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Freeman Razemba Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF national chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said liberation movements in the region should unite and be able to trade economically among themselves for the benefit of the people.
She said this after meeting outgoing Angolan Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pedro Handrik Vaal Neto at Zanu-PF Headquarters in Harare yesterday.
Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is also the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, said members of Zanu-PF and Angola’s ruling party, MPLA, sacrificed their lives to make sure that Africa and the region was free.
“We share the same history because our two parties participated in armed struggles,” she said. “We are both Pan-Africanists who sacrificed our lives to make sure that Africa and in particular our region is free.
“We know that very well, we don’t take our independence for granted, it’s still under siege and you know very well that we were fighting for our land. It is on that land that you find minerals and where we engage in agriculture.
“And unless and until we are able to use our land productively to liberate ourselves economically we will still remain under bondage. We are saying the new vision and thrust of our political parties is less politics and more economics.”
Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said when the liberation movements in the region unite, they will be much stronger.
“The two new Republics are saying lets unite our people and the region because we are stronger when we are united,” she said. “And when we are united we are able to trade among ourselves. There are those very strong opportunities, you know China and India, they take advantage of their population and since we are the same people in the region it makes economic sense for us to trade among ourselves.
“So, economic development is very key. Zimbabwe is Open for Business. We are saying the time is now. Angola has a very strong Sovereign Fund Investment to the tune of $3 billion. They also have fuel and we are saying there is more that we can offer them in exchange for their fuel.
“These are opportunities, let’s take advantage of them. It shouldn’t be just sister parties meeting, discussing politics, but we need to go beyond that so our people benefit from that relationship.”
Ambassador Neto said the two political parties continued to enjoy cordial relations as they shared a common history of the liberation struggle.
“Zanu-PF is a governing party in Zimbabwe and it is a partner of the MPLA,” he said.
“This type of cooperation comes from the history that we share the same liberation struggle. They are two liberation movements and they struggled together for the liberation of Southern Africa.”
On Monday, Ambassador Neto said Angola was confident that reforms being undertaken by the new administration led by President Mnangagwa will turn around the economy.
He was speaking after paying a courtesy call on Zanu-PF secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu at the party’s headquarters.
Online Reporter