via Mugabe, top brass ‘desert’ Zim for holidays – NewsDay Zimbabwe January 12, 2016
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and his top brass — including Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and several Cabinet ministers — took time off to spend lavishly and make merry in various resorts in Africa and the Far East over the just-ended festive season while the economy continued to sneeze.
BY MOSES MATENGA
As per his tradition, Mugabe and his family travelled to the Far East last month for the President’s annual recess.
According to pictures circulating on social media platforms, the First Family was last week joined by Mnangagwa and his wife Auxillia in some resort place believed to be in the Far East.
Mnangagwa later flew back to take over as Acting President yesterday and apparently allow Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, who has since gobbled $250 000 in hotel stay since his appointment in 2014, to take leave.
It was not clear yesterday whether Mphoko would as well join Mugabe in the Far East.
Contacted over Mnangagwa’s merry-making against the background of a comatose economy, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba last Friday said: “What is the newsworthiness of a VP going on leave?”
But political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said it was a shame that government leaders chose to flee domestic problems back home to wine and dine on foreign soil at a time most civil servants had not yet received their December salaries.
“The pictures speak for themselves. They go to other countries to celebrate somewhere other than their country, where they have left hell,” Mandaza said.
Another top government official who flew out for a holiday is Tourism minister Walter Mzembi, who went for what he said was a “traditional Christmas family holiday” at the Dubai Global Village in the United Arab Emirates.
Mzembi defended his holidaying, saying his conscience was clear after making sure that people in his constituency were “safe food-wise”.
“For the record, I personally sourced 145 tonnes of maize for my constituency and distributed it before Christmas. This is in addition to 30 tonnes maize meal and 15 tonnes of rice where I gave 10kg each to 4 000 women. I will be repeating this every quarter period. My conscience as I was holidaying was very clean, so I had a good time,” Mzembi wrote on his Facebook page.
Mzembi had a picture taken while at the Global Village, which is Dubai’s leading family entertainment and cultural attraction, that offers unique shopping experience through its 31 pavilions, each representing a different country.
Several other ministers were said to be in China for holidays and these include Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri and ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira.
“She (Muchinguri) is coming back probably this week. She is on holiday in China,” an official in her ministry said.
Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo travelled to Kenya to holiday with his in-laws and took time to post pictures of his trip, particularly in the plane and at airports.
Although it could not be immediately established, sources said Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere also took time off to relax in South Africa.
Labour minister Prisca Mupfumira was also said to be in the Far East for a holiday, but she was not immediately available to comment.
However, the ministers’ holidaying angered many people who felt Mugabe’s top brass was insensitive to the plight of Zimbabweans.
Civil servants did not have a pleasant Christmas after failing to get their salaries and bonuses.
Analyst Blessing Vava said: “What we have is a government by deception. They are completely out of touch with the realities on the ground. However, having them here is just the same as they are on holiday. Nothing was going to change even if they were around. They are a bunch of failures.”
Opposition MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said this was not surprising as Zanu PF had never had people at heart.
“They use their government allowances and other perks to fund their holidays in very expensive foreign resorts in Dubai and the Far East. This is what you expect from a government which has since lost all moral authority to govern. While civil servants couldn’t be paid their December salaries on time and also failed to get their annual bonuses, literally, the entire Zanu PF Cabinet was enjoying a good time in foreign lands. These people are heartless. They don’t have any conscience at all,” Gutu said.
Analyst Alexander Rusero said: “It’s very simple, Zimbabwe is a kleptocracy, kleptocrats can rule without the people as long as their offices and power are guaranteed. But every nation, society or State gets the leadership that it deserves, Zimbabwe is no exception. It got a leadership it deserves on July 31, 2013, so there we are, we have to come to terms with hard reality that we have a leadership at best deserve and at least prefer.”
COMMENTS
“For the record, I personally sourced 145 tonnes of maize for my constituency and distributed it before Christmas. This is in addition to 30 tonnes maize meal and 15 tonnes of rice where I gave 10kg each to 4 000 women. I will be repeating this every quarter period”
Who paid for this hand out?
They are all out of the country enjoying themselves whilst the Zimbo cries foul!
The Zimbo will bury his head, get on with his miserable existence, and pray for someone to intervene on his behalf.
Nobody seems to realise that this is the time to face bobo’s security thugs and turf these idiots out of Zim for good.
With ZANU at the helm, we are dead as a people, anyway.
Food for thought
INTERVIEWER:
Why are blacks so behind Economically?
JEWISH LEADER:
The only thing blacks understand is Consumption. Blacks don’t understand the importance of creating and building wealth.
The fundamental rule is to keep your money within your racial group. We the Jews build Jewish business, hire Jewish, buy Jewish and spend Jewish. There is nothing wrong with that but it is a basic rule blacks cannot comprehend and follow; “He kills his fellow blacks daily instead of wanting to see his fellow black do succeed” 93% of blacks killed in America are by other blacks.
Their leaders steal from their people and send the money back to their colonial master from whom they borrow the same money from.
Every successful black wants to spend his money in the country of his colonial masters. They go on holiday abroad, buy houses abroad, school abroad, go for medical treatment abroad etc instead of spending this money in their own country to benefit their people.
Statistics show that the Jew’s money exchanges hands 18 times before leaving his community while for blacks it is probably a maximum of once or even zero.
Only 6% of black money goes back into their community. This is why Jews are at the top and blacks are at the bottom of every ladder of society.
Instead of buying Louis Vuitton, Hermes, expensive cars, shoes, houses, dresses etc, blacks could industrialize Africa, build banks and get rid of colonial institutions by putting them out of business.
INTERVIEWER:
What is your thought on failure of blacks after 150 yrs?
JEWISH LEADER:
Well, nothing is ever the black man’s fault. His compulsive habit of killing his own, compulsive material consumption. His inability to build businesses or preserve wealth are usually somebody else’s fault.
INTERVIEWER:
So what can blacks do to liberate themselves
JEWISH LEADER: Blacks must take responsibility. Blacks must unite. And vehemently fight corrupt leaders who run down their country and run to IMF as though IMF is Father Christmas.
Zanu pf has created a loyal constituency for itself. Able bodied destitutes who live on handouts. Mzembi is happy and assured of a vote in the next election. It is his priority to keep them fed but poor, desperate, politically ignorant and unable to ask who in the first place brought poverty and misery upon the community.
This article is uncalled for. Ministers are entitled to their leave, like all of us who are employed. How does the nation benefit from refusing to allow, for example, Sidney Sekeramayi or Obert Mpofu from taking a few weeks’ rest? If they can’t go on leave, does that automatically improve this economy?
@machakachaka
You could have a point.
Whether they are in or outside the country dosen’t make a jot of a difference to this clueless lot.
The bigger issue is that of the funds that they are looting in order to afford these lavish lifestyles, whilst employees go unpaid, the country is in the middle of a drought crisis and the livestock is being decimated, etc etc…
Then there is the question of responsibility.
When your house is burning, you don’t go discuss the weather with your next door neighbour.
@machakachaka If they were spending their money, they would be no problem. Mugabe and his VPs take Air Zim Planes for flights and they are not able to run a their normal flights. They take many staff members and families. We have to pay the expenses. In UK family members have to pay for their expenses. Ministers cannot live in hotels like Mphoko does, they have to accept government houses and share drivers between ministers and govt cars. Ministers expenses are published. The head of Environment Agency Sir Philip Dilley stepped down as chairman after criticism for not returning from a holiday in Barbados during the floods. UK PM David Cameron had to cancel his holiday. Jakarta Water Management Agency head Tri Djoko Margianto has confirmed that he has submitted his resignation to Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama because the city announced it was anticipating the possibility of extensive flooding in January and February as the rainy season reaches its peak in Jakarta and surrounding cities. Can you immagine Zesa boss resigning for failing to supply electricty? What about GMB bosses for maize shortage?