Paul Nyathi

Former President Mugabe’s fall was at its peak three years ago at this time.

Zimbabweans first believed Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who succeeded him in the military coup that ensures three years ago, was a godsend.

The reason? Mnangagwa’s promises of jobs and democracy.

“Today, we are witnessing the beginning of a new and unfolding democracy,” Mnangagwa told local and foreign journalists after his return from brief exile on November 22, 2017, a day after Mugabe resigned under duress.

“The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he said at the Harare headquarters of ZANU-PF, the party that has governed Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. “No one is more important than the other. We are all Zimbabweans. We want to grow our economy. We want jobs.”

Weary of Mugabe and his ruinous economic policies, Zimbabweans were optimistic.

Three years down the line, what are Zimbabweans’ ascertain of the “God given President.”