By Patrick Guramatunhu- “Zanu PF has relieved Victor Matemadanda from the political commissar post over incompetence and his verbal diarrhoea remarks on the decimation of the opposition MDC Alliance,” reported Bulawayo 24.
“Speaking at the Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera on Sunday, Matemadanda took numerous jabs at MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, including saying his party is melting like a candle and they (the ruling party) are not yet done.”
Actually, everyone in Zanu PF is very pleased; none more pleased than President Mnangagwa himself; that MDC A is imploding. The last year has been bad enough for Zanu PF without having to worry about MDC A highlighting the many problems.
President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra; launched soon after the November 2017 coup and of which he was cocksure would deliver economic recovery; died soon after the launch. The regime’s failure to keep its promise to hold free and fair elections, to stamp out corruption, etc. confirmed the country was still a pariah state and snuffed out all hope of any meaningful economic recovery.
Investors are a shrewd and savvy lot; they do not do business in a pariah state.
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, there will be no meaningful economic recovery much less the economic miracle of Zimbabwe becoming an “upper middle income nation by 2030, Vision 2030” that President Mnangagwa and his Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, wittering about!
The corona virus pandemic has made the country’s bad economic and health situation even worse. And by handling the pandemic with the usual blundering incompetence, Zanu PF has turned a tragedy into a catastrophe. The country has managed to keep its official covid-19 cases and deaths figures very low by not testing for the virus, for example.
The price of not testing is infected people who should be in isolation continue to live in the community and thus spread the virus.
So far, Zimbabwe has secured enough vaccines to vaccinate 500 000 and will be very lucky to reach the 10 million head-immunity by the end 2022 as we are depending on donated vaccines. SA, which is buying most of its own vaccines, is hoping to achieve its head immunity by the end of this years. The delay in reaching the head immunity will cause more economic disruption and cost more human suffering and deaths.
Zimbabwe has the money to buy the vaccines and lots beside; if only the country would act and stop the wholesale looting that has being going on for decades now!
“We don’t need anyone’s money (to finance development) as we can do it on our own. Sometimes it’s just the mindset and belief to achieve that,” Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Dr John Mangudya, told Business Times last month.
“Like what oil is to Nigeria, gold is to Zimbabwe. The precious mineral alone has the potential to turn around the country’s fortunes.”
It is estimated that Zimbabwe is losing a staggering US$1.2 billion worth of gold is smuggled out of the country every year.
On 3 March 2016 then President Mugabe admitted that the nation had lost $15 billion worth of diamonds because of the looting and plunder in Marange and Chiadzwa.
Of course, President Mnangagwa must be very, very pleased that MDC A is imploding and therefore have completely taken their eyes off the ball. Otherwise, he and his entire Zanu PF cabinet would been squealing like pigs if just one MDC A MP had forced the regime to carry out corona virus tests as WHO recommendations and thus forced the regime to reveal the true covid-19 cases and deaths figures.
However, as much as Zanu PF is very pleased that MDC A is imploding, Mnangagwa knows the importance of keeping up the pretence that MDC A is a formidable opposition. The importance of be subtle!
“Usachenjedza vanyamukuta kuzvara uchada!” (Never insult the midwife whilst you still need her expert service!) so goes the Shona adage!
Zanu PF leaders are well versed in being subtle!
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC people have learned to enjoy the gravy train good-life and not rock the boat!) Zanu PF cronies boosted during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the reforms. They would always follow this with a finger to their mouth!
It was in Zanu PF’s interest to string Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends along even though they were selling out by failing to implement the reforms. Even after the GNU, Zanu PF has been very careful never to gloat about MDC leaders being corrupt, incompetent and sell outs because Zanu PF’s legitimacy is dependent on maintain the pretence that MDC leaders are a credible opposition.
Victor Matemadanda has mockingly dismissed Chamisa, whose MDC A has all but imploded, as nothing but a Chihuahua that has lost its teeth, bark and can hardly stand. It is absurd that the marauding elephant, Mnangagwa, should even consider Chamisa a threat.
By completely discrediting the MDC A as a political force, Matemadanda has given the people of Zimbabwe the impetus to demand the implementation of democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. This is exactly what Zanu PF has fought hard to avoid! And no wonder Matemadanda has been summarily fired – he lacked political fineness to appreciate incompetent and corrupt MDC was exactly what Zanu PF needed as the opposition!