Chronicle Editor
ZIMBABWE’S economy is on a recovery trajectory buoyed by last cropping season’s bumper harvest and the rebound of the mining sector much to the chagrin of the country’s detractors. The President Cde Mnangagwa has been kept busy this year commissioning new companies or revived mines. The prophets of doom who have been predicting a collapse of the economy are very frustrated now.
Recently President Mnangagwa commissioned Eureka Gold Mine, a Padenga Holdings-owned company in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province.
Last Thursday, President Mnangagwa witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Government and mining giant Zimplats which intends to invest US$1,4 billion on four major projects. Many companies are working on increasing their capacity utilisation despite the constraints brought about by the illegal sanctions.
Zimbabwe’s enemies are using social media to peddle falsehoods to confuse the people but what is comforting is that the people are witnessing the implementation of development projects in their respective areas so they will not be fooled.
The good rains received during the last cropping season enabled most families to harvest enough to feed themselves so the tactic of using food handouts to persuade people to rebel against the establishment will not work this time around. There have been stepped-up disinformation campaigns through social media just days before the arrival of the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Professor Alena Douhan who, during her stay in the country, established the truth regarding the impact of sanctions.
Prof Douhan established that the cost of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe has ballooned to US$100 billion while the cost of borrowing for the country is more than 1 000 percent higher than the average in most countries.
During her 10-day visit Prof Douhan met representatives from Government, opposition political parties, civil society and the private sector. She also visited Bulawayo to assess the impact of sanctions on the city’s industry.
Bulawayo which used to be the country’s industrial hub, was the worst hit by sanctions which forced a number of companies to close or relocate to other countries.
The spirited campaigns led by the opposition MDC-Alliance were meant to mislead Prof Douhan but she managed to establish the truth and produced a detailed report on the impact of sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy.
She called on the United States and other Western countries to lift the illegal sanctions which she said were causing the suffering of ordinary citizens.
Government has said despite the sanctions, Zimbabweans should strive to grow the economy taking advantage of the country’s abundant resources.
President Mnangagwa has said economic saboteurs who are bent on derailing the milestones of the Second Republic will be dealt with accordingly. The individuals peddling falsehoods to fuel chaos in the economy are among the economic saboteurs who deserve severe punishment.
The economic stability the country has been enjoying has unnerved these enemies of Zimbabwe hence the desperate moves to disseminate false information. We want at this juncture to implore Zimbabweans to play their role in growing the economy.
The thrust now should be to positively contribute to the growth of the economy taking advantage of the many Government policy interventions to enhance ease of doing business.
The bumper harvest guarantees adequate raw materials for the agro-processing industries. It is a fact that the country has been spending a lot of money on food imports. We have every reason to conclude that the country is poised for an industrial boom given the many positives so far recorded.
Online Reporter