adminMANICALAND welcomes its newly appointed Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Mandi Chimene, a loyal party cadre who has seen it all during the liberation struggle and after Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.
Expectations are high, and the province hopes that she leaves an indelible mark as a provincial leader who will be remembered for serving the province with a distinction. Manicaland has had raw deals, which retarded chances of attaining her potential socio-economic growth.
Despite an abundant resource base, the province lags behind other provinces. The province cries for a leader with spine and unmatched commitment to pull her wagon behind the drift.
For this reason, we throw our full weight and support behind Cde Chimene, for united we stand and divided we fall. Cde Chimene is no stranger to a myriad of challenges facing our region, having served as a legislator in Mutasa, Nyanga and Makoni districts.
Manicaland lacks harmonisation of economic, social and political factors in its resource management. This has resulted in the province failing to eradicate poverty, hunger and unemployment among its people.
Our province is endowed with natural wealth such as gold, diamonds and wildlife whose exploitation has failed to bring anything to its communities.
Instead the exploitation of these resources has systematically alienated communities creating resource deprivation, scarcity and poverty.
As such, we pin our hopes on the maverick politician to ruffle a lot of feathers in the corridors of power, championing policy change so that the exploitation of natural resources in the mining and timber sectors brings positive change to the province. To Cde Chimene we say that there is no justification other than having diamonds and gold extracted from here make a difference in the province. Manicaland cannot leave it to other parts of the country to benefit from its own resources ahead of it. Charity begins at home — and Manicaland, more than any other part of the country, should benefit from the exploitation of its diamonds and gold.
We call on Cde Chimene to fight with the determination of a bulldog to ensure the province accrues this benefit from its proximity and association with these natural resources.
Cde Chimene should ensure that proceeds from the sale of the diamonds are equitably ploughed back throughout Manicaland Province. We also call on Cde Chimene to champion investment in physical, irrigation and agro-processing infrastructure in the province’s arid regions. Manicaland is failing to meet or exceed the food requirements for its growing population, a feat that can be easily achieved with the requisite irrigation facilities dotted across the breadth and length of the province.
Such investment will enable intensification and diversification of agricultural activities. In addition, improved access to roads, irrigation facilities, electricity and storage and processing facilities help improve the standard of living of the people. Cde Chimene is a legislator, and we hope other stakeholders who were not used to her radical and commandeering approach to issues will grasp her style swiftly to minimize conflict. They should also quickly understand her party-aligned approach, for she believes in the value of parties and politics.
This approach is the life-blood of good governance and open debate. To address all the challenges besieging our land, we need to work together, across the political spectrum, to build consensus and take action. It is time to move from rhetoric to action. That’s not easy for her alone. We need team spirit. We all must be team players and partakers of this grand developmental agenda. There is no room for spectators for if one of us short circuits the process, our goal to achieve transformative change beyond 2018, will be missed.
We wish Cde Chimene well in her new challenge –which should start with a review of the progress made in past, the constraints encountered and the recommendations for the future course of action.
Online Reporter