Call for Govt to take charge

Ngoni Dapira  Business Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has been called on to take charge on economic turnaround issues by participants from the Zimbabwe Defence College during a Manicaland business indaba last week Thursday in Mutare.
The Manicaland business indaba, which was organised by the National Defence College Course 3 of 2014, was part of their countrywide tour to assess the economic and political environment in a bid to come up with a strategic national security paper that will be presented to Cabinet.

Manicaland was their first stop, before crossing to Masvingo, Matabeleland and Midlands provinces respectively.
The two-phased business indaba involved a private brief with the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Manicaland, Chris Mushohwe, and the business indaba with the business community and lobby groups.

In response to Mushohwe’s brief on the state of affairs in Manicaland Province, one of the participants asked why Chiadzwa companies in partnership with Government were among the most defiant in terms of honouring the Community Share Ownership Trust pledges.

Another participant asked why the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate still insisted on the continued closure of the Penhalonga gold mining concern, DTZ-Ozgeo, when scores of people in Penhalonga were rendered jobless ever since they closed operations, yet employment creation was a top priority for Government under Zim-Asset.

Mushohwe said there were some inconsistencies in the country’s policies that needed to be reviewed to foster far-reaching development.
“In the case of DTZ-Ozgeo, the Environmental Management Agency was just an instrument. It was actually a Cabinet decision that river bank alluvial gold mining must stop after the Mazowe River pollution incident caused by illegal gold miners.

“It is very unfortunate that DTZ-Ozgeo closed despite having good rehabilitation programmes because of this Cabinet decision.
“They were unfortunately caught up in policy issues. If you go there today you will find out that illegal miners have taken over and it is an eyesore. The illegal miners are polluting Odzi River even worse. These are some of the policy inconsistencies that affect us which need to be reviewed for us to realise meaningful development.”

Answering the question on defiant Chiadzwa diamond companies in partnership with Government, Mushohwe said: “As Government, we must do what we say and lead by example. I will continue to lobby my colleagues in Government to do the right thing and push the developmental drive,” said Mushohwe.

He revealed that Treasury lost $40 million this year that could have benefitted the nation from the usual gold deposits handed in by DTZ-Ozgeo in the first quarter of the fiscal year.

Several other head-on questions were asked about accountability in the recent diamond auctions where there were low sales and the pollution of Save and Odzi rivers by diamond mining companies.

Mushohwe tried to answer all the questions candidly, but the conclusion by the participants was that Government needed to take charge.
Most of the follow-up questions by participants held that Government was hiding behind a finger.

The participants called on Government to take charge in steering developmental issues rather than turning a blind eye on consequential matters at the expense of the general population.

NDC team leader Air Commodore Brian Chikonzo said Course 3 of 2014 was a national security and policy implementation course.
He said their aim was to listen to the actual economic problems bedevilling industry in the country and weigh against the political landscape to avert a national security threat.

“National security is no longer just about guns and bombs but things that affect the populace.
“Lack of peace and security in a country has the potential to destabilise the socio-economic fabric of any society resulting in political acrimony and conflict, while the reverse is also true where lack of a productive socio-economic fabric can trigger acrimony and conflict,” said Air Comm Chikonzo.

Affirmative Action Group president Mr Chamu Chiwanza thanked the NDC and said it was important to have engagement with the security sector in the ongoing economic turnaround discourse under Zim-Asset.

Mr Chiwanza said there can never be any effective business without peace, while peace was not also probable with a discontented business community and populace.

The NDC Course 3 of 2014 participants are high-ranking officials from all the country’s security agencies, the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prison and Correction Services, President’s Office and security sector line ministries.

Other distinguished guests present at the business indaba were the AAG chief executive officer, Dr Davison Gomo, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce national president, Mr Hlanganiso Matangaidze and Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe national president as well as ZNCC Manicaland chairman, Mr Tamuka Macheka.