The Sunday News
THE convening of a meeting of Cabinet ministers yesterday to tackle the slow pace of development in Matabeleland is a welcome development and a clear indication that the national leadership of the country is taking problems facing the region seriously.
The meeting, which was held at Elangeni Training Centre in Bulawayo was attended by Cdes Simon Khaya Moyo, the Senior Minister of State in the President’s Office, Obert Mpofu (Transport), Kembo Mohadi (Home Affairs), Douglas Mombeshora (Lands), Sithembiso Nyoni (SMEs), Saviour Kasukuwere (Environment) and Andrew Langa of Sports. Also in attendance were the Provincial Ministers of State for Matabeleland South and Bulawayo, Cdes Abedinico Ncube and Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo.
We believe the meeting is also a clear signal that the Government is taking it upon itself to come up with intervention measures to change the economic landscape of the region and put to rest accusations that it does not care about Matabeleland.
Although some problems and challenges facing the country are common across the country’s provinces because of the devastating economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, Matabeleland and Bulawayo in particular have suffered from the closure and relocation of companies.
Bulawayo, once known as the country’s industrial hub is a pale shadow of itself with high levels of unemployment now dominating headlines.
The city has seen a sharp decline in its economic fortunes as a result of the economic challenges facing the country with poor investment and widespread unemployment as well as water shortages hitting it.
The perceived slow development of the three provinces of Matabeleland, which has been under the spotlight for many years has seen some people accusing the country’s national political leadership of deliberately marginalising the region.
The issue has generated a lot of debate with accusations flying from different corners, opposition parties making political capital over the so-called marginalisation of the three provinces of Matabeleland, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South, a situation which was once attributed to the poor performance of the ruling Zanu-PF in elections.
In hushed tones some have also been accusing Cabinet ministers from Matabeleland of being too good for nothing, saying they were failing to initiate developmental projects while being quick to look aside when the region was being weighed down by problems.
We hope during yesterday’s meeting the delegates identified and came up with strategies on how to solve the problems facing the region. We say so because if tangible solutions are not found the initiative would soon be called another talk show that failed to deliver.
We also advise those behind this initiative that there is a need to develop symbiotic relations between the political leadership and business as well as academics to come up with solutions.
This is because we feel that for the Government to assume a more meaningful role in the socio-political life of the people there is a need for it to come up with a complementary relationship with other stakeholders such as business to halt or reverse the de-industrialisation of Bulawayo.
The issue of the Special Economic Zones meant to create a vibrant and self-sustaining and robust manufacturing industry with the capacity to produce goods and services for both domestic and export markets should be embraced under this initiative and processes for its introduction expedited.
