Zimbabwe: Free of Mugabe at last, the people must launch a revolution

November 30, 2017
Issue 
Zimbabweans celebrate Robert Mugabe's resignation.

As it is often the case, dictators use ideologies to control people and impose their own views, depriving the electorate from thinking, expressing, acting or reacting. Hitler did it, Stalin did, Tito did, Saddam Hussein did it. And Robert Mugabe did it.

Leader of Zimbabwe for over 30 years, Mugabe claimed to be a Marxist- Leninist. But Marxism is a deep theory and has a connection to the people and the work force. Believing in a socialist ideology cannot be assimilated to depriving people of their own rights of freedom, of the control of their own lives, and making them so financially deprived that they live in extreme poverty. Mugabe did just that.

Yes, he might say that the 2013 election were free elections, and that his party won by two third of the votes, but did it really?  How much propaganda was involved? Where does freedom start? Where does the over-ruling of a country starts being the monopole of an ideology?

Mugabe destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe over time, but did he himself financially suffer of any of the impact of his conduct? The answer is "no". Starting on August 3, 2013, Mugabe was serving his seventh term as the President of Zimbabwe and had a net worth US$10 million (https://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/politician/president/robert-mugabe-net-worth/). So where does owning $ 10 million, that could be shared between the people of a nation, or used by the community, makes you a Marxist? Not that one must be poor to be a Leninist, but surely, if everyone in Zimbabwe owned $10 million, then this discussion wouldn’t be. The reality is that the people of Zimbabwe have had it tough. The economy of Zimbabwe shrunk significantly after 2000, resulting in a desperate situation for the country – widespread poverty and a 95% unemployment rate. Poverty and unemployment are both endemic in Zimbabwe, driven by the shrinking economy and hyper-inflation. Poverty rates in 2007 were nearly 80%, while the unemployment rate in 2009 was ranked as the world's largest, at 95%.

As of January 2006, the official poverty line was ZWD 17,200 per month (US$202) But most general labourers are paid under ZWD 200 Billion (US 60c) per month. A nurse's salary in September 2008 was Z$12,542 (12 US cents), less than the cost of a soft drink. How sad, how unfair! How disgusting! How capitalistic!  Whilst their leader is worth net $10 million! I say: seize the power people of Zimbabwe! I say: It does not matter what label your leader is hiding behind! I say: revolt and I give you my full support!

The lowest 10% of Zimbabwe's population represent 1.97% of the economy, while the highest 10% make 40.42%. The current account balance of the country is negative, standing at around US -$517 million. The negative economic environment since the year 2000 has also impacted Zimbabwean entrepreneurs with a large number of them going bankrupt between 2000 and 2014. And while you wonder how you are going to provide for your family today and tomorrow, your pseudo leader tells you times are tough…but yet he is worth net $10 million.  

Mugabe was referred to as a freedom fighter, and recently accredited by the W.H.O a “goodwill ambassador”. A Goodwill ambassador??? How can this be? Exploiting your own people, letting them work for peanuts while you are parading with the leaders of the world! Goodwill ambassador when you have deprived your own people from being able to buy basic food! This is worse than a bad joke. Mugabe dirtied the ideology of socialism, Mugabe dirtied the revolution and the communist Leninist ideas. But Mugabe is a prisoner today. The People of Zimbabwe have said they have had enough!  The people of Zimbabwe said that they can’t live in those unfair conditions that have nothing in common with real socialism. And I say: let’s get rid of Mugabe once and for all!!! And let’s give people the right to choose their destiny! let the people of Zimbabwe take control of their lives, let the people be free and get a fair wage for their hard work. Let them share what’s theirs. And surely Mugabe’s fortune is theirs! I say: People of Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s fortune was yours, let’s take it back. Mugabe stole your lives, let’s take them back! Let the people of Zimbabwe make a bright future for themselves and Long live the revolution! 

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