By CIZC
On December 6, 2016 President Robert Mugabe delivered a damp squib State Of the Nation Address (SONA) which has all but confirmed that the 92 year old leader and his Zanu (PF) party are out of touch with reality and have little, if anything to offer in as much as resolving the Zimbabwean crisis is concerned.
Currently, the Zimbabwean economy is in tatters and is characterized by a serious liquidity crunch and unemployment as a result of company closures. Corruption has also taken its toll on the national economy and the government has proved its lack of will to ensure that high level corruption by political elites is stopped.
Yet President Mugabe, in his State Of the Nation Address chose to ignore these pertinent issues affecting the Zimbabwean economy and impacting negatively on the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
Where he made mention of some of the issues that have over the years been affecting the Zimbabwean economy such as corruption and lack of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), President Mugabe chose to mislead the nation.
His sentiments on improving the ease of doing business and promoting foreign investments are just but mere political sentiments meant to hoodwink suffering Zimbabweans.
Foreign investors are on record that Zimbabwe’s Indigenization Law which compels foreign owned firms to cede majority shareholding to locals, coupled with corruption were the biggest impediment to foreign investment in the country.
Surprisingly, calls for the country to revise the Indigenization Act and deal decisively with corruption have fallen on deaf ears and for President Mugabe to mention that the government would pursue an anti-corruption thrust is shocking and a complete insult on the intelligence of Zimbabweans.
President Mugabe has over the years failed to walk the talk in as far as fighting corruption is concerned and has instead recycled corrupt Zanu (PF) officials (some of whom he has chided in public) in his administration.
It was also shocking to hear the President thanking “peace loving Zimbabweans” yet his government has over the past months presided over numerous human rights violations in the form of murder, torture, arbitrary arrests of civic society as well as opposition activists.
Zimbabwe’s human rights record poses a serious threat to foreign investment in the country and it is largely irresponsible for President Mugabe as the Head of State and Government to ignore the rights violations in the country.
If anything, President Mugabe has vindicated our long held claim that the Zanu (PF) government lacks commitment in as far as resolving the political and economic crisis facing Zimbabwe is concerned and the SONA address has left us without doubt that indeed TOUGH TIMES LIE AHEAD FOR ZIMBABWE.
CIZC will continue engaging progressive forces in calling for a democratic and economically developed Zimbabwe.
