Zimbabwean Political Climate

It is very disheartening to notice that the situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating at an unprecedented pace all because of old man Mugabe and his party who are determined to cling onto power at all cost. 

The situation has been worsened by the recent inclusion back to their Zanu (PF) fold of their biblical prodigal son Jonathan Moyo who has now sharpened his wits more intensely than ever before in order to save his skin while at the same time gaining political ground amongst the ageing geriatrics at the beleaguered Zanu-PF political party.

In articles that sometimes appear in The Zimbabwe Times, Jonathan Moyo doesn't care to mince his words when showering Mugabe and their politburo with unprecedented praise in a clear indication that the prodigal son has indeed repented and has realised that the error of his ways with Zanu-PF will always drive him into political oblivion.

In one of such articles Mr Moyo was heard rubber-stamping what is always parroted within Zanu-PF circles that Morgan Tsvangirai is a proxy of the West and that the gains of independence would be lost if Zimbabweans were ever swayed to vote in favour of MDC. He went on to utter tirades of scone against MDC's Deputy Minister of Agriculture-elect Roy Bennett accusing him of being a white Rhodesia who, in the heydays of pre-independence, was in the Rhodesia Light Infantry army unit whose major aim was to safeguard interests of the white minority. He is also heard boasting and portraying himself as a true patriotic warrior who will never condone anything that indicates a slightest reversal of the gains of independence that was brought about through blood, sweat and tears. 

"All those who sacrificed their lives to see that Zimbabwe is truly liberated would have died in vain if we let those who stood in their way like Mr Bennett enjoy those fruits of independence." he is heard fuming.

It never crosses his mind that the war of liberation was waged to reverse a system and not individuals. General Josiah Magama Tongogara himself was always proclaiming that he envisaged an environment where people of all races lived in harmony with each other and not what Mr Moyo is now attempting to make Zimbabweans believe. He totally ignores the fact that amongst the rank and file of Zanu-PF there exist influential individuals like Philip Chiyangwa who were in police reserve units whose purpose was to patrol the borders of Zimbabwe to deter young men and women who attempted to cross the border to neighbouring countries like Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique from joining the liberation movement.  

Mr Jonathan Moyo chooses to look the other way while we are also witnessing some Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives who, during the war of liberation, were members of the notorious Selous Scouts that committed untold atrocities through deceit. It is no secret that the Selous Scouts' deadly operation was to deceive the locals by ably pretending to be freedom fighters as they spied and supplied inside information to the Rhodesian Army who would later fly in and bombard unsuspecting freedom fighters and others who perished in their thousands in camps such at Chimoio and Nyadzonya. 

Every Zimbabwean including Mr Morgan Tsvangirai knows what the nation went through to attempt any reversal of our independence that came as a result of the supreme sacrifices taken by our gallant liberators to listen to the nonsense being churned by the likes of Jonathan Moyo who are, in fact, the ones reversing the gains of our hard-won independence by subjugating the same people whose suffering provided the impetus to go to war in the first place.

If only we could observe the rule of law on fundamental human rights, we will rest assured that we wont be letting down our fallen heroes by denying their fervent wish to see Zimbabweans living in harmony with each other.  


Courtesy of Lameck Mahachi [Diaspora resident Zimbabwean]

Lameck Mahachi.

The loss of 'Democratic Accountability' is retrogressive to national development.

One of the reasons we have a failing democracy is because there is no fair balance in terms of political party funding for a multi-party environment.

It's a well known fact that we cannot have politics without money, but on the same notion money is also dangerous where institutions do not have effective transparency and accountability measures in place to monitor financial activities.

Zimbabwe does not have rich parties, but parties whose funds do not have a clear audit and can easily be used to buy votes especially taking into account the difficult economic conditions affecting the larger section of our electorate and the fact that there are no checks and balance mechanism in place that can be enforced where such activities are taking place. Aspiring MP's usually appear towards election time and rarely have an efficient time-table they use to to talk to citizens in their constituents on a regular basis thereafter.

With the growing influence that comes from financially powerful actors,  we have seen how donor funding can easily shape government policy and corrupt and pervert its procurement decisions. We have seen cases where personal or factional war chests can fuel internal divisions, fund vote buying in internal elections, and accelerate factionalism. in political organisations.

Ultimately as most of us now know, money can corrupt a political system and, in the long term, destroy political parties and delay national development objectives at the expense of elitism and hunger for power.

Three symptoms point to the need for comprehensive reform of money and politics in Zimbabwe today:

1. Loss of democratic accountability of political parties to citizens, and within political parties.

2. Increased campaign spending by the bigger political actors, matched with declining electoral participation and fair competition.

3. A decrease in public trust and participation in electoral politics.

Until we have an electorate with changed attitudes, our politics will remain focused on leadership personalities with not much interest directed towards understanding institutional frameworks and how policy and process can be used effectively to hold leadership accountable for their decisions and actions.

"The gap between known public funding and expenditure estimates

remains considerable. … It is in this non-transparent and

unregulated space that both established and emerging businesses,

as well as wealthy individuals, are able to engage in the purchase of

political and policy influence, as well as of lucrative state contracts."

When political parties come to rely on the financial support of a few – not just the votes of a majority – to win and maintain power, public accountability and internal party democracy are undermined. Public funding of political parties currently accounts for only a small fraction of the total funds parties raise. The rest – amounting to millions per year, most of it undisclosed – comes from private sources whose interests cannot be automatically assumed to represent the broader public interest.

The loss of democratic accountability through unregulated party funding extends
to the internal power dynamics of political parties. If we had strong institutional foundations, we would not have leadership continuity problems and corruption which exists from political party levels. If the structures were solid, individual leaders would find it hard to survive as people would understand how to utilise internal process to demand answers from their executive leadership structures.

"While private party funding remains unregulated in Zimbabwe,

opportunities for wielding unfair influence or bribery remain."

Vendors are creative ordinary citizens willing to take "ACTION' to address their personal economic challenges

"Vending has become a normal way of life for even University graduates"

I am People

Street vendors are not a unique development exclusive to Zimbabwe, they are actually an integral part of urban economies around the world, offering easy access to a wide range of goods and services in public spaces. They sell everything from fresh vegetables to prepared foods, from building materials to garments and crafts, from consumer electronics to auto repairs to haircuts.

Vending is not a new activity, it has always existed in Council controlled zones like the Mbare Market stalls where even the most wealthy used to travel to seek good bargains. It's usually created by low barriers to entry, limited start-up costs, and flexible hours which are some of the factors that draw street vendors to the occupation. Many people enter street vending because they cannot find a job in the formal economy.

But surviving as a street vendor requires a certain amount of skill. Competition among vendors for space in the streets and access to customers is strong in many cities. And vendors must be able to negotiate effectively with wholesalers and customers.

Street vendors face other routine occupational hazards. Many lift and haul heavy loads of goods to and from their point of sale. They are exposed to physical risk due to a lack of proper fire safety equipment, and also exposed to injury from the improper regulation of traffic in commercial areas.

Insufficient waste removal and sanitation services result in unhygienic market conditions and undermine vendors’ sales as well as their health, and that of their customers.

Street vending is not a problem, it is the organisation of street vending that is lacking in most urban centres. The creation of membership-based organizations is a good start to helping street vendors navigate their relationship with the authorities, build solidarity and solve problems with other vendors. Government needs to come up with working alternatives, institutionalise vending so there is a legal framework of monitoring their financial earning activities. Our banking sectors can create packaged account products targeted at vendors that can help them grow their profits so they can gradually become stream-lined entrepreneurs. Our Council's can also ensure vending markets have clean facilities, clean water to avoid creating a health hazard.

After all has been said and discussed vendor's mostly exist because of a lack of jobs and employment opportunities in society.