By Prosperity Mzila
When one listens to people’s conversations either in public transport, shopping malls, in the banking halls and whispers in private conversations, the topic is about the superficially downward spiral the economy has abruptly taken. At first glance or to the layman on the street it would seem as if government is struggling; however to the trained eye, it is evident as day that the economy is on the onslaught by some unpatriotic and selfish individuals that have a mission to see Zimbabwe on its knees.
As loyal citizens of this country, people can decide to work together with government to weed out those unscrupulous elements determined to cause untold suffering on the people of this nation. The previous week, people woke up to social media going ablaze with news of fuel shortages, the US dollar on the black market calling for US$100 to 600 Bond Notes, a crazy exchange rate that was against government stipulated US$1:1Bond notes. The black-market speculations had a ripple effect to downward economies as shops, pharmacies, private doctors and public transport operators all hiked their prices. The situation caused a lot of suffering on people as artificial shortages ensued.
This situation is against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision of an upper middle class economy by 2030. It is against this backdrop that every Zimbabwean is called upon to play their part, in the creation of a Zimbabwe we all want. Whistle blowers, citizens’ arrest and suggestion boxes should be utilised in order to save this nation from economic ruin that is artificially perpetrated by individuals set on profiteering from the propagated misperception. Let some anonymous calls be made and people should name names of the faceless economic bandits that are destroying this economy. Enough is enough, people need sanity to prevail over this offensive.
His Excellency assembled a team of technocrats that have been working extra hard to dig up this country from the economic malaise. His team is proffering workable solutions that if religiously adopted are bound to put Zimbabwe back on the economic map. This country’s answer does not entirely lie with the World Bank, African Development Bank or the Afrexim Bank, but it largely lies deep in the people of Zimbabwe working the land for export purposes. Zimbabwe as a country needs to go back to what worked in the past, which is farming. Zimbabwe has always been an Agro-based country and it is agriculture that will bring the country back, through agricultural exports.
Europe, Asia, and South America have been consumers of Zimbabwean organic products, as such, the country needs to reclaim its market and the only way to do that is through ensuring that every person who benefited from the land reform program is producing enough to reserve surplus for export. Tobacco, Cotton, horticulture and Citrus fruits have been exported so far and have managed to rake-in a substantial amount of foreign currency. However, there is still room for increase if all hands are on deck. Imports of such items as peanut butter and other products that Zimbabwe can produce should be shunned and people urged to promote brand Zimbabwe by preferably consuming locally manufactured products.
People need to realise that staying in the urban areas, they have become a liability unto themselves, withdrawing money they don’t have in order to sustain an urban lifestyle; having to constantly be forking out money for basics such as bills, clothing and food. On farms, on the other hand, they get to live healthy and breath clean air and produce their own nutritious food and enough to sell and bring income. They become producers; this is what government has been saying all along, we need production.
At such a time when government is done with their land audit, some people will lose their farms because they are under-utilising them. It is time people are committed to farming and producing for exports, there is so much money in doing so. Government has opened channels to help people with farming interests with capital to increase yields. Let the people answer the call by government to promote farming, by taking up every opportunity that is meant to empower them. Wealthy and healthy people are the ones that have resorted to farm production, its time our citizenry realised there is so much wealth in the land.
