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Fungi Kwaramba in GWERU
TAKING back the hands of time; the year is 1964, the place is Gweru and here some like-minded Zimbabweans meet and agree to take on the racist Ian Smith regime that was armed to the teeth.
Of those patriotic men and women, who met in Gweru’s oldest suburb of Mtapa, only seven were trained.
Among them was none other than President Mnangagwa, who is now the last man standing as the rest have since departed these lands.
Yet, their dream, to free Zimbabwe politically and economically, lives on, and today is embodied by President Mnangagwa whose determination to uplift the lives of his people is an open secret that is festooned in developmental programmes in every part of the country.
Almost 60 years later, the ruling party is meeting yet again in the city, to map the way forward for the nation that has broken free from the fetters of unjust illegal economic sanctions to define its own path under the leadership of Zanu PF.
Yesterday, the President, who is the party’s First Secretary, said as the nation embarks on the journey towards Vision 2030, history and historical events must always provide the compass.
“The holding of this conference, following defining elections in the history of our country, is fortunate. It was here in Gweru, at the iconic Mtapa Hall, in May 1964 where resolutions were passed to wage our protracted armed liberation struggle. That critical decision set the tone for scaled up militancy, resistance and the direct military confrontation of the brutal and racist colonial regime of Ian Douglas Smith.
“At Wha-Wha and Sikombela, among other places here in the Midlands Province, many of our country’s Founding Fathers and luminaries, were incarcerated, detained and restricted by the Rhodesian settler regime. Party cadres and the membership in general, should never forget this rich liberation war heritage. We must continuously learn from our past,” he said.
Fresh from an election in August, where the ruling party won resoundingly, yet again triumphing against neo-imperialism with its local lackeys disguised as opposition parties, the President said the party must consolidate the development agenda that has so far seen the country achieving food security, and on its own rolling out infrastructural development projects, with no foreign funding, as the bane of unjust sanctions persists.
“The conference provides us with another opportunity to gather as members of one united family and leadership of our colossal Party, from the various structures. We meet today in a joyous atmosphere following the convincing victory by the people of Zimbabwe and indeed our revolutionary Party, over the machinations of our country’s perennial detractors and their local Trojan horses who masquerade as opposition political parties. Together in unity, we defeated them all and successfully defended our sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Takavasvasvanga”.
President Mnangagwa said the indomitable spirit of the country’s forbearers who took up arms and dislodged an enemy who was superiorly armed and had the backing of the same Western world that has imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe, should always guide and inspire the nation.
“The course of our Party as we march forward towards ‘Vision 2030 through Devolution, Industrialisation and Modernisation’ must continue to be inspired by that same spirit of fortitude and resilience as we deepen our revolutionary development. A lot of work lies ahead. We must all fold up our sleeves and work hard,” he said.
“I commend the Party for providing the necessary leadership that has seen all our provinces realising unprecedented milestones for the last three agricultural seasons. Our country is now food secure. According to projections, we will this year have another record bumper wheat harvest. Makorokoto, Amhlophe mhuri yeZimbabwe. I challenge the Conference to come up with additional strategies to strengthen overall productivity in the agriculture sector, further develop agro-value chains and increase agriculture exports”.
Following the official opening of the conference, the party closed its doors to invited guests and delved deeper into economic matters, with the agenda being to accelerate the country’s Devolution, Industrialisation and Modernisation.
“I . . . appeal to conference to keep focus on strategies to grow, modernise and industrialise our nation. Thematic committees discussions and the final conference Resolutions must accordingly reflect this bias.
“The irreversible journey to fulfil our election promises has already begun. Our colossal revolutionary mass Party must deliver. This is who we are. We are a Party that delivers. A Party of action and results”.
The President said there is no space for slackening as all the “outstanding works must be completed and the economic benefits from these projects must trickle down and impact on the standard of living of our people”.
“To this end, the delivery of quality and modern social services must be prioritised by our Zanu PF led Government. Particularly, I challenge the party, through this Conference, to take keen interest in the development and promotion of orderly urbanisation. Water and waste management challenges in our cities must be conclusively addressed.
“We must not shy away from making bold decisions to protect our people from social and health time bombs,” he said.
Over the years, the Government has been rescuing urbanites from inept and often corrupt opposition councils and the President said his administration will always stand with and for the people.
But how can a nation that has been suffocated by economic sanctions for over two decades grow its economy in leaps and bounds to leapfrog its development and surpass its peers? The President said the answer lies in hard work, technology and innovation.
“The importance of embracing cutting edge and smart technologies, science and innovation cannot be overemphasised. This is how countries in the North developed. As the 20th National People’s Conference, we must therefore, proffer measures to harness digitalisation and efficient systems to propel modernisation, industrialisation and quality service delivery.
“The Heritage Based Education 5.0, which saw the introduction of Innovation Hubs and Industrial Parks across all our institutions of higher education, is bearing positive results. The Party and our society in general are called upon to readily adopt these emerging inventions and innovations. We should take pride in our home-grown solutions, products, and services.
“Our communities are also urged to approach our institutions of higher learning to come up with solutions and products that address their unique socio-economic and technological needs”.
The party’s Central Committee report, which will guide the Government in implementing people-oriented development, was also tabled yesterday.
Today the conference, which is being attended by Zanu PF structures from across the country, will continue with the adoption of resolutions expected.
Online Reporter