AMID rising tensions over the country’s worsening economic
rot, analysts have once again implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to hold
talks with his political rivals and civil society leaders to end Zimbabwe’s
myriad crises, the Daily News reports.
This comes as the church and other concerned groups are
also ramping up their efforts to foster dialogue between Mnangagwa and his
political foes — saying this is critical to avoid total chaos in the country.
It also comes as the opposition and pro-democracy
organisations are mobilising for a massive protest on July 31 — in a bid to
force Mnangagwa and his government to act on the country’s deepening economic
crisis, its worst in a decade.
Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, political analysts
warned that the planned protests at the end of the month were likely to be met
with State brutality — which was why national dialogue was critical.
Respected University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer,
Eldred Masunungure, said the mooted national talks were important as Mnangagwa
could not expect the country’s problems to go away on their own.
“The call for demonstrations is warranted, defendable and
legitimate because the situation has become desperate for Zimbabweans.
“However, the heavy hand of the State awaits those that
will partake in the planned demonstration, and in the face of Covid-19
authorities will not hesitate to use a hammer to kill a fly.
“The State will likely go into its default mode of
heavy-handedness to send a strong signal, like what happened with previous
flash demonstrations, including the recent one in Warren Park,” Masunungure
told the Daily News.
“The opposition, therefore, has limited options because the
freedom to demonstrate is only on paper. The democratic space is under lock and key.
“The reality is that nothing will change unless political
gladiators in the country dialogue. ED should also realise that he has tried
all he can to work on the economy on his own, and he has failed.
“His own supporters probably agree on this abysmal failure
and also on the fact that all that needed to go wrong since he came to power in
2017 has gone awfully wrong.
“The only viable solution is thus a roundtable dialogue
with the so-called enemies of the State (political rivals),” Masunungure
further told the Daily News.
“He (ED) might have the stick, but the solution lies in him
opening his mouth and calling his adversaries to speak with them, and that is
not expensive. His current stance is the obstacle to commonsensical solutions.
“So, he has to change his attitude and acknowledge that
things are getting worse despite the fact that the other political gladiators
from the opposition are also egoistic. He has more to lose,” he added.
The International Crisis Group’s senior consultant for
southern Africa, Piers Pigou, also warned that the planned protests were likely
to be met with force — like what happened in August 2018 and January last year
when security forces killed innocent protesters.
“In a context of selective adherence to lockdown
provisions, it seems likely there will be a heavy-handed response, especially
if permission is not secured.
“It need not be so, and the authorities could put in place
a more flexible approach that contains the parameters of protest to protect
life and property, if and when needed.
“Sadly, from previous experience it seems unlikely the
security forces are equipped to respond with appropriate calibration,” Pigou
told the Daily News.
“This takes Zimbabwe nowhere and reinforces the perception
that this administration is not serious about reform.
“Mnangagwa appears to support a notion of dialogue that is
not in accordance with the sort of dialogue that is required,” he added.
Another political analyst, Rashweat Mukundu, said
authorities were likely to take advantage of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions
— that outlaw gatherings of more than 50 people — to thwart the planned July 31
demonstrations.
“It is within the constitutional rights of the citizens of
Zimbabwe to protest, yet consideration has to be made of the current Covid-19
situation.
“We must be careful that the pandemic situation does not
become an excuse to take away citizen rights.
“As has been stated in other forums, including calls by the
South Africa International Relations minister, the two influential political
leaders who must engage in dialogue are Nelson Chamisa and ED,” Mukundu told
the Daily News.
“This has been Chamisa’s call that he wants to meet ED, yet
ED has stuck to Polad, which for all intents and purposes is a body of
political nonentities.
“So, it is up to ED to be magnanimous and engage towards a
reduction to end the crisis. Protests are unlikely to end but rather increase
as the economic situation continues to worsen,” he added.
Yesterday, the leader of Transform Zimbabwe (TZ), Jacob
Ngarivhume — who is the main player behind the planned demonstrations — said
preparations for the protests were gathering pace.
“Some of you have felt that July 31 is too far to express
our displeasure and desire to see action against looters. I agree. So, our work
leading up to this big day has started.
“We need volunteers in the legal fraternity to put strong
pressure on law enforcement and the judiciary to do their job, stop
(authorities from) targeting demonstrators and start going after the looters to
recover millions of dollars being siphoned from the system daily.
“We need volunteers to make posters, banners and flags to
start waving every day in solidarity with our unions.
“The banners, posters and flags can be any colour
representing the diversity of this movement — but bearing the simple message
LOOTERS MUST GO,” Ngarivhume said.
Build Zimbabwe Alliance leader Noah Manyika also said it
was now time to end the country’s “nightmare”.
“There is time in the life of a broken nation when no
sectarian interests, no wilful indifference can provide anyone with any safety.
“That time is now and is the reason I support any action by
any Zimbabwean to end the country’s nightmare, including what is being planned
for July 31.
“No tribe, politically-connected businessman, politician,
soldier or police is safe from the ravages of Zanu PF’s corrupt misrule,
brutality and the pandemic that is only getting worse because of the conditions
they have created.
“There is no superman who is going to do what you can do
for yourself,” Manyika said.
This comes as
Zimbabweans are reeling from the effects of the country’s dying economy, which
has triggered panic and fears of a return to the horror situation of 2008.
Despite being feted like a king when he replaced the late
former president Robert Mugabe, following the nonagenarian’s stunning ouster by
the military in the widely supported November 2017 putsch, Mnangagwa and his
government have found the task of repairing the country’s broken economy very
tough.
To underline how troubled the economy has become, the
government all but signalled a return to dollarisation last month — after under
pressure Finance minister Mthuli Ncube awarded civil servants and pensioners’
allowances in US dollars.
In 2008, Zimbabwe binned its worthless currency and
introduced the multi-currency system which was anchored by the US dollar.
Despite this system
having served the country well for more than a decade, Ncube rattled the
markets in June last year when he prematurely and ill-advisedly ended the local
use of the US dollar and other foreign currencies.
And as the economy continues to tank, more and more people
are imploring Mnangagwa and Chamisa to end their brawling which stemmed from
the disputed 2018 presidential election. Daily News
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