FROM THE STREETS OF HARARE

All I found at Meikles Hotel were business people – among them crooks from the Mugabe system fattening themselves through looting, diplomats and very few tourists of various races enjoying tea and coffee selling for Z$400 000 per cup.

At night the bars at the hotel are dominated by the rich and famous of this troubled country as well as the young crop of forex, gold and diamond dealers running the economy on behalf of the bankrupt Mugabe system. 

But it is on the streets of Harare where saddening stories prevail. There, street kids are increasing in numbers, and not in any way drinking clear beer as Gono claimed, but starving because bins are rapidly getting empty, as well as disappearing from the streets of Harare.

In fact, there are no longer only street kids only on the streets, but street families. A physical count showed about 18 mothers and their young kids permanently squatting along First Street alone. The country is grappling with serious food shortages forcing people to endure hunger. This means there are no leftovers to throw into the bins for street families. 

Besides sounding senile by making distasteful and irrelevant jokes about the plight of suffering Zimbabweans, Gideon must be thinking we are a nation of lunatics that would be pleased by him – of all people – trying to criticise the destructive policies of the Mugabe system.

Him lecturing his tutors and godfathers on business and economic discipline in front of tv cameras, yet engaging in the usual bootlicking and patronising behind closed doors?  The same Gideon, the brains behind a violent crackdown on banks when he took over in 2003? Not to mention Murambatsvina of 2005.
And what about the yet-to-be denied allegations of Gideon having personally pocketed from the sale of Metropolitan Bank among other disturbing reports that cast aspersions on this self-anointed champion of fighting inflation. 

What really does he mean when he bemoans the huge costsof water and other commodities when he has been the de facto prime minister of this country since December 2003? What’s his point in reminding us about the inflation, as if we are not aware that he took over when it was below 500% and has presided over its increase to close to 20 000% in real terms?

And the new currency? It has been promised for the umpteenth time now! Zimbabweans are not blind to attempts at appearing opposed to the devil by some of his angels now – after they have been in the forefront of implementing his programmes and policies!