Cry, my beloved country, cry

By Ernest Tatenda Chibanguza
Student Essay

On the eighteenth day of April, in the year of Our Lord, nine teen hundred eighty, in a far away continent called Africa, a young country was born. After much deliberation by the fathers, it was christened Zimbabwe.

This signaled the dawning of a new era, as it marked the end of a bloody war which had ruthlessly claimed many gallant sons and daughters of the soil. There was great joy and jubilation. Had people known then what they know now, there is no doubt that there would not have been any rejoicing.

After a resounding victory in the country’s first-ever free elections, Robert Mugabe, who had been the leader of the main opposition to the just-ended colonial rule, was named president. People envisioned a better future, as tyranny had been defeated — or so they thought.

What is seen in Zimbabwe today is just a pale shadow of this once glorious nation. Gone are the halcyon days and no one knows if at all they will be revived. A series of events over the last two decades have seen this former economic powerhouse, which at one time was dubbed “The breadbasket of Africa,” crumble to a nation that depends on aid from well-wishers.

When Mugabe assumed power, he did not change the constitution; he continued to use the one charted by his predecessor. People were so engrossed in their celebrations that they did not notice. This proved to be a fatal mistake, as it paved the way for the downfall of Zimbabwe.

The constitution gave Muagbe absolute powers and he chose his own cabinet ministers. They have been there since 1980. This has seen the economy take a nose-dive and it will take something close to a miracle to resuscitate it. When Mugabe took over, the economy was whereby the Zimbabwean dollar was equal in value to the British pound. But today, 22 years down the line, you need something close to 800 Zimbabwean dollars to get one U.S dollar.

Corruption is so rife that it is difficult to even get a job if you don’t know anyone in a position of authority. Many university graduates are just walking the streets with no employment in sight because they do not know anyone. The unemployment rate now stands at 75 percent and this says much about how deplorable the economy has become.

In 1997, the government decided to compensate the veterans of the war of liberation. This was not a bad idea, but then they did not have the money to carry out such an obligation. The burden was passed over to the taxpayer, bringing the rate of tax to 45 percent.

As happens with all the other funds which will be meant for a worthy cause, the ministers literally looted all the money. The government then started printing more money and, as a result, the rate of inflation is 130 percent.

Hard on the heels of this came the 1998 food riots. The ordinary man found it hard to cope with the ever increasing cost of living as most live way below the poverty line. There was a great pandemonium and hullabaloo as people looted food. All business ground to a standstill and this further crippled an already ailing economy.

The final straw came in 1998 when Mugabe decided to send out his army to help his beleagured compatriot whose country was under a barrage of attacks from a group of rebels. This proved to be a costly mistake as it cost the government approximately 30 million Zimbabwean dollars a day to maintain the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The international monetary fund and the World Bank froze all financial aid to Zimbabwe. They argued that if Zimbabwe could pay for such a war, then it did not need any aid.

My heart is in Zimbabwe with my people, and I must pause till it comes back to me.

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