Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Bhebhe, Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporters
ENTREPRENEURS in Matabeleland have applauded the Second Republic for continuously striving to create a conducive business environment for everyone to contribute to the national economy saying that was unheard of during the colonial era.
Pre-Independence, employment was a straitjacket approach with blacks expected to work in factories for the colonialists under inhumane conditions.
That mentality of not owning the means of production was entrenched in the minds of people further cementing the dependence syndrome.
However, with the advent of Independence in 1980 and land reform programme in the turn of the century saw many people owing farms, youths included.
With land in the hands of free Zimbabweans, many young people are venturing into the agricultural sector eager to contribute to the economy.
Government is aiming to achieve a US$8,2 billion agriculture economy by 2025 riding on the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, which seeks to achieve the targeted growth by 2025.
Through various agriculture support schemes, the Government has on its side committed billions of dollars in the sector while private sector funding has also come in handy.
In an interview yesterday, a young entrepreneur in Mbembesi, Matabeleland North, Mr Thabo Gasela who started farming last year said to him, owning land and getting an opportunity to contribute to the economy is a major highlight of Independence.
“I ventured into farming last year and that is a great milestone and tangible highlight of Independence,” said Gasela.
“The attainment of Independence has given me and many youths an opportunity to be self-reliant. Many young people and Matabeleland included are now venturing into the sector, and that is a huge positive for the Second Republic,” said Gasela.
“I have noted that in Zimbabwe there are three major sectors that really work: agriculture, tourism and mining.
“With agriculture, it was once a breadbasket of the country, and now with the Second Republic, it is pushing so hard to get us back to those glory days.
“Boreholes are being sunk for communities throughout the country and that is a rigorous approach to try and get people empowered.”
Mr Gasela said farming is also a vehicle of foresting unity among Zimbabweans.
“I have realised that agriculture is promoting unity among people, young farmers are networking on social media, connecting and assisting each on businesses. Unity is what Independence is about.”
To achieve a US$8,2 billion agriculture economy by 2025, Mr Gasela said financial institutions must relax funding requirements for young farmers.
He said too many bottlenecks frustrate farmers.
“We need capital. Most of the times there is too much red tape involved in accessing funding.
“In Matabeleland, animal husbandry dominates because the climate suits that business, but when we approach banks for funding, we are told to change our line of business to do for example sunflower or soya bean production and that is frustrating.
“As young farmers we appeal to the Government to intervene and cause banks to loosen up on term and conditions of funding by financial institutions.
“We need many young people to be financially empowered to drive agriculture back where it was a few decades ago and even surpass that era.
“This wave that the Second Republic has embarked upon is driving the nation towards that. Farming is our strength and as young farmers we are ready to do our part.”
Affirmative Action Group (AAG) Matabeleland South chapter vice-president who is a prominent businessman and Zanu-PF Matabeleland South province youth league executive Cde Fisani Moyo implored youths to utilise business opportunities availed through Independence and be self-employed.
“My advice to other small-scale miners is, with the attainment of Independence, we now own mines countrywide and we must utilize this opportunity to be productive in all mining claims.
“Our focus should be on productivity in the mines. The mining industry has vast opportunities for everyone who wants to be part of it and that is what Independence is about.
No youth should say he or she is being denied an opportunity. The Second Republic is opening up space for miners especially small-scale players.
“We must believe in ourselves as miners that we can be productive and create room for employment.
“Going forward we ask Government through the Ministry of Mines to ensure that small-scale miners are giving title deeds to mine claims. That would embolden a sense of ownership.”
Mr Tendai Charuka of Zimbabwe Projects Housing Trust said he is grateful for the liberation struggle and liberators.
“Our predecessors in business before Independence had a tough time operating and setting up. They faced a lot of hurdles and struggles in their endeavour to setup business ventures.
“But because we were liberated and our Government ensured that Zimbabweans benefited from being Zimbabweans, we are enjoying the fruits that were picked by our forefathers. We are operating and doing business in a free environment,” said Mr Charuka.
He said President Mnangagwa had and was doing a sterling job in ensuring that business flowed smoothly in the country.
“President Mnangagwa is opening the country to vast opportunities and investment. His mantra that the country is open for business has seen many investors show interest in this great nation,” said Mr Charuka.
Mr Charuka noted that the only challenges that they faced in business were sanctions.
“Sanctions, believe it or not, are affecting us in many ways. But because we have a diligent president there are measures and strategies that have been put in place to ensure we operate freely and smoothly,” he said.
Since Mr Charuka launched his business in 2012, he has managed to accomplish two projects in Bulawayo, where he managed to provide housing for at least 1 250 people in Upper Rangemore.
“Currently we are seeking to provide housing for 968 people before 2023 in Lower Rangemore,” he said.
The president of Zimbabwe Confederation of Retailers Mr Denford Mutashu said Independence has seen the emergence of SMEs within agriculture, tourism, mining and many other economic sectors and people can draw comfort from that as they are now emancipated.
He said after Independence the business landscape has changed as more Zimbabweans are now land owners who can venture into mining and farming which contribute to economic success for the country of Zimbabwe.
“Nobody thought that Zimbabweans could own land more than the whites and we can congratulate the Government of Zimbabwe by ensuring that the majority of people now own the productive sector of the economy,” said Mr Mutashu.
“The Government realised that having political Independence was not enough as we needed at least to gain economic emancipation.”
He said, that was achieved during the later years of Independence as people wanted to be owners and authors of the Zimbabwean economy and have something tangible to believe and realise that they have gotten the Independence.
“Political Independence without economic Independence is nothing and worthless because it is just but a mere tokenism as we needed to get the country going forward and for it to go forward it needed to capture the majority previously marginalised and these were blacks,” he said.
Mr Mutashu said the economy has now attained the necessary balance and what is required now is for Zimbabweans to realign their focus and ensure that SMEs are capacitated and given the necessary support.
“SMEs need to be given technical and financial support so that as the country we achieve what we intended to achieve especially now that we are focused on attainment of an upper middle income-economy by 2030,” he said.
“We need to make sure that SMEs contribute to the general well-being of the economy and they have to be part of global and overall national good by virtue of them being benefited from liberal causes and policies, which were deliberately emancipated by the Government in order for them to participate in the economic development of our country.”
He said Government should create a database of SMEs in all sectors.
Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Dr Sithembiso Nyoni hailed SMEs for playing a very important role in poverty reduction and improving the economy since the attainment of Independence in 1980.
Dr Nyoni said if it wasn’t for the hard-working SMEs in Bulawayo and the whole Zimbabwe, many families would have sunk into poverty.
“SMEs have played a very important role in growing our economy and if we didn’t have hard working SMEs, a lot of families would have sunk into real poverty,” she said.
“When I was walking on Fife Street, I was saying to myself, there are hundreds if not thousands of people who are making a living here.”
Minister Nyoni said it is impressive to note that the goods which are being produced by the SMEs in the country are export quality.
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