Of Buses and bus drivers: Zimbabwe’s political landscape
Scouring different discussions on
social media, one tends to come across the metaphor of the change of guard as a
driver changing but the bus still being the same.
If we look at the bus and driver metaphor,
these are the role players;
- Bus- Zimbabwe the State
- Former bus driver- H.E. RG Mugabe
- Current bus driver- H.E. ED Mnangagwa (former conductor a.k.a VP)
- Engine- Zimbabwean economy
- Wheels- Industry and Commerce
- Road- relationships domestic and foreign
- Transmission- government and line ministries
- Passengers- citizens of Zimbabwe
The ushering in of the current
government following the November military intervention can be termed different
things depending on the commentator. Some see the intervention as a hijacking
of the bus and some regard it as a rescuing of a bus which was headed to a
precipice. Whichever view you hold, there is a new driver in town H.E.ED and
you better take heed of what follows :)
Some of the criticism levelled
against the current bus driver is, “how come as a conductor you didn’t not step
in to conduct/direct the driver in the correct way all these years?” ED is
definitely caught between a rock and a hard place. Though he is a new driver,
the bus (Nation) is still the same and the engine (Economy) has not changed.
Even though some other bus companies (Foreign Investors) have promised to bring
much needed tools and resources for an engine overhaul, they are cautiously
waiting for the bus to reach the initial destination it is heading to
(Elections).
Anyone who has driven on our
nation’s Beitbridge to Harare route will be all too familiar with how narrow
and pothole ridden the road is. Internally there is still a culture of mistrust
amongst domestic role players as people are hard pressed to obtain cash which
is scarce. Some international role
players are also a bit sceptical about out rightly opening up lines of credit
or assistance to our nation. The past weekend’s strengthening of Bilateral ties
between South Africa and Zimbabwe is but a mere formality in my books...SA has
benefited a lot from the decimation of the wheels (industry and commerce) of
our bus as seen by the trade figures over the past years.
On the domestic front, the
current driver is also faced with a Transmission (government and line
ministries) which was part and parcel of the order of the day under a previous
driver. No matter how good a driver one is, if the vehicle’s transmission
system doesn’t carry through the ‘instructions’ you give when you try change gears,
brake or accelerate- the vehicle will not move as it should.
The bus driver is hamstrung at
the moment because there are some touts who are on the bus (who the whole
nation knows are not good for the progress of the bus) and are part of the
transmission system. Recent parliamentary hearings have brought to the fore the
intransigence obtaining in parastatals such as ARDA and Zinara. These cases
actually mark a tip of the iceberg...hope the snow graders will level the
iceberg :)
Like some buses in the 80’s and
90’s which would have a trumpet blaring as they entered Mbare Musika Bus
Terminus, there's been a lot of noise but more action is required in order for
the bus to go on a different direction. The passengers are restless and are
agitating for change. Such might only be forthcoming post the elections.
Our bus operating manual
(Constitution) states that those who are to be bus drivers must be 40 years and
above. The standard retirement age is 65. The current bus driver is young
relative to the former bus driver, but he is 10 years above the retirement age
of 65 and 35 years above the minimum requirement. Even though he is
hardworking, the electorate needs to break away from using the wrong standard-
former bus driver who was in their 90s.
I personally think who ever
should take the upcoming role of bus driver (President) should be someone who even
if they are to serve 2 terms (10 years) they should be close to the retirement age.
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