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15 February 2008
By Andrew Mudzingwa
Zimbabwe has produced a plethora of intellectuals, academics and technocrats who have occupied cabinet posts and senior government positions since independence. Below are a few notable examples:
Dr Simba Makoni, PhD (Chemistry) –Minister of Finance, when inflationary economics became entrenched; Minister of Industry and Energy, when Zimbabwe experienced its first fuel shortages in the early 90’s.
Dr Jonathan Moyo, PhD (Political Science) – Minister of Information, declared a war on independent media and introduced draconian legislation and proclaimed that title deeds should be worth less than toilet paper.
Dr Joseph Made, PhD (Agriculture) – CEO –ARDA, Minister of Agriculture, blamed monkeys for sabotaging the country’s sole fertiliser plant and formulated a ludicrous idea of trying to grow winter maize in 2002.
Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, (Medical Doctor) – Minister of Defence, responsible for sending 1256 Zimbabweans to their death in the DRC War and appeared barefoot inspecting hillsides in Chinhoyi for diesel oozing from rocky outcrops produced by a clairvoyant.
Dr Dzingayi Mutumbuka ( Chemistry) - Minister of Education, barred the construction of private universities in the early 80’s and became one of the Ministers nabbed by the Sandura Commission for corruption over the Willowgate motor vehicle scandal .
Dr Gideon Gono – (Honorary) - Governor of the RBZ, the godfather of cash barons, has predicted the mother of all harvests. His poverty stricken housemaid found a stash of illegal foreign currency under his bed and converted it to her own use. The charges were dropped against her.
Dr Simon Muzenda – (Honorary)-Life Vice President, “Chero tikakupayi gudo kuti murivhotere muZANU (PF) munotorivhotera.” Even if we nominate a baboon for you, you have to vote for it, that’s the ZANU way. His security details shot Mr. Kombayi (Mayor of Gweru) in the gentilia in his presence in Gweru during parliamentary elections in the 90’s.
Dr Fay Chung (Education) – Minister of Education, "I think, to say that as many as 20 000 people were killed during Gukurahundi is not true. I think it is a few hundred.”
Dr Eddison Zvobgo- PhD (Law) - Minister without Portfolio, the architect of the 1987-1990 constitutional amendments that created Mugabe’s powerful position.
Other intellectuals that have been part of the ZANU (PF) machinery since independence include;
Dr Naomi Nhiwatiwa, Dr Bernard Chidzero, Dr Felix Muchemwa, Prof Walter Kamba, Dr Robbie Mupawose, Dr Ibbo Mandaza, Dr Nkosana Moyo, Dr Nthuli Ncube, Dr Julius Makoni, Dr Chenjerai Hunzvi, Dr Sam Moyo, Dr Herbet Murerwa, Dr Utete, Dr Taka Mutunhu, Dr Ignatius Chombo, Dr Samuel Udenge, Dr Tafataona Mahoso, Dr Samuel Mumbengegwi, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndhlovu, Dr Nathan Shamuyarira, Dr Stan Mudenge, Dr Kombo Moyana, Dr Liberty Mhlanga etc
The only visible monument the above-mentioned collective intellegencia has left on our landscape is a gleaming cemetery (the National Hero’s Acre). What did the country get in return? Hyperinflation, the world’s fastest shrinking economy, the world’s lowest life expectancy, and shortages of everything from electricity to toilet paper.
“Tisarove imbwa takaviga mupini – lets call a spade a spade.” At independence in 1980, ZANU (PF) inherited an economy and infrastructure that had been built by farmers. 60% of the Rhodesian government cabinet and indeed its leader were farmers. To the contrary 70% of the ZANU (PF) government ministers are doctors, academics, intellectuals and its leader holds a Masters in Economics and various other degrees in violence.
In other words it has taken educated people twenty-eight years to dismantle an economy which rebel settler farmers, albeit using cheap black labour, built over one hundred years.
One does not need to be a nuclear physicist or molecular biologist in order to lead a nation. Common sense, principled African values, universal norms, tolerance, and the rudimentary understanding of sadza and gravy issues, must be the hallmarks of our next leader.
"The agricultural sector faces a decline of 24.6 percent," Makoni told the
House in July, 2002 when seeking approval for a $52.97 billion supplementary budget for food imports and farming inputs for farmers resettled under the government's land reforms. The same year he allocated $4 billion to Minister Elliot Manyika and his permanent secretary Dr Thompson Tsodzo, PhD, for the establishment of youth militias training camps at the former 2 Brigade Army Barracks in Mount Darwin.
On 1 August, 2000 Dr Makoni announced a 24% devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar against the US greenback, taking it down from its pegged level of 38:1 to 50:1. On August, 3, 2000 in his address to parliament Dr Makoni announced that Zimbabwe’s total revenues were Z$87.2 billion with total expenditures of Z$141.9 billion, a budget deficit as a percentage of GDP of 14.9% with an average annual inflation of 59%.
Zimbabwe is now endowed with presidential aspirants who are qualified to fly unmanned drones to outer space, interpret the sexual behavior of monkeys, yet have failed to perform the simple task of creating a national balance sheet for communal farmers.
We must be careful what we wish for. Let us interrogate the issues at hand before we make another monumental mistake. If we do not change direction we will get to where we are going.
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