Opinion / Columnist
Economic meltdown is not a myth
21 Jun 2015 at 14:08hrs | Views
Zimbabwe's economic recovery is a myth; the ZimAsset recovery plan is dead in the water because Mugabe failed to get any donor to bankroll the $27 billion hare-brain scheme; and, most important and urgent of all, the economic meltdown is real and biting hard.
Up to ten years ago many Zimbabweans were poor, which meant they had one or two family members out of ten earning a living wage and so the family could still afford to send some children to school and have a one decent meal a day. Today most family eke a living as street vendors and they cannot even afford to place one decent meal a week on the table, most children have dropped out of school, etc. These people live in abject poverty.
Last year a UN report said 16% of Zimbabweans live in abject poverty and with more and more companies closing down and the economic meltdown getting worse and worse more and more of our people will be forced to live in abject poverty.
Poor and his more ruthless devilish brother Abject Poverty were the unwelcome guests in povo's homes; they never bothered with any of those formalities of knocking and wait to be invited in, they just kicked the door open and made themselves feel at home. In recent years the two rogues have extended their reach into the Zanu PF ruling elite, sometime right into the inner most Zanu PF sanctuary!
The late Enos Nkala and Nathan Shamuyarira lived the last years of their lives in abject poverty and died paupers. The two are grandees of Zanu PF, it is clear that the two devilish rogues Poor and Abject Poverty were not impressed by the two's Zanu PF's founding membership cards. The rogues only respect those with cash or a health bank account!
Abject Poverty ruled the Shamuyarira roost with an iron fist, just like Mugabe has ruled Zanu PF and the country; the family was so poor his wife did not have the bus fare to visit him on his death bed. In a cynical move to hide the true economic status of the family; Zanu PF arranged to have the pot-holes in the road to Shamuyarira repaired and the house painted to hide the years of rot and decay the afternoon he died.
The worsening economic situation has meant there was less and less of the national cake for the Zanu PF ruling elite to share out so more and more Zanu PF chefs have found themselves out of pocket and at the mercy of the merciless rogues Poor and Abject Poverty. The economic meltdown is not a myth and Abject Poverty is claiming some big Zanu PF chef scalps. The situation is now so bad that even The Sunday Mail, known for praising the successful implementation of ZimAsset even when it was clear the plan was dead and glossing over the nation's problems, is publicly acknowledging abject poverty is taking its toll even amongst those in the very top echelons of political power.
"After Midzi's death, I just thought its time for soul-searching for many Zanu-PF members. Stories are being told of some Zanu-PF members linked to the Mujuru camp who after being fired or suspended from the party, are finding it hard to survive on their own," wrote Bishop Lazarus, The Sunday Mail Columnist.
"Some of them had never worked anywhere in their lives and they are now a burden to their friends. Midzi took the plunge first but this Bishop knows that many of the "gamatox" are dying slowly due to stress. I have prayed for a few of the comrades."
Lazarus was having a dig at Mai Mujuru and her supporters who have been purge out of the party but if the truth is told - come hail or thunder it will be told - the current economic situation has spaced no one even those who escape the purge know they can easily be the next one slowly dying of abject poverty induce stress! Lazarus acknowledged this reality too as his next question apply to those lucky enough to be still in Zanu PF party and government.
Asked Bishop Lazarus: "Can Zanu-PF politicians who hold high offices in the party survive outside Zanu-PF? "Can Zanu-PF members who were fortunate to be appointed as Ministers, Deputy Ministers and so on survive outside Government? "While holding those positions in the party or Government, do these Zanu-PF politicians prepare for life outside these positions? "And more importantly, what is it that Zanu-PF or Government will be doing for these Zanu-PF members that they can't do on their own once they leave these positions? "Dear reader, the answers to these questions are troubling and very worrying because the reality is that some Zanu-PF members can't survive outside the party and Government," continued Lazarus answering his own questions. "They can't survive in the market-driven private sector. This is a sad reality and its so unfortunate"
Even Gushungo Dairy would not survive without all the direct subsidies in the form of soft Bank loans and generous donations and indirect subsidies in the form of tax concession the business receives. I will bet my bottom dollar Gushungo Dairy has never paid its full tax dues!
The truth is no one is surviving in Zimbabwe's present economic meltdown climate this is why so many companies, owned and managed by very shrewd business people have closed down. Of course the spoilt Zanu PF politician cum business person, corrupt and incompetent, has no chance of surviving; cut the subsidies and their business venture will collapse immediately.
What is of greatest concern here is if the economic meltdown is hitting the chefs hard with all their looted wealth to cushion the economic hardships how much worse is it hitting povo who have absolutely nothing to fall back on? Abject poverty in knocking the ruling elite out cold and knocking povo died!
Zimbabwe's economic system needs reforming because it is failing to everyone right across the board from the ruling elite at the top of the economic packing order right down to lowest of the low, the masses. Gone are the days when Zanu PF leaders and members used to think that their economic future was secure as long as they remained in the party; things have changed Zanu PF membership card counts for nothing, the on-going purge within the party has found many chefs thrown out and the rations of those still in the party and government are being cut all the time. Soldiers are being forced to take two weeks leave every month to save of food bill!
The economic hardships brought on by the economic meltdown are economically, socially and politically unsustainable. There is a crying need to address the mismanagement, corruptions and the lawlessness which are the root causes of the country's economic meltdown.
Since Mugabe and Zanu PF have failed to address these economic problems the country need someone with a fresh electoral mandate to implement the needed economic reforms. Whether Mugabe likes it or not there will have to be fresh elections in Zimbabwe because there is no way the nation will tolerate millions being forced into a life of abject poverty for much longer!
Up to ten years ago many Zimbabweans were poor, which meant they had one or two family members out of ten earning a living wage and so the family could still afford to send some children to school and have a one decent meal a day. Today most family eke a living as street vendors and they cannot even afford to place one decent meal a week on the table, most children have dropped out of school, etc. These people live in abject poverty.
Last year a UN report said 16% of Zimbabweans live in abject poverty and with more and more companies closing down and the economic meltdown getting worse and worse more and more of our people will be forced to live in abject poverty.
Poor and his more ruthless devilish brother Abject Poverty were the unwelcome guests in povo's homes; they never bothered with any of those formalities of knocking and wait to be invited in, they just kicked the door open and made themselves feel at home. In recent years the two rogues have extended their reach into the Zanu PF ruling elite, sometime right into the inner most Zanu PF sanctuary!
The late Enos Nkala and Nathan Shamuyarira lived the last years of their lives in abject poverty and died paupers. The two are grandees of Zanu PF, it is clear that the two devilish rogues Poor and Abject Poverty were not impressed by the two's Zanu PF's founding membership cards. The rogues only respect those with cash or a health bank account!
Abject Poverty ruled the Shamuyarira roost with an iron fist, just like Mugabe has ruled Zanu PF and the country; the family was so poor his wife did not have the bus fare to visit him on his death bed. In a cynical move to hide the true economic status of the family; Zanu PF arranged to have the pot-holes in the road to Shamuyarira repaired and the house painted to hide the years of rot and decay the afternoon he died.
The worsening economic situation has meant there was less and less of the national cake for the Zanu PF ruling elite to share out so more and more Zanu PF chefs have found themselves out of pocket and at the mercy of the merciless rogues Poor and Abject Poverty. The economic meltdown is not a myth and Abject Poverty is claiming some big Zanu PF chef scalps. The situation is now so bad that even The Sunday Mail, known for praising the successful implementation of ZimAsset even when it was clear the plan was dead and glossing over the nation's problems, is publicly acknowledging abject poverty is taking its toll even amongst those in the very top echelons of political power.
"After Midzi's death, I just thought its time for soul-searching for many Zanu-PF members. Stories are being told of some Zanu-PF members linked to the Mujuru camp who after being fired or suspended from the party, are finding it hard to survive on their own," wrote Bishop Lazarus, The Sunday Mail Columnist.
Lazarus was having a dig at Mai Mujuru and her supporters who have been purge out of the party but if the truth is told - come hail or thunder it will be told - the current economic situation has spaced no one even those who escape the purge know they can easily be the next one slowly dying of abject poverty induce stress! Lazarus acknowledged this reality too as his next question apply to those lucky enough to be still in Zanu PF party and government.
Asked Bishop Lazarus: "Can Zanu-PF politicians who hold high offices in the party survive outside Zanu-PF? "Can Zanu-PF members who were fortunate to be appointed as Ministers, Deputy Ministers and so on survive outside Government? "While holding those positions in the party or Government, do these Zanu-PF politicians prepare for life outside these positions? "And more importantly, what is it that Zanu-PF or Government will be doing for these Zanu-PF members that they can't do on their own once they leave these positions? "Dear reader, the answers to these questions are troubling and very worrying because the reality is that some Zanu-PF members can't survive outside the party and Government," continued Lazarus answering his own questions. "They can't survive in the market-driven private sector. This is a sad reality and its so unfortunate"
Even Gushungo Dairy would not survive without all the direct subsidies in the form of soft Bank loans and generous donations and indirect subsidies in the form of tax concession the business receives. I will bet my bottom dollar Gushungo Dairy has never paid its full tax dues!
The truth is no one is surviving in Zimbabwe's present economic meltdown climate this is why so many companies, owned and managed by very shrewd business people have closed down. Of course the spoilt Zanu PF politician cum business person, corrupt and incompetent, has no chance of surviving; cut the subsidies and their business venture will collapse immediately.
What is of greatest concern here is if the economic meltdown is hitting the chefs hard with all their looted wealth to cushion the economic hardships how much worse is it hitting povo who have absolutely nothing to fall back on? Abject poverty in knocking the ruling elite out cold and knocking povo died!
Zimbabwe's economic system needs reforming because it is failing to everyone right across the board from the ruling elite at the top of the economic packing order right down to lowest of the low, the masses. Gone are the days when Zanu PF leaders and members used to think that their economic future was secure as long as they remained in the party; things have changed Zanu PF membership card counts for nothing, the on-going purge within the party has found many chefs thrown out and the rations of those still in the party and government are being cut all the time. Soldiers are being forced to take two weeks leave every month to save of food bill!
The economic hardships brought on by the economic meltdown are economically, socially and politically unsustainable. There is a crying need to address the mismanagement, corruptions and the lawlessness which are the root causes of the country's economic meltdown.
Since Mugabe and Zanu PF have failed to address these economic problems the country need someone with a fresh electoral mandate to implement the needed economic reforms. Whether Mugabe likes it or not there will have to be fresh elections in Zimbabwe because there is no way the nation will tolerate millions being forced into a life of abject poverty for much longer!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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