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Mukudzei Chingwere in Victoria Falls
Tourism industry players have commended President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic for fostering a peaceful environment in the election period and said this augurs well for business and general economic development in the country.
These sentiments were expressed when industry players met Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga here yesterday morning.
The VP, who was in the resort city for a rally to drum up support for the ruling Zanu PF party ahead of Wednesday’s harmonised elections, took the opportunity to engage the local business leadership in Victoria Falls to hear their concerns and see how the parties can further facilitate the ease of doing business.
The meeting was held under the framework of Government’s encouragement of private sector participation in economic development whereupon it is expected to play a key role in the country’s development towards an upper middle-income economy as envisioned by President Mnangagwa.
In his remarks at the meeting, VP Chiwenga said he was glad to share experiences with the business community and urged them to highlight areas they felt needed Government’s attention.
Ms Barbara Murasiranwa, the leader of a local business lobby group, We Are Victoria Falls Initiative, thanked the Government for its consistent call for peace and harmony in the build-up to the elections which she said had benefited tourism.
She also commended the Government for the practical steps taken to quickly resuscitate the industry after a Covid-19 induced slowdown.
President Mnangagwa has consistently maintained a tough stance against violence or any activities that may cast doubt on the credibility of the electoral process.
“We are grateful for what Government has done for the revival of the tourism sector after Covid-19 pandemic and for making the city a priority for vaccination which gave visitors confidence,” said Ms Murasiranwa.
“We normally struggle when it comes to election periods. Tourists cancel their trips saying it’s not safe. Our previous efforts to tell them that it is safe didn’t yield positive results but this time our leaders stood up and said it is safe and the whole world has listened.
VP Chiwenga assured the meeting that President Mnangagwa had a desire to foster private sector driven economic growth adding that Government would continue exploring ways of making the environment even more conducive for businesses to grow.
“The Second Republic, under the able leadership of the President – His Excellency Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa – is alive to the need to accelerate the modernisation and expansion of Victoria Falls into a world-class city,” said VP Chiwenga.
“You will all agree with me that the requisite framework is now in place to boost the growth of Victoria Falls, leveraging on its niche as a prime tourist destination.
“Government’s role is to provide an enabling environment as outlined under Infrastructure, Utilities, and Digital Economy in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Tourists who spoke to The Herald in Victoria Falls confirmed that the tranquil environment being experienced in the country was reassuring.
“This is different from what we have been reading about this country,” said Australian Mrs Sandra James.
“Its generally peaceful and we are enjoying our holidays. We have seen the falls.”
Mr Andrew Kalonga from Zambia said: “You can’t tell that there will be elections next week. We just want to commend the Zimbabwean leadership for this tranquillity.”
Online Reporter