By Patrick Guramatunhu- Zimbabwe has come a long way in just 40 years to become a fully-fledged Banana Republic, George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the pigs, the ruling elite, flouted the golden rule “All Animals are equal!” from the word go by keeping the milk and other goodies to themselves. It soon became the norm that whilst all the other animals on the farm worked like slaves, the pigs did very little work or none. When the other animals’ food rations were reduced again and again so that many were starving; the pigs had potbellies from feasting. The golden rule was doctored to read: “All animals are equal; some are more equal than others!” to reflect the reality on the ground.

Four decades of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness have left Zimbabwe’s economy, once upon a time robust, in ruins and left the country a Banana Republic. The economy has all but collapsed sending unemployment into the stratosphere of 90% plus, basic services such as education and health care are barely functioning and 49% of the population are now living in abject poverty.

The poverty has hit the ordinary Zimbabweans hard as the country’s Zanu PF ruling elite, the pigs in George Orwell’s allegory, creamed off the nation’s wealth to feed their own insatiable greed. The criminal waste of human and material resource is the root cause of the country’s economic meltdown, and it was a matter of time that the rising flood of poverty would soon affect the ruling elect. And the ruling elite have been squalling like pigs at the sight of a member of the ruling elite living and dying in poverty!

“In news just received I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the first former First Lady, Mai Janet Banana. I’m angered by the fact she died a pauper, once again another example of Govt not looking after our National Heroes’ wives,” tweeted Mliswa, himself a former Zanu PF bigwig and now Independent MP for Norton.

“After the immense contribution her late husband made to the country, regardless of anything, she died a destitute in Luveve. I thought the 2nd Republic would address issues neglected by the 1st Republic and it’s about time we’re able to move motions in Parly to this effect.”

So, Temba Mliswa is angry about Janet Banana dying paupers has hardly ever notice the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans are born paupers, live all their days on this earth in heart breaking poverty and die paupers!

Indeed, it was this callous indifference of Zimbabwe’s ruling elite to the suffering and deaths of others that inspired Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies to ruthlessly deny the masses their freedoms and rights, including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life.

Zimbabwe is a Banana Republic, a pariah state, ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who have remained in power these last 41 years by rigging elections. And as long as the country remains a Banana Republic (there is no difference between Mnangagwa’s so called Second Republic from Mugabe’s the First it is the same Banana Republic under a different dictator), there will be no meaningful economic recovery.

As long as nothing is done to revive the national economy then more and more Zimbabweans will be forced to live in abject poverty and die paupers; Zanu PF ruling elite including Temba Mliswa himself will not be spared the hardships of ever-rising flood of poverty.

Parliament can pass a law stipulating a king’s ransom allowance to every member of the country’s ruling elite and their family; the country broke, the ransom will never be paid! You cannot legislate prosperity, no one can; not even you Temba Mliswa.

“I’m angered by the fact Janet Banana (wife of Zanu PF ruling elite grandee) died a pauper!” So, you expect Zanu PF’s ruling elite to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth, to enjoy a pampered lifestyle of wealth and luxury and to die in a five-star hospital in a far away land (there are no such hospitals in Zimbabwe); untouched by the rising Noah flood of abject poverty sweeping the country -poverty brought on by and fuelled by the ruling elite’s unbridled greed. How naïve!