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Manicaland Correspondent
COMMUNITY Share Ownership Trusts (CSOTs) play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful implementation of devolution, Manicaland’s former Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) chairperson Mr Richard Chiwandire has said.

Presenting a paper on the importance of CSOTs in aiding economic devolution in Mutare last week, Mr Chiwandire encouraged Manicaland to embrace the trusts.

“CSOTs are a vehicle for participation in shareholding in various businesses by the wider Manicaland community and the proceeds from such participation must be properly accounted for and used in projects that benefit the community,” he  said.

“We have to, therefore, embrace these ownership trusts as they are not only going to affect us, but also our children.”

Mr Chiwandire noted that CSOTs ensure communities benefit from their own resources.

“Government created Community Share Ownership Trusts to enable the communities to benefit from projects in their localities,” he said.

“They bridge the gap between the living standards of communities where resources are extracted and the businesses that operate there,” he said.

Mr Chiwandire urged CSOTs to develop and manage local value chains that complement normal business flows and activities as a way of turning the economy towards devolution.

“CSOTs must be business-minded so that they find a space to generate their own revenues,” he said.

“If in Chiadzwa they are looking for material for their production process, they must not get it from Harare. They should get it here in Mutare.

He encouraged CSOTs to be organised.

“Money does not follow chaos. It follows peace and development partners come where it is peaceful so CSOTs have to transform themselves,” said Mr Chiwandire.

He encouraged youths to play a role in CSOTs.

“If you attend a CSOT meeting you will see that the majority are the elderly some of them who cannot even read. It is because sometimes the youths shun these issues.

“Why do you not come in with vigour as youths and transform these CSOTs. Chiefs and elders can come in as advisers,” said Mr Chiwandire.