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Senior Reporter
THE government should involve business leaders when negotiating with international financiers to eliminate the bureaucratic processes that delay access to the resources, businessman, Dr Phillip Chiyangwa said yesterday. “The city (Bulawayo) has been bedevilled by numerous challenges and there has been so much talk in government about the challenges facing Bulawayo but not much has been put into practice to address the challenges,” he said.
“A lot of people have come up with a lot data on Bulawayo challenges but no transition has been made. As business, we need to be involved,” he said while responding to questions from the floor during a public lecture on entrepreneurship at the Bulawayo Polytechnic’s School of Tourism and Hospitality.
“For example, if government is seeking funding from the international community representing business for industrial revival without us getting involved, it will take much longer to secure that money because of a lot of bureaucracy.
“The government needs to come to us (business players) to eliminate all that bureaucracy so that the money comes faster. Sometimes it is misrepresentation that may make people to suffer for longer.”
He said Bulawayo needs $500 million for industrial recovery alone and if you add investment on water projects such as the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, the money runs into billions of dollars.
“What we need without qualms is water. The most important thing needed in Bulawayo is water, even if we say we want to revive industries, without water nothing will work out,” he said.
Dr Chiyangwa said companies in Bulawayo were suffering because of the water crisis in the city.
He pointed out that resuscitating industries without addressing the water challenge would not be the lasting solution to the challenges facing companies.
Dr Chiyangwa challenged students from tertiary institutions to become innovative and create employment rather than to wait to get employed.
“By the time you leave your studies, you should have thought of what business you want to venture into rather than waiting to get employed. Yes there is no money in the economy but that does not mean there is no business. There is no money in people’s hands and as an entrepreneur do not lean into old methods of doing business; making money is about tracking where it is going,” he said.
“For example, if I were a banker,” Dr Chiyangwa said: “I could have bought shares in one of the leading telecommunications firms like Econet. Banks are complaining about EcoCash because they have not tracked where the money is going. Old Mutual sold its shares in Econet and I think they are regretting now.”
Meanwhile, during the public lecture, Dr Chiyangwa reiterated that he was not related to Joe Chiyangwa.
“I know there is a guy who owns a security company here in Bulawayo and purports that he is my brother. Please, please I don’t have any relation here in Bulawayo; discard his claims otherwise all I have here in Bulawayo is a company called Zeco,” he said.
The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo and officials from Zimbabwe Youth in Tourism among others attended the event.
Online Reporter