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All well-meaning citizens have welcomed the economic stability being experienced since June last year when the Government crushed the illegal foreign currency market and set up the auction system.

In its effort to curtail illegal foreign currency dealing, the Government introduced a raft of measures that included suspending mobile money transfers except for receiving payments for goods and services as well as utility bills payments, while the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange was suspended to allow for investigations after evidence of illicit practices was found.

In addition to suspending some mobile money transfer platforms such as on EcoCash, which held billions of dollars in less than 501 000 agent and merchant lines, the Government also put in place measures to protect the public from the illegal activities that had caused inflation and consequent price increases.

To improve the people’s living standards, the Government also rolled out US denominated cushion allowances for civil servants, introduced cheaper public transport and at some point instituted subsidies on basics such as maize meal among a host of other interventions.

As a result, prices have generally been stable over the past nine months. Inflation has been falling too, bringing much joy to the citizens who had been struggling as their incomes could not match increasing prices of goods and services.

However, it seems that the economic criminals are, as all evil schemers always do, not resting. They have been trying to target the foreign currency trading systems for personal benefit.

While this is so, it is most gratifying that the eyes of the Government are firmly on them and soon, the criminals trying to undermine the financial markets, and by extension, the whole economy, would be accounted for, their machinations crushed.

President Mnangagwa sent out this warning in an interview ahead of the country’s 41st Independence Day celebrations on Sunday. The interview will be broadcast on Saturday. The President said Government knows the people who are trying to manipulate the economy for their personal gain.

“There are sharks in the financial sector. We now know who they are. We are dealing with them,” President Mnangagwa said in a snippet of the interview that was shared by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana on Twitter.

This year, Independence Day is being held under the theme “Together growing our economy for a prosperous, resilient and inclusive society.” That is an apt theme that captures the need for the economy to prosper and to be resilient for a more inclusive society. That is what Independence must be to citizens who sacrificed a lot for them to gain it after almost a century of British colonial rule.

We recognise the milestones that the Second Republic has scored since it came into office a little over three years ago. Yes, the illegal Western sanctions are still with us, but the country is seeing much development. Infrastructure such as roads and power generating plants is being built; social safety nets have been put in place and investment in mining, agriculture and other industries is coming in, some from China, Russia, Australia and some of it coming from local sources. As we have pointed out, inflation is receding as the foreign currency auction continues to stabilise prices.

However, the sharks that the President spoke about are still plotting. Their plotting, if left unchecked, will get us all back to the extreme economic difficulties of the past. No one wants a return to that period.

The good thing is that authorities know who they are and their plotting. Soon, they would be dealt with. Yes, we want the Government to hit them really hard for the common good.