You can't fix the economy with a corrupt regime

I promise to do my best, I am a hard worker and I want to see Zimbabwe record strong and sustained growth. I also want to see creation of jobs and one of my major priorities would be to attract foreign investors and rebuild confidence. We do not only want to get foreign investment, but, also, domestic investment is extremely important,” said New Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube.

"We will need to look at the several pillars that affect economic development such as government expenditure, attracting foreign direct investment and so on."

No one expected you to say you will fail to create job, wealth and make Zimbabwe proud. The reality on the grounds says you are doomed to fail because you are promising to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!

 

Mnangagwa, like Mugabe before him, has already shown that he has a head for spending money and worse still on foolish things like charted planes when the nation has no money for the most basic essential such as medicine, fuel and wheat but has no head for creating wealth!

 

Prices of goods have just shot up by as much as 50% and you are planning to cut the wages of the civil servants and soldiers. Good lucky!

 

Your greatest challenge has to be attracting both foreign and local investors; none of them will come. Minister, investors do not do business in pariah states.

 

By blatantly rigging the recent elections, President might as well have put up big billboard reading: ZIMBABWE IS A PARIAH STATE ALL INVESTORS COME HERE AT THEIR OWN PERIL! ZIMBABWE IS NOT OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

 

"I strongly believe in the President's vision of seeing Zimbabwe become a middle-income country,” promised the Minister.

 

Mugabe promised the nation “Gutsva ruzhinji!” (Mass prosperity!) All he has brought is mass poverty! And he started with a very rich inheritance from Ian Smith. If Mugabe inherited the seven fat cow and seven fat ears of corn then Mnangagwa inherited one skin and bone cow.

 

Whilst Zimbabwe’s economic mess can be attributed to 38 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption the real root cause comes from answering the follow up question. Why did the nation fail to do something to stop this madness for all these years?

The nation failed to remove the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF regime from power all these last 38 years and counting because the party blatantly rigged the elections. It is inconceivable that you, Professor Ncube are not aware the Zanu PF rigged this year’s elections just as it has rigged elections in the past.

 

In other words if Mnangagwa should fail to deliver the economic recovery his regime is promising just as he failed to hold free, fair and credible elections; the nation will not hold the regime to account. He is set to rig the next elections just as readily as he rigged this year’s elections.

 

There is no point in us, the ordinary people wasting time discussing the merits or otherwise of you economic or monetary policies when we cannot hold the regime to democratic account if it fails to deliver the economic recovery. The ultimate measure of democratic accountability is being able to vote the regime out of office which the nation has failed to do for 38 years because Zanu PF rigs the elections. If we do not do something here and now to stop Zanu PF rigging 2023 election it will rig those elections too!

 

Nothing of any value can ever be accomplished until we deal with the curse of rigged elections.

 

Zanu PF rigged this year’s elections, we are still stuck with the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF dictatorship which we cannot hold to account. We must resolve the political problem of stopping Zanu PF rigging elections only then can we discuss economic, monetary policies and other economic issues.

 

Zanu PF rigged this year’s elections and per se this regime is illegitimate and by extension so are all its ministers! So you see Professor Ncube, must know that you are illegitimate. You joined the illegitimate regime for the honour of being called minister and all the other trappings that go with the post.

 

This Zanu PF regime’s economic and monetary policies are doomed to fail because the regime is seeking to resolve the economic problems before resolving the underlying political problem of vote rigging and political legitimacy.

By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka