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Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
ZANU PF Manicaland says the Government must establish a fund to support local industries and set up other companies to ensure value addition and beneficiation of provincial resources.
This comes as the province endorsed President Mnangagwa as its sole Presidential candidate for the 2023 harmonised elections.
In its resolutions ahead of the Zanu PF Annual People’s Conference underway in Bindura, Zanu PF Manicaland underscored the need to support local industries to increase revenue and improve the provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Despite being endowed with a lot of minerals and vast agricultural opportunities, Manicaland is among the least performers in terms of GDP.
According to the GDP data recently availed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Manicaland contributes only six percent of the national GDP figures.
The provincial GDP is as follows: Harare, US$9,56 billion (40 percent); Bulawayo, US$2,26 billion (nine percent); Mashonaland East, US$2,22 billion (nine percent); Mashonaland West, US$2,14 billion (nine percent); Midlands, US$1,94 billion (eight percent), Manicaland, US$1,46 billion (six percent); Masvingo, US$1,41 billion (six percent); Matabeleland North, US$1.16 billion (five percent); Mashonaland Central, US$1,08 billion (four percent) and Matabeleland South, US$0.94 billion (four percent).
On GDP per capita per province, the performance turns out as follows: Harare (US$3 614), Bulawayo (US$3 048), Mashonaland East (US$1 408), Matabeleland North (US$ 1 333), Mashonaland West (US$1 206), Matabeleland South (US$1 186), Midlands (US$1 026), Masvingo (US$820), Mashonaland Central (US$784) and Manicaland (US$743).
As part of the resolutions for the annual indaba, Manicaland said: “Government must enact laws and craft policies that discourage exportation of raw materials, while encouraging value addition and beneficiation which will in turn increase revenue.
“Government should put in place a fund to support local provincial industries like Quest Motors, Cairns Foods, Border Timbers and Tanganda, and the setting up of other companies for value addition and beneficiation process of provincial resources.
“The Gemology Centre should be built in Mutare for the value addition of diamonds and other minerals.”
The ruling party also called for the prioritisation of the upgrading of the Grand Reef Airstrip just outside Mutare into an international airport in order to support the tourism, horticultural and other industries in the province.
Speaking in Rusape recently, Zanu PF national secretary for finance as well as acting political commissar, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, said Manicaland should stop selling raw products.
“We are concerned as we are at the tail of the development trajectory in Zimbabwe. This has triggered in us a desire to do things that will lift us from the bottom to at least somewhere in the middle,” said Cde Chinamasa.
He said all districts across the province should convene development caucuses to establish areas where they have comparative advantages.
“Each district must identify its resource base and opportunities and take measures to lure investors to exploit those assets so that we raise our GDP. Manicaland is the only source of timber for the country, whether for furniture or construction, yet we are not adding any value to it. It goes all over the country in its raw form. These are the issues that we have to attend to.
“Similarly, we have diamonds; we need to know where the value addition is taking place. If the cutting and polishing is taking place in Harare, it means we are helping Harare grow its GDP at our own expense. We produce phosphate minerals, which are used to make fertilisers.
“The phosphate is not being processed in Buhera. Again, we are helping Harare grow its GDP.
“These are some of the issues we are looking into and I am sure we will find the answers soon. We should create conditions conducive for investors to invest in Manicaland. We should go out of our way to offer incentives that will make us an investment destination of choice,” said Cde Chinamasa.
The party also urged Government to implement robust skills development programmes through the funding, and the progressive establishment of SMEs in order to reduce poverty and unemployment.
On food security, Zanu PF Manicaland said Government should put in place measures to strengthen the implementation, and monitoring of all agricultural support programmes to avoid their abuse.
“Packaging of inputs provided by Government should differ in colour to those available on the market. The inputs should be clearly branded with the name of the programme, and that they are not for resale.
“Industrial manufacturing of farm implements and machinery must be done locally. The party and Government should promote production and consumption of traditional food,” said the party.
The party also called for an uncompromising stance on indiscipline among its membership.
“There must not be any compromise on disciplinary issues, and action taken must be guided by the party constitution. Liberalism should not be tolerated in the party, hence there should be strict adherence to the party constitution.
“Factionalism in whatever form should not be tolerated as it causes unnecessary divisions in the party. The party must also craft social media policies and strategies that are binding on all party members so as to curb abuse, while mechanisms should be put in place to guard against infiltration by counter revolutionary elements,” said the party.
On office bearers, the party resolved: “Leadership positions in the party and Government should be assumed by cadres of good and exemplary reputation, who have gone through proper ideological orientation at the Chitepo School of Ideology.”
President Mnangagwa will officially open the conference today (Friday) which has been decentralised to all the provinces where delegates will follow proceedings virtually.
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