ZwNews.com
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is in sixes and sevens in as far as solving the country’s economic problems is concerned, he is cocooned in a rejection mode unable to understand why the economy is dying, but pledges that he will find a way out sooner rather than later.
Addressing mourners at the National Heroes Acre yesterday Mnangagwa said it was time Zimbabweans put national interest ahead of own, in contradiction to his calls some time this year that his party interests are more important than government or national interests.
As if that was not enough, Mnangagwa exposed his ignorance on market forces when he chided businesses for raising prices, a major headache for his government. According to his shallow understanding of economics, business community which is struggling to remain afloat, is sabotaging his administration by raising prices.
Despite his failure to understand market and economic dynamics, Mnangagwa pledged to find a cure to the disease he doesn’t understand.
“Yes, we’re currently facing various economic challenges in our country such as foreign currency and fuel shortages.
“However, I assure the nation that my administration will resolve these issues without fail,” he said.
He said the rebuilding of the Zimbabwean economy is everyone’s responsibility and accused business of trying to upset the apple cart.
Mnangagwa who was speaking at the national shrine in Harare, during the burial of Velaphi Misheck Ncube, also said the country’s natural resources must be fully utilised and exploited for the accelerated equitable development of our country and benefit all citizens.
But analysts are on record lambasting his rhetoric calls that are totally divorced from reality, and are never followed up with relevant political will and action on the ground.
Business has also stood its ground and refuting accusations of wanting to sabotage Mnangagwa’s government, they maintain that the price hikes are just survival strategies in the country’s current economic environment, that is characterized by low production, dwindled exports and low capacity utilisation.
Meanwhile, prominent political analyst Elder Mabhunu chided Mnangagwa’s statement saying how can he promise to cure the ailment that he can not understand.
“The fact that he blames survival strategies by business as efforts to unseat him, exposes his lack of knowledge on how economic dynamics operate. All his proffered solutions are counterproductive.
“I remember at one time he said in order to solve bread pricing problem, he was going to open small bakeries countrywide to provide bread at an affordable price.
“That doesn’t make business or economic sense. He just needs to make the fundamentals right and everything else will fall into place,” he said.
Mabhunu added that now the President is talking of natural resources and how they should benefit every citizen, while letting his cartels loose, smuggling the country’s precious metals in broad daylight.
“He can’t talk of making Zimbabweans benefit from the country’s natural resources, while he is protecting looters. His own next of kin Tongai Mnangagwa is known to be the leader of a gold and other precious stones syndicate,” thundered the analyst this morning in a telephone interview with this publication.
While Mnangagwa stands blamed for failing to deal with corruption, his administration is up in arms with business, threatening investors in the process. Most recently his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga added his voice against the country’s business community, and threatened with unspecified action.
However, his threats were received with condemnation, with commentators mocking the Vice-president who is a retired military general that economic forces don’t take orders in the way military brigades do.
