Online Reporter
President Mnangagwa has said public office bearers should be honest and hard working for the country to achieve its national objectives.
Addressing mourners at the funeral of the late Zesa Holdings executive chairman, Engineer Sydney Gata at the weekend, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe requires people of Dr Gata’s calibre to succeed. Dr Gata who was 79, passed away last Thursday after a short illness and has since been declared a National Hero.
President Mnangagwa described Eng Gata as a giant in the energy sector, whose brilliance transformed the local power utility and region.
“We needed people of his calibre. Zesa has grown to where it is now because of his leadership and guidance; his understanding in engineering,” President Mnangagwa said.
He said one would have thought that as a result of his brilliance he had amassed wealth, but Dr Gata remained very simple and honest. President Mnangagwa said Dr Gata had huge ideas, some of them too good to be believed but indeed he meant well.
“I actually listened, with regard to his focus, his vision in the energy sector, but we all have our time”, said President Mnangagwa. He said Government wants individuals that are honest, hard-working and can deliver like the late Dr Gata. President Mnangagwa said Dr Gata was a man of very high integrity, who had contributed immensely to the country’s energy sector.
He said Dr Gata continued to be a shining example of leadership despite the fact that he was vilified by those who did not agree with him.
“You have been vilified left, right and centre but that is the nature for those who do well. What is critically important is that you continued to focus on delivering what was expected of you,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said he marvelled each time he called Dr Gata to discuss both national and regional energy issues. President Mnangagwa said the SADC region had benefitted from Dr Gata’s advice about energy mix in the region.
Those appointed to public office such as civil servants and even Government ministers should learn from people like the late Dr Gata, who was unrelenting in attending to challenges and taking necessary risks to overcome obstacles.
Hesitation and the dragging of feet is not acceptable as we build the Zimbabwe we all want. President Mnangagwa said those that hold public offices should demonstrate leadership capabilities, integrity and humility that rallies communities around the common national vision.
Government is working on a number of programmes meant to attract both local and foreign investors and these programmes can only succeed if those in public offices demonstrate that they are men and women of high integrity like the late Dr Gata.
The task at hand is to turnaround the economy, and Government on its part has come up with a cocktail of measures meant to attract both local and foreign investors. It is the responsibility of those in public offices to ensure investors are not frustrated by long and protracted procedures as has been witnessed in the past.
There is a need to continue improving the ease of doing business in order to attract more investors.
