 Fancy cars- to keep the top brass happy
MUGABE seems to be making the same mistake made by Ian Smith, who made the unforgettable statement that Zimbabwe (Rhodesia then) would never be ruled by a black person in his lifetime and not even in 1 000 years time.
Mugabe now says the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will never rule Zimbabwe. Remember, he used to downplay the strength of MDC and never believed they could offer him a challenge, let alone defeat him in an election.
In as much as both parties did not receive the required majority – so Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) says – the given percentages should reveal to Mugabe that he is not a mighty indomitable power, but a sinking Titanic. To say never ever’ as he is known to do, he should heed the voice of the people.
The people voted him out and it’s ludicrous for him to continue shouting at gatherings of non-critical audiences. He needs to realise that the wishes of the people are mightier than his desires to remain in power because of his fear for past sins. He has tortured, mutilated, assaulted and killed Zimbabweans in different periods of our history. All this was done thanks to the patriotic police and the army.
Mugabe has used various strategies to coerce the top army and police chefs to support him. Senior security and military officials are living large in a sea of deprivation. Each time the Zimbabwe government buys new cars for ministers these guys get new ones every two years.
If you were one of them, would you want to have a situation where a new dispensation takes away that comfort? I am only talking of new cars as one big privilege. But there are several more. Another is the privilege of having the government paying for one’s telephones.
Now many of these guys are veterans of the war of independence. The government pays their children’s school fees, even up to university level outside Zimbabwe. This year, the Fort Hare University scholarship scheme has been expanded to cover several other universities, including University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Venda, Rhodes University, University of Johannesburg, etc. Some 441 students are said to have benefitted. Remember this was a vote-buying measure; the parents of those kids were bought over to Mugabe’s side. Their kids now swell the ranks of informers spying on behalf of the Zimbabwe regime. In South Africa.
How much does a student need in South Africa per year? Here’s a very realistic estimate. Fees are R12 000 to R25 000 depending on programme of study and university. Accommodation is at least R12 000 per year. Food is at least R10 000 per year. Put in some other expenditure, such as bus travel and clothes, and you are looking at R35 000 minimum, a total of R15 435 000! This is how much the regime is prepared to spend on buying the votes.
Those who are being used by Mugabe need to know that he uses them and when he is done with you, he gets rid of them. Just a year ago, he silenced Archbishop Pius Ncube, his best-known living critic. Now we hear the woman, who was used in that scandalous fracas, died recently under mysterious circumstances. This is the same way army personnel like Gunda came to their end. It is unfortunate that most of the people who are being used by Mugabe in perpetuating his stay do not realise that he is using them because of his fear.