Editorial
Zimbabwe's new era looks much like the old one
In Zimbabwe in recent weeks, the people may well have spoken, but what is it they said? And was anyone listening?
Zimbabweans who had hoped for a new era of renewal and reconciliation after the long and tyrannical reign of former president Robert Mugabe must be profoundly disappointed with the cabinet lineup presented to the nation this week.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has done anything but put Zimbabwe on a course of national revival with his picks, for it is a who's who of Zanu-PF lifers, generals and struggle veterans.
There is little by way of fresh blood to infuse new ideas into a moribund political and economic situation. This is not a cabinet that suggests a new start; rather it appears to be more of the same, which should not be that surprising given that Mnangagwa learnt his trade in the employ of Mugabe.
Consider Mnangagwa's choice as finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa. As a former finance minister, Chinamasa presided over an economy that stagnated, as exports plummeted and a shortage of dollars crippled the financial system, leading to long queues outside banks. Much of the malaise could be put down to an economic policy that saw as its main task the issuing of billions of dollars in debt to pay a bloated civil service...
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