BITI : RENEWALS 10 MONTHS LATER
19 February 2015 14:09
1. Introduction
It’s been ten months since the signing of the Mandel Declaration; we have been in existence for almost a year now. Our short journey so far has been a tough one, many challenges have confronted us, nonetheless l am proud we have soldered on as a united family of democrats. The political terrain continues to be fluid and unpredictable much to the detriment of the country and to the disadvantage of the people of Zimbabwe. The country lacks visionary leadership as the never ending wars in ZANU PF and a fresh wave of a possible split in the MDC – T are telling. It is up to us to provide leadership and The Solution.
2. State of the Nation: Economy
We are currently living in a Zimbabwe where an economy has ceased to exist. The informal sector has replaced the formal sector as company closures continue unabated with the situation escalating particularly in the post July 31 election. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions estimates that in 2014 alone, at least 75 companies countrywide closed down and about 9 617 people lost their jobs. These figures are alarming considering that by the end of 2013 only 20% of the active population was employed in the formal sector, meaning that those that lost their jobs were added to an already long list of unemployed people and possibly to the informal sector; bringing the total percentage of those in the informal sector today to no less than 86%.
Further to this, salary increases are a thing of the past, in an economy where the prices of goods, services and commodities remain high. There has not been a reduction in prices in tandem with the stagnation of salary increases.
The government, which remains the biggest employer, is increasingly failing to pay the civil servants on time and fewer and fewer people have a guaranteed salary at the end of every month. In practice it means that every Zimbabwean has been turned into a vendor. It means that more and more people are surviving on money earned and spent outside the formal economy. It means that the government is collecting less and less taxes. To the ordinary person, it means that it is now more expensive to pay school fees. It means it is more difficult to put food on the table, pay rentals while accessing hospitals and medication has become a luxury. More telling is that, the Ministry of Health itself has admitted that at least 10% of Zimbabwe’s population is suffering from one psychiatric condition or another, due to the economic hardships in the country.
b. Service Delivery
Service delivery throughout the country is deplorable. City Councils have failed the citizens. In cities like Harare, Gweru, Kadoma, Kwekwe and Bulawayo water is unavailable on a regular basis. On top of the water being unavailable on a regular basis, when it is available it is dirty and unsafe to drink. The amount of dirt in the cities particularly in Harare is deplorable and a danger to residents’ health. The roads in the country have become a death trap due to potholes. Council clinics are struggling to remain open. In all of this the ordinary citizen bears the brunt as they continue to pay rates and yet services are not rendered.
For these reasons, we are calling upon the citizens of Zimbabwe to boycott the payments of rates until the government and the Councils display that they are committed to delivering public services. We call upon the citizens to boycott payment of rates until the government and local authorities put in place concrete and tangible processes towards combating corruption in the City Councils particularly in the form of the exorbitant salaries that the Council bosses are earning especially in the big cities such as Harare.
c. Corruption
The amount of corruption in the country has crippled the economy and it continues unabated. Corruption in central government, government parastatals and local government and it is benefitting the few elites through patronage and patronage networks. The Auditor General’s report that reveals that 22 Ministries are unable to account for their funds is revealing of the amount of rot that has infiltrated our government. As the MDC Renewal Team, we condemn these corrupt tendencies. The resources of the people must be channelled towards the betterment of the lives of the people of Zimbabwe and must not be plundered by a select few.
3. Party Business
a. Re – Unification Process
On the 26th November 2014, the Party and the MDC led by Prof Welshman Ncube made history by signing the Re- Unification Agreement. Both parties agreed that they had more similarities than differences thus there was no need for them to fight from different corners in this democratic struggle. As you may well be aware, the two parties will be known as the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).
• Re – Unification Roadmap
Both parties are currently in the process of building their structures and as you may also be aware this process was given a deadline of the 28th of February 2015. Thereafter it is expected that the structures are verified before they are merged, a process to be completed by the end of March 2015. In April 2015, there shall be a Policy Conference by the UMDC which will essentially discuss Party policies. At the same event or concurrent with the Policy Conference will be Non Elective Take Note Congresses by the two merging parties. The Congress will take note of, among other things, the Re- Unification Agreement and receive reports on the Re – Unification Process itself. Thereafter an Inaugural Elective Congress will take place in August 2015.
Fellow comrades, we have embarked on yet another difficult journey, a journey that we must win. I urge the Secretaries of Organizing throughout the country and at all levels to work, work, and work. I urge all the members of the Party and all the Party leaders to have unity of purpose and as the Party President always says, to ‘run in their own lane’.
b. 1 March Launch
The Re- Unification process/path that we have begun allows the Committees and organs of the two parties to meet and familiarize with each other at all levels. Where possible, joint programmes can be carried out. With this in mind, it is my pleasure to announce that there will be a Joint Re – Unification Launch in Bulawayo on the 1st of March 2015. The two Parties will once again be celebrating the Unification and the journey walked thus far.
c. Face to Face Launch
On the 9th of February 2015, the Party launched its ‘Face to Face’ Campaign, by the Party MPs and National Leadership walking in the streets of Harare talking to people and giving out party pamphlets. The aim of the Campaign is to bring the leadership of the party at all levels to the people of Zimbabwe to get first-hand information on the challenges that Zimbabweans are facing and for the party leaders to explain to the people THE SOLUTION that Renewal is offering. It is also a recruitment campaign meant to grow the numbers of its Party membership. Provincial, Districts and Ward leaders together with the Women and Youth Wings are encouraged to take this campaign into the Provinces and ensure that launches take place countrywide. Further to this, l encourage Party members to go face to face with the people where ever they are, be it in the market place, in the taxi ranks, in the flea markets, on the streets, their homes, on bridges and wherever they are, to preach the Renewal Gospel.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, l urge all party members to organize themselves, plan and strategize and walk the Renewal Talk. Members can make use of various platforms available to them particularly social media which has become a cheap and effective way of communicating. Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp groups have become the order of the day and l urge members to make effective use of these modern facilities as we organize and mobilize in our localities.
In all of this let us remain focused and work hard to build the Party.
Renewing our Commitment to Social Justice,
Renew today for a better future,
Renewal: The Solution,
Yours sincerely,
HON TENDAI BITI, MP
SECRETARY GENERAL