Opposition political parties have dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa`s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) as political rhetoric devoid of tangible solutions to the country`s myriad of problems.
Among other issues, Mnangagwa promised to address the obtaining economic situation characterised by cash shortages.
However, in response, ZAPU acting president Isaac Mabuka called on Mnangagwa to stabilise the economy so as to attract foreign direct investment.
“After listening to Mnangagwa struggle through 25 pages of text, one is left with an indelible impression of terrible diction, castles in the air and denial. One can almost sympathise with the MDC MPs out of Parliament who walked out on the president during his speech delivery, although their actions might be viewed as typical childish behavior, it is understandable they were escaping the torture of sitting through that terrible speech delivery,” Mabuka said.
Mabuka accused the president of failing to offer solutions to the country`s socio-economic situation.
“He did not touch on the long queues for ZUPCO buses in the mornings and evenings, did not allude to the lost hours of production as workers are late for work on a daily basis. Not once did he refer to the strained relations at the workplace as bosses are impotent in the face of tardiness sanctioned by his administration,” he said.
“There are no drugs in the hospitals. There is a severe shortage of health personnel. Most of the health professionals are forced to work long hours without basic needs such as gloves and painkillers. They are overworked and underpaid.”
The Nelson Chamisa led MDC said they had no confidence in Mnangagwa’s ability to turn around the country’s economic fortunes.
“The economy is manifested by a proliferation of unresolved deepening monetary, fiscal, social and political headaches which the illegitimate regime has clearly failed to arrest,” said the party’s communication department.
“The recent SONA and the preceding Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s ban on cash-in, cash-back and cash-out platforms are desperate attempts to provide white wash and token solutions based on manifested symptoms of a sick economy.”
The MDC said all “right-thinking” Zimbabweans must condemn the ‘business as usual SONA.”
“The SONA failed to provide answers to the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans or solutions to the following: the fuel and electricity shortage, hyperinflation, the collapse of social services especially the Health Sector, the exchange rate crisis, the Currency Crisis, and low productivity,” said the opposition.
The opposition party said Mnangagwa failed to address the inflation tax on wages and salaries that has resulted in incomes erosion and high levels of unemployment, estimated to be 90 percent.
“There is sluggish economic growth estimated by the International Monetary Fund to decline by minus six percent in 2019. We have a crippling debt crisis, amid policy reversals and ambiguity. There is failure to sterilise Treasury Bills. No firm measures to curb corruption and state capture have been taken,” the party said.
