‘Hotel’ Mphoko rewards us by sleeping
By Elijah Mangwengwende
We have a $4 billion dollar budget for 13 million Zimbabweans, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko already took $4 million to buy a ‘modest’ house to please his “stylish” wife, he already spent $300,000 on hotel bills, living comfortably at the 5 star Meikles Hotel. He rewards the nation by sleeping on State business or maybe thinking about his Choppies supermarkets. Kurara chaiko.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, my favourite quote from Animal Farm.
Who dares to speak against a clique of war liberators when they have a pack of attack dogs in the form of green bombers and some rogue elements within the security forces?
Just like Napoleon in Animal farm the just ended Victoria Falls conference shows that ZANU PF leaders are willing to cling to power by manipulating the greedy and ambitious young politicians among their ranks. But then if we all keep quiet, what are we going to tell the future generations? We shall all speak and stand up for our country.
The out of touch ZANU PF leaders just like animal farm pigs, by spending millions of dollars for Christmas party, clearly envision themselves as the privileged and the rest of us must pick the crumbs under their tables, the toiling and suffering citizens exist only to serve the larger glory of ZANU PF leadership.
They think were here to provide them with food and comfort, to support their luxurious and exclusive lifestyle as evidenced by castles dotted around Harare, some even constructed ten bedroom houses in rural areas where they never sleep.
They are looting and pay thousands of dollars at private universities for their kids yet they can’t even pay lecturers at local state universities.
Out of touch with reality
What is the logic behind holding a conference with predetermined outcomes? People are unable to stand upright and walking frail with little hope for tomorrow yet our leaders saw it fit to be merry-making and enjoying the finest food on the planet.
Yes they know that Zimbabweans can’t do anything about it, they can even chose to stay in Hotels just because they are too important to endure the economic hardships, which they brought upon the us.
Lifestyles and Means of production
Zimbabwe is the only country in the world where holding a public office pays more than owning a business. All we see are top of the range luxurious cars and mansions, but almost all of them cannot even show us a single business entity to prove their source of wealth, the few who boasts to own few “businesses” can’t even pay their workers.
We shall then ask, do they have miracle money to buy Bentleys, do they have miracle money to pay fees at private universities, surely if they share their secret our country will be prosperous. In the absence of visible businesses, then all fingers point to extreme looting of public funds.
Public funded luxurious lifestyles and jobs performed
As in the case of VP Mphoko, it was reported that his family turned down plush houses, arguing the houses were not suitable for their status. Hence the need to cut a large chunk of the small budget to buy a suitable mansion.
My fellow countrymen, why does the taxpayer sustain luxury living for people not doing anything good for them? Why does a government minister would need six servants for doing nothing.
Since VP Mphoko assumed office, what did he do for the people besides accompanying the First Lady and sleep at the Meikles hotels to deserve such pampering? How many times did we see our overpaid government officials sleeping during international conferences?
Countless.
Unexplained Remunerations: Another form of looting
A point in case is that of Tendai Mahachi, former Harare city council clerk and Cuthbert Dube of PSMAS. It defies logic when management remuneration packages are worth more than the companies or entities they are running. No water, potholes, refuse piling, workers not being paid, and pensioners starving.
Why did Mahachi demand millions as exit package? Rewarding him for failure. Same applies to Cashbert Dube, $500,000 per month, even Steve Jobs never got such an amount at Apple. It’s a pity that D section candidates are demanding millions from public purse. What does it take us Zimbabweans to see the light? All we do is circulate jokes and make light of every dire situation.
It is clear that the remuneration packages are one way of organised criminal activity to loot public funds and looks like it’s a syndicate especially that some high ranking officials turned a blind eye and receive kickbacks. Yet they keep their jobs. Why paying directors when there is nothing to direct? Why paying the ministers when there is nothing to minister?
Just jobs for the boys and girls from the Bush I guess. People shall not be paid for the titles but work they are doing, it sounds cheap talk and obvious but money is being looted through that yet we turn a blind eye.
Majority of the citizens are now moving with their rib cages visible with bones protruding as if curved by a sculpture of note’s hand.
The coming of the rainy season is no longer coming. The ancestors have turned their back on us, bemoaning corruption and un-equalness as promised during the war. All we got during the year was Nudists from all over the world. Nudists brought heatwave and dry spell.
Everyone is grappling with a seemingly easy to answer but difficult to experience question – what next. The answer is there yet we are traumatised; we have a phobia to answer it. We prefer to live in the manacles of gradualism and the just-world hypothesis is our only hope.
While the villager is obviously bearing the brunt to basic economic survival determined by a political order very few seem to understand why and how ZANU PF people are managing to lead luxurious lives amidst a sea of poverty.
Are we promoting an innocuous disintegration of a political and economic fabric that we seek to build because our stomachs are empty and we are grappled with fear of the unknown? Do those responsible for our misery become our Messiahs when they reward us with crumbs to repair the very shoes that their system damaged?
Our future is in our hands fellow citizens.
Elijah Mangwengwende is writing on his personal capacity, but hoping to see a corruption free country and freedom for all.
