The Sunday News
Mashudu Netsianda in Gweru
ZANU-PF has reaffirmed its commitment to the engagement and re-engagement issue with the just -conference adopting a debt resolution agenda being spearheaded by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano who is the high level facilitator while also intensifying the fight against-sanctions.
In a Press briefing soon after the official closure of the conference by President Mnangagwa yesterday, Zanu-PF national spokesperson, Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa said they debated various aspects of the day-to-day lives of the people of Zimbabwe, which included the sanctions imposed on the country by the West and the debt resolution issue.
“There was a report on the engagement and re-engagement aspect and the debt issue. We are highlighting the way in which former Mozambican President Chissano is handling it, and we are confident that along the way we will be able to resolve it so that we can go and borrow money for big infrastructure projects that we are doing. We need infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports in Mozambique and the telecommunications to support that and all the logistics to support our industry. We need access to cheaper money which can only come when we can access concessionary funding from the World Bank and other Bretton Woods Institutions,” said Cde Mutsvangwa.
He said they were engaging the EU, which was the main partner in this engagement on debt resolution.
“We want to tell EU that we are very much committed to engagement and re-engagement policy and the debt issue. We want dialogue which makes it possible for Zimbabwe to come to an understanding with these major debtors,” he said.
Cde Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe was performing well in the mineral sector and it cannot fail to pay its debts.
“A country with a very educated population can quickly turn capital into profit like Zimbabwe does. We are capable of paying our debts. So if sanctions can be removed and if our debtors can come to an understanding. The EU should come on board, we want to walk to them on this issue of sanctions,” he said.
Cde Mutsvangwa said the conference also highlighted the success stories by the Zanu-PF led Government in terms of food security and growing the economy.
“We are firmly focused on deliverables which we need to give to the people of Zimbabwe so that what they fought for during the liberation struggle can now be transformed into palpable prosperity, a day-to-day change in the quality of their lives, be they in the rural areas, or urban centres. This was the focus of the keynote speech by our President on the first day. He highlighted the major areas of achievement in agriculture on food security. We are now going into high nutrition, diversification of crops, particularly cereals so that Zimbabwe can now become an exporter of food.”
Cde Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe was now able to export and contribute to global food chain in the global market.
“We are scoring success in cereals, horticulture and citrus, which is now being exported to China. We are also scoring success in nuts and berries, which are being exported as far afield as Hong Kong. These are successes in agriculture because the President is particularly emphasizing scientific farming with Intwasa/Pfumvudza being the cornerstone of food security at household level and irrigation climate proofing our agriculture from vagaries of the changing weather.”
Cde Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe has the highest number of dams in Southern Africa, which are being used to boost agricultural productivity.
“The President also highlighted big achievements in mining where the US$12 billion economy by 2025 has already been exceeded. There was also a pleasing announcement about the zero to almost 1 000 percent growth in the exports coming from the lithium sector, which did not exist before. It is common knowledge there are now about six billionaires from the possible lithium businessmen on the global market place and they are all in Zimbabwe. We are now processing our lithium not exporting it raw and we are determined to graduate from lithium concentrate all the way to the batteries.”
Cde Mutsvangwa said President Mnangagwa also saluted the Small to Medium Enterprises gold sector for contributing to the country’s economic growth.
“The President saluted the SMEs gold sector, promised to continue giving them more support so that they produce more gold and that becomes the route for Zimbabwe to recover its currency. Gold is better money than the US dollars. Gold is going to be the mainstay of Zimbabwe’s currency and the President is reaching out to India to get more equipment for the SME sector,” he said.
Mutsvangwa said the conference resolutions will be released in full soon. He emphasised the country’s commitment to dialogue with the EU.
“There was a report on the engagement and re-engagement aspect of Zimbabwe’s debt issues. We are confident that along the way we will be able to resolve the Zimbabwe debt issue so that this country will be able to go and borrow money for big infrastructure projects which is commensurate with the big investments by the private sector in Zimbabwe. We need infrastructure in Zimbabwe.”
Amb Mutsvangwa said conference also resolved to call for peace in the Middle East.
“We resolved to stand by Palestine and call for safe passage of humanitarian aid (into Gaza).”
The conference ran under the theme “Towards Vision 2030 through Devolution, Industrialisation and Modernisation”.
