Harare – Zimbabweans have been rebutting with sly humour a claim by a prominent Zanu-PF MP Psychology Maziwisa that even washing clothes is a job that his party created in line with election promises in 2013.
Maziwisa, who is also the ruling party’s deputy director of information, told a young people’s forum late last week that the word “job” is open to interpretation.
‘A job to wash my clothes’
“When you define what a job is it includes casual jobs,” Maziwisa says in a video clip of the meeting.
So for example you can use the word job in the sentence as follows: ‘I gave him a job to wash my clothes.’ And that sentence is grammatically correct,” Maziwisa said amid howls of laughter from other participants.
But Maziwisa appeared unperturbed and insisted the ruling party had created more than three million new jobs in both the formal and informal sectors.
After brief reflection, Zimbabweans took to Twitter to portray the irony of the politician’s words. Using the hashtag, #JobsZanuCreated, the posts reflect the many “jobs” that Zimbabweans do to survive.
‘Spikes-welder’
They suggested bank queuers, pothole fillers and thigh vendors qualify admirably as some of the “jobs” Zanu-PF has created in Zimbabwe, where people are forced to queue for hours to withdraw money from their cash-strapped banks, or turn to menial or degrading work to make ends meet.
Other “jobs” the party has created are distinctively Zimbabwean. “Border jumpers,” suggested @Gabbz_Gabriel, in reference to those who make the hazardous journey across the Limpopo to escape the country’s economic privations. “Spikes-Welder,” suggested Mathews Dera, a nod to those in darkened workshops who knock up the dangerous metal contraptions used by traffic police to stop minibuses from escaping their numerous checkpoints.
‘Hood Robin – steals from the poor’
Other tweets suggested that the ruling party has made life in Zimbabwe good for some. “Hood Robin… steals from the poor gives to the rich #JobsZanuCreated,” said @Mr_SuitUp. Said @unityfreedom: “Chief Operations Officer for Air Zimbabwe.” That’s a reference to the plumb job President Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law Simba Chikore got at the national airline last October.
Zimbabwe’s formal unemployment rate is estimated at more than 80%.
Mugabe and Zanu-PF promised Zimbabweans 2.2 million jobs ahead of their election win in 2013. Last month Mugabe encouraged youths to “keep chickens, grow mushrooms and keep quails” instead of complaining about unemployment.
Zanu-PF didn’t promise 2.3 million formal jobs, we promised 2.3 million formal & informal jobs & we’ve created over 3 million jobs -Maziwisa pic.twitter.com/uiX8CXSb43-news24
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