Chronicle Editor
HAILING President Mnangagwa’s victory in harmonised elections held on Wednesday, observers have christened his next five years in office as his “legacy” mandate.
He won his first five-year term in July 2018 and secured his second successive and final mandate according to results announced by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba late on Saturday night. He polled about 2,3 million votes or 52,6 percent of the valid ballot. Zanu-PF won 136 seats in Parliament out of the 209 that were contested with a by-election due in Gutu West. In second place was Mr Nelson Chamisa who polled 1,9 million votes with his Citizens Coalition for Change party securing 73 constituencies.
In his first five years, President Mnangagwa’s Government implemented more than 7 000 development projects, more than 5 000 of which had been completed by July. Dams, roads, hospitals, clinics, airports, irrigation schemes, Pfumvudza/Intwasa and many others have transformed not only the national landscape but also livelihoods. Energy security has been secured, the same for national food security. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created and industrial output has risen.
Indeed, the country had not been under construction to the scale we have witnessed over the past five years.
Now that the people voted most wisely and voted for continuity, the outstanding 2 000 projects will be completed, with new ones being initiated over the next five years.
“The elections have come and gone,” the President said on Sunday.
“I am humbled by the trust and confidence that you my fellow countrymen and women have reposed in me, to once again serve as President of our great country, Zimbabwe. There is much more work to be done. Together, as one united people we shall continue on the growth trajectory witnessed over the last five years, no one and no place will be left behind.”
We expect him to use the next five years to seal the successes that he initiated in its first mandate.
We look forward to programmes that have enabled the country to secure food security to be intensified. The Presidential support schemes for less-resourced farmers will continue, top among them Pfumvudza/Intwasa and community nutritional gardens. We will expect communal irrigation schemes that have been resuscitated and now being run by locals as businesses to flourish.
The Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2, which, for now, is geared towards repairing highways should be improved into building totally new roads countrywide and more of them being paved. As this is being done, we urge the Government to pay particular attention on roads in newly-resettled areas.
It is crucial too for the Government to really revamp the National Railways of Zimbabwe in terms of rolling stock and its tracks so that the entity plays a more central role in moving bulk cargo, instead of haulage trucks performing that role.
More schools and health centres should be built countrywide, and being built much closer to communities so that our people don’t travel long distances to access education and health services. Higher and tertiary education institutions will scale up production of goods and services with many more and larger power plants being built to meet demand to sure emerge from a growing industrial base.
All is set for more diligent work over the next five years as the President will be eager to solidify the great work that his Government has done since 2018 and will do up to 2028.
Online Reporter