Julius Malema is wrong about Zimbabwe

Honourable Julius Malema, a few weeks ago you were placed on record making very preposterous claims regarding the President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, his government, his policies, and the general welfare of Zimbabweans.

In very implicit terms, you expressed very disturbing opinions to the effect that Zimbabwe's problems are not the making of an individual, but collective efforts of external and politicised "white capital" interests. You exonerated Mugabe and his regime of any fault at all. You called the situation in Zimbabwe a "necessary pain" that African societies must all endure in their effort for liberation.

I have come to the conclusions that, one, you are looking to score cheap popularity gains through nationalism, and blind populism. And two, you are hopelessly misinformed about the true nature and magnitude of Zimbabwe's problems, while repulsively insensitive to the plight of over 13 million Zimbabweans, of whom a staggering five million are camped illegally in your country as we speak.

By the positions you uttered, I have come to the informed supposition that your thought configurations are not commensurate with the title of ‘Honourable', or the office of a leader of a movement founded on sovereignty like the Economic Freedom Fighters, never mind the hopes you harbour of one day becoming the President of a model democracy like South Africa.

There are several hard reasons why I have come to such a disappointing conclusion, and like many South Africans of noble minds, have categorically written you off to the unforgiving label of a political clown fetched from the scariest of horror sequels.

Zimbabwe's economic problems that culminated in total paralysis in 2008 are categorically not the sophisticated architecture of western imperialists and white "capital" as you bellow. If you had the noblest inclination to indulge yourself into reading any book about post-colonial Zimbabwe, or speaking to an informed economist, you too, would know this. But perhaps reading, like thinking, is not your thing.

Need I inform you sir, between 1980 and 2000, Zimbabwe's government spectacularly indulged itself into bad policy making binges of the most shocking order. Incompetent high ranking officials looted public funds, and ran State parastatals dry.

In that period, several critical decisions derailed the economy significantly. It may require a comprehensive 10 000-paged book to note all the evils perpetrated by the Zimbabwe government, and how they have annihilated the economy, but I will perhaps explain the few critical ones to cure your ignorance.

In August 1997 approximately 60 000 liberation war veterans were granted ZWD$50 000 each (approximately $3 000 at the time) plus a monthly pension of approximately $125 per month outside the budget. The payouts amounted to almost three percent of GDP at the time and this had the immediate effect of inflating the budget deficit by 55 percent.

The second populist decision followed in November 1997 when Mugabe, announced plans to compulsorily acquire white-owned commercial farms and land. The immediate effect was devastating in its simplicity and consequence.

The climax of these events was on November 14 ,1997 when the Zimbabwean dollar crashed and lost 75 percent of its value against the USD in a single day, on what is now known as "Black Friday" in Zimbabwean economic history. The stock market also plummeted and the index was down 46 percent by day end.

Against all sound economic reason, and despite an economy bleeding dry and tottering towards collapse, in September 1998 the president agreed to send 11 000 troops to the DRC to back the discredited leader, Laurent Kabila, who was under attack from Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels. That war is estimated to have cost the Zimbabwean government over $33 million a month. Money which the government did not have.

In the while, under the watch of your hero, our president, and with no consequence, corruption ran riot. In the fewest possible words, that sir is how the Zimbabwean economy was absolutely tanked by a government you clownishly claim has the interests of its people at heart.

You will need to be reminded that the crisis we saw in 2008 would have been much worse, had the "white imperialists" you criticise decided not to aid Zimbabwe. In fact, between 2000- 2009 the United States of America, long accused of damaging Zimbabwe were and still remain the biggest donor, contributing well over $900 million in direct aid.

Your utterances on Zimbabwean elections, politics, and genocide are also foolishly propagandised. Honourable, it is not only shocking that you endorse a government like Zimbabwe's, but it is a terrible indictment on your person, your psyche, and humanity.