Zanu PF must come down to earth

via Zanu PF must come down to earth October 18, 2014

When is enough enough? Hot on the heels of the report that First Lady Grace Mugabe’s lavish rallies were being funded by, among others, white farmers, comes the report that the ruling Zanu PF party has extended a begging bowl to the corporate world, businesspeople, churches and other religious groups to raise $8 million for its elective congress in December.

We know that it is extortion time whenever such “appeals” are made because those who don’t pay face recrimination, like having all business avenues closed.
We know that the remaining white farmers are most vulnerable because they are under a state of permanent blackmail.

Money is extorted from them left, right and centre. If they don’t play ball, they are promptly removed from their farms without notice.

Said Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo: “Everyone — the business community, church groups, religious organisations and even individuals — is invited to support the noble cause.”

We do not know whether this can be described as a noble cause as if it was in aid of altruism. Altruism is disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Can spending on a political party congress be in the spirit of altruism? Not at all. All this is in aid of self-interest. They only dish out favours in return for political support, not in the genuine spirit of service to the nation. So there is no noble cause to talk about.

We have been seeing replays of that at Grace’s rallies, especially when she threatened to withhold the largesse she had brought to Bulawayo after some people in the audience were seen walking out before the end of her address.

Zimbabwe is reeling under a cash crunch, but no expense is too much when it comes to the ruling class spending on themselves.

Instead of foregoing this extravagance and direct a great portion of the funds to resuscitate ailing hospitals, they won’t have any of that because this does not have immediate political return for them.

They don’t have a sense of guilt or shame. How can they spend so much on a four-day event? A low-key congress to reflect the parlous state of the economy would be looked upon favourably by the nation.

But this is far from the minds of this greedy, selfish lot. This appeal for more funds is obscene and unconscionable, especially soon after the conspicuously lavish spending at Grace’s rallies.

Their world has a different orbit from the rest of us.

It’s high time they came down to earth.

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