Nyamavhuvhu – the word – evokes illusions of violent winds scooping litter and dry leaves into huge plumes of dust sweeping across Cherima in Mufakose
By Rejoice Ngwenya
Nyamavhuvhu is chiShona equivalent of ‘August.’ Pondering over the word evokes illusions of violent winds scooping litter and dry leaves into huge plumes of dust sweeping across Cherima in Mufakose; the grumpy wind hugging discarded empty packets of potato crisps, used children’s books and worn-out ladies’ pulling socks.
It seems anything ‘vhu’ in Shona comes with tectonic disruptive tendencies e.g. vhuna, vhura, vhumuka, vhunduka, vhukunura. Such is the beauty and rhythm of our Zimbabwean languages!
At first sight, we are a blessed country yet inwardly cursed with clueless leaders in both ruling and opposing political parties. Our chiefs – so-called traditional leaders – are no better, paralysed with partisan subserviency and forever beholden to one of Africa’s most corrupt Vhu(rumende) dictatorships!
Last Nyamavhuvhu was laden with bad tidings for Zimbabwe. Innocent activists arrested to ‘make way’ for a ‘peaceful SADC Heads of States summit.’ Peaceful? A dozen Zimbabwean makorokoza scorched to death by a trigger-happy thuggish South African Police at Daggafontein mine dumps.
Before our tears were dry, narcissist white farmer Zacharia Olivier of Limpopo Province murders Locadia Ndlovu before feeding her to pigs.
Soon after, Mzansi Express and Tamuka Luxury buses overturn in Polokwane and Mokopane respectively, taking with them no less than 20 precious Zimbabwean lives. What a monster Nyamavhuvhu – the ides of darkness and evil spirits. If only our country was well-governed, we wouldn’t need to be humiliated in foreign lands.
Yet the era of real darkness blows in Zimbabwe due to incompetent state-owned ZESA. This dysfunctional parastatal must be privatised, urgently.
Economist Vincent Musewe wrote about it in my book The Vagaries and Vices of State Control: “Government also approved the re-bundling of ZESA. This, to merge all the five separate units into a single integrated company with one board of directors.
The restructuring will make ZESA more viable, boost its power generation capacity and enhance the expansion of the local power supply network… Price stabilisation due to competitive production and improvements in economic efficiency have not been realised.”
For me, ‘restructuring’ is not synonymous with competency. My problem is Central Government trying to do the business of ‘production and distribution’ of electricity. In the same book, I quote: “As John Anderson postulates, a good government is one that stays out of the way.
It must not distract, obstruct, molest, and oppress its citizens. It understands and appreciates; and practices the supreme doctrine of separation of powers. There must never be pervasion of or conflation between the legislature, judiciary and executive.” Core ‘business’ of government is good governance, not selling magetsi.
Zimbabweans know the fate of Zisco Steel – when Government tries to do business. I refer to this ‘corporate tragedy’ in the same book: “The sad and emphatic demise of iconic Zisco Steel serves as a perfect example of the evils of State. Rothbard argues successfully that the state’s coercive powers extracts whatever it wants from national resources.
As Vince Musewe has already outlined, state-controlled something ‘incorporated’ is a sitting duck for constitutionalised looting. State power is overwhelming, doling out benefits at will to those who lie prostrate at its footstool. The state uses its power to appoint ministers and (parastatal) board members.
From an exporter of steel, our country reduced to a billion US dollar importer of steel. Since independence in 1980, both state cronies and government ministers have systematically plundered ZISCO. Redcliff, a once thriving settlement of five thousand journeymen and artisans now a ghost town.”
ZESA employs world-class engineers, yet they have to grapple with political executives. Pindula Online explains: “Sydney Gata is a Zimbabwean business executive most known for being ZESA Holdings chairperson, a post held from 2001 to 2006 and then again from November 2019 following an appointment by Energy minister Fortune Chasi.
His appointment to ZESA chairperson position in 2019 generated headlines with many accusing him of having been incompetent in the role previously and having contributed to the ZESA’s maladministration and corruption problems that were still affecting ZESA decades later.” Combined output of Hwange Power Station and Kariba – if ZESA was privatised – would be over 3000MW while IPPs would add another 200MW.
Zimbabwe’s industry is operating at below 40% capacity, yet ZESA still fails to fulfil even half of its energy requirements.
I complain bitterly in my book: “I cannot understand why an African can have a morsel of respect of anything called ‘state ‘. These predatory contraptions – from Cape to Cairo – have caused so much misery and pain to citizens on the continent. The swansong of ‘state assisted’ governance banded around not for the benefit of citizens but as a smokescreen of political self-preservation.
It is no surprise that in the past decade i.e. from year 2000 onwards, South African opposition parties have taken up ‘state capture’ as a moniker for discrediting the overwhelming powers of government.
It is easy to understand why the merchants of corruption would rather use money to pervert state and secure all lucrative contracts than facing government… South Africa’s biggest scandals to date – the nuclear power station project, ESKOM coal and of course the Covid-19 PPE deal are a result of the dominant nature of state over democratic governance.”
When Professor Mthuli Ncube assumed his current position as Finance and Economic Development Minister he “immediately embarked on a course of unshackling the market from state control with a series of deregulatory measures including disassembling the toxic ‘indigenisation’ laws.”
None of that happened. I then state boldly in my book that “State owned enterprises continue bleeding the county of scarce fiscal reserves through subsidies, corruption, mismanagement, and partisan deployment of human capital. It is an unfolding disaster of untold proportion to present and future generations – how Zimbabwe will ever be able to pay these huge debts.”
The case of Wicknell Chivhayo and ZESA refers. You tell me, will this ZESA Zanu.PF ATM redeem us from our electricity Nyamavhuvhu debacle? Some say privatisation makes services expensive as others argue that it is the state’s responsibility to provide vital infrastructure. For now, liberals agree to disagree.
Rejoice Ngwenya is Zimbabwe’s only Liberal Patriot, and he writes from Ruwa, Zimbabwe. The views expressed are his. Contact him at +263772256326
