The Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) says the liberation of Zimbabwe remains incomplete as the country’s working class continues to live in poverty, trapped by corruption, exploitation and a failed capitalist system. CITE reports
Speaking during the Red October Campaign event held in Bulawayo on Saturday, ZCP General Secretary Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena said this year’s theme, “Living Conditions after Independence,” reflects the contradictions of a country that once promised equality and development but is now struggling with economic decay and political capture.
Mabhena reflected on Zimbabwe’s early years of independence, when despite its challenges, the government invested in education, health and infrastructure, before the economy took a neoliberal turn in the 1990s.
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“We must recognise in the first decade of our independence from white minority rule, communities that were not affected by Gukurahundi did receive infrastructural development. Schools known as upper tops were built, including clinics, roads and hospitals,” Mabhena said.
“In almost every ward in rural communities, new secondary schools were built, increasing the number of black people who could access education.”
Mabhena said Zimbabwe inherited a highly centralised economy built under Rhodesian sanctions, which the new government failed to transform into a productive, inclusive system.
“In order to by-pass sanctions, an internalised, planned economy organised to extend white minority rule was built. This is the economy we inherited in 1980,” he said.
“It should be noted when capitalism is facing difficulties, it will copy some socialist methods in order to survive, then abandon them when the crisis is over in order to maximise profits.”
Lamenting the collapse of the local currency, Mabhena criticised the government’s mismanagement of the economy.
“In 1980, our currency was stronger than the US dollar. We have young comrades who have never used the Zimbabwe dollar. When we tell them that we used to keep coins in our small tins, they think this is just a fairy-tale,” he said.
“Today comrades, we are yet to resolve the currency question. We are known for using what we call a ‘multi-currency regime’ or a ‘basket of currencies’. The government is failing to understand simple economics even though the Minister of Finance is a professor of economics! Without production, there can be no money. This business of neglecting production and trying to force all of us to use ZiG does not work.”
Mabhena outlined how between 1980 and 1990, Zimbabwe made progress in workers’ rights and social welfare, but those gains were eroded by government repression and economic decline.
“The new government introduced significant legislation, including the Minimum Wages Act (1980) and the Employment Act (1980), which set minimum wages, established a legal system for labour relations, and outlawed racial discrimination,” he said.
“However, these improvements were increasingly undermined by rising unemployment, high inflation, and the government’s authoritarian control over the labour movement. The government moved to control the labour movement politically, welding existing unions into the state-controlled ZCTU in 1981.”
He recalled how workers rebelled against poor working conditions, leading to a new labour movement that later challenged Zanu PF.
“Overall, the period began with the promise of improved conditions and rights for Zimbabwean workers, but the economic realities and political suppression of independent worker representation meant that many of these gains were short-lived,” he said.
Mabhena also highlighted how food distribution and development aid have been politicised in rural areas.
“The drought in the 80s and early 90s had a negative impact on livelihoods and the government had to import mainly yellow maize for distribution. It is this food distribution that the ruling party began to use as a political tool by excluding those who hold a different political view,” he said.
He praised Zimbabweans in the Diaspora for keeping rural communities afloat through remittances and local development initiatives.
“Post-2000, the condition of rural people has gone from bad to worse, as people struggle to have at least a meal per day. It is the diaspora community that has intervened, sending groceries to their families and building clinics, schools, and bridges,” he said.
“We want to thank the South African government for granting special permits to Zimbabweans working there. These permits have allowed people to support rural projects and create jobs. We hope the government of Botswana will also grant special permits to Zimbabweans working, doing business, or studying there.”
Turning to the plight of civil servants, Mabhena said “the average pay of US$300 and between ZiG2 000 and ZiG4 000 was far below the living wage.”
He urged citizens to push for “completing the liberation of Zimbabwe” through economic transformation and mass mobilisation.
“Our immediate task is to complete the liberation of Zimbabwe, build a National Democratic Economy linked to devolution of power to the people before we transition to the next stage of human development, socialism,” he said.
Mabhena said Zimbabwe must adopt state capitalism similar to China’s model, which he said had successfully lifted millions out of poverty.
“We draw lots of lessons from the People’s Republic of China. State capitalism has drawn millions out of poverty through ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’. But we condemn abuse of the Zimbabwean worker by any employer, be it government, Chinese, Russians, Americans, or Zimbabweans themselves. Every business person must respect the labour laws of Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mabhena said real change would not come from elections alone but through mass organisation of workers, peasants, and residents.
“It is possible to defeat Zanu PF in an election only if we have a mass movement on the ground armed with ideology, scientific socialism. Our main immediate target is the class which controls Zanu PF and the foreign monopoly interests whose interests it serves,” he said.
“The workers, peasants and poor of Zimbabwe must take control of our economy and resources. For this, we need the leadership of a vanguard party.”
Delivering a solidarity lecture, South African Communist Party (SACP) Central Committee member, Jerry Thibed, said Africa must chart its own development path and reject capitalist dependency.
“When campaigning politicians tell you what you want to hear, they use language that will appeal to the governed but use brutal laws to oppress their own people. The challenge is capitalist dependency to social transformation,” said Thibedi.
He called for the strengthening of South-South cooperation and the BRICS framework to resist Western domination.
“We must resist imperial interference and defend national sovereignty. BRICS, China and Africa cooperation, and African development banks offer alternatives to global domination, access to concessional finance not tied to neoliberal technicalities, and political solidarity,” he said.
Thibedi urged African states to guard against new forms of dependency in Chinese and other deals, providing mutual benefit, not exploitation and to prioritise people over profit.
“The capitalist path has failed because of neoliberal dependency on inequality, profits first, people later. The social path sees human needs over profits, with public investment in health, education, and value addition,” he said.
Thibedi stressed the need for food sovereignty, regional integration and ideological capacity to build sustainable development.
“We must build social alternatives, raise living standards sustainably, and train people productively. The future of Africa lies in unity, not dependence,” he said. — CITE
