…gears for crushing victory in 2023
By Lungile Siziba
President Mnangagwa became the country’s leader at a time when a number of areas required too much attention to kick-start the much-needed economic revival.
He knew that his job was not going to be easy throughout and that he would meet skeptics along the way..
But one this was certain, if the long-awaited economic revival was to take place, Zimbabwe needed to establish a predictable legal environment, and more importantly, fixing key infrastructure such as roads, electricity and transforming the way tertiary institutions operate.
President Mnangagwa swiftly moved in to address all the challenges, and amendments to the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, which had kept investors at bay for a long time, started in earnest.
The indigenisation regulations were amended to be able to attract more foreign investors, but still ensuring that locals were empowered.
This saw the opening up of most sectors of the economy to investors, although some grip was retained in the mining sector, especially the diamonds sub-sector.
Given the ruinous sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, fresh and revolutionary thinking was required to tackle some of the challenges the country was experiencing.
President Mnangagwa, a patriotic citizen throughout, then realised that the country wouldn’t develop to the best of its capabilities when citizens were excluded from its affairs.
This birthed the mantra, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo”.
Many people, especially those that left the country for the Diaspora for one reason or the other especially since year 2000, have embraced the call to participate in national development from wherever they are.
At engagements the President holds with Zimbabweans living and working in other countries when he visits, many citizens have expressed their desire to take up opportunities available in various economic sectors.
And in the spirit of allowing locals to participate in national development, most infrastructure modernisation tenders have been awarded to local companies.
This has boosted the companies’ operational capacities while also creating more employment opportunities as promised during the 2018 harmonised elections campaign.
With that in place, real work begun and Zimbabwe is now a different place in just four years.
Construction of roads, bridges, dams, airports, and the setting up of innovation hubs at tertiary institutions, expansion of internal electricity generation and the revival of irrigation schemes and the setting up of news even in dry areas, has set the tone for massive economic transformation.
And everyone agrees that Zimbabwe is now rising.
Rational citizens that have had at least one infrastructure project implemented in their area, and those that got jobs since 2018, are happy with the work that President Mnangagwa has done so far.
Now, all Zanu PF structures, from the Provincial Coordinating Committee, Women’s League, Youth League and the new War Veterans’ League, have endorsed President Mnangagwa as the party’s sole candidate for next year’s Presidential elections.
Zimbabwe goes to the polls next year and there is consensus that President Mnangagwa should run the affairs of the country for another five years to allow him to complete the mouth-watering projects he has started.
Addressing the media after the party’s 366th session of the politburo on υυυ
τττ October 26 marking the start of the 7th Zanu PF National People’s Congress, party spokesperson Cde Chris Mutsvangwa, said: “All the structures of the party have already endorsed President Mnangagwa as the party’s sole candidate ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.”
It shouldn’t have been a difficult decision to arrive at, because everywhere one looks, there is a high impact project going on, which will transform the lives of people when completed.
In his address at the beginning of the politburo meeting on October 26, President Mnangagwa said Zanu PF remained the party of choice as it is implementing “high impact, people oriented and broad-based empowerment policies and programmes”.
He added the revolutionary party remains unwavering in its efforts to ensure Zimbabweans continue to develop their country.
The President wants Zimbabweans need to grow their own food and in adequate quantities, manufacture own clothes, as well as construct own roads, dams, schools and clinics, among others.
“Brick by brick, stone upon stone, step by step, we are surely, ‘building a prosperous Zimbabwe, leaving no one and no place behind’.
“We will never be apologetic about singing our own song and keeping our membership and the nation updated on the success milestones we are achieving under our Zanu PF party,” said President Mnangagwa.
He also thanked progressive countries that took advantage of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day to demand the unconditional and immediate removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Since 2019, the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day is commemorated on October 25 to ramp up efforts of ensuring the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West are removed.
“On behalf of the people and Government of Zimbabwe, the party Zanu PF, and indeed on my own behalf, I want to convey my sincere gratitude to SADC, the African Union and all progressive forces for their support and solidarity in the call for the removal of the illegal sanctions.
“In spite of the deleterious impact of sanctions, the Zanu Government is moving ahead in delivering the promises we made to leap frog the development of our beloved motherland . . .” he said.
Zanu PF is a train that cannot be stopped, said President Mnangagwa, as evidenced by the results of the by-elections held recently, indicating that the party’s victory was certain in the upcoming 2023 harmonised general elections.
He added that the successful launch of the Teachers for Economic Development initiative must serve to inform Zanu PF’s mobilisation strategies.
“I commend the Chitepo School of Ideology for the inroads made in this initiative. As we modernise and regenerate our colossal mass party, let us continue to be all-encompassing and welcoming to professionals and groupings across our country’s socio-economic sectors,” said the President.
He commended various stakeholders such as religious organisations, students, the media and economic clusters for the unequivocal calls for the removal of illegal actions imposed on the country.
President Mnangagwa said Zanu PF was the only party with a rich revolutionary heritage.
“As such, we should sustain the weighty responsibility of ensuring that our party is driven by the vision and ideological foundation enunciated in our Constitution towards the emancipation of our people.
“In this regard, corruption, opportunism, nepotism and all other such vices at whatever level, must be expunged. I was, therefore pleased to officially open the Procurement Regulatory Authority’s annual conference, where the need for upright and patriotic citizens at all levels was amplified as a fundamental and necessary trait for the realisation of equitable socio-economic growth that leaves no one and no place behind,” he said.