MDC Youth Assembly notes with aghast and disdain at how the Emmerson Mnangagwa military regime prioritize the dead over the living.

It has been a free fall galore with prices hitting the roof and electricity blackouts, water shortages, poverty and abuse of human rights reigning supreme under Emmerson Mnangagwa’s watch!

So loud is Mnangagwa’s silence on critical issues affecting the living!

It is Mnangagwa’s fathomless love for dead over the living that boggles the mind and at one point the septuagenarian chose to fly one person (Grace Mugabe) on a 3 million luxurious jet just to mourn her mom while the nation is plagued by a debilitating economic crisis.

Then enter Oliver Mutukudzi’s death and all the political drama that ensued as Emmerson Mnangagwa tried so hard to control funeral proceedings in a bid to please the dead over the living!

So insatiable is his desire to care for dead that he could not stomach any manoeuvres by his political rival, Nelson Chamisa to be near the funeral procession of the iconic musician!

True to his form, the poverty stricken and long suffering Zimbabweans woke up to disgusting news that Mr Mnangagwa has declared 7 days to force Zimbabweans to mourn the death of the very same man who authored their misery and poverty.

As a generation that was born in abject poverty authored and sculptured by Robert Mugabe and perfected by his henchmen, Emmerson Mnangagwa surely it will be an insult to be forced to mourn one of our detractors.

This is a man who laid a deleterious foundation that still threatens to wipe out the entire generation and we are still grappling with the ripple effects of his 37 years in power like unemployment, poverty and shrinking democratic space.

Emmerson Mnangagwa is neither a saint too, for he was and is still part of the establishment whose sole purpose at the echelons of power has nothing whatsoever to do with upgrading ordinary citizens’ lives but to pursue parochial interests.

As a generation that has been adversely affected by both Mugabe and Mnangagwa maladministration, we see no reason why we must be forced to mourn the former for 7 days.

Instead, it is our resolve that we would rather mourn the death and dearth of democratic space, good standard of living and basic commodities for the upcoming 7 days.

Stephen Sarkozy Chuma
MDC Youth Assembly National Spokesperson