Mugabe, biggest obstacle to socio-economic progress in Zimbabwe

We have seen clearly that Mugabe himself is the enemy of progress in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has not progressed since independence; in fact the country has actually regressed enormously. Mugabe should have abducted long back but he is continuously hanging onto power albeit at a very huge cost to the ordinary Zimbabwean. Mugabe and his Zanu Pf system want to continue to lie to us that the economic, political and now the environmental degradation is being caused by the West, who have a regime change agenda.

With determined leaders, economic development can be rapid and is easily noticeable. But with Mubabe and his Zanu pf system everything is facing rapid decay. Mugabe has not cared for any progress but only for his stay in power and has crushed all challengers mercilessly. Even those who were once his close friends he has trembled under foot. Mugabe has spent all his tenure and efforts hunting political opponents and bringing them down. His state security agents have devoted all their momentum and strength in making sure that Mugabe remain in power.  No time has been found by Mugabe and his ruling party to find solutions bedeviling the country. Actually in the bid to remain in power, Mugabe has created most of the problems himself. His eye was only on the throne and he forgot and overlooked the economy and well-being of the people. The essence of being a president is elusive to him.
For example if the necessary land reform had been done properly, the economy would not have collapsed. But as we all know Mugabe commanded the land reform to be carried out only when saw that he had lost popularity. Mugabe only focused on power preservation and did not give thought to the fact that agriculture was the back bone of the economy. He did not understand the intricate connection between industry or economy at large, and agriculture. Maybe he did know but simply did not care. Local firms used to produce inputs needed for agriculture, like fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and all other chemicals and many firms along their chain were adversely affected due to lack of demand of inputs by the new farmers. The land has been lying fallow ever since Zanu pf confiscated it and harvested the last white farmer grown crop. New farmers don't have capital to procure inputs, they don't have the expertise to grow crops; most even don't have the will to farm commercially. Firms that processed farm products were also affected, that is why we no longer see products from Cairns, Olivines and the like. The National Railways of Zimbabwe was the greatest casualty. No business for NRZ, simply nothing to ferry and now is in collapsed state with employees on getting no salaries for months.. The financial sector was another hard hit victim with many banks shutting own. The cost of agricultural production per hectare for most crops is high such that it is almost impossible to mobilize the financial resources required to produce commercially from one's pocket. The previous farmers would approach banks to obtain loans for operations and repay over time.  Loans, that's how banks make money but now with agriculture literally dead, the financial sector is also collapsing in step. See, Mugabe cannot hatch chickens from fried eggs. Mugabe precipitated all this mayhem by his wanton, unrestrained desire for power. There was  delicate balance between agriculture and the whole scheme livelihoods in Zimbabwe, including subsidizes for education and health, and it is this delicate balance that one man, Mugabe, destroyed and continue to destroy because he can't imagine himself not in power.  The sad result of these company scale downs or closures is that unemployment is now above 80% with most people becoming vendors or flock to South Africa for jobs and there they face xenophobia from locals who compete for same jobs. The results of his actions have a snowball effect, they continue to grow, but Mugabe chose to lie to the nation and the whole world that the cause of meltdown is sanctions imposed by the west.

In the eastern highlands destruction of forests is taking place unabated, under Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwayo's watch as chairperson of the Forestry Commission. The trees which took on average 25 years to mature are being hewn down at an alarming rate, without any replacement whatsoever.  Most if not all of the culprits, are top Zanu pf officials and top military brass. The Chinese are also there with huge machinery to cut down trees and sophisticated plants to process the timber.  After those mountains are stripped bare, erosion will take its toll. The culprits are the same people who are propping Mugabe's bid to remain in power and this is how they reward themselves, by pillaging country resources. Just who do they think will replace those trees which will need another 25 years to mature. This is Zanu Pf's attitude, for when they invaded the farms they only harvested the then standing crop and never replanted any after that. Patrick Zhuwao is proud to be the board chairman of a Forestry Commission, presiding over the destruction of forest trees without replacing.  Yondo Sister and her team who annexed Sam Levi's Lilfordia farm, just outside Harare, butchered all the dairy cattle they found on the farm and enjoyed the meat with friends. Some of the meat was sold and beer was bought. It was party time, courtesy of Mugabe who they prop to remain president. With all the cattle now gone, they need Sam Levi to come back and rebuilt the herd.

In 2006, some so called war vets who annexed a farm Shamva there, got tired of fishing with rods from an earth dam built for irrigation. They broke down the earth dam wall, let all the water out, and caught all the fish by hand, ate and sold some. The dam is gone and so are the fish. This is the caliber and standard of people who prop Mugabe, who consume everything in an instant without giving regeneration a chance.

Around the country illegal mining is causing immense land degradation with gullies, rivers and dams siltation resulting. Harmful chemicals are also being fed into the river systems as a result of gold planning. EMA is powerless to do anything to the illegal Zanu pf miners clad in Zanu pf regalia depicting Mugabe's picture. The same with those building illegal structures/homes on wetlands, City council has not been able to evict them once they erect a Zanu pf flag in front of their offices.

Mugabe is the master of destruction the truest enemy of State. Mugabe has destroyed everything including people's hopes. Zimbabweans are hardworking people who capable of building a strong and vibrant economy. They are lagging behind only because Mugabe is holding them up, because he wants to stay in power.  The condition for rapid development and prosperity is for democracy and freedom to flourish. Inbuilt in these two are balances and checks or accountability. Mugabe will have none of this because democracy and freedom are incompatible with his agenda to remain in power.  Actually Mugabe did go to the extent of ordaining corruption in Zimbabwe so that those who back him can freely practice it without fear of arrest.

Without electoral, security, media and judiciary reforms, Zimbabwe should kiss goodbye to removing Mugabe/Munangagwa and Zanu pf system from power through polls so to usher themselves into a new dispensation.  The only way to remove Zanu pf from power is the Africa Unity Square way. That is why State Security agents took away the vocal Itai Dzamara, but there will always be Dzamaras to oppose him, until freedom and democracy are realized, both. Even if Mugabe dies today, our situation won't change, still we have to battle Munangagwa, a self-acknowledged trained killer who is also highly undemocratic. In the event that Mugabe suddenly goes, wherever, Munangagwa is most likely to be buoyed to power by a fraudulent, questionable constitutional provision.