Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE BRICS bloc has been commended for its diplomatic and political cover that helped Zimbabwe overcome diabolical illegal sanctions for over two decades through offering affordable markets, sources of capital as well as leap-frogging technologies that promote information and financial inclusivity in a global village.
BRICS is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa formed to describe fast-growing economies that would collectively dominate the global economy by 2050.
Xinhua News Agency supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) is hosting the 6th edition of the BRICS media forum in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Speaking at the forum yesterday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa heaped praises on the BRICS saying that it was imperative that the populous Global South properly positions itself to seize opportunities as they arise from the group.
“Africa, a continent with a youthful and growing population of 1.2 billion is suddenly in the glowing limelight of international attention. Africa has to render gratitude to the economic resurgence of the BRICS and other emergent economies. The BRICS fraternity is increasingly offering new and exciting and affordable markets for goods and services, new sources of capital doing away with regimented imperialist dictates to economic development and advanced and even leapfrogging technologies that promote information and financial inclusivity in a global village,” he said.
He said the nations’ diplomatic and political cover helped Zimbabwe overcome diabolical illegal sanctions for over two decades.
“As we speak, Zimbabwe is poised to become Africa’s fastest growing economy. We have an influx of world class entrepreneurs from the BRICS fraternity pouring investment into our resource rich nation. Our well educated and easily skill-able labour force is ever keen and ready to turn invested capital to profits.
“BRICS saved us from the fate that befell Sadam’s Iraq, Gaddafi’s Libya, and Afghanistan among others. I salute Pretoria, Tshwane, Moscow and Beijing for the 2008 United Nations Security Council veto on comprehensive sanctions against Zimbabwe,” he said.
Ambassador Mutsvangwa also spoke about the forthcoming elections.
“Both me and my wife are candidates for the Senate seats. By the way, our marriage goes back to our wartime comradeship. We are a liberation struggle foot-soldier couple. Our bond is entangled in the political soul of Africa’s liberation. We are committed to anything that spells a redemptive course to the continent’s enduring aspirations. Me and Monica are surrogates of the Soweto and Samora Machel revolutionary spirit.
“We are here even as we are in the final lap of our elections. All because we put premium to the work of the mirror as the image of BRICS at work. We owe our imminent electoral good fortunes to the BRICS,” he said.
He further implored the countries to despatch BRICS reporters to Zimbabwe to come and write and film mouth-watering multi-billion-dollar investments making reference to steel blast furnaces, coke oven batteries and ferrochrome furnaces for a Carbon Steel Ecosystem at Manhize.
“There are huge lithium processing plants for New Energy Electric Vehicles. More work is witnessed in requisite energy generation and transmission. Water storage, pipe systems, building of a new port in nearby Beira, the second city of Mozambique, railway, road and accompanying logistics are the hallmark of the beckoning transformation for Zimbabwe,” he said.
The BRICS Media Forum which ends today is being held ahead of the BRICS Summit which will be held from 22-24 August. The meeting ran for three days — from 18 to 20 August. The theme of this year’s forum is “BRICS and Africa: Strengthening Media Dialogue for a Shared and Unbiased Future.” —@nyeve14
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