THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) has blamed the opposition for conniving with their “imperialist handlers” to cause the worsening economic situation in the country, which has seen prices of basic commodities shooting up with some goods disappearing from the market.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Since the declaration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the July 30 harmonised elections victor, the situation has drastically deteriorated, evoking memories of the hyper-inflationary period of 2007-2009 era.
The war veterans admitted the situation was hurting ordinary citizens, but said the shortages were being engineered to incite public protests against Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF government.
“What is happening is that the capitalists are fighting against Zanu PF victory politically and economically, so it shows that the ruling party is not getting the co-operation of the business community,” ZNLWVA spokesperson Douglas Mahiya said.
“It is an economic battle between the oppressors and the oppressed. Price hikes and shortage of basic commodities is a battle for the people to be caused to turn against their vote and disapproval themselves from being a justifiable population to have a government which determines its destiny.”
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He said the force that controlled the industries was responsible for shortages of basic commodities in a bid to maintain the capitalistic status quo.
Mahiya said the MDC-T must fulfil its promises to bring multiple connections that would avail loads of cash to ease the situation during the campaigns.
He said the opposition must avert the crisis by approaching those same people as per their own threat to bring the promised cash and help alleviate the situation as opposed to folding hands while people suffered.
Mahiya described the MDC as a legitimate political organisation which is helpful for the country’s political development, but said their contradiction must not undermine or retard the development of Zanu PF in order to justify that they are better.
“That is where the antagonism is and that is why I am citing the MDC in the disappearance of these things in order to force society to rebel a legitimate elected government of the people,” he said.
“They failed at the ballot box and now they want to make people suffer and make people listen to them. However, we will not be able to take that.”