via President has ruined people’s lives and killed their dreams – The Zimbabwean. 07/02/2016 by Tendai Ruben Mbofana
I seldom read poorly-written newspapers like The Sunday Mail, but today I had the misfortune of coming across it’s 10 January 2016 issue, where, whilst flipping through the paper’s sycophantic pages, my eyes stopped at a peculiar article.
The article I read was entitled, ‘Blaming Cde Mugabe for everything’, in which the writer was at pains in efforts of virtually exonerated Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from being responsible for the suffering the majority of this country’s people were currently enduring.
That, in itself, was not very new, and did not particularly shocked me, as that is the bootlicking nature of the newspaper, as it did the same for the racist colonial Rhodesia government since its formation in 1935 till 1980.
However, what shocked me – in fact, more than shocked me, but disgustingly flabbergasted me – was the author’s brazenly malevolent attempt to pin the blame for people’s suffering on the people themselves.
In other words, those who are suffering in Zimbabwe only have themselves to blame.
The author said that the majority of the suffering people of Zimbabwe were in that dilemma because of their own personal failures, laziness and wrong decision-making.
That statement was enough to raise my temperature!
One thing the author needs to understand is that not all of us make our living from licking other people’s bottoms – but we strive to make an honest, decent living in these perishing times.
Does the author know that there are people, for instance, my mother who worked for the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Ziscosteel) – a parastatal – as a nurse at its hospital, since 1964 till it was sold by the company in 1999.
None of the employees were given any terminal benefits as Ziscosteel told them that their new employer would award them the pensions.
However, the new owner closed the hospital in 2010, and also never awarded the employees any pension, citing financial incapacity.
After dedicating her whole adult life to that hospital, 25 years with the government-owned Ziscosteel, and 11 years with the company the government sold the hospital to – she and all the other employees got a big fat NOTHING!
Similarly, my mother, like so many other Zimbabweans, had been setting aside money in various insurances and assurances policies, as well as investments in various fixed deposit bank accounts, which would have ensured she had a relatively comfortable retirement.
However, ALL those investments yielded another big fat NOTHING, as people like her were told that they monies had been ‘eaten up by inflation’ in the early 2000s.
As such, now at the age of 69 years old, widowed, old and frail, the only money she manages to get is an insultingly measly US$60 per month!
She is expected to buy food, and other necessities from that amount.
As someone who had also bought a house, she is expected to pay monthly rates to city council, pay for water, and electricity.
To make matters worse, she was recently diagnosed with colon cancer, and has to attend monthly chemotherapy sessions in Bulawayo, that cost an average of US$70 per day for each session lasting one week.
She obviously can never afford that on her own.
So may the author at The Sunday Mail tell me and the whole nation that my mother, and numerous others like her, have solely themselves to blame?
Will the author be bold enough to unequivocally state that in the next installment.
However, as far as I am concerned, the blame lies squarely at the President’s door, as he presided over the demise of this once prosperous nation.
The people of Zimbabwe have always been, and are still a very hard-working lot, and any attempt by ZANU PF to rubbish that is the gravest insult – which reveals the overall contempt and disregard that this party and government have towards the people of this country.
A leader of any nation takes full responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
‘The buck stops here’, was the motto of one renowned leader – as the ultimate blame for any country’s – or organisation’s failures – falls on the leader.
Failure of a country reflects badly on the ability of the leader to lead.
Even in soccer – as Zimbabwe is a soccer-loving nation – when a team produces a string of poor results, the coach is sacked.
As such, the President has everything to do with the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe, and should accept the blame.
This nation was once the pride, not only of Africa, but also the world.
Is this author seriously blaming company closures on the suffering people of Zimbabwe?
Most people in Zimbabwe have no access to tap water, even those that used to have access to it – is that due to the laziness of the people of Zimbabwe?
Right now, electricity is a rare commodity, as people go for hours, if not days, without it – are the suffering people of Zimbabwe to blame for that as well?
Revenue accrued from the vast mineral resources that the country mines can not be accounted for by the government – how is that the fault of the suffering people of Zimbabwe?
It is similar to trying to blame a raped 5 year old girl for the rape.
But certainly, disastrous economic and political policies have everything to do with it.
I have books from the late 1970s and early 1980s showing the performance of Zimbabwe’s industry, commerce, and agriculture.
Zimbabwe used to outshine all the other countries in nearly everything – despite being engrossed in a protracted and brutal civil war, and United Nations economic sanctions in the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, I am even ashamed to show those books to my 13 year old son, as he asks what happened to all those companies, agricultural, commercial and trade success stories mentioned in the books.
However, I make it a point that he grows up knowing the truth of what happened to his beloved country
That is what we unequivocally and unambiguously call FAILURE, and all the blame goes to the person who preside over that mess, as any attempt to blame the suffering people is an unwinnable mischievous insult.
° Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a community activist, communications activist, journalist, and writer. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes all feedback. Please call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.
COMMENTS
There is nothing more vile than a corrupt black tribal racist and perpetrator of terror he will corrupt and destroy everything, that is who the Zimbos have elected to be their #1 public servant going on 36 years.
“like father like son” Zimbabwe ruin to Zimbabwe ruin.
Where there is no sense there is no feeling.
Well Mugabe doesn’t have any white people to blame anymore so he has to blame someone. Anyone. Except himself.
Very good Article.I worked 17yrs for thi sgovernment and left with no cent. worse for my mum who is suffering back home who dedicated more tha 35yrs of her life as a nurse, with nothing to show for it. He Mugabe has robbed even our grand children who will pay for his stupid rule
Mbofana, the people at Zimpapers do not care about anything else but Zanu PF and Mugabe.
They see no wrong in Mugabe and yet he is the chief architect of the mess the country finds itself in.
A lot of lives have been ruined by his misrule, a lot of people have died and the worst thing is that he thinks he is doing a good job and hence the claim that he will be in the job until he dies. Just for the sake of occupying it?
The ideals for a prosperous nation were lost in 1980 as soon as the British Flag was lowered . The lie had paid off and people would soon realise the true intention of Mugabe and co. We are all to blame for simply sitting back and have our lives dictated by a dictator . Mugabe will not see anyone but ZANUPF rise up . The thousands that have died or have been displaced mean nothing to the brutes. As long as they create an artificial paradise for themselves then all is fine.
Slowly you are coming to your SENSES!!
Dear Tendai,
Why anyone trusted Mugabe or the British Government I will never know. It can only be the triumph of hope over experience, as it was blindingly obvious from the start that in the long term Zimbabwe would be a disaster under Mugabe.
And Zimbabweans kept voting for him until their votes no longer mattered. I left and got on with my life elsewhere.
Zimbabwe is finished forever.
Mbofana, the Sunday Mail idiots are right. We have only ourselves to blame. Any family that allows the same thief to steal from them for 36 years is a family of fools. And when the family members praise and even worship the thief then such a family deserves its misery. We need to wake up. Venting our anger on paper will not change anything, it’s time to act.
I totally agree with you. The people of Zimbabwe are their worst enemy. They created a monster out of Mugabe by hero worshiping him. Upto today many see nothing wrong with Mugabe so people get the leader they deserve
@ Mazano
Venting our anger on paper will not change anything, it’s time to act…….I could not have put it any better. We are good analysts but not actionists. Only action will save us and not analysis.
Great article Mbofana
From the penthouse to the outhouse in one generation, swell!
Mugabe must carry full responsibility of the suffering and poverty that is affecting the country, homes and the SADC at large. Due to the following reasons
1. In 1980 after independence, Mugabe promised pardon to all the ills of colonial era and only to reverse that in 2000 full blown farm invasion and killing of white people on the same issues of colonial period. That caused many to leave Zimbabwe, plunging he country productive land into poor natives with no means of investing on land. Zimbabwe became persistent beggar.
2. At independence Zimbabwe had the strongest currency in the region, and when he took over, he oversaw and approved policies that weakend the country. The country struggles to get to what is called a industrial policy, economic policy monetary policy or fiscal policy. What these policies must address is on how to do business, and also what taxes must be used for. In Mugabe’s mind what matters most is how does he live and survive politically, hence there been so much political functions in the ZANU PF party every year, as opposed to him presiding over industrialist and other think tanks on resolving the country challenges. The country does not even have its on currency due to poor advise of Gono and Kereke and Mugabe’s greedy.
3. At independence people from every corner of the world flocked home to an prosperous country, but at Gukurahwindi’s instigation due to Mugabe’s hate of other tribes, he unleashed the terrorist militia called 5th Brigade under Perence Shiri and Mnangagwa against the advise of General Mujuru. That opened the first gates for Matebeleland people flock to SA again, that has never stopped. That obviously strained the social economic relations between the two since up to now which resulted in xenophobia in the period 2008/2014. More so due to Mugabe. Every country on earth has a share of his people far field as Afghanistan and the Peru and some snow countries. People are running away much a away that even what the war of liberation did. He has been killing and sanctioning death of opposition far back as 1975 to present. Gen Tongogara, Gen Mujuru and others. As a result the entire SADC region is carrying the burden of Mugabe’s misgovern.
4. At independence Zimbabwe had vibrant agricultural sector, Hippo Valley Estates, Triangle Estates, Mkwasine Estates, ARDA, Newanetsi farm Range, Deure CSC, Citrus and Mazoe farms and others. These produces various products which would be processed into maize meal, wheat, oranges, sugar and ethanol, meat etc. However when Mugabe sanctioned the invasion due to his paranoid fear of opposition, he destroyed all these. There is nothing called vibrant Hippo valley estate. Then it used to contribute to several thousand of emeployment and taxes. Providing ethanol to petrol for powering vehicles and also generating electricity from sugarcane waste.
5. At independence, Bulawayo was an industrial hub of SADC, locomotives and trailers were made in Bulawayo and all the clothing factories and spinners were there, now Bulawayo is a ghost town. His desire for destroying this city is two pronged, his father Mugabe’s father ran to Bulawayo and married a ndebele girl and leave hin in Zvimba to look after his mother and siblings, so he bore a grudge against the city. Secondly the Gukurahwindi was predominantly an insurgent from Matebeleland, so destroying their capital made political senses. Not knowing that he would be destroying future employment of his citizens, and ruin the fiscal inflows in taxes, and the foreign currency earnings from the products made in Bulawayo like locomotive wagons etc. How short sighted.
6. At independence Zimbabwe had a vibrant health sector, however he destroyed this by increasing funding to defense and creating unnecessary ministries like youth and employment creation, gender and woman affairs, rural amenities, splitting the education ministries and other expenditures like having numerous foreign missions and his ever global trotting like he is the Secretary General of the United Africa. There is no national event in the world where he does not attend. last year only he spend over $31 million on foreign trip by September. These funds could have been used to secure drugs and even provide HIV patients with ARVS.
The list is very long. In short, this resulted in Zimbabwe being one poorest country in the SADC and world. The citizens are scattered all over the world trying to make a living elsewhere.
Mugabe must carry full responsibility of the suffering and poverty that is affecting the country, homes and the SADC at large. Due to the following reasons
1. In 1980 after independence, Mugabe promised pardon to all the ills of colonial era and only to reverse that in 2000 full blown farm invasion and killing of white people on the same issues of colonial period. That caused many to leave Zimbabwe, plunging he country productive land into poor natives with no means of investing on land. Zimbabwe became persistent beggar.
2. At independence Zimbabwe had the strongest currency in the region, and when he took over, he oversaw and approved policies that weakend the country. The country struggles to get to what is called a industrial policy, economic policy monetary policy or fiscal policy. What these policies must address is on how to do business, and also what taxes must be used for. In Mugabe’s mind what matters most is how does he live and survive politically, hence there been so much political functions in the ZANU PF party every year, as opposed to him presiding over industrialist and other think tanks on resolving the country challenges. The country does not even have its on currency due to poor advise of Gono and Kereke and Mugabe’s greedy.
3. At independence people from every corner of the world flocked home to an prosperous country, but at Gukurahwindi’s instigation due to Mugabe’s hate of other tribes, he unleashed the terrorist militia called 5th Brigade under Perence Shiri and Mnangagwa against the advise of General Mujuru. That opened the first gates for Matebeleland people flock to SA again, that has never stopped. That obviously strained the social economic relations between the two since up to now which resulted in xenophobia in the period 2008/2014. More so due to Mugabe. Every country on earth has a share of his people far field as Afghanistan and the Peru and some snow countries. People are running away much a away that even what the war of liberation did. He has been killing and sanctioning death of opposition far back as 1975 to present. Gen Tongogara, Gen Mujuru and others. As a result the entire SADC region is carrying the burden of Mugabe’s misgovern.
4. At independence Zimbabwe had vibrant agricultural sector, Hippo Valley Estates, Triangle Estates, Mkwasine Estates, ARDA, Newanetsi farm Range, Deure CSC, Citrus and Mazoe farms and others. These produces various products which would be processed into maize meal, wheat, oranges, sugar and ethanol, meat etc. However when Mugabe sanctioned the invasion due to his paranoid fear of opposition, he destroyed all these. There is nothing called vibrant Hippo valley estate. Then it used to contribute to several thousand of emeployment and taxes. Providing ethanol to petrol for powering vehicles and also generating electricity from sugarcane waste.
5. At independence, Bulawayo was an industrial hub of SADC, locomotives and trailers were made in Bulawayo and all the clothing factories and spinners were there, now Bulawayo is a ghost town. His desire for destroying this city is two pronged, his father Mugabe’s father ran to Bulawayo and married a ndebele girl and leave hin in Zvimba to look after his mother and siblings, so he bore a grudge against the city. Secondly the Gukurahwindi was predominantly an insurgent from Matebeleland, so destroying their capital made political senses. Not knowing that he would be destroying future employment of his citizens, and ruin the fiscal inflows in taxes, and the foreign currency earnings from the products made in Bulawayo like locomotive wagons etc. How short sighted.
6. At independence Zimbabwe had a vibrant health sector, however he destroyed this by increasing funding to defense and creating unnecessary ministries like youth and employment creation, gender and woman affairs, rural amenities, splitting the education ministries and other expenditures like having numerous foreign missions and his ever global trotting like he is the Secretary General of the United Africa. There is no national event in the world where he does not attend. last year only he spend over $31 million on foreign trip by September. These funds could have been used to secure drugs and even provide HIV patients with ARVS.
The list is very long. In short, this resulted in Zimbabwe being one poorest country in the SADC and world. The citizens are scattered all over the world trying to make a living elsewhere. Mugabe the number 4 African dictator
great article Mbofana
Mugabe panicked when people rejected the constitution at the 2000 referendum. His reaction was to order the farm invasions, disrupting agriculture which was the largest user of inputs from mainstream industry. industry suffered from low demand of inputs from agriculture. from then on everything started to collapse in step with agriculture, economy activity slowed down , financial sector relied heavily on supplying loans to previous farm owner and this sector was seriously affected, education and health sectors were not spared either as funding for their operation was a was being augmented through taxes and with the shrinking of economy less taxes are being collected. in short Robert Mugabe,s order to invade farms generated a wave of collapse of key sectors of economy, its Mugabe who precipitated the demise of the Zimbabwean economy by his actions, there is no one else to blame. Him
mugabe’s government is filled with corrupt officials and mugabe himsef does not any wish to rein corruption. as economy continue to dwindle they get more and more corrupt.
unable to remove mugabe from office through the ballot and otherwise , zimbabweans have resorted to informal dealings and industry. this is their reaction to failure and frustration of totally being unable to remove the thug from office because he controls the ballot system and can unleash the whole army to cower people from protesting.
but zimbabweans have to come back to their senses to realise that if they dont take action the zimbabwean situation will continue deteriorate. zimbabweans mus know that it is their responsibility to change their situation. the outlook is not bright and there is no hope that zimbabweans are so disunited yet this task requires unity to have effect. so in the end it is only ourself to blame, because we lack unity or love for each other. mugabe capitalizes on this and continue to rule, Grace mugabe even said he will rule from a wheelchair. he mugabe cannot and will not deliver and he knows it. the only face he has is his pretended fight against neo colonialism, or his hate of gays-something he already know that most zimbabwean concur with
so we are in a situation which we can not get out of. unless and unless zimbabweans unite, confront mugabe and try to solve their issues together-the status quo will prevail……and… robert Mugabe will even rule from the grave!!!!!!
We have a big problem with Bootlickers. They make sure that they lick the boot until it is clean. That’s Y they can even blame the 5 years old girl for being raped