by Rudo Saungweme
It’s a shame to know that Thomas Mapfumo a Zimbabwean and an American based songwriter and singer utters that the New Dispensation should practice good governance before they call for the removal of economic sanctions imposed by the United States of America.
A sense of patriotism has been lost in Mapfumo. By virtue of being in America, Mapfumo should not think that he is also an American. Mapfumo is ignorant on what is happening in Zimbabwe. He has been in self-imposed exile in America for several years now after falling out with former President Robert Mugabe. It’s high time he comes back to Zimbabwe and sees what the New Dispensation has done so far in less than a year.
In second Republic a lot has been done on the road to economic recovery. Recently Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube announced economic reforms that will see the economy of Zimbabwe being transformed.
Minister Ncube said that by end of next year Zimbabwe`s debt would have been cleared. The 2018 Monetary Policy Statement disclosed a $1,5 billion borrowing from Africa Import and Export Bank, thus taking the country`s foreign debt stock to $11,5 billion.
Minister Ncube said that Zimbabwe hopes to have cleared its 1.8 billion U.S. dollars arrears to the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) by end of 2019. Government is also pursuing various financing options to settle the long term arrears that have kept Zimbabwe outside the international capital markets for close to two decades.
Among the mechanisms set by Government to settle the arrears Government embarks on a number of cost cutting measures which includes cutting salaries of Senior Government officials by 5 percent.
This move alone tells a lot in showing that the New Dispensation is taking a lead in a drive to economic recovery. The austerity measures under the theme for the 2019 budget which stated “Austerity for Prosperity” affects everyone starting from top to bottom.
The 2018 bonuses for civil servants were given but limited to basic salary only so as to cut on Government expenditure. The Government has to embark on these measures to cut Government expenditure to drive economic recovery. Mapfumo`s view show that he lack information on what is happening in the Second Republic.
I think its high time Mapfumo comes back to Zimbabwe and see for himself these developments. The challenge we have as a country with the Zimbabweans in the Diaspora is that once they leave the country they purport to be gurus in the Zimbabwean situation, more than those within. Zimbabweans in the Diaspora need to be patriotic. One need to know his origin and respect his country wherever he go.
It’s so sad that Mapfumo wants sanctions to continue which were imposed on Zimbabwe in 2001 through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act. He does not feel the suffering caused by these sanctions to an ordinary Zimbabwean. Sanctions should go period and we are sick of conditionalities attached to their removal.
The sanctions were imposed over the alleged human rights abuses by former president Robert Mugabe following the implementation of the land reform programme in 2000. However when the Mnangagwa administration came into power, it assured the white community that his Government is racially blind and needed the expertise of everyone across the economy.
President Mnangagwa met white farmers in mid-July this year and told them that the land invasions were now a thing of the past. He said, “This issue of new (land) invasions is a thing of the past. The rule of law must now apply. I am saying we should cease to talk about who owns the farm in terms of colour. It is criminal talking about that. A farmer, black farmer, a white farmer is a Zimbabwean farmer.”
This shows that the Second Republic has already started to implement economic reforms. It only takes a pessimist to be blind to the good being done by the New Dispensation.
If one is objective and do not take sides one will surely know where we are heading as a country. Zimbabwe is in the right direction towards economic revival.
President Mnangagwa is calling for engagement and re-engagement every day. This is drastic positive move to engage and re-engage the regional and international community. More investors has started to trickle in Zimbabwe.
The agricultural output had declined during the reign of former President Mugabe’s, but a lot of mechanisms has been put by the new Dispensation to increase agriculture output.
Command agriculture is being supported by the Government and a number of crops are now under Command agriculture.
Speaking at a tobacco sales floor earlier this year during the opening of a tobacco season, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said, “I am elated to report that Government has extended the Tobacco Contract Model to the same category, Special Maize Production programme commonly known as Command Agriculture which recently has been extended to cover wheat, soya beans, livestock, fisheries and wildlife production.”
Zimbabwe`s maize harvest in 2017/18 season was one of its biggest harvest since 1980.This shows that the Government is doing its level best towards economic reforms. I see no reason why someone like Mapfumo chose to have blinkers to see the good being done by our Government.
If Mapfumo was an objective person he should have advised Chamisa and his MDC supporters that President Mnangagwa won the elections and the issue of “illegitimacy” that he is always harping on about does not exist. If Mapfumo was sincere he should also have condemned Chamisa for promising to cause mayhem. His exact words were “hakudyiwi rinopisa, ndozvidira mavhu, kana ZEC ikaita zvekutamba,” loosely translated to say “I will make this country ungovernable if ZEC fails to announce me as president elect”.
As Zimbabweans it’s high time we put our political differences aside and move forward with one common goal of nation building. Mapfumo`s deductions are biased and one can tell from his inferences that this person is against nation building and will never accept the good being done in the Second Republic. Its high time Mapfumo starts to be patriotic.
