Source: Every Zimbabwean deserves a better life – DailyNews Live
26 July 2017
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe is said to have been touched by the
plight of his former Presidential Affairs minister, Didymus Mutasa, who
has been going through a rough patch ever since he was kicked out of the
ruling Zanu PF party and government over two years ago.
Mutasa was forced out of Zanu PF for being part of former vice president
Joice Mujuru’s cabal, which courted Mugabe’s wrath for attempting to
topple him from power. Along with many others who also found themselves
out in the cold, they had tried to mobilise against Mugabe, and even
invited Mujuru to lead a rival party, but their dream of forming an
alternative government ran into serious hurdles.
As Mutasa’s political fortunes dwindle, his personal woes have inversely
increased. He cannot pay his debts; he is finding it difficult to pay
school fees for his children; and feels abandoned.
Coincidentally, Mutasa is desperate to meet with Mugabe, ostensibly to
discuss the Zanu PF leader’s legacy, and how the incumbent risks
squandering the political dividends he had accumulated over the years if
he continues to hold onto power.
Reports suggest that Mugabe has taken notice of Mutasa’s desperation, and
is ready to accept him back in Zanu PF. But that would not be as easy as
`abcd’ since the former Speaker of Parliament can only engage Mugabe if he
first explains why he was fired from the ruling party in 2014.
Mugabe’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has responded arrogantly to
Mutasa’s demands, falling just short of telling him to go and hang. A
point must, however, be made that it is not only Mutasa who is going
through a lean spell: The majority of the country’s population are
struggling to keep body and soul together because of the harsh economic
conditions – a result of Zanu PF’s failure to manage Zimbabwe’s economic
affairs.
Pitying Mutasa, who is partly to blame for the problems dogging ordinary
citizens is really not being sensitive to their plight. At least Mutasa
and many others who have fallen from grace have prized possessions in the
form of moveable and immovable assets which they can dispose of in order
to get by; but for the majority of Zimbabweans who are wallowing in
poverty, they have no such fallback position.
The solution is therefore not to parachute Mutasa out of his miseries, but
fighting the poverty scourge across the board so that every citizen of
this country could live comfortably. Following his cathartic downfall,
Mutasa has not learnt anything from his past mistakes.
For someone who claims to be a nationalist to insist that Mugabe must
first explain to him why he was fired for their meeting to go ahead, shows
that their engagement would have nothing to do with the plight of ordinary
Zimbabweans. Come next year’s polls, the electorate must punish
self-serving politicians.
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