The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Correspondent
A ROLL call of who is who in the Zanu-PF party’s Presidium was expertly executed by the party’s national political commissar, with each name met with cheers, with the loudest receptions reserved for the country’s Vice- Presidents and the President.
Besides the speeches which gave much food for thought, the front row was a feast for the eyes as well with the county’s seasoned politicians showing that they can be fashion conscious. Yellow, red, black and green were the colours of choice. It was as if a master painter had dipped his brush in a rainbow before splashing it on the front row, with President Mnangagwa particularly dashing in a black blazer emblazoned with his likeness.
VP Chiwenga narrated the President’s escapes and near misses, as he engaged in a cat and mouse game with Rhodesian forces determined to take the life of a liberation icon who was already sending shivers down the spine of many a Rhodesian soldier at a young age.
His family relocated to Zambia in 1955 after Rhodesians were dismayed by their pursuit for the liberation struggle. President Mnangagwa continued with his education there. He joined the then Dr Kenneth Kaunda-led UNIP political party. He was incarcerated at Grey Prison and Khami in Bulawayo after he had come back home to fight for independence. People did not know if he was coloured or black when he was released because he was not exposed to sunlight while in prison as he was kept in doors, classified as a dangerous prisoner.
“He did his first border jumping in 1964 when he crossed from Zambia to Zimbabwe to be part of the Zanu Congress where Ndabaningi Sithole was elected as president of the party. Due to his political activities in the liberation struggle he was sentenced to death after he bombed a train but due to his age this was commuted. During his incarceration he was tortured until his ear was damaged up to this day,” said VP Chiwenga.
One could have heard a pin drop as the Vice- President narrated the President’s rise. His rise was less than meteoric, as it came as a result of sweat and hard work, years worth of experience that make him the best candidate to take Zimbabwe forward.
It was a history that culminated in a dramatic 14 days in November last year, kicked off by boos which were blamed on one of the country’s liberation stalwarts. And on this day, President Mnangagwa was back at the same venue, White City Stadium in Bulawayo.
“People chose President Mnangagwa to lead after Mr Mugabe resigned. He is here to tell you where we are going and how we will go there. It all started here in Bulawayo where people then reacted, taking to the streets which eventually culminated in him becoming the President. He is the man who is our Joshua who has been chosen to lead his children to Canaan. This is the man I am proud to be introducing today.”
That fateful day at White City Stadium resulted in a series of events that led a nation to lay its hopes on the shoulders of a man who had been forced to jump the borders of a country that he loved dearly. From the President’s speech, it seemed that the hope was not misplaced.
Staying true to his wish and desire to push development ahead of politics, the President’s speech was littered with nuggets of economic wisdom, displaying the business acumen that promises to change the country’s fortunes.
“When we said Zimbabwe is open for business we sat and thought where should we start. The first we did was to meet all the traditional chiefs in our country. This is so because the chiefs own the land where they govern and each one of us can trace who our chief is. The second step is we met the churches noting that there is a God above.
“And these two groups agreed that peace and unity is necessary in the country. Having done this it was now necessary to address wealth matters. That is why I then called all captains of commerce and industry. We told them that we need to create wealth.”
Those waiting for slogans punctuated with “down with so and so” would have gone home disappointed, as the President, instead, gave a speech that documented how he hoped to assault his true enemy — economic lethargy.
The President’s interactions with translator Cde Absalom Sikhosana were a source of humour, with jokes sandwiched between serious economic talk. For long periods it felt like an economic lecture than a rally, with the President doing away with the empty talk and slogans that have been the hallmark of past campaigns. The crowd listened attentively, ululating and whistling now and then when the President touched on a topic that impacted their lives.
“We must create wealth and ensure that in 12 years we will be a middle income country. To do so we need to have enablers.
What must we do to achieve this goal? We can divide our economy into agriculture, mining, tourism, ICT and manufacturing.
We have social services, education and health. We need service delivery to our people in rural and urban areas. For all our challenges we must have specific programmes to deal with them. We were given US$100 million by China to fund small-scale mining projects. We must no longer call them amakorokoza but small-scale miners. We need decent jobs, empowerment and free ourselves from poverty and fight corruption. We must create wealth and make sure that we become a middle income population.”
If Zimbabwe is to turn around, then the country needs all hands on the deck, and the President turned the sea of green and yellow into a keen economic student with a matured and statesmanlike speech.
After the party’s winners and losers from the primary elections were introduced to the President, the Kutonga Kwaro hit song was played as the President swung his hands and shuffled his feet on stage. The President then began an economic masterclass that outlined his vision for the country. In perhaps the most well received segment of his speech, the President gave a sector by sector breakdown of how he was going to improve Bulawayo’s economic fortunes, much to the applause of the crowd that appreciated the statesman speaking on and about their needs.
“I now want to address Bulawayo. I know there is an issue of devolution of power that has to be looked at. We must be able to distinguish between decentralisation and devolution of power. Devolution of power is contained in the Constitution. We have an organ which is called the provincial councils which devolves power to the provinces.
Currently our provincial ministers were political but now it has changed. Provincial ministers are now focusing on the economy. The Provincial minister should now ensure that the GDP of that province grows. Then again we have CSC (Cold Storage Company). We have secured a foreign investor who is channelling US$100 million to revive CSC. To support the CSC yesterday we handed over 1660 livestock to livestock farmers in Matabeleland South Province. That is empowering our youths and women. We also have Command Fisheries, those with ponds you can talk to Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri to give you fish to breed.”
