| Salarygate - culprit-in-chief |
Events in Zimbabwe since the
start of 2014 have been intriguing as they have been agonizing for many, for
one reasons or the other. The talk of town of course is around the factional
fights manifesting in the various political outfits within our midst, notably
the leadership renewal call in the MDC-T and the accompanying violence as well
as the many factional battles playing along in Zanu PF. This is threatening to
steal the thunder generated by ‘salarygate’,
which epitomizes the serious shortcomings apparent in our socio-politics. Its
consequences directly relate to our economics and the real struggle that the
ordinary Zimbabwean faces daily just to survive.
| Muchechetere - former ZBC boss |
The revelations emanating from ‘salarygate’ speak to the near dearth
that characterizes the majority of our state-run enterprises. These, true to
government assertions are supposed to provide critical services to the
citizens, to a scale that measures to such services meeting constitutionally prescribed
rights of the citizens; right to water, education, healthcare, information, et
cetera. This is the first and immediate line through which government should
assert and implement its capability to take care of the welfare of its
citizens. That this is the exact opposite of what government through these
state parastatals was doing, speaks volume of its thinking and intent, more so
on the backdrop of a supposed overwhelming mandate from July 31.
| Has suggested that Zanu PF in-fighting is fuelling salarygate. |
The undertones coming from very
senior people in Zanu PF and government linking the media coverage of the near
collapse of state parastatals to infighting within their party should not be
ignored. It seems that for them, they have other priorities which supersede
their primary existence – namely to govern the country and well so. And while
all along their cheap scapegoat to masking their apparent shortcomings on
service delivery has always been sanctions, the truth has been made bare for
all, even to the non-different and ignorant observer alike. Granted, sanctions
being sanctions are supposed to and will have an impact. And this is not to say
Zanu PF and its stewards in government did not know about these goings-on as
they now want to portray. They knew and for one reason or the other did not act
about it. The most plausible reason being that they were beneficiaries – direct
or indirect – of all this brazen looting, albeit legalized.
 |
| In the eye of a power storm - MDC-T |
While it seems like the country
is being held to ransom over the Zanu PF factional wars which are clearly
affecting national development, it seems the opposition MDC formation led by former Premier Morgan Tsvangirai is having its own share of distractions to
be able to provide a watchdog role and oversight over the gross dereliction of
duty on the part of government. The recent violence and on-going suppression of
leadership renewal calls within that entity speaks to even greater dearth in
terms of the understanding of this party and its members to the ideals and
expectations of what it purports to stand for.
So far, with the way things have
been unfolding, it is clear that this party is not a democratic movement. And
just like Zanu PF, they believe that political differences can be resolved
through violence. It seems too that they have mastered the art of
self-aggrandizement at the expense of serving the people’s interests. But was
is beginning to become more striking in terms of how the MDC-T has become a
miniature clone of Zanu PF is the manner in which one individual has come to be
regarded as indispensable to the party and therefore to the capacity of their
party to govern the country. I find it very absurd that in this era of
democracy, we continue to be talking about perpetual leadership by an individual
in any organization. I personally find this notion contrary to the natural
process that bequeaths posterity – that each present generation will pass,
voluntarily or otherwise, the baton to the next, and so forth.
| Birds of a feather? Indispensible leaders? |
This then defeats the belief
being peddled by some that some individuals are indispensable to a movement.
And this however is more telling of the metamorphosis that the MDC-T and in
particular its leader have gone through. Initially riding on the apparent
shortcoming of Zanu PF succession politics, in having failed to ensure a more
democratic form of succession and leadership renewal, the MDC-T today faces the
same quandary over succession and leadership renewal. However, unlike in Zanu
PF where successional fights are carefully woven into the political economy -
access to and control of resources, including state resources – the weapon of
choice for Mr Tsvangirai seems to be outright and overt violence. While at one
time his arsenal would also have included donor funding, this unfortunately is
no longer the case. We have all witnessed this trend over the years and it
clearly has not left the confines of his mind but albeit like wine, has gotten
better with age. The 2005 split of the opposition is just but one case in
point.
| Mangoma - Tsvangirai's latest victim. |
And as in the scenario painted by
the old age adage ‘when two elephants fight…’ it is the grass that continues to
bear the brunt. Even where the elephants seem not to be in any contact, again
the grass is suffering. Very succinct but key lessons emanate from an overall
analysis of the current state of our country. The first and major point is that
our country yearns for a new political thinking and culture and therefore a
political alternative. This to take it out of the current socio-political and
economic malaise, and to a future where the citizens – and not just a few
political elites and their brooding puppets – are in control of the state’s
affairs. A cursory look to the state of affairs within both Zanu PF and MDC-T
clearly indicate that such national salvation will not come from either party.
They both lack the will and ability to put the people first. The crisis
unfolding in the Tokwe-Mukosi area says a lot about the current government.
 |
| State-sanctioned corruption is hampering national development. |
Secondly and fundamentally more
critical is the apparent inaction by the governing party to concisely tackle
the scourge of corruption that is now clearly the biggest hindrance to national
development – and not sanctions as expounded by others. While Zanu PF may have
gotten an overwhelming majority at the last election, they seem clueless as to
how they are going to take the country forward. While they continue to pin
their hopes on Zimasset, the truth of the matter is that their goodwill is
severely eroded, thanks to years of brazen looting of state resources and
failure to arrest graft. Where graft has been exposed and linked to senior
party officials, such cases have never been pursued to their logical
conclusions. And this is the reason why Zimasset does not have many takers, and
why many people remain skeptical that Zanu PF will be able to implement it to
benefit all citizens, not just its close circle of looters as has been the case
all along.
While we continue to watch
closely events surrounding the fate of all those fingered in corrupt activities
and abuse of public office, it cannot be overemphasized that dealing with
corruption remains the major challenge for government today towards setting
this country on a more positive developmental trajectory. For as long as Zanu
PF continues to tolerate looting by its ministers, leaders, members and those linked
to them, then whatever fight against corruption they can have remains
superficial and futile. And without addressing this scourge, economic development
will remain a pipe-dream and Zimasset like so many other Zanu PF blueprints,
will only be good as a bookish blueprint and not change the lives of the people
for the better.
 |
| Zimbabwe cabinet - same faces since 1980. |
Admissions to the effect that petty
factional fights could hamper the fight against graft are only working to
confirm that Zanu PF no longer has what it takes to take this country forward. Both
the will and the way seem to be eluding them, thanks to their failure to
concisely deal with succession and leadership renewal. For how can we be stuck
with the same leadership 34 years after independence? Zimbabwe’s cabinet today
resembles its cabinet of 1981, apart of course from the departed comrades. Does
that mean that since 1980, Zanu PF has and is failing to groom a younger
generation of leaders who are conscious enough to understand the true ethos
behind the liberation struggle? A younger generation that is in touch with the needs
and aspirations of the new majority in Zimbabwe – that comprised of young people.
Admittedly, the mainstream opposition is not on a very different trajectory to
the one of Zanu PF, and therefore does not stand out in any way as an
alternative to this malaise. At the end of this all, it is the people of Zimbabwe
that continue to bear the brunt.
And while we are fiddling with
petty political party fights, Rome is burning.
