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Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha speaks during a Zanu-PF consultative meeting with the business community while his Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development counterpart Sithembiso Nyoni and Zanu-PF chairman for Harare Province Cde Amos Midzi listen in Harare yesterday

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Zanu-PF and the business community have agreed to form committees that will advise Government ministries on various matters and deal with challenges that are upsetting the smooth revival of the economy. The decision was reached at a business meeting held by the revolutionary party and captains of industry in Harare yesterday.

It was agreed that Government ministries should come up with specific lists of programmes that should be implemented within the given time-frame.

Some of the specific committees that were proposed included the sanctions-busting committee, agricultural committee and local Government committee.

Zanu-PF secretary for business development and liaison Cde Sithembiso Nyoni said Government was ready to engage the business community in turning around the economy. “We are in a pit because of this sanctions situation,” she said.

“We should sit down and come up with a sanctions-busting team and we also want to see a group which is a policy watchdog.”
Cde Nyoni said if the groups were not happy with the implementation of certain policies, they should come together and lobby for a change. She said the Zanu-PF Government and the business community should work together and avoid blame games.

“I promise you that we will act,” she said. “No more blame games, this is our nation and let us walk together and make Zimbabwe a great country that we all want it to be.”

Some of the businesspeople who attended the meeting said production in industry was low due to incessant power cuts and proposed that it was prudent if they were allowed not to pay workers for hours during which production was stopped due to power cuts.

But Cde Nyoni said workers should try to come up with a position that benefited both sides.
“These workers are the people who voted for us and my President will not shift his position,” she said. “He (President Mugabe) is people-oriented and I urge you to come up with a win-win situation. I know you have problems, but try to strike a balance.”

Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said one of the key priorities of his ministry was to ensure operationalisation of NewZimsteel, formerly Ziscosteel.

Minister Bimha said NewZimsteel was a critical pillar of the economy, among other big projects such as Green Fuel in Chisumbanje.
“You are all aware of the critical importance of Zisco in terms of its implications to the entire industry,” he said.

“Zisco is not just for manufacturing industry only — there are thousands of other jobs in the downstream that benefit when Zisco is in operation.

“That will augur well with our policy of indigenisation and empowerment.”
Arda board chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza said ministries should highlight at least five quick deliverables that they wanted to work on.

He welcomed that there should be a team from the party tasked to review implementation of programmes in Government.
“It is that headmaster approach that we are advocating from the party, then of course it flows to the Government,” said Mr                          Nyabadza.

He said time was running out and people should get down to real business.
Zesa chief executive officer Engineer Josh Chifamba said the country was facing an acute shortage of energy and that the scrapping of electricity bills had worsened the situation.

He said Zesa was working on short-term projects that would give additional power.
The engagement meetings by Zanu-PF are part of implementing promises made in its  manifesto.