Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in Victoria Falls
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has taken a swipe at corrupt businesspeople operating without legitimate enterprises and known entrepreneurial track records, warning that their activities threaten Zimbabwe’s economic development and set a dangerous example for young people.
The Vice President was speaking in Victoria Falls at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) annual conference earlier today.
The conference, which brings together private businesses and policymakers, provides a platform for collaborative interactions aimed at fostering inclusive participation in national economic development as envisioned by President Mnangagwa.
VP Chiwenga called for a unified national approach to economic transformation while condemning what he termed “phantom entrepreneurship” by individuals whose wealth has no traceable source.
The VP warned those engaged in such practices that their day to account for their “economically corrosive” actions is near.
“Our developmental vision, is not the remit of Government alone,” he said.
“Sustainable transformation demands a whole-of-society approach – unifying public institutions, private enterprise, civil society and development partners.
“We must shun unscrupulous ‘so called businesspeople’ operating from briefcases with no traceable capital or legitimate enterprise. This culture of phantom entrepreneurship, where money appears without any known source, is not only economically corrosive but ethically bankrupt. We all know that money does not fall from the heavens like manna.”
He said real businesses are built through hard work, discipline, sacrifice and value creation.
“The day of reckoning is inevitable for those who undermine our economic integrity by engaging in shadowy dealings. Let us not mortgage our nation’s future to fleeting gain,” he said.
