President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has been accused of rewarding the military for bringing him to power says he too is from the military, so when he says Zimbabwe is open for business, he means just that.
Mnangagwa was sworn in as Zimbabwe’s second executive president on 24 November following military intervention on 15 November which led to former president Robert Mugabe’s resignation on 21 November.
Though the military insisted that its intervention was not a coup, critics of Mnangagwa and his “junta” say it was a coup and Mnangagwa is rewarding the military through senior appointments both in the government and in the party.
Mnangagwa has appointed former Zimbabwe Defence Forces chief Constantino Chiwenga as one of his deputies.
He appointed former Air Force Chief Perrance Shiri as Minister of Lands and Agriculture, the general who announced the military takeover Sibusiso Moyo as Foreign Affairs Minister and another army general Engelbert Rugeje as the party’s national commissar.
Addressing Zimbabweans in Pretoria on Thursday, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is open for business for those who want to make money.
“I am hopeful. My team is hopeful. There is no business as usual. Things have changed. It’s a new era. I am from the military. If it is left turn, it is left turn. If it s right turn, it’s right turn. No confusion, left turn others go right turn, aaah no. My ministers are very clear about that stance and I believe that together we can move forward.”
He added: “We are 16 to 18 years behind the others. We do not need to re-invent the wheel. We need to catch up and overtake them. And to do so, we the politicians must create an environment where you can survive, to do so there must be continuous dialogue between those in government and those in the private sector… We should have no durawall between the government and the private sector.”
Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is not a country for ZANU-PF. It is not a country of MDC. It is a country of Zimbabweans.
He highlighted several projects that Zimbabweans could invest in such as the Mutare-Plumtree dualisation, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls dualisation, Harare-Chirundu road; irrigation projects to increase capacity to 300 000 hectares from the current 159 000 ha., soya bean production currently at only 20percent capacity, and beneficiation of cotton.
To emphasise his seriousness, Mnangagwa tweeted in his Christmas message yesterday that the year is ending.
“The season of politics is over and there is need to use the Holiday season and the time to follow to concentrate on bettering the lives of all Zimbabweans.
“Zimbabwe is now open for business. There will be political challenges and criticism but the primary objective of this government is economics. We are putting in place favourable economical laws, for investors to find it (an) easy, (and) conducive place safe for their businesses.”
Mnangagwa says he has only six months before the next elections which he has pledged will be free and fair because that is the only way the country can move forward peacefully, politically and economically. – Source: Insider
