Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike in Mvurwi
Vice President Dr Kembo Mohadi has described President Mnangagwa as a great statesman whose name will be inseparable from the history of Zimbabwe.
Introducing President Mnangagwa to thousands of people who thronged Mvurwi Business Centre for the Munhumutapa Day celebrations yesterday, the Vice President said the President’s leadership has been guided by calculated steps towards the country’s Vision 2030.
President Mnangagwa was also celebrating his 84th birthday.
“He has been a party leader and he has been everything. So, when we write the history or the story of Zimbabwe, no chapter in that history will be without his name.”
VP Mohadi said President Mnangagwa had, at the inception of the Second Republic, set out a vision for Zimbabwe to attain upper middle-income status by 2030, describing the vision as well calculated.
“At the inception of the Second Republic, he said to us, some of us that are close to him, that there is no way we can leave this country without a vision. And he said the vision. He said the vision is that by 2030 you would want to see a Zimbabwe that will have progressed to a point of upper middle income society. Then he had to set measures that would actually lead to that”.
The Vice President said he was happy to note that the youth were emulating President Mnangagwa, but cautioned that emulation and action were two different things.
The VP said he wants to see a generation that is patriotic and that has the people at heart.
“But I’m glad to see that the youth are trying to emulate that. They are trying to emulate that, but emulation and doing, those are two different things. Let them learn from what we did so that this Zimbabwe remains secure after we are gone. We need to see a patriotic generation and that has got the people at heart. Your Excellency, your life reflects continuity.
“You belong to a generation, as I indicated earlier, that fought for the liberation and you equally participated in building the independent state of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The Vice President said President Mnangagwa had surprised him by supporting the abolition of the death penalty despite having escaped the gallows.
“I am saying to you that you have seen it all. He is someone who surprised me at one point.
“Having known that he escaped the gallows, he was suggesting that the death sentence should be abolished. I thought he would say we maintain it and get those who were sending us to these gallows to be hanged so they have a taste of their own medicine. But he said no, and he abolished the death sentence,” he said.
Vice President Mohadi said he wishes to see President Mnangagwa continue leading the country, saying running a country needs a resilient leader.
“We still want you to direct us towards the Zimbabwe that we all want. Nation-building is something that needs a leader or leadership that is resilient. Trustworthy leadership. Leadership that is patriotic and leadership that can stand all the machinations of the enemy. He is a revolutionary,” he said.
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