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Minister Mushohwe

Bulawayo Bureau
The Presidential Scholarship, which has benefited more than 20 000 youths countrywide, is beginning to pay dividends for the country as the majority of the graduates are working on Government programmes.

The scholarship was launched in 1995 and each year disadvantaged youths from the country’s 10 provinces are selected to study at universities in South Africa sponsored by Government.

Speaking on the sidelines of a tour of the digitisation transmitter sites in Matabeleland North province, Presidential Scholarship executive director Dr Christopher Mushohwe said people were now beginning to appreciate President Mugabe’s vision after seeing the work done by the graduates.

He said the success of Zim-Asset hinged on such graduates returning to work in their communities.

Dr Mushohwe said this while introducing Engineer Wadzanayi Zondayi, who graduated with a degree in engineering through the Presidential Scholarship.

He is now employed by Government and is stationed at Manjolo transmitter, in his home area.

Binga alone has 64 beneficiaries to date, Cde Mushohwe said.

“Last year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the scholarship and we had 20 000 beneficiaries of the Presidential Scholarship who had graduated from 15 different universities that we work with in South Africa,” he said.

“We are happy and would want to see this legacy sustained because that’s the dream of many youths,” he said.

Dr Mushohwe, who was accompanied by his deputy, Sithokozile Mathuthu, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba and directors from the ministry, appealed to scholarship beneficiaries to return and work in their communities.

He, however, acknowledged that the Government had no capacity to absorb all the graduates hence some were seeking employment outside the country.