Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
ZIMBABWEANS must shun tribalism and focus on unity, peace and development for the socio-economic development of the country, Vice-President Kembo Mohadi has said.
He said without unity, there is no peace and without peace, there is no development.
Addressing villagers and senior Government officials gathered to witness the commissioning of Nyamatikiti Bridge, under Chief Chirumhanzu in Chirumhanzu South yesterday, VP Mohadi said even in the home environment, couples who fight all the time do not develop.
He said it was also high time Gukurahundi was resolved to focus mainly on development.
VP Mohadi said Zimbabweans must put their country first and do away with tribalism.
“Yes, there are people who still say yes, there has been Gukurahundi and there has been that, but who hasn’t wronged the other in this world? I’m here; I can’t even speak proper Shona or proper Ndebele, but you ask how did I find myself here? So, Zimbabweans are one and Zimbabwe is one. Let it be Zimbabwe first before it is Shona first or before it is Ndebele first. Or before it is Zezuru or before it is Kalanga or Venda or anything else. We are Zimbabweans first, this is our country and that’s where we belong. If someone asks who you are, don’t say I’m Karanga, don’t say I’m Shona, don’t say I’m Ndebele, say you are a Zimbabwean, that’s what makes you who are. Because if we then degenerate and start to look at those ethnic groupings, then we are not going to be united. We want a united nation hence in Zanu-PF we say Unity, Peace and Development because where there is peace there is unity and where there is unity there is development,” he said.
VP Mohadi said once people are united, there will be development that improves the livelihood of everyone.
He called upon the people to support the Zanu-PF-led Government which he said has the people at heart from the liberation struggle to date.
VP Mohadi said there are also proper leadership succession plans from the liberation struggle to date, saying only vacant positions will be filled at the appropriate time.
“If you are united and there is peace, then development is going to begin. We have the mantra peace begins with me, peace begins with you and peace begins with all of us. So, it is us and not them. So here we are and I call upon you to support the people that made you what you are today. The people that never sold out, the people that told you that we were going to triumph and we triumphed, the people that sacrificed their lives in order to liberate our country. There was no payment and people volunteered to go and fight for the liberation of this country and many of them had no time to spend their youthfulness with their friends and relatives, some were left in the bush in unmarked graves but they contributed towards the liberation of this country.
“It is the same people who are at the helm of the Government, it is the same people that graduated from being the youth and we are also going to be leaving power to those that follow us, that’s what (the late Cde Leopold) Takawira did, (Cde Hebert) Chitepo did, that’s what ( Dr Joshua) Nkomo did, they had to give it to us and we are going to give it to you as well. There is no hurry, there is no vacancy there. It’s only one person at the helm. It doesn’t mean everyone will be the President. No, only one person can be the President, when he completes his term then another one will be the President and not the rest of us. So, we must be here to support the Government of the people that actually introduced nationalism, took the struggle to liberate the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
VP Mohadi said people must give the ruling party a chance as it moves towards the promise of attaining the upper middle-income status by 2030.
He said there are benchmarks that guide the Government to attain the status adding that failure or defeat is never an option for us.
VP Mohadi said the District Development Fund (DDF) is an arm of Government that is supposed spearhead infrastructural development in rural areas.
In the Midlands province, he said DDF looks after the maintenance of a road network of about 197 roads which is about 2 400m in length.
“In Chirumhanzu it looks after 22 roads and I would want to see the state of those roads to see how they are. They must be pliable. Without roads and bridges, it becomes difficult for us as a nation to develop our people,” said the Vice-President.
Nyamatikiti Bridge, he said, is a very important bridge because it links the Chirumhanzu with Mashaba road as well as Beitbridge-Masvingo-Harare highway.
“So given that DDF has done this and given that may the total of the bridge was a meagre figure of $615 551, we can still do more, we have to appeal to treasury to disburse more funds to DDF so come 2023, there will be quite a number of roads and small bridges and small irrigation schemes in the rural areas are constructed by DDF,” he said.
Local MP Cde Barbara Rwodzi commended the Government for the funds that saw the construction of the bridge which she said is a conduit for development of her constituency.
“The bridge was completed within the cost and time frame showing that the New Dispensation can do wonders for our people. Chirumhanzu South has a growth point called Charandura, there is a St Theresa Hospital with 188 beds, 35 maternity beds and it’s a nurses training school. It is an important bridge and we are looking at having the road tarred before my term ends,” she said.
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