AMID Zimbabwe's deepening political and economic crisis, renewed voices are emerging for the setting up of a National Transitional Authority (NTA) as a rescue measure.
Political tension has heightened in the country, which observers have partly attributed to a faction within the ruling party Zanu PF pushing for the extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term beyond 2028--despite him expressing disapproval to run in the next elections.
The crisis has also been exacerbated by reports of a proposed Government of National Unity (GNU) being pushed by an opposition faction led by Sengezo Tshabangu.
Speaking during an online discussion recently, former Cabinet minister Tendai Biti said Zimbabwe risks sliding into chaos.
"There is a genuine transition taking place in Zimbabwe. There is a genuine transition that has to be managed. There is a genuine transition that has to be shepherded. It has to be scaffolded. If it is not scaffolded and shepherded, we are going to go into an implosion," said Biti.
The former finance minister added that key state institutions are captured and operating at the whims of the governing party, Zanu PF.
"We have had a policy and a polity pillared on the emasculation of State institutions. There is no institution in Zimbabwe that is independent. There is no institution in Zimbabwe that is not an extension of Zanu PF's Politburo.
"Every institution--including those that I cannot mention because I am a practicing lawyer--every institution in Zimbabwe has been captured and captured thoroughly," said Biti.
Zanu PF has been accused of spreading its influence over constitutional institutions, which has led to the erosion of democratic spaces such as elections, Parliament, and the judiciary.
The governing party has also been fingered in the collapse of the opposition, following last year's split of the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC), with Tshabangu leading the charge in the decimation of the opposition.
According to observers, the dearth of opposition has allowed the government to operate without checks and balances.
Biti said the NTA should initiate an all-encompassing dialogue.
"The sum collection of this is that we have a crisis that needs to be managed to avoid an implosion. That is where the NTA comes in. The NTA is an idea that is anchored on dialogue.
"The citizens of Zimbabwe must talk and dialogue, where the first process has to be a national conference. The convention must articulate issues that speak to Zimbabwe's fragility and vulnerability, and these issues must be put on the table," said Biti.
