Dictatorship, corruption, illegitimacy responsible for economic failures – MDC Alliance

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro

The main opposition MDC Alliance has reiterated that corruption, mismanagement of state funds and gross human rights abuses by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s under-fire administration, are responsible for the economic hardships in Zimbabwe and not targeted sanctions.

On Sunday, Zanu PF supporters in collaboration with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) conducted a foiled Anti-Sanctions march which was aimed at demanding “unconditional” lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the Western governments.

But the governments responsible for the imposition of the targeted sanctions responded with rebuking Mnangagwa’s regime for human rights violations.

In a statement MDC Alliance Secretary for International Relations Gladys Kudzaishe Hlatywayo said Zimbabwe was facing a self-induced governance and legitimacy crisis.

The main opposition urged the African Union and SADC to initiate “genuine dialogue” in Zimbabwe to solve the legitimacy crisis in the country.

“At the center of this crisis is an extremely corrupt, extractive, clientelist, predatory and fascist administration. Zimbabwe is paying a huge crisis cost through the shrinking democratic space, escalating human rights violations, a comatose economy, an acute humanitarian situation and deplorable social conditions.

“We continue to call upon the international community, particularly the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union(AU) to help Zimbabwe urgently institute an inclusive and genuine national dialogue process to resolve the crisis.

“Born out of the disputed 2018 Elections, the Mnangagwa administration has perpetrated gross human rights violations against the citizenry in violation of both the Constitution of Zimbabwe and international law that guarantee fundamental freedoms including freedoms of association, assembly and expression.

“Since August 2018, we have recorded more than 50 extrajudicial killings and 105 abductions while a record breaking 23 opposition and civil society leaders have been charged with subversion,” Hlatywayo said.

She added that the Mnangagwa’s administration had impoverished citizens through grand corruption.

“Cases of corruption include the more than US$6 billion lost under Command Agriculture, US$200 million lost under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Farm Mechanization program and the US$60 million DRAX deal that benefited ruling elites.

“The overarching common denominator of these corruption cases and human rights abuses have been impunity where perpetrators are not held to account and are instead protected by the executive.

“We are of the firm view that it is these endogenous factors that have caused a great deal of distress among citizens and any effort to resolve the crisis must be cognisant of these causal linkages.

“We call upon the international community, in particular SADC and AU to help Zimbabwean stakeholders to undertake a broad based and credible national dialogue process convened through an agreed and acceptable facilitator.

“This dialogue process must lead to a comprehensive reform process including a return to legitimacy and demilitarization, resolution of the economic and humanitarian crisis, resolution of the agenda for national healing, agreeing on a new social contract , electoral reforms and ending Zimbabwe’s international isolation.

“Upon completion of the comprehensive reform agenda, Zimbabwe must hold internationally supervised elections to stop the vicious circle of disputed elections that have perennially been at the centre of the crisis,” the MDC Alliance said in their statement. Nehanda Radio