Many years ago, in 1973 to be exact, I was invited to an address by Tanzania’s leader, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere at the University of the West Indies.
As a representative of Zipra, and full of that Zimbabwean hubris, I took notes of the speech, in the hope that when independence came our way, we would escape Tanzania’s fate.
The matter before hand was that Tanzania had been seduced to overborrow, and now, with 112% of their exports going to pay their debts, the World Bank held them by the throat.
The shilling was in free fall.
The climax of the speech was as follows.
“We found ourselves running in order to stay in the same place,” said Nyerere.
Tanzania exported sisal products, had some tourist spots, but was not endowed with minerals wealth comparable to Zimbabwe.
Nevertheless, Nyerere was describing an American Indian dance. One dances, exhausts oneself, must be resuscitated, only to find oneself at the starting point.
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Nyerere had the advantage of credibility and sincerity.
He failed dismally and resigned with some dignity.
The “bunch” in Harare that surrounds Mukuru lacks all credibility and therefore does not have the ability to solve the monetary crisis.
Credibility is the key.
I have before me the Catholic Bishops Conference report, February 12. Even though Mukuru has attracted vast Chinese investments since 2019, like Nyerere, the Zimbabwe dollar is playing a game of yo! Yo! The Catholic saints blame it on the disputed elections of August 23 and 24, 2023.
The credibility of this bunch of operatives does not start with a date. It is in their DNA and the way they operate, their modus operandi.
There is not an honest bone in their bodies. They are pure and simply “baddies” and proud of it. We need to place some emphasis on credibility because, the basis of every economy is derived from a measurement of people’s sense of security and consistency in the value of their money.
Arthur Mutambara, in his book, Elusive Zimbabwe Dream (2023) mentions a scheme concocted by the Reserve Bank’s Gideon Gono called “burning.” Say Arthur is allowed to by $US dollars from the Reserve Bank at $Z40 dollars each and sells them at $Z400, he has multiplied his money by ten times in one swoop.
If this practice is limited to say a few thousand “chefs”, who, using the proper multiplication table, can make US$1 million in only ten transactions, the Reserve Bank becomes the mother of a criminal syndicate.
It loses the trust of the populace. The Ponzi scheme collapsed in 2007.
But the syndicate at the Reserve Bank, like a chameleon, morphed into something else. Brother John Mangudya tricked us, (2016) by swearing with his totem, that if his Bond note failed, he would resign.
We were taken for a ride. In Gono’s scheme, I lost an investment of US$4 million PUPS (paid up permanent shares) at CABS.
In the second Ponzi scheme, I lost US$60 000 when the bond note resurrected as an RTGS in 2020.
I am surprised that Brother Mangudya can walk the streets of Harare.
Brother Professor Mthuli Ncube follows in the wake of the two bad brothers. These brothers at the Reserve Bank know all the words. Ncube (February 12) says he will introduce a structured Zee dollar, linked to hard assets, possibly gold reserves.
These brothers can cut up and act out, say great words, but I for one do not believe them. It is a matter of trust, stupid!
Mthuli Ncube knows full well that if there are two currencies, any reasonable person will shun the weaker currency and hide the stronger currency.
Examples abound. In Guatemala, 80% of economic activities take place outside the official currency, thus impoverishing the government.
Corrective measures
The Catholic saints (the bishops) see the root causes in three places. The disputed election has left the ruling bunch without legitimacy. Secondly, the saints say; “Our country continues to suffer from the displacement (migration) of families due to the on-performance of the economy.” Thirdly, the devaluation of the dollar bodes ill for pensioners.
All this adds to a sense of insecurity.
I received an email from a horticulturalist Moven Mavhiki in Chiredzi. He was served with a 48-hour eviction notice from his “grab farm.”
Another email came from Chief Chireka’s village in Gutu. Some black settlers there have been summoned by the magistrate. Fines for illegal settlement vary from US$150 each malefactor. That sum at Zee 12 000 per USD equals Zee 1.8 million.
The saints (bishops) say “For the majority of the elderly and the poor in particular, it has become unbearable to live.”
Then there are Murewa villagers who were told by a Chinese company spokesperson that they were wasting time appealing to their chief and district administrator. The two were in the pockets of the Chinese.
The ruling bunch has not yet accommodated itself to the presence of social media and the cell phone. It appears that legislator Job Sikhala was locked up for 595 days in a “stupid” prison with 10 other felons sharing one drop toilet for a crime that is not on the books. Toc crown it all, he was dropped off by a bunch of officers in the night.
At least that is what we were shown on YouTube videos.
Trust takes years to build, and our ruling brothers take every opportunity not to show grace and mercy towards fellow citizens.
The dismissal of three Major generals H. Dube, Paul Chima and John Mupande for misuse of funds (theft) adds to a long line of insecurity. Theft is no longer a serious crime when policemen levy road penalties and have no receipt books.
Resurrection of Mukomana
My long time Zanu PF stalwart friend Fabian Mabaya says that all the above says nothing about Mukomana except that he has become a magnet for all the discontents.
Mukomana’s resurrection is easily explainable. He is the coolest cat in Zimbabwe today.
“Come ye all that labour and I will give you rest,” says Mukomana.
That is the coolest thing to say.
- Ken Mufuka is a former Zipra representative and patriot.
