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The Zanu-PF Government is getting down to business following the revolutionary party’s resounding victory in the July harmonised presidential, parliamentary and council elections. Cabinet Ministers appointed by President Mugabe have started consultations to deal with issues under their portfolios.
The pace with which the Ministers are moving has been reassuring that the ruling party is committed to delivering the promises it pledged to the people during the election campaigns.
One of the major promises was to review and improve the welfare and conditions of service of civil servants. Civil servants hardly enjoyed meaningful salary increases under the past inclusive Government because the former Finance Minister Tendai Biti and his Public Service counterpart Lucia Matibenga were not sympathetic to the plight of the Government workers.
But last week the Civil Service Commission told civil servants that the Government had already started working on adjusting their salaries. The commission revealed this to civil servants union representatives on Wednesday.
“We are just coming out of the meeting and we are happy with the tone and spirit of the deliberations. The main issue discussed was President Mugabe’s pledge to increase our salaries before the end of the year,” said Mr David Dzatsunga, president of the Apex Council, an umbrella body representing all the civil servants unions.
He described the meeting as fruitful. The new Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Cde Nicholas Goche has promised to mobilise money for the Government workers’ salaries. Such statements and the meeting between the Civil Service Commission and workers’ representatives have sent the right signals that the Zanu-PF Government is ready to deliver.
President Mugabe also undertook to improve the water situation in urban centres which include the major ones Bulawayo and Harare.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Cde Saviour Kasukuwere on Friday ordered the Zimbabwe National Water Authority to pump water from Mtshabezi Dam 24 hours a day to address the prevailing water crisis in Bulawayo.
Minister Kasukuwere said he had given the order so that Bulawayo has constant water supply and his ministry was stepping up efforts to address the city’s water problems.
These are the moves that show the Government is living up to its promises, which some critics were dismissing as mere political gimmicks to woo votes for Zanu-PF and President Mugabe.
Bulawayo residents have welcomed the Government’s move to boost water supply to the city saying it would go a long way to deal with some of the city’s major challenges.
It should be clear to the prophets of doom that the Zanu-PF Government has got the will and capacity to deal with the challenges confronting the nation.
Some have sought to play down the revolutionary party’s victory by saying it will fail to deliver on the promises it made to the electorate during the campaigns for the 31 July harmonised elections.
But President Mugabe says Zanu-PF won the elections because of its people-centred policies such as the land reform programme and the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive.
Therefore, the Government, Cde Mugabe told a recent Politburo meeting, that his party has formed a Cabinet which would immediately get down to fulfill its promises because they were genuine pledges and not political rhetoric to drum up support.
The revolutionary party promised to improve the welfare of civil servants and create employment based on its indigenisation and economic empowerment programme.
Zanu-PF undertook to revive collapsed industries most of which are found here in Bulawayo. The President said the effort should not end with resuscitating the closed factories but also extend to give birth to new companies, of course taking cognisance of the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy. The newly sworn in Zanu-PF Government is certainly hitting the ground running and signs are there that it will deliver.
Online Reporter