…I watched yesterday’s press briefing and I was embarrassed. There is no need to clarify anything, simply it does not work. Honestly a wholesome Minister announcing the imprisonment of people stealing cables and transformers? What’s wrong with our country? …

By academic, Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo| No need for Press briefing from Government Ministers, Set a Development agenda !

Zimbabwe Government Ministers have reduced themselves to journalists in a war room instead of adopting statesmanship. I watched yesterday’s press briefing and I was embarrassed. There is no need to clarify anything, simply it does not work. Honestly a wholesome Minister announcing the imprisonment of people stealing cables and transformers? What’s wrong with our country? Zimbabwe needs a clear policy direction through a proper Development agenda paving way for economic resuscitation. I don’t see any reason why ministers are briefing the media on cabinet resolutions. I also listened to Mthuli Ncube who was waffling on the new currency. He knows what is supposed to be done. You can’t introduce new currency when apparently we are not producing anything. For Mthuli he knows the simple rules of Economics and he must apply them :

1. Introduce a completely transparent Inter – Bank market forex which is market determined

2. An auction bid is recommended

3. Remove all ex -based subsidies

4. Why are you continuing to fund Command Agriculture?

NB : So that you create a loophole for looting !

5. Command Agriculture must be funded by banks

6. Stop introducing many productive facilities. They are creating parallel structures for looting

7. Stop allocating Foreign Currency to importers , they must go to their respective banks

8. For the Zimbabwe’s New Currency mixed with the austerity measures to bear fruits, the following measures are advisable-

9. The government has to introduce a new currency which is at par value with the bond notes and coins. It should continue implementing a Managed Floating Exchange rate regime as the current bond notes and coins will slowly be phased out

10 . For now, the government should stop increasing salaries of all its stakeholders as a way to manage the wage bill and reduce this economic behaviour of a bidirectional causality between wage bill and inflation.

13. Prices of goods and services, salaries and other related services must strictly be set in Zimbabwean dollar terms. Be it in the Mining sector etc. Remember other workers must not receive a rated salary at the expense of civil servants who don’t receive such a benefit.

14. Because of the behaviour of wage bills and inflation in Zimbabwe, there is need for creation of Precious metal reserves so that the government can implement a fixed exchange rate regime in future. Reserves can be targeted yearly.

15. Why is Mthuli Ncube not fighting corruption? Why is he creating avenues of looting through the so-called facilities?

In a Nutshell :

– I don’t see briefings making sense. We all know the root problem of this country, its LOOTING OF NATIONAL RESOURCES AND CREATING AVENUES FOR LEAKAGES.

Recommendations :

1. Independent Advisory Council ( IAC) must be set

2. We need a five year Development agenda for this country

3. Policy Consistency

4. Corruption

5. Removing bootlickers from Government

6. Government PR Departments are too weak to rebrand this country

7. Instead of propaganda, focus on rebranding the country and exposing corruption

8. Dismantling cartels

9. Inclusiveness is key

10. A properly constituted dialogue is the way to go

Cabinet briefings have turned out to be a mockery for our nation !!!

Cry my beloved Zimbabwe !!!

Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo – Doctor of Philosophy Candidate

Muzamhindo holds a B.A from Solusi University, MA University of Lusaka, Zambia, Post Grad Project Management ( University of Zimbabwe), B.Science Development studies – Candidate & PhD candidate at Women’s University in Africa and he can be contacted at [email protected]