The Sunday News
Mthabisi Tshuma, Sunday News Reporter
BUSINESS people should no longer just watch from the sidelines but join active politics so that they can use their expertise to guide policies that can revive the economy.
Addressing business delegates at the Matabeleland Development Initiative (MDI) business gala held at a local hotel in Bulawayo on Friday night, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Cde Terrence Mukupe, said business people will play a vital role in reviving the economy if they participate in politics.
“The norm is that politicians are on the other side of the room and business people are on the other side. We should have a situation where the best brains through business people get into politics to avoid foolish politics and laws. When l got into the National Assembly l wanted to debate more at the Parliament but was surprised with the calibre of people there. Come lets work for Zimbabwe business people,” said Dep Min Mukupe.
He said Government was willing to listen to innovative ideas from the business people so that they facilitate development in the country.
“We should not have people who get into politics because they want a living because all their focus will be to fend for themselves. If as a business person you are not interested in politics, it is better to find someone with passion for development and fund them so that they can advance the interests of the nation.”
He praised MDI, the barinchild of Zimbabweans based in the Diaspora for coming up with programmes meant to develop the region.
“This is a big deal. I spent six years in Bulawayo and it is time that we started thinking big and stop saying we are marginalised. Things are not in good shape but the important part is that there is hope. Where there is hope there is market confidence,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mukupe challenged civil servants to work harder as their contribution is vital in the quest to revive the economy.
“If there are people who are still failing to work harder where papers have to take days or weeks for them just to get an authority stamp, then there is no where we are going. That has to come to an end,” said the Deputy Minister.
He said his Ministry was formulating laws that are set to change the duties which are ‘senseless and ridiculous’.
“Personally l do not like the fact that you have to pass five agents at a border post as it is time consuming. There are several agents that we want to collapse into one to facilitate a user friendly initiative. We also want a legislation that will replace the Companies Act and give more power to Registrar of Companies for accountability. This will curb corruption,” he said.
He added that a team from Rwanda had visited the country a month ago to ensure that the process of registering companies is fast tracked.
“It is around 28 to 60 days to register a company in Zimbabwe and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) was mandated to look into the issue. My President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) noticed this too and a team from Rwanda came to the country to help us on the issue. At one point four years ago it took two hours to fully register a company and get a bank account in Rwanda and we want the same for our country,” said Deputy Minister Mukupe.
Speaking at the same occasion, Dr Nkosana Moyo urged business people that when investing in the Matabeleland region they should also consider the country as a whole.
“When you look at investing in the Matabeleland region you have to consider the country as a whole first. If an investor gets here you have to create a link that they visit other regions too. We have to link regionally and how an international investor will see benefit to the nation at large,” he said.
National University of Science and Technology (NUST) lecturer and Economist Dr Nqobizitha Dube said the Matabeleland level of inferiority to neighboring South Africa has shunned development in the region.
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