THE week has ended with social media awash with tweets and spin from public officials after international news outlet Al Jezeera released teaser snippets of a documentary exposing graft and money laundering in the country.
The documentary is taped from undercover investigations conducted by Al Jezeera’s Investigative Unit over the past two years.
The big confession
In one of the trending snippets, local businessman Ewan Macmillan confesses state capture and his involvement in crony politics when he says his mates and him allegedly control 90% of government.
Dear reader, note that Zimbabwe loses close to US$3 billion per annum due corruption and elicit mineral flows. This has led to grave economic collapse and impoverishment of many citizens.
Nearly 84% of Zimbabweans live in poverty yet their country is rich in natural resources.
The cronyism and grand scale looting of public resources has created huge inequality gap between the poor and rich as the elite control more than 50% of the means of production.
Through this kind of privilege, they have captured the centre of power to promote ruthless economic situations where the poor are disenfranchised.
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Class struggles and contradictions
Currently, the working class is tirelessly fighting for a fair living wage to restore their dignity after suffering from currency erosion and inflation while resources are splashed and shared among elites.
For example, there are the recent US$500 000 loans and US$40 000 loans given to cabinet ministers and legislators.
The above then point to an elitist and very classist economy designed to exploit the poor.
Its an undemocratic economic system that reflects on a system of economic apartheid.
A relic of colonial legacy.
To that end, the former liberation movement (Zanu PF) as a governing party has sold out on the objectives of the war.
Now that we are headed for elections, the trending Al Jezeera documentary on Zimbabwean corruption is a demonstration of how state capture and crony capitalism have collaborated with a dictatorship to ruin the country in order to fill the pockets of a few and the poor 84% should hold them accountable.
So basically the 2023 election is a class struggle.
Where the administration fronts the interests of the elite, while a genuine and revolutionary opposition will represent the peasant and working class.
I really hope that they will have the mind to recollect with the peasant and working classes.
The new national question
This, therefore, defines the new national question. It is about accountability, justice and equity.
The democratic (elections) process should be utilised as a means to hold corrupt leaders accountable and also punish them for the injustices they have caused.
Conclusively, the Al Jezeera expose is an eye-opener to the failures of the current system of capitalism and its aiding cronyism in the broader political economy.
It also serves a clarion call to the suffering poor majority to register and resist corruption through the ballot.
- Kanhenga is an intellectual, human rights activist and of Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors Platform. He writes in his own capacity.
