EDITORIAL COMMENT ALTHOUGH Zimbabwe is a sovereign nation, there is nothing wrong in having its neighbours, particularly the regional powerhouse South Africa, stepping in to assist in resolving the multi-faceted crisis afflicting the former breadbasket of southern Africa whose political and economic challenges continue to hold sway with no end in sight. The call by MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa for regional intervention speaks to what several stakeholders have long said, that Zimbabwe needs to dialogue with the mediation of the region to get out of its current political and economic logjam, which has started affecting other countries in the region. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has a responsibility to the population to fulfil its electoral promises rather than create enemies everywhere. There is no reason why countries like South Africa can suddenly become our enemies after the cordial relations and symbiotic connections we have shared since the liberation war days. In fact, they have always been our comrades-in-arms, and there is no way they can remain silent when Zimbabwe is in flames. It is our hope that South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party will keep pushing to ensure that Zimbabweans talk to each other and share ideas on how to pull the country out of the current mess. As long as there is no national dialogue through which a political and economic roadmap will be discussed and implemented, then we are likely to remain in our current state — and this will simply speak to the failure of the Mnangagwa administration whose short stint so far has served to impoverish the majority of Zimbabweans through ruinous economic policies. Zimbabwe is central to the region, when it catches a cold, the region sneezes. In light of that, it is important for the region to take necessary steps and ensure that the Zanu PF government does not continue on this suicidal path. It is quite obvious that all is not well despite the spirited denials by Zanu PF, which has spectacularly failed to provide solutions to the political and economic ills afflicting the country. We would like to urge the ruling party to subject itself to these critical processes if, indeed, it has Zimbabweans’ concerns at heart. Several stakeholders including the MDC Alliance, Transform Zimbabwe, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn and the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols have requested this kind of a meeting and there is no harm in seeing it through. Zanu PF should actually take that opportunity to explain and prove itself if it indeed believes there is no crisis in the country.
