When Suicide Slithered In Like A Snake

Of Lies, Pies ‘n’ Promises

Oh, Oh, Onah, do you sometimes soberly run your numb nose

over your armpits to detect where the odor comes from

or just revel being in denial: scapegoating, playing to the gallery?

am l talking in parables,  dear daughter of patriotism?

l’m talking of how the War Compensation Fund

fell victim to corrupt business practices!

didn’t the cabinet members use it

to look after their interests?

don’t they live in obscene opulence?

 

Oh, Oh, Onah, don’t start me on that one,

you sought preferential admission

into educational institutions,

preferential access to housing,

government employment,

residential and business stands

and land, and was there a full stop?

 

let us go down memory…

do you remember on August 21, 1997

when the ruling party`s first secretary finally

yielded and rolled out a gratuity of Z$50,000

(USD 4000) and a Z2, 000 (USD 150) monthly

pension for each ex-combatant?

 

nose-diving, you heaped blame

on detractors and the West

 

didn’t your president then say this?:

“there is greater readiness

than there has ever been to assist you…

we will find the money for this and we

can borrow if we need to,

have you ever heard of a country

that has collapsed because of borrowing?”

 

if ever there was a demonstration of populism,

when you talk of the menace of sanctions, remember

where we are coming from, your role in the mess, the rot,

Oh, Oh, Onah, what a development , that was a moment

of economic suicide , doesn’t your denying head think so?

let`s look at its disturbing, disastrous consequences …

what did economists call it? recklessness? graft? what?

 

guess what , trade balance turned negative

as exports plunged, citizens were heavily taxed

remember there was no meaningful investment

in the country…except perhaps for daily price hikes,

later the country experienced shortages of basic items

and state brutality and a daily dose of propaganda,

remember, how some beneficiaries went on a spending spree?

One man hiring a bus, ladies of the night…cows  watching TVs !

Oh,oh, Onah, wasn’t that a moment of economic madness, too?

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