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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau

Zanu PF has started engagements with Government to find ways of incentivising companies to offer work-related attachment to graduates from local universities to ensure they get the much-needed experience.

The ruling party’s national political commissar, Dr Mike Bimha, said this would enable graduates to widen their horizons and even consider founding their own companies using experience gained during their stint on attachment.

Every year, Zimbabwe churns out thousands of graduates most of whom fail to get formal employment, but the Second Republic is now shifting its focus on moulding them to create jobs rather than waiting to be employed.

Speaking on the revised Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment policy during a Zanu PF business symposium graced by businesspeople from within and outside Masvingo at a city hotel, Dr Bimha noted that the new dispensation was keen to entrench a culture of self reliance among Zimbabweans.

Dr Bimha noted that Zimbabweans all over the world had excelled in various fields of endeavour and should come back home and help built a great Zimbabwe that would be the pride of all citizens.

Under the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa, Zanu PF wanted more employment creators instead of graduates who wait to get employed.

Talks were already underway between the ruling party and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to consider incentivising firms that offer attachment to graduates from local institutions of higher learning.

“We are currently engaging with the Miniser of Finance (and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube) to work out a plan on incentivising our local companies so that once our people graduate from universities and colleges they are hired for a short period of time to get the required experience so that when an job opportunity finally arises our graduates will be able to be considered because they also have that experience,” said Dr Bimha.

“We are proposing that our graduates be offered attachment of say two years by a company that will in turn get an incentive from the Government.”

The type of incentives will have to be worked out, but in most cases some of these graduates after completing this attachment might actually decide to found their own companies and this is exactly what we want. We want job creators, not people who look for jobs.”

Dr Bimha urged Zimbabweans to have confidence in themselves, saying the sky was the limit for a confident people.

“We need to know that we are masters of our own destiny,” he said. “We should believe in ourselves and our capabilities. Let us join hands and build our economy on our own.”

Dr Bimha reiterated the supremacy of the party over Government, lauding President Mnangagwa for creating full time heads of department at Zanu PF headquarters tasked with assisting and guiding government on the implementation of policies that resonate with the wishes of the majority.

Zanu PF fully believed Zimbabwe had all the resources needed to drive socio-economic growth, with Dr Bimha underscoring the need to fully exploit available endowments for growth.

“We have the resources here and what we need to do is to package them correctly so that we accrue maximum benefits from these resources,” he said.

Dr Bimha explained how the Zanu PF Government had reserved some specific sectors of the economy for locals to exploit as part of a deliberate policy to empower indigenous Zimbabweans.

Small to medium scale enterprises would also get preferential treatment in the awarding of Government contracts for the growth of their businesses and creation of more jobs.

He said small companies that required assistance to get Government contracts were supposed to engage the ruling party for assistance.

At the symposium, more than US$50 000 and close to $2 million was raised in cash donations and pledges for the ruling party nationally and the party in Masvingo province by businesspersons who graced the event.

More than 2 000 litres of fuel were also donated to Zanu PF Masvingo province at the symposium.

Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chair Cde Rabson Mavhenyengwa said the donations would help the party increase visibility and add impetus to the ongoing drive to mobilise new party members and roll out verification of structures.