Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA has declared that Zimbabwe’s destiny remains entirely in the hands of its citizens, asserting that the national objective of attaining an upper-middle-income society by 2030 will be delivered through a shared development vision.
The President delivered his remarks at his official 2026 SADC Anti-Sanctions Day address on October 25, a day set aside by the 39th Southern African Development Community Summit in August 2019 to collectively demand the immediate and unconditional removal of Western-imposed economic restrictions.
President Mnangagwa stated that his administration was successfully pairing diplomatic engagement with domestic economic strategies to bypass the long-standing restrictions.
“Fellow Zimbabweans; internally, the approach by my Administration combines sustained diplomatic engagement for the removal of sanctions with practical measures,” the President said.
“These include strengthening domestic production, value addition, competitiveness and increasing broader empowerment opportunities for our people. The nation has entered an irreversible era of tangible progress and self-reliance. We remain focused on consolidating a thriving economy, for sustainable wealth.”
He noted that infrastructure investments in green energy and water management remained central to the country’s modernisation and its integration into the wider SADC region, despite a challenging international climate.
“Climate change, disruptions to energy supplies as well as international transport and trade, are increasing the cost of doing business and placing additional pressure on our developing economies,” President Mnangagwa observed.
“The strengthening of domestic production, diversification of trading relationships and an increased capacity to withstand external shocks, has become of critical importance to our Governments.”
The President reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to global multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, urging international institutions to remain accessible to all developing states.
Concluding his address, he called on the nation and the diaspora to remain united under the national philosophy of self-reliance.
“I call upon all of us to remain steadfast in our collective resolve to build our nation, brick by brick, stone upon stone and step by step. Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo / ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo,” he said, citing the national maxim that a country is built, governed, and prayed for by its own people.
“The destiny of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe, is in our hands. The future we want, must be shaped and delivered through our shared National Vision 2030, and propelled by the determination, hard honest work, resilience, patriotism and commitment to national development, by every citizen, at home and in the Diaspora. Together, united in purpose and resolute in action, we are building a sovereign, prosperous and self-reliant Zimbabwe, for both present and future generations. Even under the illegal economic sanctions, Zimbabwe is rising. Forward ever, backward never.”
