The late former President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere is known telling Robert Mugabe not to destroy the Jewel of Africa he inherited from Ian Smith.
“You have inherited a jewel in Africa. Don’t tarnish it,” Nyerere told him during the independence celebrations in Harare.
While the message was directed at Mugabe, for some it would be interesting to note that the person who held the microphone for Nyerere was non other than Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who would succeed Mugabe.
Years, down the line, Nyerere’s advice to Mugabe could be ringing in Mnangagwa’s ear.
Prominent political commentator Elder Mabhunu says Mnangagwa should have taken a leaf from Nyerere’s advice and right Mugabe’s wrongs.
“Despite the warning, Mugabe went on to destroy the Jewel of Africa. That being said and done, Mugabe is no longer the country’s President, neither is he living.
“He is now late.
“Apparently, it should have been upon Mnangagwa’s shoulder to right his predecessor’s wrongs. More so having been around when Nyerere told Mugabe to take good care of the Jewel of Africa,” he says.
To the contrary, Mnangagwa stands accused of running the country down, an unyielding economy amid unchecked corruption.
Former ZANU PF Member of Parliament for Chivi South Killer Zivhu says:
“The recent increase in basic commodity prices, tollgate fees, and new VAT on essential goods is truly unbelievable. This doesn’t only impact the so-called sellouts and agents of colonialism; it affects every Zimbabwean. Ndosaka ndichiti, we need a meaningful dialogue.”
Mnangagwa became president of Zimbabwe in 2017, removing long-time leader Robert Mugabe. Now 80, Mnangagwa has promised to solve the country’s myriad socio-economic problems, including the widespread scourge of corruption.
Gold Mafia, a four-part investigative documentary by Al Jazeera, revealed how some of Southern Africa’s biggest gold smuggling gangs plunder their countries to enrich themselves while helping criminals launder hundreds of millions of dollars.
Undercover reporters from Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) posed as Chinese criminals to infiltrate these gangs, which offered them a range of options to wash dirty dollars using Zimbabwean gold.
Be that as it may, President Mnangagwa was implicated in the deals, which involved his close business associates.
Mnangagwa is also accused of failing to unite the nation after toppling Mugabe.
President Mnangagwa missed the chance to unite a divided Zimbabwe and steer the country towards a new trajectory after the military-assisted coup that toppled long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, according to former deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara.
Mutambara believes that Mnangagwa failed to use the moment of the coup to adopt a team Zimbabwe approach that would have united the country’s political factions.
Instead, he continued with polarising politics, copying the handbook of Mugabe’s rule, according to opposition parties, Mutambara added.
Mutambara argues that there was an opportunity for change, but it was squandered by Mnangagwa’s lack of intelligence and strategic thinking. He insists that a different leader in 2017 could have created an opportunity to delink with the past and create a Zimbabwean moment, rather than a Zanu PF moment.
“A clever Mnangagwa who is strategic would have told Chinamasa to shut up. When I proposed this it was not much for Zimbabwe but for Mnangagwa’s own legacy.
“There was an opportunity for change. There was so much goodwill in the country in Zimbabwe. So much goodwill in SADC and the continent and globally. The goodwill was squandered by a lack of intelligence, by lack of strategic thinking.
“A different leader in 2017 could have created an opportunity of delinking with the past. I am very clear that there was an opportunity because it was a Zimbabwean moment not Zanu PF moment. There was a lack of leadership,” he told Alpha Media Holdings chairman, Trevor Ncube in an interview.
Self exiled former Minister of Foreign Affairs Walter Mzembi concurs with Mutambara, adding that Mnangagwa missed up by sidelining others and pursuing divisive politics after the coup.
He says the mantra on unity is hollow and a deception without works.
“It’s a legacy of the departed, and may God in judging them just remember what they attempted to leave us.
“The onus is on us now to write our own legacy on genuine unity not podium unity for ululations or unity for X likes
Unity not renewed in love is perishable,” he adds.
Zwnews
