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Lovemore Chikova in JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
ZANU PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa has thanked countries that make up BRICS for standing with Zimbabwe, especially at a time when it was under siege.
Speaking at the Sixth BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday, Ambassador Mutsvangwa said his experiences during his diplomatic posting in Beijing had given him “confidence that Zimbabwe and Africa will make it”. The forum was attended by media practitioners from countries that make up the grouping — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and their colleagues from various African countries. The forum comes ahead of the 15th BRICS Summit, which starts in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
“I went to Beijing as ambassador in 2002,” he said.
“Zimbabwe was under grave geopolitical attack. We developed, as a counter alternative, the Look East Policy, for alternative capital. That was my assignment when I went to Beijing.
“I am happy to say that experience was an eye-opener. I saw in China the application of capital changing people’s lives. And we said if China can make it so dramatically in such a small period of time, Africa will also make it.”
The stance taken by BRICS countries, he said, saved Zimbabwe from the fate that befell Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, among other countries that had been targeted by the West.
“I salute Pretoria (South Africa), Moscow (Russia) and Beijing (China) for the 2008 United Nations Security Council veto on comprehensive sanctions against Zimbabwe,” he said. He also said the diplomatic and political cover by BRICS had helped Zimbabwe “overcome diabolical illegal sanctions for over two decades”, and, due to such efforts, the country was now poised to become Africa’s fastest-growing economy.
“We have an influx of world-class entrepreneurs from the BRICS fraternity into our resource-rich nation,” he added.
“We are going to be competing with Russia and Turkey in the production of steel. We are offering world-class resources to world capital.
“If you want to have a country of opportunity today, start with Zimbabwe.
“Don’t be fooled by BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera. We have restored gold back to the young people. Production jumped from five tonnes in 2008 to 30 tonnes today.
“What China and Russia are doing to get away from the petro dollar, we do it with gold.”
By bringing the BRICS media and other media from Africa together, Xinhua News Agency from China — which organised the BRICS Media Forum — was charting a new future for developing countries, he said.
The BRICS Media Forum was launched in 2015 at the initiative of Xinhua News Agency of China — in partnership with leading media outlets in Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
Over the past eight years, the BRICS media have made full use of the platform to promote exchanges, mutual learning, practical co-operation and common development.
ZANU PF, Amb Mutsvangwa added, will romp to victory in the harmonised elections on Wednesday.
“I want to assure you that because of what President ED Mnangagwa has done — he is growing a middle class, a genuine world middle class . . . — come Wednesday, President ED Mnangagwa will win. It will shame those who say democracy was created in the West,” he said.
Online Reporter