via Please act now, Mr President – DailyNews Live by Fungi Kwaramba 13 MARCH 2014
Zimbabwe’s service delivery sectors are on a death spiral that could produce a crisis, with hospitals in the intensive care unit, water getting scarcer and thousands of children dropping out of school, and increasingly desperate citizens being caught in the crossfire.
With social service delivery at an all-time low and unemployment rate sky-high, the situation according to social commentators, may provoke a showdown among the ruling Zanu PF party rivals.
The bloated, bankrupt State cannot sustain the social spending that kept the peace; the nation already faces water shortages, power outages, rising prostitution and rampant crime.
President Robert Mugabe “resoundingly won” elections in July last year, in what the MDC describes as a fraudulent victory.
Now the people want Mugabe to “resoundingly” fire all the incompetent ministers.
Most schools are in bad state.
His 26-member Cabinet’s mismanagement has only hastened the country’s decline — for example, 10 women die daily while giving birth.
Official figures say 960 women die per 100 000 live births.
Zimbabwe’s healthcare system was fully functional and more than able to meet the needs of the country.
The water reticulation system is in an appauling condition with sewage overflowing in most residential areas.
But thanks to heavy-handed, top-down authoritarianism of the ruling regime, the system has all but collapsed.
Patients are dying from easily treatable conditions and illnesses as the country’s economic slide is quickening.
Everything is in short supply: needles and syringes, paraffin used for biopsies in cancer diagnoses, drugs, operating room equipment, X-ray film, imaging paper, blood. You name it.
Weekly reports from the ministry of Health and Child Care, under minister David Parirenyatwa, continue to paint a grim picture — a sad reminder of 2008.
Frightening are the latest statistics, 12 466 common diarrhoeal cases were reported last week alone from across the country, and 24 people died from communicable diseases.
Twelve cases of medieval diseases such as typhoid have been reported across the country, as cash-strapped councils that were forced to scrap rates by Zanu PF in the run-up to the July 31, 2013 elections struggle to deliver water potable water to households, fail to collect refuse — which is now an eyesore — and also manage rivulets of sewerage.
Residents across the country are going for days with water.
Rutendo Bonde of the Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights said although the new Constitution grants the right to health, Zimbabwe is still far from meeting its obligations because of a lack of commitment from the relevant authorities.
The appalling state of the country’s public hospitals is, according to Bonde, testimonial to the brain drain that has been caused by poor remuneration in the health sector where highly qualified doctors earn $283 a month.
“It is a capacity issue,” Bonde said.
“The senior health officials who trained us have since gone. When I was at medical school, I was well-mentored but now there are no mentors. How can you expect the medical staff to remain when they are poorly paid?”
For instance, in its 2014 Budget, the cash-strapped administration only allocated $24 million to health institutions but the amount was a pittance as it could hardly cover the $36,4 million health facilities owed to different suppliers.
“We are not seeing any investment from the State, the people are suffering,” Bonde said.
“Water is still a critical issue in Zimbabwe. Water is needed to ensure that we prevent diseases. We are in a state of emergency…we don’t want to go back to 2008.”
Large parts of Zimbabwe are without water with most areas plagued with water rationing.
Lack of money to buy treatment chemicals is the main cause of water shortages in cities countrywide, and minister Savior Kasukuwere is watching this unmitigated disaster unfold.
Critics accuse the Zanu PF government, in power for 34 years, of failing to properly invest in water provision, and there has been no plan so far outlined by Kasukuwere on how he hopes to curb this crisis.
Daily, residents wake up to dry taps and several main districts of Zimbabwe are affected.
People are stockpiling water in tanks, containers and bottles.
But some of the dry parts of the country are already dependent on emergency supplies of clean drinking water, or boreholes drilled by aid agencies.
Despite building plenty of new schools and clinics to poor areas, the government has failed to fix Zimbabwe’s housing shortfall — currently at over 3 million units.
That, say critics, demonstrates the failure of socialism in Zimbabwe.
Not surprisingly, Ignatious Chombo, minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, has sought to take the initiative with a new housing programme that has been hamstrung by funding shortfalls.
Even though Mugabe’s government promised to build houses for all by 2000, millions of Zimbabweans still do not have a decent home and are crammed in squatter camps such as Caledonia or Hopley farms where they live under squalid conditions.
In the education sector, the statistics are frightening. At least one million children could drop out of school because government does not have the money to bankroll the education of the economically vulnerable, who include children orphaned by the deadly Aids pandemic.
In its bid in the 2014 National Budget, the ministry of Primary and Secondary Education had budgeted for $1,2 billion but only received $865 million.
Although this amounts to 20 percent of the total national budget, 95 percent of this figure will be channelled to cover employment costs, leaving about 3,3 percent to cover operational costs such as the provision of material resources and infrastructural development.
Under the Basic Education Assistance Model (Beam), government needs $73 million to pay school fees for orphans and disadvantaged children, but Ngoni Masoka, the permanent secretary in the Public Service ministry, told a parliamentary portfolio committee on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare recently that only $15 million was budgeted for Beam this fiscal year, a figure he said was grossly insufficient.
Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examination subsidies have been removed and millions face starvation because Social Welfare received only 5 percent of its budget.
Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has led to massive job losses, making it impossible for growing numbers of parents to pay tuition fees. Unemployment now stands at 80 percent, and is rising as businesses continue to fold.
For those still employed in the formal sector, low wages have worsened a situation that is already desperate.
Munyaradzi Gwisai, leader of the International Socialist Organisation, says “the ruling class have turned to economic barbarism, neo-liberal austerity and authoritarianism to survive.”
The result, he said, were savage attacks on education, health, farmers, and jobs.
With the country’s economy on a slide, Gwisai predicted an eruption of the masses in anger.
“(There is need) to mobilise for action to force government to pay the 26 percent wage increment this March and for the jailing of thieving parastatal bosses and ministers,” Gwisai said.
“Key also are the parastatal and local authority workers.”
Gwisai said there was need for “bigger, united boycotts, demonstrations and strikes supported by labour forums, student forums, vendors forums and residents forums on a non-party basis, demanding PDL wages, stopping the demolition of houses, full rights for the informal sector, right to education, health for all, a national health scheme to replace Psmas and a big No to neo-liberal reforms of labour laws.”
COMMENTS
If incompetency were grounds for firing, mugabe would have fired himself decades ago. He would have fired himself before independence. Having a large camp at Chimoio, the door step of an enemy with air power, and have all those cadres massacred would have been a clear indictment of incompetency warranting the firing of the leader. Taking the country to stone age as his incompetency has done should not be surprising to anybody. The so called incompetent ministers have been recycled over and over again. If performance were a requisite for a ministerial position, they would not have been reappointed in the first place. Besides their poor performance cannot measure up to the stupidity of the person who rewards poor performance re-appointments. It is therefore silly to expect ministers to be fired for incompetency when competency was never a deciding factor in their appointment in the first place.
Well said.If anybody is going to be fired,lets start with Mugabe.
How can the world’s most incompetent President be expected to fire incompetent ministers? He is on record saying loyalty is his number one consideration. So far they have all been obedient poodles singing ever so loudly for their supper.
That circle of ministers protects Mugabe’s power… that’s their only use. Facts and performance and fiscal responsibility have absolutely nothing to do with it.
The old man is clinging to life, and for his sake, he needs to enjoy the few days he has left, because once it’s over, his fun and games and stolen wealth and political power are kaput, gone, poof… Ya know, I bet Kim Jung Ill would give Mugabe some reeeeally good advice right now, if he could reach out from the flames.
NEED I say anymore on this forum. It is the same thing all the time. By now we are fully aware Zanu can not govern. The World can see this. But we still do nothing to rid us of this monstrosity of a party. They are responsible for the deaths of our people and must not be forgotten for the untold suffering of all. PASI NE ZANU
Without either knowledge or evidence it is perhaps your kind that’s responsible for deaths.
Aaaah! The IDIOT is back!
You’ve stopped taking your medicine again haven’t you “Apeo”.
Apolitical is not insane… they’ve had him tested several times.
Apolitical, more than 20 000 died during Gukurahundi and five brigade was answerable directly to then Prime Minister Mugabe; a few more thousands due to political violence at the hands of Zanu p.f. militias (e.g. Talent Mabika, Tichaona Chiminya, Tonderai Ndira, Gift Tandare, 60 year old Sekeru Cephas Magura….the list is endless).
Apolitical, 4000 died of cholera in 2008 and many more continue to die due to medieval diseases that are a result of lack of clean water, hundreds of thousand have died because our hospitals have no medicines and countless die due to accidents caused by potholed roads.
Many died because they failed to access ARVs and many succumb to preventable diseases due to malnourishment. Prisoners die in our jails because they do not get enough to eat.
There is your evidence and the buck stops with Mugabe who continues to sanction corruption.
If he did that MDC wouldn’t have had a turn, lets face it!
Hello Apo…always very objective and apolitical as usual. Good to see you back, you must be one of our government’s advisers surely. No wonder our government is doing very well and the People of Zimbabwe are no doubt very lucky to have such leadership well advised by you. What incompetence are these people on about Apo? you and me know there is no such thing…our economy is in good hands and we must not complain…infact we should be singing praises for our Dear Leader who by the way is not a Dictator. Not so?
Apolitical, what turn did MDC have..?
There is a way that seems right unto man but its steps lead down to death. I pray that the Lord in all His mercy will open Apoliticals blind eyes. Do you not care for the millions who have suffered long and hard and are still suffering?
I don’t understand the problem way back in 1976 we saw that he wasn’t a hero he avoided the liberation centres and had his own inside man in the smith regime to warn him of pending attacks. He never fought but when it suited him he allowed the smith regimes forces to destroy his followers like cannon fodder. That suited him too because he used that to rattle up more liberal support. Rhodesians knew exactly what type of man he was that’s why they left in droves when he came to power. So for over 40 years we have known he isn’t a leader but a thug and opportunist . Zimbabweans have voted him in year after year and don’t cry foul because we knew the 1980 election was held under intimidation and gun point. And all the subsequent ones too. We have seen the corruption grow from the time in power till today where the country is bankrupt. If Zimbabweans wanted him out there was plenty of opportunity. There is nothing like a full mass protest. Yes people will die but you died for him before like the thousands at Chimoio and all the rest. To think that Zimbabwe is run by a half breed corrupt dictator is quite astounding. Zimbabweans have the power to stop this and change course but if you are a weak kneed spineless nation you get what you deserve. Don’t ask for help from the outside its a Zimbabwe problem. And for heavens sake stop crying for aid all it means is that zanupf divert the dwindling taxes more and more to themselves on the get rich quick scheme. Ever dollar from aid means another dollar goes to zanupf. As Smith said he wasn’t against Africans in government just he was against incompetent people in government and Zimbabweans have proven how correct he was. The myth that Zimbabweans are free under Mugabe is false as under any responsible govt you have to pay your taxes, there are laws that are upheld( not one for zanupf and one for the rest) and there is respect for the ownership of property and businesses. No investor in their right mind is going to put money into Zimbabwe under the Mugabe regime unless its got kickbacks that are lucrative enough to the investor. That is normally at the expense of the tax payer.
We will see the collapse of Zimbabwe in the near future we are just waiting for the money to run out. When that happens the bigwigs will split and run for Malaysia South Africa and where ever they have stashed your stolen taxes.
Brilliant comment. Ian Smith did tell us our country is now being led by Gangsters…they have always been gangters even duringn the liberation struggle.
Mlimo, well said. “he has destroyed his land and slain his people.” Without true and broken repentance there will be a terrible judgment. Be warned!
Things don’t look too peachy for his kids either!..
http://biblehub.com/isaiah/14-20.htm
Mlimo, well said! A brilliant precis.
Talk of Mugabe firing incompetent ministers does not make sense. He is by far the most incompetent president in the whole world who has destroyed everything during his time as leader.
How then can you expect him to fire incompetent ministers when the word competence does not even exist in his vocabulary.
Just like corruption, he is the most corrupt leader to ever grace the continent and likewise his ministers follow suit and they know he can’t say a word especially when he is corrupt to the core himself.
Good old Smithy. He may have been proved right about Mugabe. But he was midwife to the birth of ZANU and ZAPU with his white minority rule and intransigence to change. Pushed the nationalists to become radical, acquire arms and Marxism from the USSR and PRC, and pushed the nation into a guerilla war we are still to fully recover from.
Rwendo please make yourself informed on the history of Zimbabwe before saying he was the midwife to zanu and ZAPU. These monsters were spawned from the British Labour Party and the liberal west. Every time the smith regime met the conditions imposed for the lifting of sanction so the gutless British changed the goal posts. It was not smiths reluctance to change. Had the liberal west listened to the moderate politicians both African and European who knew Africa today Africa would be a better place. But Britain was out to teach the rebel smith a lesson which was not only shallow but petty because he went it alone and wanted RESPONSIBLE government. He could teach the majority of today’s leaders a thing or two about honesty and integrity.
I MISS THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF RHODESIA.LOTS OF JOBS FOR OUR PARENTS.ICE CREAM ..NUMBER ONE SCHOOLS.NUMBER ONE SOCIAL SERVICES..HOSPITALS..CLEAB STREERS.GOOD ROADS..LOTS OF FOOD..
GOOD RADIO SERVICES..
AND DONT TELL ME I WAS NIT FREE..CAUSE I WAS NOT IN JAIL..IF LIBERATION IS LIKE THIS NEST OF BLOOD SUCKING VAMPIRES UNDER ROBBERY MGABI..SHAME..SHAME..SHAME.SMITH WAS SUPER..RHODESIA WAS SUPER.
SMITH DID NOT HAVE 15 FARMS LIKE MGABE AND HIS THIEVING PROSTITUTE GRACE.
RHODESIAN MINISTERS WE ACCOUNTABLE.
UNDER REAL SANCTIONS RHODEDIAN DOLLAR WAS HIGHER IN VALUE THAN BRITISH POUND.
HONESTLY GROWING UP IN NJUBE UNDER IAN SMITH WAS BEING IN CANAAN..MILK AND HONEY…NOW ZIMBABWE IS A LIVING HELL.
OUR CHILDREN THINK SUFFERING IS NORMAL.
THEY HAVE NEVER KNOWN ANYTHING ELSE IN MUGABES..ZIMBABWE RUINS
HOLY MOYO
VANCOUVER
ZANU will never reform. As long as we allow these clowns to rule we have the government we deserve
Looks like Mugabe blames the British for his own economic mismanagement and Smith loyalists blame the British for his own political short sightedness. And was it not the Conservative Party that crowned Mugabe?
Let us say we are often victim to our past. Smith’s choices spawned a “Mugabe ” figure with his failed “socialist” economic policies of the 80s and 90s. Mugabe’s repression and tenacious grip on power has in turned spawned a “Tsvangirai” figure. (Can anyone honestly imagine a Biti, Ncube, Coltart, Mudzuri, Mutambara etc. type managing to organise the strikes and stay-aways the situation demanded 15 years ago?)
The intriguing question then becomes what type of leader(s) our present situation is likely to favour….within ZANU PF, and from amongst the opposing forces seeking democracy.
Well ZUNDE we would be pleased and interested to get your input?
Good God help us!!
Gukurahundi Mugabe should first start by firing himself. Those under him were appointed by him. The buck stops with him, he appointed them.
I get irritated at people who always go out of their way to separate gukurahundi Mugabe from his Ministers and officials and yet he is the one who appoints them.
A leader’s poor performance is reflected in the quality of people he surrounds himself with!!
Amen to that.
I too would be interested to know. But reason suggests the following.
For ZANU’s situation, if Mugabe stays till the end, initially the VP would take over so outcomes will depend on the sitting VP(s) and events leading up to Congress to confirm a new leader.
For the opposition, the situation demands a leader within a well organised party that can clearly and simply articulate a vision for the future and formulate a plan with effective strategies and practical steps for getting there.
Easier said than done but for e.g. Mugabe said Independence, Socialist egalitarianism and armed struggle/Chimurenga to get there. MT said Democracy, establishing fundamental human rights and basic economic fundamentals. A new Constitution and voting in large numbers to get there.
That ZUNDE is your challenge. What is the practical achievable road to a new government and democratic transformation given the present CIO, Armed Forces and Police leadership, the partisan Judiciary, and Registrar General’s office, the sitting Parliament and a passive/heavily intimidated population?
some great comments.. I remember in the run up to the elections in 80 and soames and the “monitoring” force were swanning around. I had a friend who worked in PTC and they had to patch thru a call from Whitehall to the senior pom (Carrington or Soames) and the comment from Whitehall was “I dont care if Mugabe wins, just get rid of Smith”.
As I recall it warranted a visit to the Tereskane (spelling?) where power was ON, despite a war, and there was cold beer and hot food from a working kitchen and the items on the menu were actually available.
Whether the call took place or not is irrelevant, the limp wristed hand wringing from the poms and the naive politicking from SA had Rhodesia bent over a barrel. A position in which pain was inflicted from which we still suffer today.
Lets face it, Fatman Morgan does not offer an alternative and is not the saviour. Zimbabwe will remain another failed African country who only know how to beg and steal. They will never be back at the high table. It could be argued that the rest of the world does not care and will not bat an eyelid when Zim collapses. It is only the strong links with the UK that the profile of the country remains a very faint blip on the radar and over time this will diminish further.
As long as the “freedom” parties can parlay votes thru a coke, T shirt or bag of sadza then nothing will move. Talking with the people it seems that they have memories of a sieve and forget that they have been cheated, lied to, threatened, neglected etc etc as soon as a T shirt and a bus ride is on offer.
They cant see that the country has regressed and don’t understand any concept that life was and could be so much better. Then again none of them, or very few, were alive in the 80’s but still boast more O levels than I but don’t know where America is on a map and the concepts of Northern and Southern Hemispheres…. Ohhhh, the fabled education. One would think that being alive in the 80’s was not a precursor to understanding that things have regressed, but sadly it seems that it is.
I often think that there are areas in the country which still believe that there is a war on and this is milked big time by the fat boys. Once you have such ignorance then it is easy to stay in power.
There was an interview some 10 years ago with Lord Carrington, where he said he never liked either Mugabe or Smith but if (and only if) absolutely forced, he would chose Mugabe, describing Smith as “stupid.” So your comments about getting rid of Smith are plausible.
Zimbabwe has been a nation for less than 40 years. During the last 50 years it has been ruled to all intents and purposes by just 2 men, Smith and Mugabe. Although one was a wily, successful, economic survivor and the other an equally, wily, successful political survivor, both with passionate fan clubs, they were both disasters for the countries and they both brought the country into disrepute.
We have had a bad start but because the people are resilient and hard working (even if, for now, intimidated and selfish), the country is endowed with good weather and abundant natural resources. It is young and prone to mistakes. Zimbabwe will rise one day. It is hard to imagine otherwise. The European nations have been around for centuries in various forms. Some of the early steps of their nations and kingdoms make for gruesome reading.
fair comments and glad u r a glass half full man,Rwendo.. Continent of Europe and most others went through some horrific times, the most recent ww2. One would have thought that if a country was handed so much to build upon they would have been able to take it further..alas, not the case. If the past had been used as a reference and advances in technology and other had been exploited it would have indeed made for a good country but this applies to too many countries who have not tried and predictably failed!Point in case SA..another Zim, maybe, maybe not they have such luminaries as Malema, Vavi, Zuma etc. You can only shudder at the thought. I for one know my time in Zim is over, I have taken off the rose tinted specs and adopted a “let them get on with it” approach.
Kwendo is a moron with a brain the size of a very dry bean.Here in Mugabe is a gently man who was handed a functional state literally on a platter but has now brought it to ruck and ruin.And you Kwendo,you want to make all these insanely stupid excuses for him.People like you are part of our problem here in Zim.
‘I am not the one’ is correct insofar as Zim being a faint blip on the radar. Mugabe rants on about the British and the West but as far as they are concerned Zim is inconsequential. It is very rare indeed to hear about Zim in the media there. They are not going to ‘rescue’ Zim. They have enough problems of their own to worry about. The only help Zim is going to get is from it’s own citizenry. The ball is in their court and a revolution is called for. However having looked at the map of Africa it seems that the only reasonably well governed country is Botswana. We all know that whover follows Zanupf will be just as corrupt. That is the nature of Zimbabwean ‘leaders’
Mugabe is the biggest failure who holds records for poor governance i.e highest inflation figure world over. If he loved Zimbabwe he would do the noble thing
Mascara: I have searched and searched for what insanely stupid excuses for Mugabe I made. I find that I called him a “disaster” for the nation, and that I accused him of blaming the British for his own mismanagement. It must be my pea sized brain, no doubt. Please help me by identifying the excuses.
If I gave any leeway, it is for the developing world, Zimbabwe included, which is still understandably playing catch-up in terms of developing strong democratic institutions and practice, in comparison to say Europe. This I stand by. What I see and have seen around me in Zim has as much to do with the majority of us citizens (black and white) as it has to being cursed with two successive hard nuts as leaders.
I am not the one – your points are well taken. I have no illusions about my country of birth. I do not anticipate any real rise during my own lifetime. As you (and Jono) allude to, there was no need for our nation to learn the hard way (Botswana is indeed a case in point). However I do suspect that the West will continue to keep a close eye on us – mainly to ensure we do not infect South Africa with any political viruses. SA is where their real concern is.
May I add my2cents to big minds like “I am not the one” and Rwendo. Can those “in the know” please educate us on why we think Zimbabwe politics is a one man show? Why have we allowed one person to hire and fire? Why have we allowed one man to acquire such power beyond Parliament and Judiciary branches combined? Answers to these questions might suggest why Morgan Tsvangirai could become a “better” leader because he heavily relies on advice from leaders around him. It is from this premise that I struggle to criticize MT for the so-called political failures without grouping everyone around him and bundle them all to the dustbin of political oblivion. Zimbabwean are always expecting a superman like leader who bellows and everyone shivers. I say, its about time Bona or Chatunga takes over – maybe, maybe we Zimbabweans might start to look at leadership from a different angle.
Isu-zvedu the 1st part I agree but Tsvangirai is as good as Mugabe. 1stly he is refusing to relinquish power yet the MDC constitution says 2 X 5 year terms.2ndly he doesn’t listen to anyone imagine he was advised not to contest without a voters role in the last election but because he is power greedy he runs looses and goes to Mugabe’s judiciary for what? They both must go bunch of loosers
The biggest late down in terms of party governance is zpf. mugabe is horrible leader yet he holds absolute power and not a murmur of discontent from his own party. Same people who have been ruled by one man for 40 years are quick to criticize Morgan for holding on to power. Talk of seeing the twig in brother’s eye when you have a log in your own. Before Nkomo joined zpf or died was Zapu calling for his removal as leader of the party? If democratic approach were the right approach to end dictatorship in Zimbabwe, Morgan would be the right rallying point for the cause. It would not make sense to remove the center of the network before the job is done. Unfortunately democratic means to end dictatorship are doomed. MDC has already proved the obvious. So whether MT stays or goes is inconsequential to the cause.