ONE local daily headline told Zimbabweans to ‘brace’ for what it said would be a ‘crippling’ strike against the Government over the introduction of Bond notes.
But it came as no surprise when even the organisers of the much hyped ‘demonstration’ failed to pitch up as they were busy fighting over donor money.
Ordinarily, nothing between the monumental flop of the demonstration and the exposure of donors would have made news because there is nothing new here.
What is interesting, however, is the continued failure by funders to comprehend the fact that ZANU PF is not about to be removed from power by rented crowds.
Sadly, the lessons of previous failed ‘uprisings’ have not alerted ‘demonstrators’ and Western donors to the disastrous consequences of their misadventure.
The demonstrations witnessed in the past few months are an attack on the country’s sovereignty.
And you cannot simply launch an attack on a country without any knowledge of the mindset or character of its inhabitants.
Zimbabweans are too busy and too patriotic to be engaged in combat with their Government.
Morgan Tsvangirai tried it and failed; Lovemore Madhuku tried but never succeeded; and most recently Evan Mawarire tried it but fled to the ‘comfort’ of the US.
You can destroy a country’s infrastructure but if you don’t know what kind of people you’re dealing with, you are bound to lose.
“The demo — dubbed ‘Munhu Wese MuRoad’ (Everyone to the Streets) — will bring together various social movement groups to protest against the introduction of the surrogate currency reportedly to mitigate the current cash shortages the country is facing,” read the local daily’s report in part.
“The organisers of the demonstration, which comes after the government gazetted Statutory Instrument 133 of 2016 to provide a legal framework for the introduction of the Bond notes, said they would not be deterred by police brutality as they demand answers from President Robert Mugabe’s administration.”
This was an attempt to pump up people to be part of the destructive demonstration.
Through this, they naively thought they had identified the nerve centres they would need to bring down their supposed ‘enemy’, the Government of Zimbabwe.
There was more.
A report by an online publication revealed the following:
“Tajamuka has thrown tomorrow’s Bond notes demo into serious doubt after it said it was not taking part.
Tajamuka said: ‘Following extensive consultations and a four-hour meeting of the critical organs of the Tajamuka campaign, the following resolutions were agreed and adopted:
1. While we support action against the ZANU PF criminal regime, Tajamuka will not be participating in the action called for the 18th of November 2016. Tajamuka leadership and membership believe in deep and extensive consultations in decision-making processes. We believe that if we want to go far we must go with everybody.
Regrettably, the process leading up to the 18th of November action has been hurriedly done and in our view, there has not been sufficient preparations to ensure the robust success and maximum impact of the action.
2. Tajamuka is concerned by some sections of NERA who have abandoned their core business of electoral reforms to lead actions against Bond notes and other general issues. It is our firm belief that NERA must stick to its primary and core business of pursuing electoral reforms. Electoral reforms are arguably the most important component of the struggle for change and democratisation in Zimbabwe. It is therefore imperative that NERA solely pursues this very important goal with undivided attention and without let or distubance’.”
For the ruling ZANU PF, while focus has been on the economy, there is much that needs to be done as the country moves towards 2018.
The country’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (Zim-ASSET) has been taking shape.
Next year it will be a different ball game altogether.
The Hwange Power Station expansion project, which will add 600 megawatts coal-fired units to be installed adjacent to the existing 920MW power plant, is on course to be completed in March 2018.
The US$1,5 billion project will also include transmission building of infrastructure to enable power evacuation from the plant while new substations will be constructed at Hwange and Sherwood.
In addition to Hwange, the expansion of Kariba South Power Station to add 300MW to the current output of 750MW at a cost of US$533 million, being funded through a China Eximbank loan, is also on course for completion by 2018.
The first unit of 150MW is scheduled for commissioning in December 2017 while the second unit will come on line by March 2018.
Elsewhere, last week Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo revealed that Government is negotiating a multi-million-dollar deal with Chinese firm, China Railway Rolling Stock (CRRC), for the rehabilitation of the country’s rail network.
“The Chinese firm, CRRC, wants to rehabilitate the entire rail network system from Victoria Falls to Harare but we want them to go all the way to Mutare because I have told them we are a landlocked country and rail is one of our strategic modes of transport. We are at an advanced stage in reaching an agreement but I cannot be happy about it at the moment because we are still to see anything tangible,” Dr Gumbo told Sunday News.
In the agriculture sector several interventions have been taking place with the Command Agriculture activities across the country.
Last week Government signed a financing agreement of a US$25,5 million grant with the International Fund for Agricultural Development to support Zimbabwe’s Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme (SIRP).
The SIRP is targeting 4 000 hectares of smallholder irrigation schemes in communal and old resettlement areas in Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South and Midlands Provinces.
In the aftermath of yet another failed attempt by the hashtag movements to cripple the economy, Zim-ASSET must take the lead in promoting the much needed economic turnaround.
2018 is around the corner.
Let those with ears listen.