Our rotting cities need salvation

IN his famous and over-quoted book “The Art of War”, Chinese military general Sun Tzu advises that “there is no greater misfortune than underestimating your enemy”.

It is fatal!

As someone who grew up in the village, Bishop Lazi knows all too well the perils of mistaking a crocodile for a log near river banks.

You see, these creatures have honed the art of hunting over millions of years.

Blessed with the innate ability to lie inanimately motionless, crocs often creep up on their prey and pounce when they are least expected.

You will never see them coming.

Some would have thought the Bishop was bluffing when he repeatedly warned in the lead-up to the recent elections that the opposition was treading in dangerous waters.

Job 41:1-10 is instructive: “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?

“Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook? Will it keep begging you for mercy?

“Will it speak to you with gentle words? Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

“Will traders barter for it?

“Will they divide it up among the merchants?

“Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

“Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse it.”

But the Bishop would understand why the opposition underestimated ED and ZANU PF.

Among the many flourishing freedoms in the post-2017 period has been freedom of expression, which is often wantonly abused and squandered, particularly on social media platforms.

ED is often the butt of jokes and is caricatured to the extent that even the vile authors believe their self-deluding fantasies and mischaracterisations.

They get high on their own supplies.

That ED remains unmoved and unflappable in the face of such incessant and unrelenting dross shows strength, not weakness.

If only they knew the character of the man who melts night and day as he indefatigably works to make Zimbabwe a modern and prosperous nation it should be!

If only they knew his fabulous wealth of experience in politics, administration, statecraft and diplomacy!

And if only they knew the unbreakable spirit of the man, whose character was forged in military academies in Egypt and China, and a man who escaped the hangman’s noose, survived torture, spent more than a decade behind bars (some of it in solitary confinement) and survived several assassination attempts!

He is a man of consequence, who is made of sterner stuff.

Far from being made and shaped by history, he makes and shapes it.

Little wonder that some of us knew that a political greenhorn like Nelson Chamisa could not stand toe-to-toe with such a dyed-in-the-wool political grandmaster.

It is clear for all to see that in this election, the opposition was outthought, outflanked, outwitted and overran.

Forget the sideshows by the opposition, it would have taken nothing short of a statistical miracle for them to win the presidency, especially after being clobbered and dominated in seven of the country’s 10 provinces.

It is both preposterous and fatuous.

Fulfilling a destiny and mission

With his path all but cleared, ED can now see through his preordained mission to take Zimbabwe to the Promised Land.

Under his presidency, within the next two years, Harare and Bulawayo will have enough water, which will provide a huge life for both households and industry.

Most of the younger generation, whose childhood coincided with the administration of our cities by the inept opposition, do not know what bathing in the shower feels like, nor the practice of watering gardens and well-manicured lawns with hosepipes. Kikikiki.

This will, however, change soon, providing a welcome experiential relief for communities and the most direct impact of ED’s leadership.

The remarkable milestones in agriculture, whose proof lies in another imminent record wheat haul this year, will continue to revitalise industry, most of which relies on the sector for its feedstock, thus creating more jobs and boosting rural incomes.

It is a process, not an event.

There are also indications that we might also have record forex revenues again this year, as new projects in mining, particularly in the lithium sector, come on stream.

The billion-dollar steel plant in Manhize, which the Bishop has been harping about for quite some time, will be producing its first steel this year, helping to spur the reconstruction projects that are part of the ongoing modernisation and industrialisation drive.

A rebounding economy will aid and anchor Treasury’s ongoing currency reforms.

There is every likelihood and indication that big, tough and consequential decisions will be made on this front.

Saving our towns and cities

One of the most notable outcomes of the just-ended polls was the clawback that was made by ZANU PF in recovering lost territory in towns and cities.

Gaining three more seats in the capital, Harare, was as incredible as it was remarkable.

Something definitely has to give in our towns and cities, which heretofore have been locked in a time warp.

They continue to rot away under the opposition’s watch.

Most of the roads are barely trafficable, the traffic lights are ancient, garbage is not collected, vendors have taken over the cityscape, recreational parks have gone to the dogs, community halls are decrepit and residents are no longer aware of their civic duties and responsibilities.

Unfortunately, the underserved irate urban folk will always blame Government and punish it through protest votes.

CCC, therefore, has its work cut out.

It has to deliver, or someone has to do it for them.

We cannot afford five more years of stagnation and inertia.

Our increasingly youthful population yearns for a modern cityscape with world-class roads that have quality carriageway markings, modern traffic lights, well-manicured boulevards, and clean and smart cities.

Our towns and cities should not be left behind. The post-electoral consensus is for everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel to develop our country. We only have this country and no other.

This is a time to lead, follow or get out of the way.

Bishop out!