Time to shift focus to economic development

ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu, has said Zimbabweans must now shift focus from elections to economic development and ensuring fulfilment of President Mnangagwa’s vision of transforming the country into an upper-middle income economy by 2030.

In his weekly column published by our sister publication, Sunday News, Dr Mpofu said the Zanu-PF victory in the August 23 elections has settled the leadership dust and now is the time for continuing the work of rebuilding Zimbabwe.

President Mnangagwa was inaugurated last week after securing 52,6 percent of the valid vote while his closest rival, Mr Nelson Chamisa, of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party trailed with 44 percent.

“President Mnangagwa’s victory is the only and sure means of consolidating the gains made in the first term and advancement of the Zimbabwean dream to become an upper-middle-class economy — which is at the crux of his second term in office,” wrote Dr Mpofu.

“President Mnangagwa has time and again proven his prowess when it comes to advancing Zimbabwe’s economic fortunes and moving forward. It’s important to put the election season behind us. Attention should now be focused on economic development and less on politics; there will be another season for that.”

He admitted that a lot is expected from the ruling party but assured citizens that under President Mnangagwa, the Government will not fail them.

“Our people are indeed our country’s greatest asset and most valuable resource and President Mnangagwa’s policies, to date, have all been for the benefit of the people,” said Dr Mpofu.

“To that end, President Mnangagwa, under his renewed mandate, has once again recommitted to continue faithfully upholding and defending our sacred national Constitution and laws, with integrity and impartiality, leaving no one and no place behind.

“If anything — Zimbabwe is about to enter into a new era of unparalleled development — thanks to the trust and confidence that the people have placed in President Mnangagwa and our party.”

Dr Mpofu said under President Mnangagwa the Government was championing pro-people policies and reversing the yoke of underdevelopment linked to the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by detractors.

He said it was through President Mnangagwa’s sanctions-busting efforts such as the engagement and re-engagement policies, as well as the “ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo/nyika inovakwa nevene vayo,” approach, that the people have begun building resilience while the economy has started to witness remarkable growth.

President Mnangagwa, said Dr Mpofu, has built a firm foundation for Zimbabwe to achieve Vision 2030 and economic freedom and this has been made abundantly clear by the massive and never-seen-before infrastructure development shaping up in every part of the country — which has seen Zimbabwe begin to rise at an exponential rate and there seems to be nothing capable of stopping its ascendancy.

“All this comes at a time when my party, Zanu-PF, has been spearheading efforts to strengthen relations and improve engagements with our sister liberation parties in an attempt to keep the revolutionary parties together, for our common and shared history is what binds us.

“With such a shared sense of fraternity among our fellow revolutionary parties, we, as the Zanu-PF governing party, are poised to even reach greater heights,” said Dr Mpofu.

He reiterated that the Second Republic will deliver on the promises that it has made to the people and will continue its mission of transforming the living standards of all its citizens with a focus on accelerating the welfare of those in rural communities and, at the same time, not neglecting the concerns of those in urban areas, who have endured poor service delivery for far too long