Clinton Siniwa

Clinton Siniwa: “As a nation we are still recovering from his horrendous joke about the cold mortuary in Kwekwe. In the hall of fame of the most awful things said by a government official this surely take the prize. Someone at Munhumutapa building should tell the boss man that his jokes are not funny at all. That person should also tell ED that Zimbabweans do not need a comedian at the helm of this ship that is sinking fast. We have more than our fair share of talented comedians as a nation. The country needs astute leadership in these times of uncertainty.”

By Clinton Siniwa

The crisis in Zimbabwe will only be resolved when Zimbabweans take action to address the roots of corruption and incompetence. As they say, a week is a long time in politics.

It all started with the Big Saturday Read’s (BSR) exclusive expose on the controversial Beneficiaries of the RBZ Farm Mechanisation Scheme. Dr Gideon Gono then responded. Then the BSR replied to the reply. Then Dr Gono responded again to the reply.

The saga meets the classical definition of corruption. Political elites created a scheme to benefit from public funds and dishonestly devised a gimmick to avoid paying back the dues.

I expected certain persons whose names are on this disgraceful list to show some remorse and intentions to settle their debts. But I was expecting too much.

By Clinton Siniwa

“It is the obligation of the people that have created, perpetuated and benefited from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it…”

The speech was inapposite given the nature of the occasion. The surprise and anger of some of the audience of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2020 awards was visible on camera. Joaquin Phoenix was delivering his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony.

Meanwhile another speech was also being delivered by two individuals. The audience was not the gentry of the BAFTA’s but journalists and politicians. The stage was not grand like the one at Piccadilly but a simple desk in an office at Harare. Two senior members of the ZANU PF Youth League were levelling serious accusations of corruption against prominent business persons.

The difference between Phoenix and Messrs Tsenengamu and Matutu is that the former was acknowledging his role in systemic inequality and oppression while the other two were being rather selective.

Not only were they disowning responsibility but they went even further to absolve their principal. They claimed the President was not responsible for creating, perpetuating and benefiting from corruption in Zimbabwe.

By Clinton Siniwa

“Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”

These were the words of Lord Baelish to Lord Varys in George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones saga. This was a conversation between political elites in the land of Westeros.

In the Zimbabwean political context the phrase “Chaos is a ladder” is oft used by pro-regime writers berating opposition parties, the MDC in particular. They accuse them of inciting violent demonstrations against the government. As fate would have it, the truth about the actual perpetrators of violence during political demonstrations was revealed by Jim Kunaka.

By Clinton Siniwa

Media gurus say sex sells but apparently not so much in Zimbabwe. Prostitution is no longer viable as an enterprise because of the currency exchange distortions and the state of the economy. Vulnerable women and children are being sexually exploited easily for less than USD1 just so that they can afford a single meal to feed themselves and their dependents.