Open Letter to President Mugabe

Dear Mr President,

By all accounts, 2016 has proven to be a difficult year for the Zimbabwean citizen and we have just under 6 months left. The challenges we face now as we head into the second half of the year, are immense and quite frankly, many of citizens you lead no longer see the direction we are headed in as a country. Many citizens I speak to regularly especially the youth, feel the same way.

• What will October 2016 look like after the introduction of the Bond Notes?
• What will our National Budget Statement in November 2016 look like?
• Will we have sufficient rains for the next farming season?

There are many questions and perhaps you can shed some light on some of them. Many non-Zimbabweans speak about our nation and share such sentiments:

Zimbabwe is now officially a banana republic and it's not funny or enjoyable to watch.

— Bo Mbindwane (@mbindwane) July 4, 2016

Your Excellency, you won the 2013 election and many people voted you into office. We saw you announce ZimAsset as the policy that would lead our great nation towards 2018 and beyond. Many of us read and digested the lengthy document. Those of us who had a semi – understanding of ZimAsset generally agree that this document speaks to the landscape we found ourselves in and offers some solutions to address the challenges. Many used words and phrases like ‘progressive’ and ‘immediate implementation’ when speaking about ZimAsset.

However the screws are clearly being tightened and the economy is struggling. One of the many slides Dr Mangudya shared with us when he recently met citizens illustrated one of the huge challenges we face i.e. the growing gap between imports and exports. I am told this has significantly contributed to the cash crisis we currently face. As you can tell, there is a huge difference between the red line and the blue line below since 2009 or so.

Whilst I understand the deep frustration felt by Zimbabweans my appeal is that we all remain committed to the principles of non violence.

— David Coltart (@DavidColtart) July 4, 2016

Violence of any kind and by whomsoever is completely and totally unacceptable. Peace must return to our beloved Zimbabwe forthwith.

— PM (@Hon_Maziwisa) July 4, 2016

Mr President, I have witnessed the way citizens have refused and out rightly rejected several well-meaning Government interventions this year. In my solitude, I wonder why that is. The media informs us of several reports of corruption within some government ministries recently. The little resources we have it is said are being used for purposes otherwise not intended. Your Excellency, as a citizen of Zimbabwe I am gravely concerned. As a parent of a 2 year old daughter, I have every reason to worry about her future given what I see throughout this year alone. Some wrote of their family decisions and left Zimbabwe some time ago. Zimbabwe is my home. I left home once to further my education and gain work experience. I did that. I returned home with 2 degrees and many years of work experience. I started a business and here I am writing to you today with the assistance of that same business.

Yesterday we witnessed several incidents where ordinary citizens clashed with the police. It is said that the incidents started when kombi drivers refused to ferry paying customers into Harare CBD. What would motivate a kombi driver to do this in a tough economy in 2016 I wonder?

I tweeted this earlier today:

The President had a State of the Nation to speak about factions within Zanu-PF. NOW is the time for President to address the nation #263Chat

— Nigel Mugamu 🇿🇼 (@SirNige) July 4, 2016

I understand that you are not on twitter and therefore the need to put my thoughts via this letter (which you may or may not read) became even more apparent and necessary. I implore you as our President to address the nation in the same way you did when you spoke about factions within Zanu-PF earlier this year. Many young families like mine are considering what to do next. Sadly, many have already decided and are now acting. Some have already returned to the diaspora and many of them will not return to live in Zimbabwe any time soon. We need their skills Your Excellency. We have and continue to lose great talent. Against the background of where we find ourselves as a nation, I reiterate the need for you to address the citizens and give them much-needed hope as our leader.

Fellow citizen,

Nigel Mugamu