Zimbabwe Times
March 17, 2010
by Jupiter Punungwe
RECENTLY a South African newspaper reported on the many people still crossing the border illegally into South Africa from Zimbabwe. The report mentions that the people say there is nothing in Zimbabwe.
I beg to differ. There is plenty. The real problem is that the ruling elite are taking far too much for themselves. It is certainly so much more than their fair share that they are leaving almost nothing for providing basic social services to ordinary citizens.
The government has more than 80 executive level positions. That is ministers, deputy ministers, vice presidents and deputy prime ministers. We haven’t even mentioned the more than 200 Members of Parliament. Each and every one of them has an average of several cars at their disposal with expensive Mercedes Benz being the vehicle of choice.
President Mugabe drives around in a bullet proof Mercedes Benz S-Class. Reserve bank governor Gideon Gono glides around in a twelve cylinder Mercedes Benz. Mugabe’s nephew, Phillip Chiyangwa, recently boasted on BBC about the many luxury cars including the latest Bentley that are parked in his garage.
As far as I know only one minister, David Coltart of the smaller MDC faction, refused to take delivery of a government vehicle to save money. Most of the other ministers and Members of Parliament engaged in bitter fights with Finance Minister Tendai Biti to make sure they got luxury vehicles. Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono stirred the pot by handing over luxury vehicles to MDC MP’s against the wishes of the MDC leadership, thus effectively sparking a mini-tussle within the MDC.
While the Zanu-PF half of government has been enjoying the gravy train ride for decades, the MDC side has not been at all slow in learning the ropes. Currently the MDC run town council of Chitungwiza, a satellite town to Harare, is engaged in running battles with the government, particularly the Prime Minister’s office, over allegedly massive corruption.
The MDC mayor of Harare, Muchadeyi Masunda, was embroiled in controversy over acquisition of luxury cars for the Harare mayoral pool. This is despite the fact that Harare cannot supply clean water to all its residents due to supposed lack of funds. This is also despite the fact that just a year ago Harare was the epicentre of a massive cholera outbreak due to rundown sanitation infrastructure.
The mayor of Bulawayo, appointed on an MDC ticket, is currently embroiled in controversy over several additions of luxury cars to the Bulawayo mayoral pool. The most recent additions are reported to be a luxury BT50 twin-cab and a Chrysler SUV. Also mentioned have been a vintage Rolls Royce and I am sure the trademark Mercedes Benz would not be found missing from such a pool.
The MDC Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, is reported to have stayed in Harare’s most expensive establishment; the five star Meikles Hotel, for a year if not more. This is at the expense of the people who are forced to crawl under fences, cross the crocodile infested Limpopo and run a gauntlet of all sorts of thugs, rapists and murderers just to maintain a fingernail hold on hope.
If we look at the massive fleet of luxury vehicles being driven by the more than 80 executives in Zimbabwe’s government, more than 200 Members of Parliament, we can probably account for hundreds of millions of American dollars unnecessarily spent by the Zimbabwe government.
Mind you, we have not even mentioned the multitudes of relatives, political hangers-on and even casual intimate girlfriends, who are usually stampeding close behind the ruling elite in the mad rush for the political feeding troughs.
Recently Minister Biti reported that South Africa sacrificed $30million to support Zimbabwe. That amount is not even a drop in the ocean of avoidable expenditure guzzled up in maintaining the luxurious lifestyle of the massively top-heavy ruling arrangement in Zimbabwe. Mind you the arrangement is a result of back-scratching, political horse-trading motivated by the need to ensure lucrative personal incomes for political cronies by both sides.
Even if you get Sekuru Chaminuka to bring 300 spirits, Jesus Christ to bring 300 angels, or Prophet Muhammad to bring 300 prophets, and run the Zimbabwe government, so as long they jump into the same fleet of vehicles, so long as they dive into the same pool of luxuries, you will still get the same problem of poor downtrodden citizens trying to find solace in neighbouring countries, such as through President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
The basic problem is that the leaders are too busy and too greedily tussling for control of the luxuries to properly plan and provide very basic needs and services for the ordinary citizens.
Maintaining their comfort is the primary objective. Serving the country is a distant afterthought. Regional leaders need to stop entertaining the tendency to play to the gallery by some in the Zimbabwe government. They also need to remind the Zimbabwe leadership of the need to be prudent and thrifty before trotting out their begging bowls.
Above all they owe it, not only to Zimbabweans, but to neighbours struggling with their own problems, to run Zimbabwe properly. It is no use being obstinate against each other and then running to the neighbours crying ‘please come and make us agree.’ That obstinacy, from both sides, leads to the suffering of Zimbabweans who then burden neighbours as they try to find succour.
Some of the disagreements are silly. Imagine spending years disagreeing over whether a man who had a currency to run when he got a job, and barely half a decade later he no longer has a currency to run because he mismanaged it.
That man should have resigned on his own, not waited for his tenure to be the subject of a year long political dispute when his incompetence is so plainly obvious.