by Gift Mashoko

When President Mnangagwa got into power In November of 2017, he has been trying by all means to rebuild Zimbabwe and its economy. He has been trying to re-engage with the rest of the world after Robert Mugabe had divorced the nation from the international community.

As Zimbabwe is heading towards its harmonised elections, the aspiring presidential candidates from different political parties are now campaigning in different provinces as they aspire to gunner a lot of votes. During the campaign period, real presidential candidates make realistic and attainable promises which transform the livelihoods of the electorate, targeting the voters’ essential needs.

ZANU PF candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proven beyond doubt that he is the country`s Aaron who is capable of leading Zimbabwe to the promised land of Canaan through his policies which are investor friendly which is good for our ailing economy. MDC alliance candidate Nelson Chamisa is failing to win the hearts of the electorate because of his childish and unrealistic promises which are contained in his poorly crafted manifesto.

Right now Zimbabwe is facing economic challenges which President Mnangagwa is trying by all means to fix. These challenges were created by Mugabe regime and needs Aaron in the form of President Mnangagwa to fix them.

The current President and ZANU PF candidate, President Mnangagwa is talking more of economics and less of politics as he tries by all means to build the economy and win the hearts of many. He has made and given five pledges he hopes he will attain upon winning Presidency during the elections.  

President Mnangagwa’s first pledge is to put job creation first which he is sure will only happen upon acquiring a huge number of investors to come and invest in Zimbabwe. These foreign and local investors will surely lead to the creation of jobs as they are expected to invest in industries, agriculture, tourism, service sectors, and infrastructural development.

President Mnangagwa’s second pledge is to have zero tolerance to corruption. He has pledged that anyone found guilty of corruption will be punished accordingly without fear or favour. Corruption is a vice that had gone unpunished during former President Mugabe’s era and it had gone out of hand. That is why President Mnangagwa has established the formation of corruption units in the Zimbabwe Republic Police and in his office and Corruption and Prosecution Court. This only shows how serious he is regarding the issue of corruption.

The third pledge President Mnangagwa made is to establish a modern and affordable healthcare system for all. He has pledged to reduce hospital fees in public hospitals by 50% and to improve the supply of critical drugs. He has guaranteed free healthcare to all cancer patients and to build 78 new hospitals with one hospital in every district.

The fourth pledge President Mnangagwa made is to develop infrastructure worthy of the new Zimbabwe during his term in office by increasing power generation capacity, constructing a new railway network system connecting all provinces, towns and neighbouring countries and dualisation of all major roads. Dualisation of the Bulawayo Harare highway has already began and it is almost nearing the Norton Tollgate from Harare. The Government is now planning on starting work on other major highways across the country.

His fifth and last pledge is to generate unprecedented educational and employment opportunities for youths in Zimbabwe. This he said can be done by developing empowerment programmes such as Youth Business Hubs, fostering youth ownership and control of resources, establishing quotas for allocation of stands and houses and mentorship and training programmes.

These pledges are both attainable and realistic compared to Nelson Chamisa’s promises which are unrealistic as he promises spaghetti roads, to turn around the economy within his first few months in office and to have airports built in rural areas among other silly promises he made.

Economics, economics and not just politics says President Mnangagwa as that is what brings jobs and food on the table. Maturity does matter when it comes to Presidency and His Excellency President Mnangagwa is one mature and responsible person suited for this post.