adminMeluleki Moyo
UNDETERRED by history, having been a product of a strong yet then beleaguered Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Africa’s longest reigning ruling party founded by the great Julius Nyerere and having ruled Tanzania for decades, new President John Magufuli made international headlines by turning around the east African country’s fortunes including the economy, and thanks to his austerity measures coupled with displaying a disdained attitude towards complacency, corruption and overspending.
Paying glowing tribute to his predecessor Jokaya Kikwete from the same ruling CCM party and beginning to impress just days after his inauguration, President Magufuli embarked on a national cleansing exercise, turning all stones in a transparency venture soon to be dubbed “Magufilication” by global admirers and academics alike.
The ensuing events saw him cancel that country’s Independence Day celebrations, an event which had gone synonymous with government big spending under the guise of nationalism, added to cancelling foreign travel for officials and banning their purchase of first-class air tickets.
As if that was not enough, he also downsized by more than 90% the budget for the opulent state dinner that usually marked the opening of parliament and ordered the money saved to be spent on hospital beds and road works.
Just after a year in office, added to a disciplined workforce, Tanzania’s economy recorded impressive results, climbing seven places in world rankings, according to the World Bank reports.
This tremendous economic growth has been attributed to business licensing, land reforms and easy business and people registration, coupled with working closely with the private sector to revive the economy.
Coming from Africa, a continent where politicians are notorious for saying the opposite of what they mean, from his days as the Minister of Works, he was reputable to be a no nonsense, results-driven politician. It was while in this office that he was nicknamed “The Bulldozer” for steering the programme to build good roads in Tanzania.
#WhatWouldNgwenaDo?
Following his brief, precise and to the point inauguration speech presented in very few words, probably leaving the rest to action, there has been a manifestation of rays of hope regarding the new political era.
With economic prophets already foretelling of President Mnangagwa surprising the world, fingers are crossed while loyalty even within opposition ranks has been compromised as it remains to be seen what else Cde ED would do in line with turning Zimbabwe’s economic fortunes around and restoring this great nation to its former glory.
Hastening to state that his Government will with immediate effect, implement sweeping measures across all sectors to stimulate economic growth and create employment, raising some dust of hope, his inauguration speech had echoes of progress coupled with hard work ethics amid transparency, something the nation, like a deer panting for streams of water, had longed for, and for years.
In what some have considered a stern warning to the business community, President Mnangagwa was explicit in the new political dispensation that has excited the diaspora community which has so far expressed interests in working with his Government in turning around the economy:
“People must be able to access their earnings and savings as and when they need them. We must shed misbehaviours and acts of indiscipline which have characterised the past. Acts of corruption must stop forthwith. Where these occur, swift justice must be served to show each other and all, that crime and other acts of economic sabotage can only guarantee ruin to perpetrators. Grief awaits those who depart from the paths of virtue and clean business,” he said.
Turning to civil servants and making it clear that it cannot be business as usual; the President urged this economically important social group in its totality, to roll up its sleeves in readiness to deliver since it has an economy to recover added to having multitudes to serve.
“Gone are the days of absenteeism and desultory applications, days of unduly delaying and forestalling decisions and services in the hope of extorting dirty rewards. The culture in Government just has to change, unseating those little ‘gods’ idly sitting in public offices, for a busy, empathetic civil service that Zimbabwe surely deserves”, he warned.
Proving to be a man of action when he was yet a Minister of Justice, legal and Parliamentary Affairs as well doubling up as the first Vice-President of the Republic, His Excellency, President Mnangagwa bellowed echoes of progress, when he spearheaded and scored mammoth success in the Government’s Special Maize Programme also known as Command Agriculture, a programme which former President Mugabe described as a “beautiful programme” that was key to ensuring food security in the country.
Disturbingly however, working in cohorts and evidently out of bitterness and jealousy, some retrogressive elements vilified the highly successful programme, while some probably out of envy, set out to hijack it.
The criticism from political bow wows did not deter the Zvishavane-born politician who soldiered on, playing a biblical Joseph role, ensuring that the nation is fed through the successful Command Agriculture programme.
Affectionately known as the Crocodile, an alligator strong enough to bring down and dismember a water buffalo, yet gentle enough to crack open its own eggs to release its young, President Mnangagwa could be the answer to the prayers of the long suffering Zimbabweans at home and abroad as he ushers the nation into a factional free era, while exerting all attendance including muscular towards economic revival, dealing with an assortment of challenges affecting the generality of Zimbabweans.
Paying beaming and glowing tribute to his predecessor, Cde Mugabe who he described as a father and mentor, President Mnangagwa has so far hit the ground running, and in an apparent break from the past, he has departed from expanding Government spending popularly associated with former President Mugabe’s rule.
Not only has President Mnangagwa reduced the budget for the Extraordinary Congress to be held next month from a previously proposed $8 million but the number of delegates and the duration of the gathering have as well suffered casualty.
All along, the annual event had been turned into a ruling party elite concert marred with merrymaking and other jovialities, largely detached from addressing actual concerns affecting the nation.
There is no need to recklessly squander state resources when there are urgent concerns which require exerting all attendance, including muscular, to a deteriorating economy which requires nothing short of a departure from trivialities.
Besides, this year’s congress is just concerned with discussing the state of the party, the economy and next year’s harmonised elections, added to upholding the decision by the Central Committee to expel the G40 cabal and then back to serious business.
Apparently charming the opposition and seasoned government critics, while redefining the term “interface”, addressing the Heads of ministries during the past week, President Mnangagwa said his new government will have no tolerance for bureaucratic slothfulness before reiterating that the mantra will always be peak performance, peak performance and peak performance.
In an apparent vehement refusal to sheppard sacred cows, a tendency which had gone synonymous with his predecessor’s reign, the new Head of State and government as well as the Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces recently gave a three month amnesty, kindly calling on those who have been involved in the unclean business of externalising funds and assets, to kindly reverse such transactions or risk a head-on coalition with judicial grief.
Meanwhile, those who have been found wanting in the balances of transparency and clean business are already birds in the courts of law, whilst the guilty, aware of the lengthy arm of the law, are afraid, nowhere to be seen, and probably hiding in some cupboards.
Feedback: [email protected] @melumoyo86.
Bongani Ndlovu