This year’s edition of the annual ZANU-PF congresses turned out to be as much of a dud as all others before it.
We expected more from a newly re-elected ruling party.
Fresh from disputed elections, we thought that Bob Almighty had an opportunity to show some intention to renew and employ people and tactics who have the ability to turn things around.
But Mugabe is not interested in Zimbabwe’s survival. He went into the rubbish pit and dug out his long-discarded operatives and is now trying to recycle them.
Mugabe is at his strongest when Zimbabwe is at its weakest. Starving old men, women and children is not too difficult for him.
Mugabe thrives on a weak Zimbabweso that he can blame it on foreigners.
Last week, his party held another of its annual congresses where underpaid and still-to-be-paid civil servants were forced to donate part of their meagre earnings towards the staging of the congress.
I am ashamed of ZANU-PF adherentsand wonder from what tree they come from because they never go in step with the people of Zimbabwe but, rather, collectively inflict untold suffering on the people.
Mugabe took to the podium and instead of dealing with the serious issues bedevilling his own party and the nation at large, he went into a tirade of insulting people in and outside Zimbabwe.
It is such a shame that Mugabe is known more for insults than for caring for his people or setting an implementable national agenda.
One would have expected that, with the problems be-devilling Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s thrust would be towards announcing measures alleviating such problems and setting a governmental agenda to tackle the nation’s numerous problems.
But no! He is bitter. He wants to travel to America. He wants to go shopping in London. He wants to go places to spend money that’s not his and money the nation does not have.
Mugabe took to the podium and, instead of addressing the mess he has caused at home,he insulted foreigners because they have closed their doors on him.
Sadly, ignorance is pervasive, particularly among those who do not suffer from the behaviour of people like Mugabe.
In Botswana, for example, I am appalled by well-informed and educated people who love and cheer for Mugabe even though they are fully aware of the havoc Mugabe is causing not only to Zimbabwe but to Botswana.
At Mandela’s memorial, the South Africans booed their president, Jacob Zuma, and cheered Robert Mugabe.
“To the disillusioned South Africans in the stadium,” The Vigil, a UK-based pressure group said, “Mugabe’s populist politics were far more appealing than the ANC’s arrogance and unchecked corruption.”
It appears to be the same within certain sectors in Botswana, where well-informed people applaud Mugabe. I wonder, though, who, in all of Africa, can withstand the brutality that Zimbabweans have done.
I wonder if South Africans and “those from Botswana” (I honestly hate to say Batswana when I speak about the generality of citizens of the country) can be as enterprising as Zimbabweans.
Yes, we hear about Zimbabweans raising the crime rate and so forth but should things go wrong in Botswana or in South Africa, can we see them flooding into Zimbabwe as much as Zimbabweans have done in those countries? Can they work as hard as Zimbabweans and replace them at their jobs like the preference for Zimbabwean workers we see in both Botswana and South Africa?
Botswana and South Africa are two countries Africa hoped would stimulate some sort of democratic, political and economic awakening on the continent.
Citizens of South African, Botswana and all other like-minded people may applaud Mugabe but they should not whimper when their leaders adopt Mugabe’s style of governance.
Mugabe used his party’s congress to insult people rather than announce his agenda for the nation. They applauded him. There does not seem to be independent thinkers in his party.The party specializes in the abuse of the nation.
Currently,Zimbabwe banks no longer have cash to give to those who want to withdraw their savings.
Today, companies are folding up and have, once again, started to close down and to relocate.
Today, the government cannot pay civil servants and Members of Parliament.
Today, the government is chasing after street vendors and women selling tomatoes, demanding that they share their meagre profits with the government.
Today, the government is invading churches and non-governmental organisations to get part of what the faithful put together for their orphanages and old people’s homes.
But Mugabe stands up at the silly congress and tells his ignorant followers that he finally has a solution to the economicproblems bedevilling the nation and then waves a piece of paper he calls ZimAsset.
They applauded the Dear Leader.
Our economy has become stagnant since the so-called elections and there is once again talk about re-introducing the Zimbabwe Dollar, which would be a disaster at a time when people have no formal employment.
Just a few days ago, Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa’s vague statements encouraged rumours that Zimbabwe is considering introducing the Chinese Yuan as yet another tier on the Zimbabwean financial market.
I would like to assure my fellow citizens of SADC, particularly in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique that Mugabe does not intend to go down alone.
You better get that loud and clear. Do not stop applauding Mugabe, the man you applaud so much, is bringing emancipation to you too!
While other people are busy trying to mend fences, care for their people, set development and political agendas for their nations, Mugabe, like an escapee from Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital, uses his time to insult people and cause mayhem like a hyena which cannot feed in the absence of chaos.
I expected that, given the podium away from a funeral, Mugabe would use the opportunity to deal with the succession battles and political upheaval in his own party, not to mention reassuring the nation about both political and economic stability. Sadly, his priority was to insult foreigners who do not want him in their countries.
Yet Mugabe pioneered reconciliation.
He did it long before Mandela and we all believed him to such an extent that he was muted for a Nobel Peace Prize at independence.
But Mugabe’s reconciliation fell apart because it was fake. After killing and beating up white members of our Zimbabwean citizenry and taking their properties, Mugabethen turned his vengeance on his own people.
Just look at what he is doing to us today.
When Mandela came out of prison, he preached reconciliation too.
Mandela was genuine and to this day the foundation laid down by his reconciliation efforts is the one that is holding South Africa together.
Is Mugabe not ashamed that F.W. de Clerk, president of “apartheid South Africa”, won the Nobel Peace Prize which Mugabe himself failed to win as a liberator?
Would it not have been nice for Mugabe to set the stage by winning the Nobel before Mandela did, then we would have had Mugabe and Mandela in the same camp?
But, today, while the liberator continues killing his own people, de Klerk, a man we were taught to consider as an enemy, has a Nobel Peace Prize to show for his willingness to compromise and accept inclusiveness with black Africans.
It was sickening to see Mugabe at Mandela’s memorial service. He did not belong there.
Africa must never be fooled into believing that Mugabe is a democrat and a liberator.
Rather, hold your applause and standing ovations for the man who has erected the pit latrine on your homestead.
