Mukachana Hanyani
The just ended ZANU PF 7th National People`s Congress brought some fresh air into the country by endorsing President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the sole Presidential party candidate for the coming 2023 elections.
This has not come as a surprise considering that the country under the leadership of President Mnangagwa has seen vast activities of developments initiated by him. Since he came to power the level of uncertainty in the economy has disappeared among ordinary people. Only the doubting thomases are still not aware that the economy has arisen.
With President Mnangagwa vowing to put people first in all sectors of the economy one could see that the future promises to be bright. Actually everything has started moving on since President E.D Mnangagwa came to power. Roads have been reconstructed and dams being built. So the endorsement of President Mnangagwa to lead the party for another five years was prompted by those developments on the ground which awaits completion by the President Mnangagwa-led government. It was going to be naïve and a great betrayal had the party failed to see how hardworking the President is doing.
Who can dispute that Zimbabwe is now having signs of becoming great again. To clearly see change taking place in the country, one needs to drive along Harare-Beitbridge road to witness that the road is just good and well tarred. Arriving in Beitbridge one is greeted by massive developments of at end which even South Africans are envying that Zimbabwean side of the Boarder Post. Actually before one takes his/her journey to Beitbridge from Harare, Mbudzi (Roundabout) Interchange construction work awaits that traveller who surely see that President Mnangagwa wants to make Zimbabwe great again. As such, ZANU PF Congress was not wrong to endorse President Mnangagwa to lead the party for another five years. Projects like that would be good to be completed under President Mnangagwa`s watchful eyes and then commission the same.
With the New Dispensation`s motto of “Building Zimbabwe stone upon stone, brick upon brick, leaving no one behind”, the country has seen developments taking place across the country which was not like before. In Matabeleland region, the Gwayi-Shangani dam which was explored and planned to be constructed in 1912, started to be constructed when President Mnangagwa came to power. Currently the dam which will be turned into a lake is around sixty-six percent completion. A water pipe from Gwayi-Shangani to Bulawayo will be installed that will supply water to that end. Currently about sixty-eight(68) kilometres of the two hundred and fifty two kilometres(252) has been cleared showing the importance of the projects that has been put on it by the New Dispensation.
All such initiatives have seen the light of the day just because the New Dispensation led by President Mnangagwa is in power. So the Congress was correct to endorse him for the next five years to lead the party.
Some other projects in Matabeleland regions include the Deka Water pipeline which is earmarked to supply water to Hwange Power Station. In March 2022, President Mnangagwa had a ground-breaking ceremony for the commencement of the installation of that Deka water pipeline. The pipeline would along the way supply water to people who reside along its route doing away with the colonial era pipeline which drew water from Zambezi straight to Hwange leaving local people along the way without water. Such a move to supply water to people along Deka pipeline route was planned and put into action by the President Mnangagwa led-Second Republic.
On the food sustainability in the country, the New Dispensation introduced irrigation schemes throughout the country with those which were not functional being rehabilitated. Chilonga Irrigation scheme in Chiredzi South is currently operational after it was restated two years ago. That irrigation scheme stopped functional about two decades ago now a visit to that place shows live vegetation with local people having irrigated portions for their survival.
Zimbabwe for the first time since wheat was first grown in the country in 1966,is reportedly expected to harvest three hundred and eighty thousand tonnes (380 000) of wheat which will surpass the local need. Zimbabwe`s wheat local need stands at three hundred and sixty thousand tonnes (360 000) per year meaning twenty thousand tonnes (20 000) will help boost stokes in the coming season. This was made possible by the introduction of irrigation schemes by the Second Republic.
This harvest will make Zimbabwe save her hard sought after foreign currency which has always been used in the importation of wheat from traditional suppliers like Ukraine, Latvia, Canada, Poland, and South Africa. Zimbabwe has been using about one hundred million United States of America dollars (US$100m) annually to import wheat for the local consumption. With adequate supply of wheat available locally it means the amount mentioned above will be saved and channelled towards other economic areas of need.
All those new developments from road networks, dams’ construction, food sustainability and many more have been made possible by the good leadership of President Mnangagwa. So his endorsement by the Congress to lead the party for the next five years is a welcome move. This would also give the President more energy to forge ahead with more developmental projects for the country.
