Mugabe: Master at ducking responsibility

Source: Mugabe: Master at ducking responsibility – DailyNews Live

27 April 2017

HARARE – Ever since the controversial July 2013 elections, Zimbabweans
have been scrounging for survival amid a plethora of challenges.

The ruling Zanu PF – victorious in the heavily contested polls – entered a
new trajectory characterised by deadly internal squabbles, at a time the
general socio-economic conditions in the country deteriorated to
unprecedented levels.

Sadly, no one in the leadership appeared keen to address this sharp
decline.

Hundreds of companies have closed shop in slightly over three years after
the 2013 election, throwing thousands of people onto the streets.

Today, Zimbabwe is a pale shadow of its former self, with the majority of
the country’s citizens turning to vending as the only lifeline they can
turn to as the formal sector gradually collapsed.

Meanwhile, the ruling party has not spared a minute to sort out the mess
they authored through a series of poor policy pronouncements that drove
out several potential investors. Instead, valuable time has been lost to
succession fights as it became clear that President Robert Mugabe was
approaching the twilight of his political career.

The fights claimed the scalps of former Vice President Joice Mujuru,
ex-party stalwarts Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo among several others on
untested allegations of plotting to topple and assassinate Mugabe.

Hardly had the excitement with the annihilation of the Gamatox faction in
the ruling party died down when fresh battles emerged between the
Generation 40 (G40) faction – rabidly opposed to Vice President Emmerson
Mnangagwa taking over from Mugabe – and Team Lacoste, comprising
Mnangagwa’s alleged backers.

The tragedy for Zimbabweans was the continued decline in the economic
fortunes of the country, with an unprecedented shortage of cash becoming
the order of the day.

Mugabe however, has continued to provide political sub plots to dire
realities on the ground, effectively ducking responsibility for causing
the biting problems to focus on the perennial factional fights in the
ruling party.

The introduction of bond notes towards the end of last year has not helped
the situation as the surrogate currency itself has since been fast
disappearing while the United States dollar is almost non-existent on the
formal market. Hospitals are operating with inadequate essential drugs,
while constant water supplies can not be ensured despite the above normal
rains the country received this season. Because Mugabe and his hangers-on
do not want to admit failure, there is continued haggling in the ruling
party with national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere under the cosh
– ironically for plotting to topple Mugabe.

It appears nothing will happen to better the lives of the common man as
the country hobbles towards yet another election in 2018.

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