Mugabe also fearful: Makoni

Source: Mugabe also fearful: Makoni – DailyNews Live

Fungi Kwaramba      12 May 2017

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe – like the majority of Zimbabweans who
told pollsters that they fear criticising him – is also scared of the
future, former Finance minister Simba Makoni has said.

This comes after the Mass Public Opinion Institute (Mpoi) revealed in its
latest survey that 62 percent of Zimbabweans are not free to critic the
long-time Zimbabwe ruler.

Makoni – brought in as Finance minister in 2000 to restore donor relations
but was sacked 18 months later after calling for a devaluation of the
subdued Zimbabwe dollar – said on Twitter: “Everybody, including Mugabe
himself, lives in fear”.

“The country abandoned its own currency, and now has run completely out of
money,” he said, as he responded to Mugabe’s recent outlandish claim that
Zimbabwe is not a fragile State.

The nonagenarian claimed at the World Economic Forum in SA last week that
in terms of development, Zimbabwe is second only to South Africa on the
continent.

“By contrast, we are now the poorest in Africa, with $200/capita/year
income, 90 percent + formal unemployment,” Makoni argued.

He said the economy was collapsing.

“Government can’t pay its workers. Hospitals and schools are sustained by
donors. We have the highest ratio of graduate informal traders in the
world,” Makoni tweeted.

“Up to 1/3 (one third) of the population are economic refugees.”

It is estimated that approximately three million Zimbabweans are living in
South Africa, many of them illegally.

“Public infrastructure is decrepit and dysfunctional. National roads are
pot-holed. For nearly 20 years, people who fed themselves before, have
survived on food aid. The economy shrank to 40 percent of its size in 10
years,” he said.

With a PhD in chemistry, Makoni said Zimbabweans have to collectively
share the blame for allowing one man to determine their future.

“However, we, the people, need to accept our share of responsibility for
this situation, letting Mugabe and his henchmen to destroy our country.

“Those, like me, who shared, and those still sharing leadership with him,
must accept greater responsibility, for complicity or acquiescence . . .We
must resolve to `liberate ourselves’. Let’s ride out of the fear Mugabe
and his system have instilled in us.

“Then, let’s unite honestly around the common purpose and common good, to
restore our dignity, esteem, freedoms and self- reliance,” said Makoni.

Despite his years of service in Zanu PF, Makoni is now described as a
“traitor” and “western puppet” by Mugabe and his allies.