It is now clear that Zimbabwe’s crisis has reached the tipping point. The current shortage of electricity has affected major institutions including our hospitals, schools and universities, industry is now operating at less than 10 percent capacity and household property has been damaged by thee intermittent power outages.

Preparations for the farming season, especially irrigation, have been severely hampered by the power shortages, further denting the already unlikely prospect of an expedient recovery to our battered economy.

Seventy-five percent of the suburbs have been without electricity for more than three months. Elsewhere, basic commodities are either in short supply or are available at far much higher prices than the ordinary man can afford. Bread is now equivalent to gold in scarcity, if not worse. Schools have collapsed while the health sector has been severely crippled by the brain drain, lack of medicines and the power shortages which have played havoc with our collapsing economy.

Ten percent of those who are still in employment are walking to work because of lack of transport. Fuel stations remain dry and long queues have become a permanent spectacle. Civil servants are still grappling with low salaries as the recent “increments” cannot even last them for five days. An average worker from Chitungwiza needs $12 million in transport alone every month, against an average salary of $5 million. Workers are spending 80 percent of their productive time in queues in search of basic commodities. To compound the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans, the regime continues to murder, to maim, to assault, to intimidate and to arrest members of the opposition, students and civic society. The politics of the sword remains ZANU PF’s catchword.

In the rural areas, our parents, brothers and sisters are starving due to food shortages. Over 4 million Zimbabweans need food assistance. ZANU PF continues to use food as a political weapon and for sloganeering. Our parents are walking for long distances due to lack of transport in scenes reminiscent of the pre-1980 Rhodesian era.

The MDC calls upon all Zimbabweans to rise beyond their political affiliations and say no to this chaos. Let’s unite across tribe and race, across religious and social standing and demand the immediate return of our lost dignity. It cannot continue to be business as usual in Zimbabwe. We have to take our plight in our own hands.

The regime is looking inwards instead of focusing on the endemic crisis besetting the nation. They are not worried about our suffering. They are busy with their factional fights ahead of the ZANU PF extra-ordinary Congress in December. We cannot expect Mugabe to be committed to a free and fair election when he cannot allow a free and fair election in his own party. He cannot allow a free and fair poll when he is hiring crowds to march in solidarity with his candidature in an apparent attempt to cow and intimidate delegates to his party’s Congress.

As a nation, we cannot allow the regime to give casual attention to the national crisis. We must respond to the clarion call for change and place our destiny firmly in our hands. This madness cannot continue. Zimbabwe needs a people’s campaign for change; a people’s campaign for food, a people’s campaign for jobs; a people’s campaign for good health care and life. Zimbabwe’s destiny is in our hands.

Instead of demonstrating in solidarity with one Robert Mugabe, we urge all Zimbabweans, including war veterans, to march in solidarity with the downtrodden and the oppressed in our society.

Change should be demanded. A New Zimbabwe, a new beginning. Now is the time!!!!

Hon Nelson Chamisa, MP
Secretary for Information and Publicity