The Sunday News
Khumbulani Vodloza Sibanda
THE Government of Zimbabwe is setting a framework for sustainable development. This is meant to generate serious economic growth and bring social justice to the deprived regions and communities.
This effort is going unheralded but there is certainly a foundation for inclusive politics and economics here. What’s not going unnoticed is the inescapable labour pangs that comes with fiscal discipline under the mantra “Austerity for Prosperity”. This is as unavoidable as any birth pangs when a baby is on the way. And in this case it’s an Upper Middle Economy by the year 2030. While our eyes are clouded by the discomfort that comes with controlling fiscal expenditure, controlled households incomes and removal of remunerative privileges from the population, there are a lot of good things that are taking place.
Zimbabwe’s National Debt was growing at an exponential rate that it was threatening its Health, Education and even Defence and Security. It has to be paid. This means there had to be tax collection efficiencies and effectiveness that was needed. Everyone had to be made to contribute to take us out of this debt crisis. So the Government brought in the 2% tax on electronic transactions to help pay that debt. A lot of fury and rage has been expressed by many but that pain is already beginning to bear fruit.
Zimbabwe’s domestic and foreign debt stands at US$16,9 billion. This is a huge figure which is chocking the economy. There is an effort to pay a third of this debt by end of 2019. Now, that is no mean achievement which is going to change Zimbabwe’s economic trajectory. This is part of what is meant by saying that the fundamentals for economic progress are being put in place. If this rate of debt repayment is maintained, it means Zimbabwe will be able to unburden its debt overhang situation by the end of 2022. That will change the dynamics of its relationship with multilateral institutions for the first time in decades. This is not ignoring the economic impediments like the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (Zidera) as amended in 2018.
The challenges and pain being endured by the citizenry has already been acknowledged. But this is pain that’s leading somewhere. Pain that is leading to improved living standards for the population. This is being done through unprecedented investment in infrastructure.
Economic progress can only be achieved by putting its enablers in place. These are things such as dependable and uninterrupted power supply to the factories and commerce, good roads networks for moving goods and people, sound Information Communication Technology, functional railway links and of course skilled workforce. This list of enablers is being put in place right now.
The Harare to Beitbridge Highway is being constructed by purely domestic means. The funding is local, mainly tollgate fees and the primary institutions are mainly Government. Zimbabwe is no longer incurring any foreign debt obligations to expand and modernise this link with South Africa, our key trading partner. The plant is on the ground as the reader reads this and work is happening. This work is being carried out by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara), District Development Fund (DDF) and the Central Mechanical and Equipment Department (CMED) with other local civil engineering companies taking part in this major domestic investment endeavour. This economic activity is not just an enabler for the future but is a current job creator and massive contributor to our trickle-down economics and value chain.
Around the country road construction is happening at a never-seen-before rate. Between Harare and Bulawayo highway around Norton, there is a hive of activity and each week one travels on that road visible progress can be noted. The same applies to the Harare to Mutare road. There is dualisation around urban areas and widening in inhabited parts of the roads where traffic dissipates to lower figures. This road network system is part of the roadmap to the attainment of Vision 2030. Citizens are seeing roadworks everywhere around the country.
As we traverse towards this Vision2030 destination we need to reflect on one strange trait about us as a nation. We take things for granted.
For example we take peace for granted. We even take electricity for granted. It’s somehow strange that load-shedding in Zimbabwe is now breaking news when it happens, notwithstanding that power supply has improved so much that Zimbabwe is currently importing less than 70 megawatts and producing the rest of its energy requirement.
When it comes to energy, just avoiding using forex to import electricity is not good enough. We are in the middle of building more power stations to feed more electricity onto our national grid leading to Zimbabwe being a net exporter of electricity. Work has already started in earnest at the Hwange Power Station Expansion Project. As said before, these are the fundamentals that bring economic development.
Agriculture, Mining, Tourism and Manufacturing all need electricity. But the Government is not ending there. Everyday there are rural institutions that are being electrified by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). We are talking of rural clinics, schools, service centres etecetera which are being electrified in a bid not to leave anyone behind on developmental matters as well as close the rural-urban gap in Zimbabwe. This is a very sound policy that is not only meant to curtail the rural urban drift but also ensure that both cities and the rural areas thrive. Every part of Zimbabwe should attain developmental milestone together with the rest.
This is also in line with the Devolution Policy that the Government is promoting, funding and driving. A policy which is meant to bring governance and development closer to the people. Each province has been allocated $31 million for Devolution. The provinces which are predominantly rural were allocated the same amount as Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan Provinces. This shows that Government believes in rural urban equity. The Government has made it clear that Zimbabwe remains a unitary state. There is no compromise on that principle.
But having sub-national authorities makes Government more responsible, it facilitates participatory decision making and brings the Government closer to the governed. These are ideals that help to accommodate and manage social diversity as well as cure unfettered concentration of power. It also balances economic development in the whole country. For the first time in our young history this effort for equity with hitherto marginalised regions is being driven through a coherent and cogent Government policy.
A country can only develop when its citizens embrace and take ownership of the developmental goals. Government is showing discipline and sincerity, citizens on their part have to avoid the easy trap of turning into self-hating nationals. When the whole country is united in goal and is showing honest and integrity, we will stop finger pointing and start asking ourselves the hard questions. One such question is about the part you as an individual are playing to meet the national aspirations.
