Grace Mutandwa

Can you really trust this change?

Last Friday, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai confirmed that he would be joining the ruling ZANU PF and the other smaller faction of the MDC in forming a government of "sorts".

When Tsvangirai emerged from his press conference, he was greeted by multitudes of expectant supporters. They all wanted to know if he would take a chance on Robert Mugabe. And  indeed, he confirmed he would.

There was wild excitement and of course with it reasonable and unreasonable expectations of what the MDC can do to bring about much needed change to Zimbabwe.

I am a cynical person so I am not holding my breath. But there are several people around me who believe now that Tsvangirai has agreed to board the shacky inclusive government train, all is going to be fine.

The cholera epidemic is unrelenting. It has now affected 65,000 and left 3,295 dead. Hunger is still stalking us at an unimaginable speed.

People abducted and being tried for banditry are still firmly locked up. There is no guarantee that those who oppose the government will not be hunted down and punished as has become the norm.

There are immediate things that do not need a bag of money that these political leaders could immediately work on. They do not need money to release thepolical prisoners and abductees. They could also immediately scratch oppressive laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order Security Act (POSA).

Those in charge of the State media could get reporters working for them to start using language that promotes peace and stop denigrating the very same people the government seems keen to include in running the country. Those things do not require bucketfuls of money.

With unemployment now said to be around 94%, anyone who wants to make a difference to Zimbabwe has to start thinking very fast about how to create jobs,ensure education is affordable and rebuild the broken down infrastructure.

Inflation has not stopped soaring since Tsvangirai's agreeing to come on board In fact it continues to soar into figures we have never heard before in the history of numbers.

Everything is now sold in foreign currency. People who only six months agolived very well of US$100 sent by relatives in the diaspora, now struggle to makeends meet. Zimbabweans have managed to devalue the American and British pound so much that now a US$100 does not go very far. Food is over-priced so are rentalsand school fees.

Six months ago I knew people who received a small stipend from relatives abroad,and they used it to buy food, pay school fees, cover transport and pay rent or rates.This is because the exchange rate had broken through the roof and US$30 was enough to cover monthly requirements.

Today nobody wants the Zimbabwean dollar. The only place to use it is when paying utility bills because the government controlled the organisations in charge of utilities. Even here the money is accepted grudgingly. It is a currency that has not only lost its value but its respect as well.

You can not even tip with Zimbabwean dollars. And I do not see anyone tippingin foreign currency either. Maybe people should now start moving around with bags ofsweets as a thank you token. a five Rand coin (US$0,50) is the amount one needs for a single journey on public transport, so paying that as a tip is certaily out of the question.

But of course the Central Bank governor, Gedion Gono, believes we still have need for the local currency. He sees it as a symbol of our nationalism and sovereignty, ironic really, considering he has also allowed the country to adopt several strong currencies that actually have a purchasing value.

A few days ago in a monetary policy statement, Gono revalued the Zimbabwean dollar by removing 12 zeroes. A Z$100 trillion note, which was the highest note in circulation, is now Z$100. We have also now been told that Z$20 trillion (now Z$20) is now equivalent to US$1 and Z$2 trillion (Z$2) is now the same value as one South African Rand.

In the same breath he also reeled off names of the various sectors of the economy including state enterprises that can now do business in both Zimbabwean dollars or British, American or South African currencies. All business is now conducted in foreigncurrency and no sane person with goods or services for sale will accept money that losesits value before it leaves the pocket.

The governor also invited international investors to invest in Zimbabwe. Only those with very short memories will take up this offer, especially after what happened towhite commercial farmers in 2000. Zimbabwe has failed to honour bilateral property agreements. Investors want property rights guaranteed, respected and they want to be sure their investment is secure.

The day Tsvangirai gets sworn in, investors want to be assured they can work with Zimbabwe again, my maid expects an immediate transformation of her standard of living, my unemployed cousins want jobs and the homeless want homes. All Zimbabweans also want the security of knowing that they can go to bed without fear of being attacked or abducted by the very people who should protect them.

Morgan Tsvangirai is going into a marriage that already has gaping cracks. He isjoining a terribly troubled union. There is no trust and there is no respect. It is an association that needs a lot of divine intervention and several relationship managers for it to work. And the  people on the streets expect no less than a huge miracle. Anyone who wants this job has to have their head examined.

Posted at 17:55 04 February 2009 by Grace Mutandwa  |  Comments[2]