THERE are some events that seem unrelated that have happened in the past few weeks.
First, it was President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “unwarranted attack” on Zambia’s sovereignty and Harare’s arrogance in the aftermath of that diplomatic gaffe to the extent of accusing Lusaka of jumping the gun after it reported the case to Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the African Union.
Before that, war veteran Blessing Geza, better known as Comrade Bombshell, in an interview on our broadcasting station, HStv, complained that veterans of the liberation struggle were getting a raw deal from Mnangagwa’s administration.
He said they should be appointed to the Zanu PF politburo and Cabinet because “chinhu chedu”.
Now, army commander Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe has put the “icing on the cake”, telling villagers over the weekend that Zanu PF “will rule forever”.
As if the message was not strong enough, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba took to X (formerly Twitter), where he posted the video with the caption: “In case maBLUE hamuna kunyatsonzwa General; ndakupamhai, mese nevarungu venyu (in case the CCC supporters did not hear clearly, I have posted it again for you and your white handlers)!!!!”
Lawyers and civil society organisations have written to the general demanding a retraction. Will he retract his statement?
We don’t think so. We believe it might be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to get an apology from the general as did former Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Simelisizwe Sibanda this week.
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All these events show entitlement, stockholder mentality and a country at war with an invisible enemy.
This war-like mode comes barely a year after a disputed election which observer missions said fell short of meeting the minimum conditions of a free and fair poll.
It also comes a month before Mnangagwa takes over the rotational chairmanship of the Sadc bloc.
The only war Zimbabweans want the government to engage in is against a deteriorating economy that has left citizens on the edge, creating the “working poor” that cannot afford to put food on the table for their families.
The battered economy has thrown thousands on the streets, leaving the taxman to overtax those that are still in formal employment.
There is also a war against hunger after an El Niño-induced drought rendered more than half of the population food insecure.
The war against Zimbabwe’s number one enemy —corruption — requires the government to deploy its finest soldiers to the war front.
Corruption has made Zimbabwe a crime scene.
There are suppliers who are paid but fail to deliver, some overprice services rendered, mostly with the help of senior government officials.
The recently leaked audio in which tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo is heard claiming to have captured the President and that there are “deals” his team will pick up clearly bares it all.
The deafening silence on the part of the government renders credence to the notion held by neutrals that the ex-convict has carte blanche given that he had the temerity to say in one of his videos: “hapana zvamunondiita [I am untouchable]”.
