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They said it was saddening that five months after the launch of the fund last year, people were still talking about applying for the fund.
The general feeling at the meeting was that the fund should have long been disbursed.
“We are shocked that we are here today still talking about applying for the fund and when it would be released. We should be talking about companies that benefited if our leaders were serious,” said a youthful participant.
“It is painful to us as youths that our leaders are failing to put pressure on Government. Let us be united because our political leaders have failed us. We should organise ourselves and give an ultimatum after which we all protest if nothing is released.”
Some suggested that MPs from the region should join members of the public and stage a demonstration to protest against the delay in releasing funds under Dimaf.
“Last year MPs were threatening to boycott to approve the budget because they had not been paid their allowances, why don’t they boycott parliament today to force Government to release the money?” said another participant to applause from other participants.
The participants said political leaders should remember that the idea of the fund came after an outcry by the people of Bulawayo about the state of industry and they should not hijack the fund to gain political mileage.
“The problem here is that our MPs want to gain political mileage with this fund. Where are they now, if this fund was for Mutare or Harare it could have been released long back because they have a common vision as leaders.
“Dimaf is not for political parties but money for companies,” said yet another participant.
Some suggested the setting up of a committee to push Government to release the money.
Another speaker who said he was a pastor, said Members of Parliament did not have their electorate at heart because if they did, they should be pushing for the release of the money.
Dimaf was meant to revive industries and create employment for thousands of people who were suffering.
“People are suffering and no-one cares about that. At Mpilo Central Hospital for example, mothers are failing to pay $50 registration fees for maternity and even $30 demanded by council clinics,” he said.
Mr Qhubani Moyo, MDC national organising secretary said: “Most of our MPs have become useless. They talk about allowances but not about development. None of the 12 MPs we have in Bulawayo have stood up in Parliament to talk about Dimaf and that is worrying.”
Addressing the meeting, the president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries for Matabeleland Region, Dr Ruth Labode, said they had been told falsehoods
for months by Government Ministers because Minister of Finance Tendai Biti only opened the Dimaf Cabs account two weeks ago.
Dr Labode said as industry, they had decided to engage the Government so that the money is not disbursed by Cabs but by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. She said they had sent a list of “critical” companies to Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter