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A year ago, with Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's long-time leader, absent, the struggling African country seemed to be improving.
Mugabe's successor and incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, spoke a new language.
Politically, he broke with the ruined and often autocratic past of his predecessor and presented himself as a new man, reconnecting with the international community after years of diplomatic ostracism.
A return to democracy was expected.
On the economic front, the 76-year-old was applying new policies, such as opening the country to business under the "opening to business" mantra. It was also seeking to abandon controversial policies such as indigenization – a law compelling foreign investors with businesses with a net worth of $ 1 to cede 51% of the shares to Zimbabwean natives in order to correct historical imbalances in wealth.
Assisted by various public relations gadgets that earned him admiration, Mnangagwa was about to succeed.
On one occasion, he stopped his presidential motorcade in a popular fast food restaurant for a chicken meal. It is said that he waited in line of waiting like everyone else.
A year later, the hope of a new Zimbabwe faded. Mnangagwa has lost his support and confirmed the worst fear of all: there is someone who can run the country worse than Mugabe.
Innocent Zhakata, a bookseller in the streets of Harare, told Al Jazeera that things have gotten complicated since Mnangagwa took power.
"Life is getting tough, prices are rising, there is no money in the economy, and in Mugabe's day, life was better." People are now aware that they made a mistake [supporting the military coup that catapulted Mnangagwa to power]"Zhakata said to Al Jazeera.
"In the few months that we have spent with these guys, the situation has gotten worse, things have improved, we could buy real estate, furniture and other things, and now we can not even not buy clothes. "
Munyaradzi Mufambi, a 22-year-old beverage vendor based in the capital, said the past year had been disillusioning for him.
"I am not sure of the future of our generation in the light of the problems we face as a country, and I wonder if I will ever be able to raise a family and provide for it adequately," said Mufambi.
"In all fairness, I do not know if the president has any plans to solve the problems, maybe he has not just communicated those plans to the nation."
Mufambi, like Zhakata, said the living conditions were much better under Mugabe.
"If I had the choice between Mugabe and Mnangagwa, I would choose Mugabe," Mufambi said.
"The tuition was $ 20 in my day – a quarter of beer, $ 2. I have to give up beer now, save money and buy essential things." I buy clothes now second hand."
Promises and & # 39; lies & # 39;
Ibbo Mandaza, a respected academic and director of the local think tank Sapes Trust, said the first year of the Mnangagwa presidency had been a complete failure.
"Since this coup d'etat of November 2017, the situation has worsened, it is worse than expected.We are now facing a much worse political and economic crisis, characterized by shortages of electricity, rising prices, a currency crisis and fuel shortages, "Mandaza told Al Jazeera.
"What is more disturbing is that while we are in this crisis, there is an almost total absence of government intervention." One can forgive to think that there is now a government At this rate, I do not see this government moving towards 2023.
"Under Mugabe, things were going badly, it's essentially the same group of people, it's them, and it seems like it's ending with them, it can not last forever." I'm concerned about the apparent lack of a political solution alternative in this crisis. " intervene and help end the crisis. "
In the run-up to elections last year, Mnangagwa had promised millions of jobs, a better life and a better Zimbabwe.
A year later, none of the promises was kept.
"He lied, we thought that industries were going to open up and new jobs created." He lied. "None of the promises he made was delivered," said Zhakata, a licensee. from one of the largest bakeries in the country, Lobels.
Few citizens will express their anger in public.
Some said Mnangagwa is much more brutal than Mugabe and a worse dictator.
In January, five months after being sworn in as the country's third president, more than 17 unarmed people were shot dead by the army for protesting against the high price of gasoline.
The scores were injured or stopped. Mugabe was generally considered a dictator, but he had never dropped soldiers on protesters.
The United States then imposed sanctions, stating that they would only be lifted if Harare showed commitment and political will to restore democracy by strengthening the rule of law and organizing credible elections, among other key reforms.
Victor Matemadanda, deputy minister of defense and war veterans, said this week at a conference of collaborators of the Zimbabwe liberation war in Gweru that the army was repressing all demonstrations.
"The law demands that the police use a minimum of force to treat people in riots during demonstrations," he said.
"I do not know the level of this minimum force.But if they fail to handle the protests, the constitution states that they must invite the military," Matemadanda added.
The mouthpiece of the MDC's National Youth Assembly, Steven Chuma, said Mnangagwa short reign was a disaster.
"It's clear that Mnangagwa has failed. Never in the history of Africa has any president failed in a year he has failed. "
Clampdown on dissent
Mnangagwa's commitment to break with the autocratic policies and tactics of his predecessor and to introduce far-reaching reforms in the areas of trade and the protection of fundamental rights has so far been a chimerical dream for many Zimbabweans.
Since the beginning of the year, there has been a crackdown on activists and opposition figures.
In recent months, the government has apparently targeted civil society activists and workers.
State security agents arrested seven militants between May 20 and 27 at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare on their return from a workshop in the Maldives.
Job Sikhala, vice president of the main opposition movement, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was arrested last month for attempting to overthrow the Mnangagwa government.
The arrest of Sikhala was based on a video broadcast on social media, in which he seems to tell his supporters at a rally: "We will lead the fight on the threshold of Emmerson Mnangagwa. Let's go overthrow it before 2023 – that's not a joke. "
What political reforms?
Mnangagwa has also not introduced any reforms of laws found to be unconstitutional such as the Repressive Law on Access to Information and Protection of Privacy and the Law of Public Order and Law. Security.
Both laws were perceived as an infringement of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and badociation.
Analysts say that apart from its heaviness and its autocratic tactics, its short rule is fraught with failures.
The economy is kneeling. Inflation is devastating. General difficulties are on the agenda.
Electricity shortages have hit the industry. The confidence of the currency is at its lowest.
ZANU-PF spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo said Mnangagwa was doing quite well given the myriad of challenges he faced, such as drought and its impact on the environment. economy.
Moyo added that the government has implemented tax reforms that are paying off, as evidenced by the fiscal discipline of all ministries and the budget surplus.
He added that drought had affected electricity production in the country.
"The water level at the Kariba Dam is 24% of the capacity required, which has affected the production of electricity, which is not something we have control over. are working to solve this problem, "said Moyo.
"It has been difficult for the people because of inflation, we want our people to have a good life, as our election manifesto stipulates, and all the people of Zimbabwe should be well cared for, without bias or prejudice. It's a right of every citizen, that's what we want for our people. "
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