Inclusive govt needs truth to work

Tsvangirai, as Charles Mungoshi would say, is tired of “Waiting for the Rain” while the light at the end of the tunnel disappears under a torrent sludge of raw sewage-induced cholera. Even for SADC leaders who spent 15 hours coaxing the belligerents together at that last meeting it has been a tiring exercise which they may never want to repeat. This sets the scene in my view for a successful transitional phase and a perfect compromise.
I have spent slightly over a month in Zimbabwe from the end of December to much of January and I believe this entitles me to some opinion on the country’s current state of affairs. Let me say upfront that Zimbabwe does not have a poverty problem but a GOVERNANCE problem.
All the other issues like sanitation, hunger are just symptoms of the main problem. All our energies should be directed at ensuring that the country should never sink again to the level we allowed ourselves to.
While I was in Zimbabwe I had the opportunity to visit townships that include Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Glen View, Dzivarasekwa, Mufakose, Highfield and Sakubva and I saw for myself raw sewage flowing in these areas and hordes of children playing in the streams.
I last saw such rivers of raw sewage in Maputo way back in 2000 at the height of their national confusion and even back then I could not understand how all those people with Mercedes could drive through splashing sewage without doing anything about it. Why do we as Africans always set lower standards of governance for ourselves?
I also managed to drive to Manica Province in Mozambique all the way to Chimoio and to drive through Nyamapanda border through Tete in Mozambique to Blantyre and Mulanje in Malawi and I was amazed at how poor people are doing more in these countries with less. Virgin land cleared all the way to Tete and beyond and I saw a thriving crop of maize that has not been seen in many years.
The flowering maize crop on the intensive small scale farmlands of Malawi, our saviour last season, was a joy to watch. Zimbabwe is the only country predicting a bumper harvest when they have planted what seems like less than half of the arable land. I am all for miracles but tomfoolery is not one of my stronger points.
Using Made’s school of post harvest economic deduction I can safely say Malawi is heading for a bumper harvest unheard of in recent times and Mozambique may just make it, while Zimbabwe will be back with another begging bowl.
I visited four government ministry offices while I was in Harare. People used to pretend to work but now they do not even go through the motions. At each of the reception areas there was some disinterested receptionist who would not even look up when I showed up, flipping through playing cards on a desktop. I suppose most of the permanent secretaries were at their farms watching weeds grow in their dotted maize crop farms.
I was at City of Harare Health department and could not get some place inspected because the department has not seen the forms on which Environmental Officers tick since October last year. This is what we had degenerated to while our leaders were twiddling their thumbs.
Funny how nobody in the Zimbabwean system raised issues of sanctions when they were buying latest double cabs and all terrain vehicles, plasma TVs and other paraphernalia, for the boys. It only became an issue when it was time to buy essentials like water treatment chemicals. As we go into this transitional period it is important we should never grant one individual such enormous powers over the affairs of the nation.
I happened to have been listening to Radio 2000 in South Africa this Saturday when the lady who was on and spoke about how she had a drink with the future wife of Tendai Biti who explained what was going to happen in Zimbabwe. I would like to encourage our leaders of the future to stop speaking to us on their vision of Zimbabwe through intervening variables.
This condescending attitude was perfected by President Mugabe himself. He would rather speak to Sky News, or some journalist from Asia or East Africa instead of calling his side kick from the national press association to explain his views. You would never see Obama on Al Jazeera explaining his stimulus package before he explains it on American TV.
People who come out of a deep crisis like Zimbabwe have a tendency to search for a messianic leader and when they cannot get one there is a preponderance to create one to take them to the promised land. What we need to put in place are good future systems.
As we go into this transitional period it is important to bring our old friend Lovemore Madhuku and his National Constitutional Assembly team, other stakeholders such as labour, churches and business to also play a part in the development of new standards of governance. We as Zimbabweans should never again abdicated our responsibility on the governance of our country while we watch from the sidelines and expect SADC, Mbeki and others to do something about it.
It is refreshing and inspiring to see that there is some remnant in Zimbabwe still keeping their eyes on the price. The bible teaches us that truth sets one free and this truth needs to start in the church. This business of calling every politician honourable and sitting them in the front pews of the church needs to stop.
There is nothing honourable about presiding over spewing sewage, proliferating pot holes and excessive queues. Most of the children of the poor in Zimbabwe have not seen the inside of a classroom in a whole year. It does not matter whether these so called leaders come to prayer meetings, they need to be told in no uncertain terms that this is unacceptable.
May 2009 be a year of practical Christianity in Zimbabwe as we deal with the challenges we face. Let us accept the international community will not do anything for us until we do something for ourselves. Let us stop being perennial cry babies and be decisive this year.

Tafirenyika L Wekwa Makunike is a Zimbabwean consultant currently based in South Africa and can be contacted on Makunike@mweb.co.za