Stupidity, desperation are enemies of common sense

By Tanonoka Joseph Whande

Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-Pf is in as much a mess as Zimbabwe is – if we can separate one from the other, which we cannot do since Mugabe views the party as his own private club while his party takes the country as an extension of itself. We are owned!

Unfortunately, both are run by the same person who has caused deadly fracas in both the country and his ruling party.

Mugabe has an excellent sense of destruction and is dedicated to creating ruins as the state our country is in attests.

A study released a few days ago by AfrAsia Bank and New World Wealth, “which reviewed the wealthiest and poorest countries on the continent”, says as recently as 2000, our country of Zimbabwe ranked high among Africa’s wealthy countries “on a wealth per capita basis”.

But we do not need foreign organisations to tell us that because we experienced it ourselves. We know that we never got our country economically better than the colonialists we ejected from our country had done.

Corruption, greed and wrong priorities did us in but none of these were as lethal to our nation as the theft of money by the Executive – and the rot still continues to this day.

Our industry, agriculture, transport services, plane travel and mining were the envy of the world.

We exported foods across Africa and manufactured goods for export to European countries.

Our education was almost second to none as can be attested by so many people across Africa, Britain, the US and other countries like Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and a whole lot of others.

One thing that Zimbabwean parents accepted from the colonialists with gusto was the importance of education.

Mugabe, a beneficiary of not only the colonial education system but a recipient of mercies from the Catholic missionaries, was a double beneficiary.

I find it satanic to the extreme that someone who knows the desire for an education but without money can, himself, put a whole nation in educational bondage; denying children the freedom to learn; punishing teachers and selectively picking beneficiaries to government scholarships to those who sing praises to him.

Today, I look back and see that, in spite of the political situation and discrimination, we were better off then than our children are today.

Since independence in 1980, Mugabe and his government continue to deny our children the same government-sponsored educational privileges they enjoyed under colonial rule.

Just last week, Mugabe’s government told banks and schools to accept goats and cattle in transactions.

Domesticated animals have always been the measure of an African family’s worth. However, each beast’s worth is always decided through both haggling and blackmail.

“Ok, I will buy your Afrikander bull at that price but, as you can see, it has a growing cataract in the left eye. I will take your bull for that price if you throw in a she goat.”

The deal is sealed and we will never know the real worth of the bull or of the she-goat.

What about if my cow or goat is worth more than the school fees? What do I get as change?

It is even going to be more hilarious at the bank as they all try to fix the worth of a beast someone has brought as collateral…which brings another issue into play.

Where is the transaction going to take place and do the banks keep the cattle they tag as collateral at their premises?

I hear that the moronic minister concerned has taken it back urging parents to sell livestock and pay fees.

The report I alluded to earlier also says that South Africans“are the second wealthiest people in Africa” because “the average wealth of a person living in SA (wealth per capita) was $11 300 in 2016…(while) Zimbabweans, with just $200 per person, were the poorest people in Africa.”

There is no doubt that the country needs a total break with Zanu-Pf. Anything or anyone is better than Zanu-Pf.

Their record is a matter of public record, spread over more than three decades yet today, all they do is march and demonstrate against their own party officials.

Yes, Zanu-Pf people must be fired, starting with Mugabe.

Zanu-Pf youths should be marching for jobs, job creation, an end to senseless political divisions that continue to weaken the country and an end to corruption.

But, no! They only want so and so fired then they go home and suck their thumbs; they do not stop to think that this is their country and that they can choose a president who can uplift them…they do not see that people are fighting for their rights too.

It is a disgusting and shameful display of ignorance not only of the demonstrators but of their handlers.

Last Monday, Zimbabwe’s War Veterans called for “a government leadership renewal” and the reason for that being that the nation of Zimbabwe “owed $37 million in unpaid school fees for war veterans’ children and was struggling to raise former fighters’ monthly pension payouts”.

“We can’t talk of our welfare with people who don’t know how to run a country. We have to ensure that this corrupt system is removed before we talk of our welfare,” the War Veterans Spokesperson said.

They were, of course, referring to Mugabe yet, just the day before, they were open to assisting Grace Mugabe to win a parliamentary seat in the Harare South Constituency.

“It is true (we are) busy consulting,” said Chris Mutsvangwa, the War Veterans chairman, conceding that they would want that parliamentary seat “reserved for the First Lady”.

Why should a seat be reserved for anyone?This is political prostitution First Class!

People elect their Members of Parliament – there is no such thing as reserving a seat for someone like we do on buses or in theatres.

The so-called War Veterans are now at odds with Grace Mugabe’s husband and they are now flattering her so as to get what they want without Mugabe himself.

I am astounded by both sides. Stupidity and desperation are enemies to common sense.

Maybe Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, currently the beneficiary of all this chaos, has promised the War Veterans something, which would indicate a terrible carelessness with money that is not his before he even succeeds Mugabe…if he does.

You know what? These repulsive, misguided and violent Zanu-Pf youths might be the ones who are going to liberate Zimbabwe from Robert and Grace Mugabe because, sooner or later, they will realise they are being sold maize from their own gardens.