ZIMBABWE’S economic and political challenges will not be solved if the country continues to have disputed elections, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) acting president Welshman Ncube has said.
Ncube, who was addressing victory celebrations for Tsholotsho ward 1 (Gxoboholo) councillor Witness Khumalo, accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of being blantantly and selfishly greedy.
Ncube hailed the late former President Robert Mugabe’s administration for being a bit respectful in that regard.
In condemning the electoral disputes that have dogged the country since the year 2000, Ncube invoked memories of the late Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who during his time highlighted the futility of holding elections in an environment that was not conducive for polls.
“Tsvangirai used to say if you see yourself doing the same thing and bearing the same results over and over again, in English, it is the very definition of insanity. This means you are mad,” Ncube said.
“You participate in elections in 2000, then there is a dispute and the country keeps going down. You do the same thing for years over and the country keeps on dwindling.
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“You end up not having a stable currency for the country. Who among you have ever laid eyes on this money called ZWG (formerly ZiG)? If you have seen it before, what does it buy?”
Ncube said the country’s wealth kept on deteriorating with the leaders turning a blind eye.
“I stay in both Harare and Bulawayo, but I have never seen the ZiG with my own eyes. The country’s wealth keeps dwindling and yet we are busy doing slogans.
“Second republic, third republic, the country is built by its own people, but it is still the same and there is no change,” he said.
“We should all ask ourselves whether we want to reach 2028 knowing very well that the same people are going to be at the top stealing and they go back using both police and soldiers’ power.
“When we reach 2028, you start talking about 2033 and in 2033, you start talking about 2038. Is that not total madness?”
Ncube said during the Mugabe era, it was much better because the late former leader would do whatever he did without showing off.
“That is why those who say they rule, they rule people’s poverty in Zimbabwe. They will be looking out for their own stomachs and children only,” he said.
“Long back during Mugabe’s era, they would take everything for themselves. We only discovered it now that he had 23 farms and yet he used to say one man, one farm and yet he had 23 of them.
“He would steal using a fork and knife, but the leaders of today steal without even thinking of sharing a bit with others.”
Ncube accused Mnangagwa’s government of arbitrarily destroying the country’s economy.
“They are not even hiding it, they just flaunt it to your face. But you as a Zimbabwean are suffering from the same drought, poverty. There are no jobs, but where you work, what you earn does not even last you a week.”
The CCC won ward 1 in Tsholotsho in the August 2023 harmonised elections.