HARARE – Shingai Mutasa, a leading entrepreneur, has urged Zimbabweans to celebrate the political shift that ousted Robert Mugabe from office seven years ago, instead of adopting a negative narrative from outsiders.
Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for nearly 40 years, was removed by the military in 2017 and succeeded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mutasa, speaking as the guest speaker at the oversubscribed “In Conversation with Trevor” (ICWT) Africa Day Gala Dinner last Thursday in Harare, delivered a powerful speech on African identity and progress.
The founder and CEO of Masawara Group, according to The Standard, emphasized the importance of recognizing the discipline and intelligence behind the 2017 military intervention.
“In 2017, a military intervention took place. Instead of appreciating the military’s disciplined actions, despite our collective presence in the streets, we adopted an outsider’s negative narrative,” Mutasa said.
“Rather than admiring the intelligence, discipline, and capacity of our military, we focus on negativity. These actions required intellectual rigor and discipline.”
He continued, “We must celebrate this as it showcases our capacity. It’s crucial to understand this.”
Mutasa also highlighted the need for a shift in mindset within the business community to support political and regional development.
“We need to help our political leaders build this region. We are responsible,” he stated.
He called for the integration of artificial intelligence training for young recruits in political parties and the military to enhance national security and leadership.
“Our political parties must learn from this and recruit young talent,” Mutasa said. “Long-term strategies require our best minds to lead and implement our future. The same goes for our military leadership.”
Mutasa praised the military for encouraging further education among its officers over the past 15 to 20 years and urged them to recruit bright minds for future challenges.
“Warfare in the future will rely on the capacity to adopt, learn, and utilize artificial intelligence. This is crucial, and we must support this initiative,” he added.
Mutasa stressed the importance of improving Zimbabwe’s infrastructure and economy, urging the business community to be proactive.
“We in business cannot sit back. We have a critical role to play,” he said. “We need to work through our universities to build capacity, develop products, and create revenue streams to strengthen our institutions.”
He also encouraged businesses to embrace artificial intelligence.
“I believe that the next stage after AI could be delivered by Africans,” Mutasa said.
Mutasa is among the prominent business leaders featured on Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube’s ICWT, which recently hosted the Africa Day Gala Dinner. ICWT, a weekly podcast nearing 10 million views on YouTube, also inspired the annual Ideas Festival Conference to foster innovative ideas for nation-building.
AMH publishes NewsDay, The Standard, and Zimbabwe Independent, and owns teleradio Heart & Soul.
