Zim led by ancient relics, MDC Renewal

via Zim led by ancient relics, MDC Renewal 17 september 2014

ZIMBABWE’S economic and political problems are all because the country is being led by “old people, wearing old lenses, leading modern societies”.

Jacob Mafume, the spokesman for the MDC faction led by Tendai Biti, was speaking at a public meeting in Harare on Monday.

“You will notice the peculiar thing about Zimbabwe; it has old people who are refusing to retire,” he said.

“Just recently the security forces refused to retire. They connived and increased their retirement age to 65 years.”
He added: “We have old people wearing old lenses running a modern society. It’s a very sad situation, if not tragic.”

Mafume attributed the failure by President Robert Mugabe’s government to come up with sound economic policies to old age and recycling of ‘old horses’ in key government positions.

Mugabe, at 90, is Africa’s oldest president. He is the only president Zimbabweans have ever known. The veteran leader has been in power since the country’s independence in 1980.

The cabinet also includes several faces who have been a constant since independence. Critics often accuse Mugabe of recycling deadwood.
Mafume said it was critical that there is leadership renewal at all levels of government.

“This is the reason why at MDC Renewal the buzz word is renewal. We need modern people to run modern societies. It is very simple and basic,” Mafume said.

“I was listening to the Kenyans on one of the radio stations when they were saying to deal with the issue of ghost workers they are going to have a biometric system so that they know that you are a living servant.

“Now that is a modern society and those are the kinds of discussions that we should be having. Can you imagine having such a discussion with another relic, he is an ancient relic called Mariyawanda Nzuwa?

“The man has been alive for donkey years. We do not know how old he is. He was an adult in 1940,” said Mafume.
Nzuwa is the chairman of the Public Service Commission.

During the inclusive government between 2009 and 2013, Nzuwa presided over an audit of government workers whose results were never made public.

“Discuss with him that a civil servant needs biometric identity he will think that you are an agent of the West to bring about imperial damnation to the secured land of Mbuya Nehanda.

“We cannot have such, they cannot retire. They will die and we will bury them from their posts and their obituaries will say they were working hard.”