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President Mugabe addresses guests while flanked by First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko (right) at a Christmas party he hosted at State House in Harare yesterday. — (Picture by Tawanda Mudimu)

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter—
President Mugabe has paid tribute to Zimbabweans for their resilience in the face of harsh economic conditions experienced this year. The year was characterised by economic challenges affecting people’s livelihoods in varying ways, among them a liquidity crunch and the firing of workers on three months’ notice following a Supreme Court ruling in July.

Although it was a challenging year, the President said it was important to celebrate the steadfastness displayed by Zimbabweans and milestones achieved in the intervening period.

Events worth mentioning this year include the successful State visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and the recent 15th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference in Victoria Falls that dwelt on rebuilding the economy and social services delivery through the economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.

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Several business delegations from across the globe visited the country to explore investment opportunities, including Africa’s richest man, Nigerian Mr Aliko Dangote. The President said Government had managed to convince people that the current challenges were a shared national problem.

He said this at a Christmas reception he hosted together with First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe at State House yesterday for Cabinet ministers, Politburo members and Zanu-PF provincial members.

The reception was held in the afternoon after the last Cabinet meeting of 2015.

“We thought rather belatedly that the year, which was so challenging, with quite a number of outstanding events which included a visit by the President of China (Xi Jinping) and also lastly the National People’s Conference that we held in Victoria Falls, we concluded that all those events really must give us at least something, something we can say is a party that recognises that we have perfectly gone through the year and surmounted the challenges, many of them that faced us and others we continue to challenge,” President Mugabe said.

“But a year like that needed to be celebrated, celebrated by us because of the resilience we showed. “We succeeded in convincing our people to stand by us and accept these challenges as challenges to our nation together,” he said.

“So it was, we felt that a little reception at the end of December might perhaps wipe off our tears at the end and that encourages us, so we can face the New Year with new determination derived from the old. We thought well, a small thing be attended by a group of those who we would call the leaders of the country will do.

That is why you are here.”

President Mugabe said Cabinet would resume sitting at the end of January next year.

The reception was attended by the two Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, Cabinet ministers, service chiefs, the Zanu-PF provincial leadership and senior Government officials.

On a lighter note, the President said: “You are not going to enjoy anything that is strange, but ordinary food. If you happen to have been here before, but I know that all of you have been here and most of you have always talked high of the President’s dishes and they are quite tasty dishes.”

Giving a vote of thanks, VP Mphoko hailed President Mugabe’s exemplary leadership in his capacity as the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces as well as Zanu-PF First Secretary and President.

“We are very proud to be led by you, Sir,” he said. “I can vouch for all ambassadors that we are not ashamed of representing you. “Sir, you have directed the party par excellence, you have directed the Government par excellence, you have directed Sadc par excellence and you are directing the African Union par excellence,” VP Mphoko said.