As the economic crisis reaches a new crescendo as characterized by price hike and shortages with new unpopular raft financial reforms coming into effect from Saturday, 263Chat visited Masvingo town to establish the experiences the South Eastern Zimbabwean people hold.
Apart from the town carrying the colonial name Fort Victoria, it is close to the Great Zimbabwe monument in which the country derives its name. As unique as it appears and sounds, life has become unique in that it is now difficult said the Masvingo people.
The first encounter of this publication crew was a long queue at one of the fuel services station where the discourse was on President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC President Nelson Chamisa. Manning the service station were the police who could be easily identified in their glittering yellow orange reflectors with shields all over armed with button sticks in their armpits appearing ready to pounce on an mischievous character.
Although various issues were being exchanged with differences, the common shared belief was that the country’s economic crisis comes on the back of disputed election. Therefore, the political impasse between the 40 year old opposition leader, Chamisa and President Mnangagwa, is responsible for the wild economic behavior that has taken the ordinary citizens by storm.
“ED and Chamisa should leave politics aside and unite for the interest of the people. They need to prove their leadership beyond Robert Mugabe style. Mugabe was adamant and was not taking advice from people.
“ED says we are in a new dispensation, to me something new should be reflected by an improved economy than that of Mugabe. He should unite with Chamisa, vana Biti, vanoziva vaya kutopfuura mamwe macabinet ministers a President,” said one Masvingo man named Savemore Tasvika Mavaye.
Further observations around the town by this publication established restlessness; at most by women whose age ranges between 30 and 45, they filed in retail shops like Pick n Pay and Ok in dozens. The most after sought commodities were sugar and cooking oil.
A few who spoke to 263Chat reasoned that they felt betrayed by the new administration who they say carried their hopes in July 30 harmonized elections recalling Mugabe’s days.
“Mugabe had power to reduce prices right away from the airport. He would just give an order and prices will normalize. Why they don’t call Chamisa to sit down and talk?” said one woman who declined to be named.
Echoes from Masvingo comes at a time when President Mnangagwa and Chamisa’s intended dialogue seem to lose weight day by day with some inside sources revealing that the former Kuwadzana East MP holds firm to his position alleging that his victory was stolen with the court upholding the incumbent’s victory as declared by the electoral mother body.
Therefore, Chamisa maintains that he will enter into talks only if his victory in the July election is recognized setting an impossible prerequisite for dialogue between ED and him.
Last month, in New York, Mnangagwa said he was going to introduce the commonwealth leaf of politics in which the official opposition office will be established in parliament. This was understood as the work of United Kingdom which is longing for the two to find each other to chlorinate the legitimacy question a bad omen inherited from Mugabe.
Foreign diplomats have also voiced in urging the government to embark on a litany of political reforms they argued as the fertile ground for economic reforms to bear fruit.
