2022, another doomed year for Zim

THE socio-economic crisis bedevilling Zimbabwe is untenable. It demands that the two political foes — Zanu PF and MDC Alliance — hammer some kind of deal that helps to better the plight of Zimbabweans who are burdened beyond measure because of the endless bickering, while the country is literally burning.

Our problems emanate from the disputed 2018 elections.

The clergy has since the runup to the 2018 poll been pushing for dialogue and I hope both parties will see wisdom in that. There is an urgent need to collectively map the way forward.

One thing for certain is that no single political party has the capacity to extricate the country from the current mess, which is why the church has seen wisdom in bringing the two “warring” parties to the negotiating table so that they come up with a lasting solution to this crisis.

Although MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has insisted that he will not be lured into that kind of deal which will virtually have him “swallowed” by Zanu PF, he must be reminded that, of course, his life will go on comfortably, but the majority of his supporters will pay a huge price, which makes concession a better devil.

One thing that is clear is that all the problems we are experiencing are a result of the ongoing political contestation between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his nemesis Chamisa — and we cannot afford to let this continue.

Just after the 2018 elections, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches called on the MDC Alliance, which had been aggrieved by the election results, to seek recourse in the courts of law.

Chamisa and his MDC Alliance party duly submitted themselves to the constitutional process, which means they were duty-bound, in the same breath, to embrace the outcome of that process.

The welfare of the people of Zimbabwe must be foremost in the minds of politicians rather than their parochial interests.

Punitive policies that are adopted at the behest of politicians will not affect the politicians per se, it is the man on the street who bears the brunt.

We hail the church for its continued efforts to bring the political principals to the negotiating table, failing which the politicians will drag the country down the abyss.

This implies that both parties need to find common ground and we hope the church will be able to convince both parties and set the ball rolling at the earliest opportunity.

It is indisputable that we have a wounded nation that is stuck in a hellhole, which makes such dialogue inevitable.

Zimbabweans never celebrated Christmas and will not do so on New Year.

Unless Chamisa and Mnangagwa swallow their pride and embrace each other, 2022 will be another doomed year.