Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume says after cyclone Idai, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised to help the victims with the money he was given by US President Donald Trump, but he has done nothing.
He says what is worrying is that Mnangagwa bragged that he had received ‘real’ cash to help the victims.
By ‘real’ cash Mnangagwa was talking of US dollars and even mocked his own currency, the Zimdollar.
At the time, the then 76-year-old leader stunned his audience during a tour of cyclone-hit Manicaland, after receiving a US$2,5 million donation from the United States, declared that the RTGS dollar was not “real money”.
In-between bouts of child-like chuckle, Mnangagwa showed bizarre excitement at the disaster donation, which he appeared to suggest was an endorsement from United States President Donald Trump.
“The most exciting one (donation) is Trump’s. Do you know Trump? The president of which country? From America? Yes. The ones who imposed sanctions on us. Yesterday, just yesterday, he sent his ambassador and he came with two-and-a-half million,” Mnangagwa said excitedly.
“Two-and-a-half million of their currency, not RTGS dollars but the real currency, the real thing. Two-and-a-half million, and they said use this to help yourselves but if you have other needs that you see you might need as well, we have a station in South Africa and we can give you more.
“The real problem now is for us to tell them what we need, that is the problem we now have, just to say what we want from Trump. Things change, one bad thing makes other things good.”
Meanwhile, Ngarivhume says he has been to one of the areas that was hit by the cyclone, and witnessed trail of destruction and no sign of repair.
Ngarivhume says it is worrying that Mnangagwa bragged being given the real money, but there is nothing to show for it as the victims are still wallowing.
“In the last 48hrs, I was in Chimanimani were I saw first hand the state of living of the Cyclone Idai survivors.
“Mnangagwa is on record confirming that he received hard currency to help the people, yet he has done nothing.
“Where did the money go? The situation is terrible,” he says.
Zwnews/ Zimlive
