The 2016 Zimbabwe cabinet score card-There seemed to be some competition about who could ruin the economy most

In 2016, there were many moments when we thought we had reached rock bottom. Things could not possibly get any worse, we would tell ourselves.

And right then, a minister would step forward, pick and shovel in hand, proud and ready to dig us to new depths and prove us all wrong.

It has been a strange year for the economy. From small birds called quails one moment, to bond notes the next, the economy hopped from one outrage to the next.

Watching our government ministers at work this year, we are convinced that there was a secret contest among them to determine who could ruin the economy the most. How else can one explain the seemingly deliberate determination with which they went about hacking away at the economy all year?

We imagine, somewhere in some government office, ministers would gather around a few bottles of fine whisky, proudly trading tales of how bad they are at their jobs.

“What did we do today to dash the people’s hopes?” they must have asked each other. I crafted a bad law, one would say. I gave a contract to a completely inept company, another would say, to cheers from peers.

These were men and women on assignment to be as bad as they could. So, who are we to deny them recognition? Here, we rate some of our ministers on performance in their morbid race to the bottom. The rating is A to D, with A being given to the ones who excelled in their efforts to ruin the economy

The list is not exhaustive, as the selection pool of inept ministers is far too wide to award everyone.

Continued next page with Samuel Undenge

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