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Was the January 2019 Shut Down Zimbabwe protest worth it?

By on January 23, 2019 in Politics

On 12 January 2019, President Mnangagwa announced that the government had decided to raise the fuel prices by more than 200% with petrol pump price being set at $3.33 per litre and diesel at $3.11 per litre. This he said was put in place to address the fuel shortage and illegal currency and fuel trading activity in the black market. This was also the day that the Zimbabwe situation became a lot more interesting.

The next day, Pastor Evan Mawarire and Peter Mutasa (President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions) put out a call for the people of Zimbabwe to stand together and reject all that is happening in the country such as the fuel increases and the bond note. They called for a national stay-away #SHUTDOWNZIM on the 14th, 15th and 16th of January.

https://www.facebook.com/evan.mawarire/videos/10155999900212043/

The shutdown went ahead with many people deciding to stay at home. For some, they really didn’t have a choice as they found themselves in a situation where they couldn’t afford the combi fares which had jumped quite significantly as a result of the price hikes.

As the day progressed, what was supposed to have been a stay away or peaceful protest quickly escalated into something else! Those who had made their way into the city centres found themselves making a hasty exit as the situation started getting chaotic. Not before long, things, started turning violent in various areas with the armed forces having to step in to restore order.

Many people’s lives were changed forever last week. A range of activities took place which includes:

Looting

Damage to property such as buildings and vehicles

Beatings causing serious injury to scores of people

Loss of life

Days of lost productivity that has amounted to millions; with Sifelani Jabangwe (President of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)) putting that figure for the three days at $300 million???

https://www.facebook.com/TheHeraldZimbabwe/posts/1987239244687947

Fake news/updates being spread

https://twitter.com/CitizensForumZW/status/1086931111123533825

Internet being shut down or social media platforms being blocked due to ‘security concerns’

Soon after making the announcement on the fuel price increase, President Mnangagwa made his way to Russia aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner Deer Jet charter. Chartering that particular aircraft is said to cost an astronomical US$74,000 per hour.

Russia was the first stop of a multi-nation trip was to also include attending the World Economic Forum in Davos. But, due to the situation at home, the president decided to cut the trip short and fly home to restore calm. And then again, there were messages being passed around pointing towards a possible coup attempt (fake news?).

That said, if we look at the almost 12-hour flight from Astana, Kazakhstan to Harare, it would have cost the government US$888,000! Does this get you thinking? Were there no cheaper options available? Could Air Zimbabwe have been an option for the trip with the money being spent in the country versus it going to an entity out of the country?

The last week or so has seen a lot happen in Zimbabwe and all of it has been so disruptive in so many ways. As it stands, there is still uncertainty about the way forward. A lack of internet (or blocking of certain social media applications) which for many meant an almost total loss of communication created an ‘information gap’. This gap left people in a situation where they did not know what to do upon waking up some mornings; to go to work or not go to work etc.? As it stands, there are still a number of question marks with regards to the way forward because what we think is going on (or are told is going on) and what is really going on behind the scenes are completely different!

As far as the international community is concerned, events that have taken place can’t bode well for us as far as attracting foreign investment goes. What do you think an investor would say if you were to approach them today and say that Zimbabwe is open for business?

People have returned back to their day to day life. Their situation is as it was more than a week ago, if they were broke, they are still broke! If they were managing to get by, they will probably still be managing to get by! If they were sitting pretty, then they are still sitting pretty! However, regardless of one’s socioeconomic status, living Zimbabwe is becoming more challenging.

So now we ask the question, was the #ShutDownZim protest worth it? Please do comment below!

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