by Tawanda Musariri

Disillusioned admirers of the blunder-prone leader of the MDC Alliance Nelson Chamisa celebrated his surprise appearance at Mbare Musika on the Christmas Eve as travellers battled with an acute public transport shortage amid a biting fuel shortage.

Zimbabwe is suffering a crippling fuel shortage sponsored by foreign currency shortages.

Prior to the 2018 elections, the MDC Alliance, led by Chamisa, trooped to the United States of America (USA) to beg for the renewal of sanctions against Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) of the US congress. True to the opposition wish list, the two decade old sanctions were extended.

The irony of this matter is that Zimbabwe is not having a shortage of democracy, but a shortage of sufficient breathing space to catalyze economic development, a necessary recovery which ZIDERA is purporting to intend to address.

In an unmeasured but suicidal gesture, Chamisa appeared at Mbare Musika long distance bus terminus on the Christmas Eve, ostensibly to commiserate with the desperate travelers, who, out of lack of information, did not know that Chamisa is the author of their misery.

In an excited message accompanied by pictures on the micro blogging site Twitter, Chamisa wrote, “What a massive reception at Mbare Musika!! I am humbled by the overwhelming support from those travelling to various rural homes. I took time to appreciate their pains...”

While a good majority followed the bandwagon of praise singers, the discerning dug deeper and pelted Chamisa with deserved rebukes.

Zimbabwe’s leading currency of trade locally and globally is the US Dollar, a currency that is lately hard to come by courtesy of ZIDERA and the MDC Alliance.

“Only if those gullible knew that you begged to have sanctions maintained against #ZW making them suffer vaikutaka nemabwe!!”, charged @neNhumbane, responding to Chamisa’s well subscribed tweet.

With a shortage of the US Dollar, Zimbabwe cannot meet its import bill, neither can it pay for sufficient fuel supplies. Zimbabwe does not produce oil, hence all its petroleum products have to be imported. The US has a major hand in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) a trade cartel controlling the oil industry.

“Just go to America and ask your masters to remove the sanctions you have asked for and the suffering will come to an end. You want people to suffer for them to vote for you? Manje Zanu haizvibvumire izvozvo. Be sure about that,” said @PrinceTawengwa in response to the Mbare saga.

Having failed to win the national political mood, which has been so mastered by Zanu PF, the MDC Alliance has resorted to terror tactics of blackmailing both Zanu PF and the electorate so as to win votes with the expectation of being treated as a saviour.

Unfortunately for Chamisa, the political literates are seeing the devil playing messiah in him.