The Head of State — President Emmerson Mnangagwa — delivered the State of the Nation Address (Sona) recently.
The report covered a lot of successes registered by the country according to the government’s numbers. Gross Domestic Product is reported to be well over US$40 billion suggesting we have now entered the middle income status. Reserves are said to be growing rapidly and now getting close to US$1 billion.
The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) is said to be very stable, among many other positive things.
Corruption was glossed over as if it is under control. The picture painted is so rosy that you may think milk and honey are really flowing in the country.
Ironically, there was a power failure right in the middle of the Sona and it had to be completed in darkness with some kind of a torch.
The worst part is this is not the first time this has happened in Parliament during a major address. This just goes to show that despite the glowing numbers presented, all is not well. Besides the larger systemic issues that need to be addressed, there is also some sheer incompetence which is going on unchecked.
I say this because some households and private companies have managed to install power back-up systems, which are so efficient that you will never notice during times of power outages.
Surely, a whole Parliament of Zimbabwe cannot fail to install an adequate power back-up system for this sacred building of the nation. This is unacceptable and it is a disgrace which should never be allowed to happen again.
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However, looking at the bigger picture, we need to remember that our GDP has been rebased twice over the last couple of years.
This is unusual and it concerns me that these numbers may not reflect the realities on the ground. We may want to show much achievement as we gallop towards an upper middle-income economy, but, let it be based on actual economic activity on the ground and let it not be due to continually rebasing the economy and producing new numbers which may be difficult to believe.
This is especially against a background where major economic players like large retail and wholesale outlets are either scaling down or closing down altogether.
Or a situation where the biggest banks have huge retrenchment exercises and where major telecommunications companies are going for corporate rescue. Even some major mining houses have been put under corporate rescue.
There is no real functional railway system across the country and most bulk cargo is transported by road, making the already dilapidated roads worse.
Running water is a luxury for most in our cities and it is normal for most people to bath in a bucket. Sewerage reticulation systems leave a lot to be desired and in some new land developments there is no sewerage system to even talk about.
The government has accepted that the health delivery system needs a major revamp and our educational institutions have poor infrastructure.
Electricity outages are a normal part of life in this country and there is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to fix the situation.
Life for those in the grass roots is a daily grind and surely, the majority of Zimbabweans do not feel they are in a middle income economy.
Reserves may be going up but you cannot be able to go and change your ZiG in the bank in the ordinary course of business in order to obtain foreign currency to purchase bona fide imports in the ordinary course of business.
The ZiG itself is really so scarce in the market that it is very difficult to find it. Most people do not even know what ZiG notes look like. So, is it really stable or the stability is on paper. We need to deal with corruption seriously and holistically.
Thus, we must reflect on the glowing picture painted by the Sona against the glaring realities on the ground.
This is because for you to be healed, you must first realise and accept that you are sick and then seek medication. If you think you are okay you may not have any chance of getting healed.
Until next time — God bless Zimbabwe.
Chikohora is a chartered accountant and former president of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.
