The Sunday Mail
National Focus
Dr Jenfan Muswere
THE world over, policy consistency is a colossal indicator of political-economic stability.
A quick review of the post-election State reconfiguration under His Excellency President Mnangagwa’s fresh term will point out a clear service delivery consistency.
This reflection pointedly signals continuity in the Second-Republic’s sphere of robust diplomatic engagements, investment growth, pro-people policy architecture, strengthening the rule of law and enhanced legitimacy consolidation of the ruling party.
These aspects serve as thematic sample templates of policy consistency and continuity, which should be commended as attainment of national peace and prosperity is being realised under President Mnangagwa.
At the behest of his selfless and forecasted approach to power, the Head of State has laid a foundation of development longevity as espoused by his sincere desire to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income society by 2030.
This aspiration emphatically denotes President Mnangagwa’s affinity for policy continuity and deepening the institutionally sustainable values to policy-making.
As such, this installment seeks to give an overview of the President’s mandate delivery outputs as they relate to consistency and continuity in the management of the affairs of our State in the aftermath of our 2023 harmonised elections.
By the same token, I problematise the ambiguity pandemic emanating from the Citizens Coalition for Change and the subsequent recalls.
Engagement and re-engagement continuity
True to his oath to strengthen existing cordial relations with the international community and mending Zimbabwe’s strained bilateral and multilateral relations, President Mnangagwa’s fresh term is promising to maintain that position.
The major highlights so far being Zimbabwe’s participation in the Saudi Arabia-Africa Summit and recently held SADC Extraordinary Summit.
The two platforms demonstrate the Second Republic’s active interaction with the rest of the world.
Evident to this fact was the anti-sanctions solidarity that Zimbabwe received from various Global South leaders and agencies at the last edition of the United Nations General Assembly.
Out of sheer ignorance of basic multilateral protocol, opposition malice-makers expected the last SADC engagement in Luanda to produce outcomes which were going to occasion a fresh election or engender of a much hallucinated circus — National Transitional Authority.
Unfortunate to their fetish, Zimbabwe was never on the agenda. Focus was on the bringing a lasting solution to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
If anything, the summit was an opportunity for the President to be congratulated by his SADC counterparts on the sidelines of the summit for his resounding victory in the 23-24 August plebiscite.
As far as SADC is concerned, the Zimbabwean election issue is a closed chapter. Zvakatovharana!
To top it all, the convening of the fifth edition of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day on October 25 demonstrated that Zimbabwe is not retreating from its moral position of calling for the immediate and unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions, which besieged our economy after the Land Reform Programme.
This year’s anti-sanctions call was a success, courtesy of various pressure groups across the ideological divide.
Collectively, the citizenry demonstrated their displeasure about the criminality of sanctions and their adverse effects to the livelihoods of our people.
The projected effect of our diplomatic foregrounding of being “a friend to all and an enemy to none” is investment, among other dividends.
The incentives from our subsoil have an investor magnetic clout that supersedes the narrow ill-wishes to our economy by manufacturers of the illegal sanctions.
In her farewell admiration of the Second Republic on September 1, the former British Ambassador to Zimbabwe reiterated: “We want to talk where we disagree, we want to be able to discuss that openly and freely. Where we agree, we also do the same. It was a signal of our desire for that dialogue and to continue the dialogue.”
This alone is indicating that the re-engagement trajectory will not be abandoned and those not seeing the merits of this policy in promoting integration must nudge themselves out of this folly.
Citizen-centric Statesmanship
The President, Dr ED Mnangagwa, has always been a subordinate figure to popular will.
From the outset, his political journey has been premised on serving the needs of the people, hence his anti-colonial vocation.
At the peak of transitional clamours that gave birth to the Second Republic, Dr Mnangagwa made himself available to the people’s cause.
Therefore, there is no way his leadership style will be disconnected from those he has selflessly committed to serve throughout his career. He continues to make it a point that all policy must never leave no place or person behind. And in very pragmatic terms, the accelerated implementation of the devolution agenda is reflective of his grassroots-oriented model of public service delivery. The footprints of his commitment to public service delivery are indelibly registered throughout the length and breadth of our beautiful nation.
Rule of law
Given that his new office tenure is a command of the Constitution, the President has instituted landmark decisions which have a long-term bearing on our national justice system. Under his leadership, Zimbabwe now has a female Attorney-General, Virginia Mabiza.
The former chairperson on the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo, is now Zimbabwe’s Prosecutor-General, another novel female appointment in this important national law office.
These two reform-bearing appointments demonstrate the State’s commitment to the promotion of the rule of law and the sacrosanct value of justice.
The official opening of the new Parliament building and the 10th Parliament by the President shows Zimbabwe’s investment in the principle of separation of powers.
The new Parliament building is an effigy of that constitutional rite.
Industrial growth
The commissioning of the Geo-Pomona Waste Management project is the latest commitment gesture to industrial growth by President Mnangagwa.
The project is aimed at eradicating the traditional challenges of poor waste management, which had posed serious hazardous effects to the public in Harare. Prior to the Geo-Pomona initiative, the President officiated at MineEntra.
The Mine Entra is Zimbabwe most reputable exhibition for the mining, engineering and transport, and the entirety of the value chains of these three sectors.
All combined, mining, engineering and the transport sector significantly contribute to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Therefore, the President’s endorsement of this market value chain translates to enhanced viability of mining, engineering and transport as a whole.
Likewise, other commissioned projects include the:
-Puff Production Factory;
-Chilman Chemicals;
-Sabi Star Lithium Mine; and
-Mabvuku Ethanol Plant.
More industrial players are going to be officiated into existence by our President, simply because “Zimbabwe is Open for Business”. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s development is being frustrated by some sectors of the opposition’s operational incongruent politics.
Facing the ambiguity pandemic
The factional degeneration of the opposition and its disorganisation crisis renders volatility to our national democracy.
The structureless feature of the CCC has seen the recalling of Members of Parliament (MPs) and councillors.
The CCC veld fire recalls have constitutionally compelled the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to call for by-elections to fill vacant seats.
The recalls were effected hardly less than three months after the harmonised election.
This implies an unplanned election cost.
Their structureless political child’s play is costing the fiscus. Consequently, the ordinary taxpayer is now paying a heavy price for the factional wars of the CCC.
With the unrelenting recall purge, Zimbabweans will be in a permanent election mode.
Meanwhile, ZEC and Parliament have an obligation to act constitutionally if more recalls come.
Clearly, our democracy is under the threat of the strategic ambiguity pandemic.
This crisis to our democracy, through the transplantation of CCC conflicts to our body-politic, must be curtailed by a strong legislative framework for benchmarking what should constitute a political party in Zimbabwe.
It is common cause that the opposition has traditionally attributed its conflicts to ZANU PF, and after their internal resolution, those reconciled back cease to be labelled as ZANU PF functionaries.
One wonders why ZANU PF would engage in such unprofitable political endeavours over nation-building.
Exceptional nation-building drive under ED
Given the President’s discipleship to the will of the people, he continues to gain endorsements for the ruling ZANU PF.
His term in office continues to derive its validation from the reforms that our populace is witnessing under his leadership.
To this end, his vision for a prosperous Zimbabwe will be forever indebted to the legitimacy that his office receives from the citizenry. The resolutions of the 20th ZANU PF National People’s Conference affirm the party’s responsiveness to grassroots needs for development.
The nationalist cause of ZANU PF remains that binding cause to define national economic development.
Thanks to President Mnangagwa’s pursuit of development policy consistency and continuity.
Dr Jenfan Muswere is the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
