Principle, consistency and effective implementation

By Bernard Bwoni

What clearly distinguishes the ruling party from any other political entity in Zimbabwe is the party’s consistency to principle and it is this immersion to ideological probity that defines the ruling party. One of the obvious outcomes of firmly standing by principle and ideology is the conflict it generates with friends and foes alike. The ruling party in Zimbabwe has taken an honourable ideological stance on controversial but crucial policies such as the land reform, indigenisation and economic empowerment but this left the country isolated on some fronts and the economy heavily compromised. The bondage to doctrines, the many blueprints, the inconsistencies and the perennial habits without practical and effective implementation have unnecessarily exposed many of the ideological sacrifices to ridicule. Zimbabwe is well-known for producing excellent, well-drafted blueprints yet when it comes to implementation everyone seems to develop cold feet. It is the ideological and principle consistency that creates coherency in policy implementation. Zimbabwe has the ZIMASSET economic blueprint to execute, to drive up the country and translate ideology into tangible outcomes that will benefit the ordinary man, woman and child.

The worry is that the country seems deeply and consistently engrossed in petty political pickings at the expense of procurement for the nation as a whole. We are agreed that this is the post-congress period and focus now should be on driving up the economic blueprint to realise its undeniable full potential. The inconsistencies, the polarisation, the negativity, the lack of consensus and the constant political squabbling only put obstacles in the paths towards economic recovery and genuine prosperity. The fact of the matter is that ZIMASSET is a technical document and as such poses technical questions which require technical answers. It is the technical answers which will unlock the country’s true economic potential. These answers are going to be provided by the technical people and the processes are going to be driven by the politicians and policymakers. You cannot take the politics out of the economics or the economics out of the politics but for Zimbabwe to address the many debilitating economic problems the country is currently facing there is an urgent need to prioritise the economics.  This is in no way meant to say the politics is any less important.

The ruling party has to dismantle the pretences, the mirrors of inconsistency, the dishonesty, disharmony and the deliberate delays in demonstrating commitment to implementation of proposed programmes as rank and order indulge in petty political contretemps. Consistency of ideology and principle is a virtue in its own right and consistency in implementation is a virtue if put forward with practical application and by the letter of the law. The Indigenisation and Empowerment policies are Laws and Acts which have been passed through parliament. The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act was passed through an Act of Parliament in 2008. All potential investors to Zimbabwe are often confronted with some unhelpful headlines about the Act and its application. However investors into Zimbabwe should have very little if anything to worry about as the Act is clear in terms of objectives and intended outcomes as set out in the policy. For consistency sake those who seek clarification can do so simply by contacting the relevant ministry. The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, Chapter 14:33, Part II, Section 3, subsection (a) clearly states “The Government shall through this Act or any other law, endeavour to secure that “at least fifty-one per centum of the shares of every public company and any other business shall be owned by indigenous Zimbabweans”. The Law is very clear and the newly appointed Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Christopher Mushohwe recently said that the Government of Zimbabwe would remain guided by the Law in the implementation of its indigenisation and economic empowerment programmes. That is the consistency that investors seek because from there any investor can simply read through the Act itself and seek clarification where required from Minister Mushohwe’s office.

The concern is that there is deceitful disinformation and sensational media headlines alleging inconsistencies from different government officials. This disinformation and misinformation are unhelpful and unnecessarily creates uncertainty and negative speculation which is not good for the country’s struggling economy. There are many erroneous reports doing media rounds that VP Mnangagwa recently said that Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment laws will ‘be scrapped next year’ when in fact what he was talking about is “getting rid of bureaucratic regulations that inconvenienced investors”.

 

There is policy consistency throughout on the indigenisation and economic empowerment programmes. The Vice President Mnangagwa and Indigenisation Minister Mushohwe are saying exactly the same thing and those who chose to interpret the two statements differently did so for whatever motives of their own. Mushohwe is talking about the Law of the land on Indigenisation and Economic empowerment and VP Mnangagwa was very specific about the essence of making the investment environment and process in Zimbabwe simpler and was pronouncing new policies that attract more investment into the country. It is not the ‘Law’ but the bureaucratic bungling which frustrates potential investors. The Law is the law and most if not all investors have not been blocked from doing business in Zimbabwe by law but by the intricate bureaucracy such as investors spending over six months consulting and going through the registration process. VP Mnangagwa was putting emphasis on dealing urgently with issues affecting business to put the economy back on the road to recovery by simplifying and expediting investment formalities.

The Indigenisation Minister Chris Mushohwe’s quest for a full list of all those who have benefitted from the policy so far is a welcome development as this will bring about clarity and transparency into the whole process. It is important to have a clear picture of who is actually benefiting from the policy and present areas for improvement. The key to the country’s economic recovery is being anchored on the ZIMASSET economic blueprint which needs to be followed by effective implementation, eradicating corruption, policy consistency and clarity, providing information on the investment policies and laws in the country and government speaking from the same page for clarity sake.

 

There is reason to be optimistic about Zimbabwe’s long term economic prospects and there is need to iron out some issues relating to inconsistency that have been unnecessarily slowing down the recovery. It is a fact that hope is the only thing that is stronger than fear. Now is the time for politics to give economic recovery the highest level of priority. The Zimbabwe economy can be salvaged easily with consistency, decisiveness and less emphasis on unnecessary and counterproductive political squabbles. The country is saturated with the ruling party’s intraparty politics and there is an urgent need for a shift towards intraparty economic dialogue to harness the experience and expertise of those in and outside of government to take on the challenges being presented. The fundamental problems crippling the country’s economy are well-known and well-documented, namely corruption, low capacity utilisation, unemployment, long term and short term structural deficits, negative perception and lack of confidence from some potential investors, lack of confidence in the finance and consumer sectors. There is no need to change the law but a simple change in tone can quickly change perception and increase confidence. Words are very powerful and need to be used with caution as they end up portraying the country in a negative light.

 

The priority is to address the problems head on and to target economic growth and reducing the numbers of those without formal work that is creating employment. The country’s economic growth needs to be over 6% to be able to catch up with lost capacity of the last fourteen years induced by sanctions and other factors already highlighted above. A strong growth of over 6% will help boost tax revenues and create jobs to be able to successfully reduce the current unsustainable government fiscal deficits. The country has to effectively balance solving short term and long term structural deficits. No one is questioning the importance of Foreign Direct Investment in world economies; however investment alone will not stimulate the economy. There is also a need for real demand for products and services provided there is readily available disposable income. Zimbabwe has the former but falls short on the latter. There is a great deal of uncertainty in the economy and wage constraints and how the country goes about addressing these is how the country is going to start emerging from the mire and mud.

 

Zimbabwe is indeed open for business and any potential investors should be approaching the relevant ministries with their queries instead of relying on some unhelpful media headlines. The government of Zimbabwe is very much open to constructive and mutually beneficial engagement and welcomes investors from any part of the world. The country’s Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Laws have often been misrepresented, misconstrued and misunderstood and that is unfortunate as Zimbabwe is such investor friendly country. The country has the right ideology, the right principles and now what is required is the right attitude to implementation of programmes. And for the implementation to be right the issues of corruption, consistency and coherency have to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

 

bernardbwn@aol.com/  bernardbwoni.blogspot.com

 

Economics and Political Maturity in Zimbabwe

By Bernard Bwoni

The recurrent themes from the Post-Congress administration are positive and pro-growth with the two Vice Presidents now having been sworn in, being upfront and getting stuck into the thick of things. VP Emmerson Mnangagwa has been talking tough about corruption and has said that there will be real consequences for those implicated in the degeneracy past and present follies. The Second Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko kicked off with a very positive call and government commitment to developing policies that support industrial growth which will go a long way in spearheading the country’s economic recovery. It is because of the rampant corruption and the curtailed industrial growth that the country’s economic revival after years of decline has been limited.

 

There is an emerging openness, humbleness and high level of political maturity when it comes to national discourse. The ruling party’s post-congress attitude is an inclusive approach to the Zimbabwe agenda and constructive dialogue on matters of national urgency. There have been a number of disturbing reports of some officials taking it upon themselves to act on behalf of the Vice President Mnangagwa to humiliate some officials they accuse of having sided with former VP Dr Joyce Mujuru. It is a state of affairs that party officials were being publicly humiliated in that manner. The Deputy Mines Minister Fred Moyo was forcibly removed from VP Mnangagwa’s celebration party in Zvishavane together with his brother. Again former Indigenisation Minister Francis Nhema and Former Minister of State in the President’s Office Flora Buka were blocked from greeting VP Mnangagwa at a recent state function in Chirumanzu. The concerning thing is that these ejections were carried out without the knowledge and consent of the VP himself. The behaviour of those who were publicly humiliating others is not good public relations at all. The VP himself has refused to be drawn into these petty antics of political immaturity. The line has to be drawn and people have to come to the realisation that the ruling party leadership is not for a select few but all Zimbabweans. President Mugabe is President of all Zimbabweans irrespective of religious, ethnic, racial or political affiliation and so are VP Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko.

VP Mnangagwa showed magnanimity and humbleness expected of national leadership when he called Deputy Minister Moyo to apologise for the unwarranted and unsanctioned public humiliation. This is the kind of politics that national leadership should continue to embrace for the sake of expediency and national progression. When a child speak like a child, understand like a child, think like a child but when you grow into an adult put away those childish ways, grow up and do things differently. You wonder what benefit they derived from publicly shaming others. It is reassuring that VP Mnangagwa has made clear that past and present corrupt practices will be investigated and action will be taken. Those found guilty will be made to account for their indiscretions. This is exactly what the Zimbabwean electorate bargained their vote for, and this should be followed up by real action. There has to be consequences for those implicated and there are many of them. As Mnangagwa said “We do not have mercy on corrupt people”. Corruption is a drain on national resources, the selfish wants of a few over the needs of the nation.

 

The second VP Mphoko has been calling on government to develop policies that support local industries and develop the people of Zimbabwe. The tone from the Vice Presidents is sending the right signals to the business community which is crucial to the country’s economic revival. The talk of creating a conducive business environment and eradicating corruption is positive talk. The problem that has prevailed is letting corruption go unpunished and the perpetrators become even bolder as there have been no consequences for their misdeeds. The fact that the national leadership is talking action not just the talk about action must be lauded. It is because of corruption that many national processes are hampered. The combination of a politics of maturity which calls for constructive national dialogue, embracing all Zimbabweans, creating an environment where businesses local and international have confidence in the system and the commitment to uproot the decadence that is corruption.

bernardbwoni.blogspot.com

The politics of Sikhala's Facebook 'AIDS' diagnostic kit

By Bernard Bwoni

Opposition politics in Zimbabwe always falls short because of a number of niggling issues that require a lot of fine tuning before they can reach the standards required to govern. The main criticism against the MDC inclusive of all its fragments is the lack of an alternative shadow policy strategy and their tendency to point fingers and to always oppose just for the sake of opposing without presenting solutions or suggestions. The issue of political immaturity is what has been holding Zimbabwe back in a lot of ways. The political playing field in Zimbabwe is highly polarised, there is no consensus and there is inter-party and intraparty circumspection. There is an atmosphere of cynicism and criticism from the opposition on every decision made by the ruling party, even on clearly positive policies presented. The ruling party and opposition ideologies are miles apart but for the sake of the development of Zimbabwe both must engage in meaningful and constructive dialogue on national issues. It should not just be about opposing for the sake of opposing because it imposes limitations on execution of national programmes. There is need for a shadow strategy from the opposition and in some cases consensus on matters of national importance. There has to be a high level of maturity on the part of our political leaders for they represent all Zimbabweans.

“Tingaswera tichitevedzera zve AIDS dzana Biti idzo (We do not follow people like Biti who have AIDS). Do you think if I was such a sexual pervert like how your people created yesterday dai tisina AIDS sa Tendai Biti? We could have been looking miserable like him. It’s a fact that Biti has AIDS. He wanted to kill one of the current MPs in MDC-T in 2008. I am going to be merciless on this”. This was the flowery rant from the Facebook wall of an opposition leadership aspirant, a party which actually believes it is the alternative to the ruling party to address the country’s many challenges. Job Sikhala who is in the MDC-T leadership ranks was venting his anger at MDC-Renewal Secretary General Tendai Biti. Sikhala went on to pour even more colourful and highly-charged expletives which cannot be repeated due their graphic nature.

 

People do have a right to question the character traits of those who are intending on leading them and that is allowed. Remember when Mr Tsvangirai was challenged regarding his relationships which became public because that had a bearing on his ability to lead the country. His character was being brought into question. It is when people who are aspiring to office start engaging in online public displays of political immaturity as Mr Sikhala then you know you have genuine problems within some section of the opposition ranks. In as much as I do not subscribe to Biti’s politics the unwarranted and unethical attack on him leaves a very bad taste in local politics. In a country like ours where lives have been lost and families have been torn apart because of the ravages of the HIV and AIDS pandemic and for a public office aspirant to come out guns blazing and putting stigma right back on a disease which Zimbabwean society has worked so hard to demystify is just the highest level of political immaturity. The crude and rude remarks about AIDS had an undertone and were an indirect attack on those within our society living with the disease and those whose relatives had been touched by the killer disease. Sikhala refused to back down even when his ‘many followers’ questioned him and those who disagreed with him had more profanities hailed at them and reminded that he had ‘6613 followers. There was a sense of over-stating own importance bordering on childish behaviour. The man was unrepentant and refused to concede that his views on AIDS were not indicative of leadership material and did not cast a very bright light for the MDC-T. The hope is that these are his own views and not that of the party he represents and speak on behalf of as his remarks gives the impression that the MDC-T as a party views HIV and AIDS as a disease of ‘sexual perversion’ and that those who suffer from the disease have no place in Zimbabwe society.

The honest truth is that in Zimbabwe millions have been affected by the disease one way or the other, either themselves or family members. The AIDS pandemic has ravaged lives in Zimbabwe and Sikhala ought to be respectful to those who have been affected not ‘mercilessly’ mock them publicly. So what exactly is the MDC-T party position on AIDS which frankly is a national tragedy? Is it a disease of the promiscuous as Sikhala boldly puts it or national tragedy that has brought untold suffering to so many Zimbabweans? Politicians ought to be advocating and championing for the rights of those touched by this unrelenting disease instead stigmatising them further. The problem with some characters in the opposition is that they are still stuck in student politics activism and most likely never to come out it. They remain tainted by the naivety and immaturity of activism instead of taking the next step into the world of the mature of politics. These are the opposition figures who go round making counterfeit claims of violation of their own civil liberties yet goes on to publicly diagnose another man with AIDS on Facebook and threaten those ‘followers’ who found his utterances revolting.

 

This is one of the reasons why the opposition in Zimbabwe will always remain in the opposition ranks because of this level of immaturity. You start questioning the whole leadership of the party for including such twisted characters in their national structures. The downfall of the opposition lies in the inexperience and immaturity of those in their ranks. With such juvenile antics, the boastful over-stating of own importance, the slander and the petty pickings on online public forums completes the disastrous jigsaw. Many ‘followers’ were left in shock and feeling uneasy by the shallowness, the low show of morals and ethics and the irresponsible utterances by a representative of the opposition leadership in Zimbabwe. I could not care less for Tendai Biti’s politics but such unprincipled Sikhala tactics of hitting below the belt are unacceptable, disappointing and disgusting to say the least as the man failed to rise above the lowly, the despicable and unethical politics of name-calling.

bernardbwoni.blogspot.com

The 'simplicity', the duplicity and the realignment

By Bernard Bwoni

The murky and turbulent waters of factional politics within the ruling party have now calmed with an outcome that represents an epic ideological victory that is to shape the country. The events of the recent few months have been a sure test for the ruling party that posed a genuine threat against what really defines the ruling party and the ethos of the liberation struggle which had the potential for an unprecedented ideological implosion. Zimbabwe is still a very young nation and as such prone to developmental weaknesses and opportunities for growth. The internal and external threats, the inter-party and intra-party had the potential to cause a cataclysmic ideological unravelling and now that has been and is still being addressed. Some wayward individuals within the ruling party leadership ranks chose to bargain the ideology of party collectivism for personal ambition individualism. Many succumbed and compromised their own and the party ideals for self-preservation in preparing for political careers past a constitutionally elected leadership. Those who compromised party ideals to further personal agendas have now been left languishing on the wrong side of the political fence and rightly so.

The distorted psyche, the degenerate overtures, the hasty quest for political stardom, the greed and cover-up of financial felonies is what led to this loss of moral mettle and the advent of this cushy culture of impunity and invincibility. On their brief expedition towards personal power they ditched their party responsibilities for own personal ambitions. The Machiavellian menaces of factional and over-ambitious politics is what relegated these heroes-come-counterrevolutionaries to the edges of the ruling party ranks. They allowed themselves to go against the core values and ideals of the party and the party had no choice but redirect them and put them back in line. The mesmeric pre-Congress dramatic unfolding and the captivating conclusion to it all has brought about clarity and reassurances of a one united ruling party without any fissures from the tectonic activity of the recent few months. The former Vice President of Zimbabwe Dr Joyce Mujuru summed it up well when she said “Mind you I don’t know any other party other than Zanu PF and that’s my party. And I will die in Zanu PF.”

It is because of this political and economic elitism that those who lost their way drew their confidence from to run parallel structures to the tried and tested leadership of President Mugabe. It is only because of the rich history of the ruling party and the astute leadership of President Mugabe that the party was able to navigate the factional and treacherous political landscape that had been specifically designed by a select elite grouping of restless and over-ambitious simple-minded individuals who embraced machinations which have historically sought to undermine Zimbabwe’s quest for genuine political and economic emancipation. The simplicity stems from the fact that many in the ruling party have tried the very same before and have failed spectacularly. The colossal figures the likes of Edgar Tekere, Simba Makoni, Ndabaningi Sithole, Margaret Dongo just to name but a few have all taken that route to the exterior of the ruling party hoping for lone victories only to find themselves alone and instantly irrelevant. They should have known better surely.

The unsettled and over-zealous caucus within the ruling party quickly jumped on the bandwagon in anticipatory naivety and a misguided sense of entitlement to power by virtue of being on the vice side of things. This coterie of the muddled suffered tunnel vision and was built on simplistic ideas of self-preservation and accumulation and more accumulation. The treachery is derived from the fact that members of this subversive syndicate chose to indulge in unsanctioned associations and private unrecorded meetings with known agents of the regime change agenda in Zimbabwe and the marionette local opposition.  They sought to undermine their very own from within and something was definitely amiss with the over-familiarity with those elements that sought to destabilise and undermine Zimbabwe. The real problem with this counter-revolutionary clique is that they did not really stand for anything because by deviating from the principles and objectives of their party they ended up standing for nothing other than personal gains. The only outcome of their self-seeking activities was exposing the ruling party to the same schemes the local opposition has employed to effect regime change in Zimbabwe. The biggest mistake was excessive confidence in simple ideas that ran parallel to the body polity and the mistaken thinking that power was already in the bag. Any political party is bigger than its minute and individual pieces and that is the fate of all those implicated.

The fact that they embraced the opposition and agents and elements known to have continually pursued an illegal agenda truly undermined the validity of this grouping and was in effect undermining the ruling party ideology and Zimbabwe as a country. It is hard to stomach the fact that it was some revered liberation war heroes who chose to cuddle up to the erstwhile enemy they so exhaustively defeated during the prolonged liberation war struggle. They chose to sacrifice the country’s hard won sovereignty for a quick gateway to the top job in Zimbabwe. The realignment that has happened within the ruling party ranks has appropriately placed the accountability of the transgressions to those responsible. The ruling party has taken the right steps to counter the alleged sabotage and anyone anywhere else would have done the same. The realignment was necessary because even though those implicated belonged to the revolutionary fold they were working on the other side of the revolution and clandestinely seeking to derail the very same revolution. The ruling party has emerged from the ruckus and fracas even stronger and united contrary to pre-congress speculation of a fragmented and weak party. The main thrust now that the party has rid itself of the internal counter-revolutionaries is the country’s frail economy. The two Vice Presidents and the whole team are in place and there is clarity in terms of rank and order.

bernardbwoni.blogspot.com

Rostrum for Zimbabwe’s economic transformation

By Bernard Bwoni

The recently announced budgetary statement was pro-poor and in a lot of ways focusing on enhancing and facilitating the strategic agriculture sector and other key ZIMASSET clusters. The Presidential Input Scheme aids and anchors the Food Security and Poverty Alleviation Clusters of the economic blueprint. The hard fact is that Zimbabwe is on the inevitable road towards recovery and the recent realignment and reshuffling within the ruling party following Congress only confirms this.

Crucially the Presidential Inputs Scheme is benefitting around 1.6 million households throughout the country for the current agricultural season. This strategic scheme targets maize, small grains and livestock which are important for the country’s food security and national self-sufficiency. At the time of announcing the budget Minister Chinamasa pointed out that so far a total of US$10.5 million had been raised and the procurement and distribution of seeds is underway through the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Depots nationally. These are positive and proactive initiatives on the part of the government to stimulate agricultural growth as this ensures that seeds are readily and timely available at the start of the planting season. It is from an agricultural base that the country’s economic revival will stem from. The government has been innovative in supplying the input supplies through a mixture of the issuing of treasury bills to settle previous obligations amounting to US$30.9 million.

The last agricultural season of 2013/14 has been a resounding success with impressive delivery of grain to the GMB and this was premised on the backdrop of an excellent rainy season and the Presidential Input Scheme. Over 220,348 metric tonnes of maize was delivered to the GMB compared 81,190 metric tonnes and 33,273 metric tonnes in the two previous season respectively. The 220,348 metric tonnes is enough for national self-sufficiency and stockpiling. It is important to note that over the past six agricultural seasons Zimbabwe has been rated first in the AU countries for meeting cereal production demands.

One of the key stumbling blocks to the revival of the agriculture sector has been access to financial resources in particular the small-scale and newly resettled farmers. The government has been proactive and made good progressive in terms of facilitating resources mobilisation from the country’s financial institutions. The Prescribed Asset Status (PAS), the Liquid Asset Status, tax exemptions and government guarantees are some of the key strategies the government has been pursuing to ensure that the agricultural financing institutions more willing to fund the sector.  The banking sector has so far this agricultural season mobilised in excess of US$1.093 billion for farmers to access working capital under a number of available credit schemes and so far support for contract farming arrangements for the 2014/15 season are in place through the Agricultural Market Authority to the tune of US$21.4 million. This is covering 12,075 hectares for maize, 6,224 hectares for soya beans and 31,680 hectares for cotton.

In the past farmers have struggled paying back loans and this has made the financial institutions very sceptical and reluctant to provide new lending to farmers. This has in turn has had a negative impact on agriculture and productivity. The government is now ensuring certainty of repayment through an efficient Stop Order System which help address the challenges relating to farmers avoiding paying through side marketing. Robust recovery systems which guarantee financial institutions that farmers will repay have now been put into place. The Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is currently developing and making arrangements for the re-establishment of the Stop Order System with the support of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. The government has been encouraging Contract farming arrangements between farmers and cotton merchants through the continuation of the Buying Quota System for contracts introduced in the 2013/14 season to limit side marketing of contracted cotton which will also support loan recovery and the sustainability of bank funding for cotton production. These are all positive strategies to rebuild trust with the lending institutions.

The government has been keen to induce productivity in agriculture via joint ventures with interested parties. The government of Zimbabwe owns expansive estates of good agricultural land nationally through the Agriculture and Rural Authority (ARDA) and the Cold Storage Commission (CSC) which currently lies under-utilised and as such has been inviting investors willing to partner ARDA and CSC in joint ventures. Under the arrangements the potential investors will provide capital whilst ARDA and CSC will provide the land and infrastructure for the estates. All this is crucial to the successful implementation of ZIMASSET.

A resurgent agriculture sector provides the platform for the country’s economic transformation and revival following years of decline. There is need to address some of the policy and administrative challenges that have held back previous government initiatives. In his address at the recently concluded ruling party 6^th National Congress President Mugabe made it clear that those implicated in corrupt practices will be expelled from government and be dealt with according to the laws of the land. It is action and actual follow up which will ensure that the degeneracy is nipped in the bud. It is now after Congress and must that focus is redirected back towards what really matters to the expectant electorate, that is the economy and service delivery. The time for excuses has been and gone.

bernardbwoni.blogspot.com

Past the politics of Congress comes the economy

By Bernard Bwoni

The ruling party’s 6^th Peoples’ National Congress under the appropriately titled banner of ‘Accelerated Implementation of ZIMASSET’ kicked off amid the uncertainty and tensions within the upper intraparty echelons of power and its prologue brought certainty and stability to the matter. The Vice-Presidents Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mr Phelekezela Mphoko have now been sworn in, the rogue ruling party elements have been disabled and replaced and now is the time to temporarily shelf the factional politics and start focusing on the economy. The main thrust of the Congress was to look at the state of the party, addressing the issue of factionalism which had been publicly and dangerously threatening to undermine the party. It also focused on the state of the country’s heavily compromised economy and looked at proposals to hasten the implementation of the government’s ZIMASSET economic blueprint. The ruling party’s First Secretary and the President of Zimbabwe His Excellency President Robert Mugabe in his Congress opening address was open and honest from the onset telling the delegates “We have not done to you what we should have done; some of us failed us and failed you”. He was making reference to some of the party leadership who had naively taken it upon themselves to prioritise personal ambitions and agendas parallel to party objectives and national direction. The National Congress has brought clarity and finality on the issue of factionalism which had been threatening to tear the ruling party apart from within. The instigators of the factionalism and the degeneracy were named and their clandestine and cabal overtures against the party were laid bare. Now that the pre-Congress commotion and dust has settled it is back to basics.

It is the hope that President Mugabe’s steely message that drew deafening reactions when he made it clear that all those public official implicated in any palm-greasing will be dealt with according to the laws of the land will be followed by actual action. The electorate is not interested in just words minus real action and the President was very clear when he said “all ministers, their deputies, chairmen and civil servants found to be guilty will lose their jobs and go to jail”. This resonated well with the expectant electorate and all that is now left is execution.

Now that the Congress is over and done with and the ruling party’s realignment has been finalised the thrust now should be the country’s frail economy to address issues of unemployment, service delivery, budget deficit issues and infrastructure development as per the premises of the ZIMASSET economic blueprint.  The triumphant ruling party is currently the sole authority of the land with a resounding majority following the 31^st July 2013 elections victory and should remain focused on governing in the national interests.  The subversive inter-party and intra-party cabal elements have been defeated and there should be no more excuses. The ideals of the liberation struggle and the ruling party must be brought back to the forefront ahead of personal and narrow-minded counter-revolutionary objectives for the sake of national trajectory. As the President rightly puts it “We are bound together by the fact of being Zimbabweans. That’s why we must be proud, take care of Zimbabwe, and build a fortress that prevents any intruders coming in without our permission. We have a responsibility to protect this land so that it never becomes a colony of those wanderers again”. This is a national economy that requires collective national spirit and intervention to harness positive outcomes.

The politics of the Congress were dealt with decisively and no doubt that the outcome was one united ruling party with the specific function to revive the country’s battered economy. The mood and message throughout the Congress was clear on the urgent need to implement ZIMASSET at the accelerated pace. There were deliberations on the state of the economy and state of agriculture from which recommendations were drawn. The Finance Minister Mr Patrick Chinamasa highlighted treasury’s difficulties in collecting revenue and the negative impact of the huge import deficit. It is imperative that the government put into place measures in place to protect local industry from cheap and inessential imports. The Minister also encouraged the nation to develop a culture of saving for the future and a culture of paying back borrowed loans to ensure the viability of local banks.

The government’s economic blueprint will yield positive results with effective implementation. The Infrastructures and Utilities clusters such as power generation, railway and road rehabilitation, dam construction, and irrigation schemes are critical in supporting the productive sectors of the economy. The completion of the Hwange Thermal Power Expansion which will generate an additional 600 megawatts into the national grid, the Gwayi-Shangani power plant will add 700 megawatts; the Kariba Extension will add 1000 megawatts and Makomo Resources an additional 600 megawatts. The government is also encouraging investments into solar energy and wind power. In the next few years once all the power generation projects are completed Zimbabwe will be exporting power to its regional partners.

The recurring theme of value addition and beneficiation continued throughout the Congress. The fact that the country is still exporting resources in their raw unprocessed form means that employment is in effect being exported as well and the country losing out. The general consensus is that focus should be on implementing fiscal corrective measures to restore investor confidence in Zimbabwe’s economy. The realignment of the ruling party politics has far-reaching implications for the nation as a whole with the party’s 6^th National Congress addressing the main sticking points that had been stalling progress.  It is only a matter of time before people of Zimbabwe start reaping the fruits of this realignment. Revolutions bear fruition on the back of successful and effective implementation of laid out programmes. The ruling party revolution rests firmly on the successful and accelerated implementation of ZIMASSET. The ruling party has no choice but to deliver on the election promises and cannot afford to take the foot off the pedal simply because of the impotent nature of the opposition politics. The party has rid itself of counter-revolutionary coterie comrades and now is the time to refocus on getting the wheels of the economy turning again.

 

bernardbwoni.blogspot.com