comrade. What happened then after, made Chiwenga a fool to surrender power given to him by Mugabe to Mnangagwa: the commanders who made Mnangagwa president, including Chiwenga, started disappearing one by one, to say it mildly. Chiwenga must brew beer and make offerings to his ancestors and thank them for narrowly surviving death when others did not. (Abike doro awombere kunedziteteguru ake ese)
It is not all exciting about Chiwenga taking overpower from Mnangagwa: it’s changing a single political system that does not bring change. It clearly demonstrates how sick Africa can be when it comes to the choice of national leadership. It will opt for change that will not change anything on the ground. The affinity of voters to choose leaders without ideas, Said PLO Lumumba of Kenya. We shall not be around when the Gen Zs realize the mistake of putting Chamisa into power after Mnangagwa. In parenthesis, it is not clear who they want: are they fighting on Chiwenga’s corner or Chamisa? Is there an alliance between Chiwenga and Chamisa? Time will tell!
The destruction of Mbare market will make the people of Mashonaland think deep about Zanu PF choice back in 1980. How they cheered the arrival of Zanu PF from the war out of innate hate and anger, started a civil war against unarmed civilians of Matabeleland north and south. Gukurahundi atrocities still divides the tribes today: one is still seeking answers about how one ethnic group could decimate 20,000 civilians without accountability to this day. Nationally, we grieve the loss of livelihoods in Mbare market. Ndebele people must be saying: in the event of national-wide demonstrations, are they going to be part of it having learnt the hard way how Zapu, after the bush war was sidelined outrightly: Zapu was told they never fought the bush war, a painful insult: Zanu PF knows where to scratch you, and it hurts profoundly. The same Zanu is now devouring its own children: burning Msika market and destroying livelihoods of thousands of people in the informal sector, a people who have no means whatsoever to survive either than buying and selling.
Zapu never recovered. Today Zapu PF is a shadow of its own self; it was destroyed to the point of non-revival. What Sibangilizwe Nkomo is doing with Zapu is a kinder garden joke. He has nothing to do in Zapu that makes sense: he thinks he must be seen talking about his father, Dr. Joshua Nkomo. (A story for another day)
A revolution in its important senses: the fall of the ZiG currency, the national debt of US$ 31 billion that has resurfaced, the Mbare market destruction could be the trigger of a violent demonstrations to come, sooner or later. However, judging the voices of Zim Gen Zs on the ground, they are questionably not prepared for ground-breaking transformations because of abject absence of a strong and resounding opposition. If Chamisa is their choice: he failed to lead a vibrant opposition party to challenge Zanu PF, what makes Zim Gen Zs think that Chamisa could manage institutions and organs of power if he became president? History indeed defeats commonsense because we do not learn from it.
In 2017, during the coup, people went out their way, went crazy, embraced the army against Mugabe. That hallucination of a people was unique in a lifetime. They shouted halleluiah and amen, with all the hope that it will be different when Mnangagwa comes to power. No. It was it was not better but worse. This time around, they will embrace Chiwenga again hoping that he will be better than the incumbent Mnangagwa. They forget that it was Chiwenga who, at his behest, instructed soldiers to gun down 6 people on 1st August 2018. Again, prominent and educated people called Mnangagwa: Mukoma Ed, Mukoma ED. We don’t hear them saying so these days. The Mukoma ED-mantra is dead; Mnangagwa does not know them anymore! A narcissist to the core.
My humble suggestion is the creation of a provisional National Transitional Authority before the revolution could even start. Strategically, if Zanu PF is toppled by the Gen Zs or the army, or both, some form of administration must be put in place and prevent chaos. Professor Mandaza is creating such a platform, a semblance of an NTA. This is a time window to do so. Sharp minds must come together to chat a provision, preparing for all eventualities. Zimbabwean Gen Zs must embrace the moves that Professor Mandaza, and the rest are doing, introducing an NTA to save the nation from total chaos and destruction that is imminent. I worry about semi-literate biblical slogan such as #godisinit#. To me that is a clear indicator that these Gen Zs lack something very fundamental about a true revolution.
There is money that belongs to Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans in international Banks in the far East. Diamonds revenues are in billions that could repay debts overnight. It is a good thing that General Chiwenga talks about corruption in the country that has ravaged the fabric of the nation. He openly condemned it as such. Chiwenga realizes the repercation of syphoning national diamonds revenues to feed foreign banks. The penny has finally dropped; he is categorically condemning corruption. (A monkey that learns to type can in a million years, write a Britannica) However, it took Chiwenga dead seven years to realize the danger of stealing national revenues: corruption ravages the fabric of the nation. Well said, General.
Has the government paid off the white farmers? What was the farce of raiding farms if we are worse off now after the brutal and bloody farm invasions of 2000. We Africans are good at cutting the nose to spite the face. Two-thirds of Zimbabweans starve to death because of self-inflicted chronic food insecurities; A government known for self-inflicted failure planning, there has never a time after the farm invasions when Zimbabwe was food secure. The white farmers will leave the country for Australia or elsewhere: a natural reaction.
There is however money in our midst to make international debt repayments. We start with Chiwenga who has just condemned corruption. Can he, for the good of the nation, bring back US$ 7,5 he stole behind our backs together with his Zezuru home-boy Mugabe? He has just bought a chopper from South Africa: with what money did he buy the chopper? He must demand Dr. Grace Mugabe to surrender another US$7,5 to the national coffers. If our debts both domestic and foreign is US$31 billion, we could halve our debt to US$ 15 billion to pay off the national debt.
Before we touch on Mnangagwa and his bales of US$ billion dollars stashed in his homes; we ask General Chiwenga to sell his multiple homes he got through revenues that belong to the nation starting with his home in Borrowdale; at the top roof were first alphabets of C & M: Constatine & Merry must be auctioned. The next home to sell is the blue roof house of Grace and Robert Mugabe at Borrowdale. The sales of these houses will bring big revenues that could be used in health programmes country wide. How many farms does the Mugabe family have: about 13 farms? Sell them to those who can afford, money is needed urgently to clean up national and international debt. In Dubai repossessing Zimbabwean homes should be done: the purchase of those homes was stolen from national coffers. We need that money back. Or there must be proof that the financing of them was clean money from private owned businesses.
When Zimbabwean Gen Zs start national-wide demonstrations, please go for the bales of cash stashed in Mnangagwas homes and surrender those bales of ill-gotten cash to the national coffers to alleviate chronic debt that has been hanging on our throats for three decades. You must also have plan A & B before the uprisings take place. We will lose much if it was no planned, thought-through revolution: how to recapture our freedom back. (if ever we had freedom before) Has the critical mass been met to go for all-out revolution. Who are you replacing in power from Zanu PF? Do you sincerely think that Chamisa is the right choice to replace Mnangagwa and Zanu PF?
I am asking these questions because the people of Mashonaland have made mistakes before. The choice of Mugabe as president of the first republic was a blow on all tribal divides. Muchazochema futi when you realize that Chamisa is not the right person to lead a hungry-for-freedom, hungry for law-and-order in today’s Zimbabwe. Indicators in Chamisa show that he will be a worse dictator than what you are now removing from power today. History is stubborn, it can repeat itself easily.
It is not all exciting about Chiwenga taking overpower from Mnangagwa: it’s changing a single political system that does not bring change. It clearly demonstrates how sick Africa can be when it comes to the choice of national leadership. It will opt for change that will not change anything on the ground. The affinity of voters to choose leaders without ideas, Said PLO Lumumba of Kenya. We shall not be around when the Gen Zs realize the mistake of putting Chamisa into power after Mnangagwa. In parenthesis, it is not clear who they want: are they fighting on Chiwenga’s corner or Chamisa? Is there an alliance between Chiwenga and Chamisa? Time will tell!
The destruction of Mbare market will make the people of Mashonaland think deep about Zanu PF choice back in 1980. How they cheered the arrival of Zanu PF from the war out of innate hate and anger, started a civil war against unarmed civilians of Matabeleland north and south. Gukurahundi atrocities still divides the tribes today: one is still seeking answers about how one ethnic group could decimate 20,000 civilians without accountability to this day. Nationally, we grieve the loss of livelihoods in Mbare market. Ndebele people must be saying: in the event of national-wide demonstrations, are they going to be part of it having learnt the hard way how Zapu, after the bush war was sidelined outrightly: Zapu was told they never fought the bush war, a painful insult: Zanu PF knows where to scratch you, and it hurts profoundly. The same Zanu is now devouring its own children: burning Msika market and destroying livelihoods of thousands of people in the informal sector, a people who have no means whatsoever to survive either than buying and selling.
Zapu never recovered. Today Zapu PF is a shadow of its own self; it was destroyed to the point of non-revival. What Sibangilizwe Nkomo is doing with Zapu is a kinder garden joke. He has nothing to do in Zapu that makes sense: he thinks he must be seen talking about his father, Dr. Joshua Nkomo. (A story for another day)
A revolution in its important senses: the fall of the ZiG currency, the national debt of US$ 31 billion that has resurfaced, the Mbare market destruction could be the trigger of a violent demonstrations to come, sooner or later. However, judging the voices of Zim Gen Zs on the ground, they are questionably not prepared for ground-breaking transformations because of abject absence of a strong and resounding opposition. If Chamisa is their choice: he failed to lead a vibrant opposition party to challenge Zanu PF, what makes Zim Gen Zs think that Chamisa could manage institutions and organs of power if he became president? History indeed defeats commonsense because we do not learn from it.
In 2017, during the coup, people went out their way, went crazy, embraced the army against Mugabe. That hallucination of a people was unique in a lifetime. They shouted halleluiah and amen, with all the hope that it will be different when Mnangagwa comes to power. No. It was it was not better but worse. This time around, they will embrace Chiwenga again hoping that he will be better than the incumbent Mnangagwa. They forget that it was Chiwenga who, at his behest, instructed soldiers to gun down 6 people on 1st August 2018. Again, prominent and educated people called Mnangagwa: Mukoma Ed, Mukoma ED. We don’t hear them saying so these days. The Mukoma ED-mantra is dead; Mnangagwa does not know them anymore! A narcissist to the core.
My humble suggestion is the creation of a provisional National Transitional Authority before the revolution could even start. Strategically, if Zanu PF is toppled by the Gen Zs or the army, or both, some form of administration must be put in place and prevent chaos. Professor Mandaza is creating such a platform, a semblance of an NTA. This is a time window to do so. Sharp minds must come together to chat a provision, preparing for all eventualities. Zimbabwean Gen Zs must embrace the moves that Professor Mandaza, and the rest are doing, introducing an NTA to save the nation from total chaos and destruction that is imminent. I worry about semi-literate biblical slogan such as #godisinit#. To me that is a clear indicator that these Gen Zs lack something very fundamental about a true revolution.
Source - Nomazulu Thata
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