It has been a hectic, but fruitful five or so years for President Mnangagwa since he became President in November 2017, replacing the late former President Robert Mugabe, who had resigned.
Upon taking the job, President Mnangagwa acknowledged that he needed to work hard to revive most systems, which had broken down for a long time.
For a few years after independence from Britain, Zimbabwe was on a clear path to prosperity, especially after its heavy investment in social sectors mainly education and health.
But along the way, challenges arose, the most devastating being the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) foisted on the country, and later sanctions.
But against all odds, President Mnangagwa was brave enough to agree to become the leader, and Zimbabweans believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
It all started with the giant pledges he made on November 24, 2017 at the giant National Sports Stadium during his inauguration speech; promising to drag Zimbabwe back into the family of nations through the engagement and re-engagement policy, reviving key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing.
President Mnangagwa said given the magnitude of work to be covered, he had no choice but to hit the ground running, leading efforts to revive the economy.
He said people needed to work in concert towards taking “this great nation beyond where our immediate past President left it”.
“For close to two decades now, this country went through many developments. While we cannot change the past, there is a lot we can do in the present and future to give our nation a different, positive direction.
“Of course, the physical and social infrastructure must be repaired and expanded to position our country in readiness for economic growth, employment creation, equity, freedom and democracy, and for the provision of vital social goods, principally health, shelter, clean water, education and other key social services,” said President Mnangagwa.
Indeed, Zimbabwe has taken a different, positive direction since then.
The re-engagement drive took another dimension at the end of January this year following the three-day State visit by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, culminating in the signing of eight agreements in various spheres of the economy. Besides recording successes on the re-engagement front, infrastructural development programmes are firmly underway. Projects that had stopped for years, including the construction of the Gwanda Magistrates Court Complex, the Civil Registry Building in Binga, the Chinhoyi Courts Complex and several clinics across the country, have either been completed and commissioned, or are at advanced stages of completion.
Some of the projects were started over two decades but stalled due to lack of funding or supervision, or both.
Roads, dams, schools, airports, border posts and clinics, among others, are also being constructed countrywide at a stunning pace, as the Second Republic moves to modernise infrastructure and enable Zimbabwe to catch up or surpass other countries.
Clean piped water has been delivered to villages including in Chivi, Masvingo Province and Muzvezve Constituency in Mashonaland West Province, while grid electricity has been connected, with Chirumanzu in the Midlands Province being the latest beneficiary.
President Mnangagwa’s policies are being rolled out across the country as they are intended to leave no one and no place behind.
As President Mnangagwa demands more effort for the attainment of set delivery targets, ministers, their deputies and permanent secretaries, no longer have the luxury of just “passing through the office” and leave jackets on chairs to demonstrate “presence”, before dashing out to attend to their side hustles.
Ministers are now required to be either busy in the office or out in the districts assessing progress on developmental projects being implemented, and then updating Cabinet.
President Mnangagwa, himself a hard worker, demands an extra shift from his officials, and does not hesitate to wield the axe on errant ministers and other top officials who fall short of his expectations.
