Chronicle Editor
Blessing Chidakwa
WHILE addressing the Lanting Forum in the bustling city of Shanghai in April, Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Qin Gang said the modernisation of China was characterised by hardship, perseverance, anguish, glory, honour and dreams.
Today, modern shiny glass buildings reach to the skies in the concrete jungle that has replaced once-upon-a-time old-fashioned cities of China.
Previously, most towns in China were characterised by poverty and deprivation, however, because of the vision of its leader in the late 1970s through to the 1980s, Cde Deng Xiaoping, China is now the world’s second largest economy.
For perspective, since China’s economy entered the take-off stage in 1978, the average growth rate per capita Gross Domestic Product has been up to 8.1 percent.The growth of China’s income per capita is the highest in the world. By the way, China is very much a developing country with most of its people living in the rural areas, just like Zimbabwe.
Just as President Mnangagwa aims to lift Zimbabweans out of poverty into prosperity, Chinese rural poverty has dramatically been reduced over the years, as the country looked inward for its development.
Zimbabwe now follows the philosophy, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” (Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo) as it refines its own formula for emancipation, economic development, modernisation and industrialisation under President Mnangagwa.
“As is often said, you should go to Shanghai if you want to know about the last 100 years of China. A little over a century ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) started its journey from here. Since then, Shanghai has witnessed not only the vicissitudes of the Chinese nation, but also the profound transformation across the country. The old Shanghai, dominated by foreign powers, is a forerunner today in China’s reform and opening-up. A bustling and prosperous metropolis has risen from devastation since 1949. As China’s biggest economic and innovation powerhouse and a trading and shipping hub of the world, Shanghai is leading the trends of our times and development. It is a shining hallmark of the Chinese path to modernisation,” Mr Qin Gang told the delegates in April, as he condensed the journey that China has taken, all stemming from the pragmatic Cde Deng.
In President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe has its own Cde Deng as succinctly put by Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Chris Mutsvangwa in 2017: “Those of us who have always supported him see him as the Deng Xiaoping of China who comes in after a long leadership and an atrophy in the economy; who comes in and says we must open, bring investment and open up the economy, release the energies of the people of Zimbabwe and use our resources to pry our rightful place in the global marketplace. The manner in which Deng opened up China to foreign trade and the reforms he implemented are important lessons which Zimbabwe can learn to chart its own economic success.”
And indeed President Mnangagwa has not only opened Zimbabwe to the world but has shown that with self-belief the country can reach the skies.
President Mnangagwa’s path to a second term was made easier due to the hard work displayed by his administration over the past five years, and after the announcement of his latest Cabinet — a blend of the old and the new — there is no doubt the team will hit the ground running.
“The quality of life of our people, from Zambezi to Limpopo, from Plumtree to Mutare must be improved. That duty lies with us all, as Zimbabweans, both here at home and in the Diaspora. No one else will build our country. No one should ever come from elsewhere to govern our country. We have the primary responsibility to offer supplications and prayers for our country. We must do all these ourselves. This is who we are, as the great people of Zimbabwe.
“Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatigwa, nevenevayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo. Under the new Zanu-PF Government and my leadership, rest assured that you, my fellow Zimbabweans and compatriots; boys and girls at home and abroad, shall continue to be at the centre of all our policies, projects and programmes,” the President assured the nation recently.
Inevitably, it is difficult to compare Zimbabwe and China, especially as the President fosters a character of patriotism among Zimbabweans, some of whom yearn to be identified by western standards and seek approval from the white man’s gaze.
In China, the people love their country so much that there is no litter on the ground, because they believe in themselves and have a sense of duty and responsibility towards their country.
Zimbabwe continues to draw lessons from all-weather friend, China. Through unity, love and passion for their country the Chinese are building their country brick by brick. However, it was never going to be an easy road for them without a visionary leader, of course it was a mammoth task. Here in
Zimbabwe, with a leader whose vision is clear, there is development that leaves no one and no place behind.
President Mnangagwa’s vision has seen the country ending the power outages that dogged the country in days yonder.
Just as an example, by upgrading Hwange Units 7 and 8, the President added more than 600 megawatts to the national grid, to meet demand which is rising due to increased economic activity.
Even as the country has secured its domestic electricity needs, President Mnangagwa sees far and has directed that Hwange 1 to 6 should also be upgraded so that the country is guaranteed of enough supplies, with enough to spare for exports, and that is a vision for the future.
In agriculture, the country has reached food security and its silos are brim-full with enough grain for exports, this all wasn’t fathomable 10 years ago as Zimbabwe was often dogged by droughts.
President Mnangagwa ended hunger, and put the country’s economy on an unprecedented growth path.
There are signposts of that development everywhere in Zimbabwe, from roads that are being constructed using local companies and without loans from foreign countries, to nutritional gardens in each of the country’s 35 000 villages.
President Mnangagwa has a plan for everyone, and a plan that indeed is proven to work in countries like China.
Online Reporter