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Tendai Mugabe in KWEKWE
President Mnangagwa has earned a new nickname, “Mr Groundbreaking”, for daily officiating at life-changing national projects being initiated countrywide to revitalise the economy. The projects are set to breathe life into the economy and create thousands of jobs for the hitherto unemployed.

Through his relentless efforts for a better Second Republic, President Mnangagwa said the country’s per capita income increased rapidly from US$900 in November last year to US$1 011 by May this year.

The President is optimistic that by 2030 the country’s per capita income would reach US$3 500.

Addressing thousands of people gathered to witness the commissioning of the African Chrome Fields tech-savvy aluminothermic chrome processing plant owned by the Moti Group outside Kwekwe yesterday, President Mnangagwa said his wish was to create a new Zimbabwe desired by all citizens.

African Chrome Fields is the biggest chrome miner in Zimbabwe. Its new plant is set to further increase the firm’s range of products through the addition of ultra-low carbon high grade ferrochrome and create employment across its operations.

“I am now Mr Groundbreaking,” President Mnangagwa said to applause from the crowd.

“But you realise that each incident where we are commissioning or doing groundbreaking, that is creation of employment; that is putting food at the table of our families. This is the new Zimbabwe we want. We shall continue to grow and grow. Today’s event is a great accomplishment,” he said.

“In November, at the inception of this new vision, our per capita income was standing at US$900. Six months down the line we are at US$1 011 by May. I have no doubt that by the year 2030 per capita income for Zimbabwe will have risen to US$3 500.”

President Mnangagwa has commissioned a number of multi-billion-dollar projects since he assumed office last November.

He has commissioned the Hwange 7 and 8 thermal projects, reopened Shabanie Mashaba Mine with a joint capacity of directly employing 9 000 people, and recently also reopened Eureka Gold Mine in Guruve. On Monday he officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony of the US$153 million expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and on Tuesday he was in Mhondoro-Mubaira where he officially launched the US$4,2 billion Karo Resources consolidated platinum project that is set to employ a combined 90 000 people directly and indirectly at its peak in a few years’ time.

“We had the recent groundbreaking of Hwange 7 and 8 thermal power projects. The upgrade and modernisation of Beitbridge Border Post, Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport development projects as well as the commissioning of the newly refurbished Kadoma General Hospital and Delta in Harare. I can go on and on,” President Mnangagwa said.

He said the hallmark of the new dispensation was economic growth and this had seen the new administration securing in excess of US$16 billion commitments in just six months.

“Investment commitments that have been given by foreign investment in the country range beyond US$16 billion,” he said.

“In the past we never reached US$500 million per year but under six months we are exceeding $16 billion. We are saying Zimbabwe shall never be the same again. In Zimbabwe we preach peace, we preach unity and we preach tolerance. We want our people to be united, we want our people to support each other and we want our people to be respectful. We continue to march on in pursuit of our vision to become a middle income economy by 2030.”

President Mnangagwa said the mining sector continued to be the anchor of the country’s economic trajectory.

“I urge investors, both local and foreign, to seize opportunities abound in our country as we seek to continuously develop our mining sector,” he said.

“My Government, on its part, will continue to ease and reduce the cost of doing business and providing the requisite infrastructure and the legal framework for win-win outcomes.”

President Mnangagwa commended the Moti Group for taking a bold decision to invest in Zimbabwe at a time some companies were scaling down or exiting the country.