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Source: Mr President, are you the one we were waiting for or it’s another person? – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 21, 2019

I DEARLY and honestly give reverence to the contributions made by both the fallen and living gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe, who earnestly fought to free Zimbabwe from the claws of injustice.

GUEST COLUMN OBIYAJULU

The genuine freedom fighters fought not only white supremacy, but fought against the oppression of the general populace in Zimbabwe, regardless of colour, race, creed and political affiliation.

They fought for the restoration of human rights as enshrined in the United Nations Human Rights Charter.

Myself, a product of Zimbabwean history, am proud to be a Zimbabwean by God’s best design, who in all facets is no better than any other Zimbabwean.

Zimbabwe is our sovereign country; we do not have any other country given to us, but this one alone.

Knowing fully well that no one is more equal than another, we sympathised with you when some quarters chose to deride and undress you in public because of their proximity to the office of authority.

We heard of the poison stories, and several other attempts on your life.

The experiences we went through during and after the war, and even after independence, are enough evidence that Zimbabwe only got free from the skin colour, but remains clutched in the oppressive system clothed in a thick melanin, as Freire (1975) says: “to be is to be like the oppressor”.

Mr President, my generation did not experience the white minority rule, but lived the white oppression system in a black jacket ever since I was
born.

When then Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantino Chiwenga and team embarked on the successful Operation Restore Legacy, my generation and kinsmen went into ecstasy, celebrating the detachment from the dark past and embracing an opportunity to enter the biblical Canaan.

The rainbow shined its bright colours and Harare overflowed with people from all walks of life.

Indeed, in that month of November 2017, I took to the streets among a swarm of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, thinking real independence had come; little did we know that a short-lived wishbone would never replace the backbone.

Mr President, are you the one we were looking forward to be our Joshua, or shall we wait for another; a true liberator who is yet to come?

The terminology you used in your inauguration speech nearly took my heart and, indeed, you nearly converted me into believing that a new republic had come.

When you charmed the world with the term “new dispensation”, I thought all the beatings and brutal killings of civilians in our streets were gone with the old order.

You were very careful with words. When you said “Zimbabwe is open for business”, I thought of Exodus 14 vs 13 which says: “… the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see them again”.

All those niceties were just a dream.

Little did we know that the wrath of poor economic principles were set to descend ruthlessly and harshly on us.

The long arm of the avenging spirit of 2008 is already on our toes, with all its unbearable orgies.

Inflation has skyrocketed, the value of the surrogate bond note has been eroded to worthless levels, basic commodities priced beyond the reach of many, and the majority has been reduced to paupers, living far below the poverty datum line.

You talked of the moratorium whose results we did not see, but only to hear that it was successful.

You talked of the will and commitment to end corruption, but in a short space of time, its edges are now sharper than before, with a smarter sophistication to the extent that the whole anti-corruption commission resigned or was fired after realisation that they were far below the call.

You talked of the opening of industries, but alas, the majority of the few operational industries have closed shop or have scaled down.

You talked of guaranteed improved health services and facilities, but hospitals are now a pale shadow of themselves; white elephants without medicine and all our leaders have no faith in them any more.

In the old order, we would hear of only the President importing or outsourcing health services from Singapore, but in the new order, Vice-Presidents and ministers are running out to seek medication.

Is this what we celebrated for in November 2017?

For how long shall it take austerity measures to bear fruits?

At what point are you going to say austerity measures have failed?

We run the risk of being taken to graves by these measures.

The old order, which you were a part of, used the refrain; “Failure is not an option”, until our own currency (Zimdollar) received a pauper’s burial in February 2009.

Mr President, time is the inexplicable raw material for everything and it must not be wasted.

The future is now and hither the turning point is now. Will you kindly take a leaf from the late former South African President Nelson Mandela, who in his statement said: “Living is not just about doing for yourself, but what you do for others as well”.

You are running the risk of being the new wine in an old skin with potential to give the new wine an old taste, which is unbearable.

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Source: Editorial Comment: Why did it take long, pain for RBZ to see sense? – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 21, 2019

Editorial Comment

Finally, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) saw the sense of devaluing the local bond note currency and the fallacy of the 1:1 exchange rate parity with the United States dollar after doggedly keeping a policy it well knew was disastrous for the economy, especially considering a public and business suspicious of anything this administration does.

Zimbabwe has struggled to earn the US$, the currency it adopted after ditching its hyperinflation-ravaged currency back in 2009, but a local currency was not envisaged until it has enough supporting fundamentals.

But bit by bit, starting with the introduction of bond coins in 2014 as a way of providing smaller denominations for change in its multi-currency regime, the central bank brought back the local currency.

As the US$ shortages became more severe, the bond notes were introduced in 2017, disguised as an incentive to encourage more exports, while also providing relief to an unrelenting cash crunch.

Prices spiked, shortages of fuel, and medicines, among other critical supplies, intensified. Finally, a sharp increase in the price of fuel in a bid to address the shortages and other economic struggles finally pushed the public into violent demonstrations, which were brutally put down by security forces, leaving 17 dead, according to human rights groups.

So the authorities finally did the sensible thing, potentially leaving the official currency exchange rate to rise sharply to match the rate value on the streets.

The government appears wary of saying that it has devalued the local currency, which is what it has effectively done. As a result, whatever money is in people’s accounts, its value will now be determined by the interbank market, which starts trading on Monday, February 25.

It also appears not keen to spook the market by admitting that it has reintroduced a local currency through the back door, even though that is what it has effectively done.

According to RBZ governor John Mangudya, all the existing electronic balances, bond notes and coins in circulation will now be RTGS dollars, effectively making them the official local currency. Zimbabwe’s 2019 budget is also in that currency.

Just how much confidence the central bank’s move infuses in the market, time will tell because confidence in the governor and the Zanu PF government’s economic management, in general, has been sinking over the past few years, not helped by policy mishaps and political developments in recent months.

Yes, the central bank may have finally followed the market direction, but regaining market confidence will be Mangudya and the government’s latest and biggest test.

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The Reserve Bank’s devaluation of its bond notes and surrogate currencies lays the ground for a new national currency As food imports dwindle and oppositionists gear up for a fresh round of protests, the government [...]

Source: Cabinet secures $30m for drugs | The Herald February 21, 2019

Minister Mutsvangwa

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Government has secured about $30 million from development partners to procure essential drugs, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.

Briefing the media on Cabinet deliberations on Tuesday, she said Government will also establish a Centre of Excellence in the form of a super specialist hospital at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

Three companies have already shown interest in the project.

Minister Mutsvangwa said Cabinet had been briefed on progress on the implementation of the 100-day cycle by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo.

“The minister reported on the following programmes undertaken to improve the availability of medicines: Procurement of medicines worth US$2 million from Denmark, securing of US$25 million of medicines from Germcorp, which is currently underway, donation of US$2 million worth of drugs secured by China Polaris and procurement of medicines under a commodity exchange programme involving the Russian Federation National Security, which is already under discussion.

“Based on the results of the medicines availability tracer study by the ministry, 53 percent of the health institutions have two months of stock of at least 65 percent of the tracer medicines available.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said efforts were underway to set up the Centre of Excellence.

“To address the prevailing situation where patients in need of specialist services are forced to seek treatment outside the country, often at costs beyond the reach of many of our citizens, Government is now working towards the establishment of a specialist hospital wing under the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals,” she said.

“Already, three companies have shown interest in partnering with Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals following approval of the Public Private Partnership proposal.” This comes amid revelations that the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) is sitting on US$77 million worth of drug tenders.

Speaking to parliamentarians recently, NatPharm head of IT Mr Zealous Nyabadza said because of the country’s risk perception, most drug manufacturers demanded cash upfront.

“We are currently sitting on US$77 million worth of tenders owing to the foreign currency shortages. Our usual suppliers require cash upfront because the country’s risk perception is high,” said Mr Nyabadza.

He said efforts by NatPharm to open their own retail pharmacies were at an advanced stage.

Mr Nyabadza said the retail pharmacies were meant to address current challenges in the pharmaceutical sector, where pricing of commodities were heavily distorted.

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Source: Top cop jailed 4 years | Daily News

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