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MANICALAND Province, which is set to host this year’s 44th national Independence celebrations, played a significant role in waging the liberation struggle as it was a gateway for fighters into Mozambique where they would receive military training, an senior official has said.

Addressing journalists at the Zanu PF party headquarters, the party’s Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa said President Mnangagwa will address more than 70 000 people at Murambinda Growth Point in Buhera district this Thursday.

“Manicaland Province is where the liberation struggle was equally deep rooted. People would cross into Mozambique through Manicaland Province. Holding our 44th independence in Manicaland Province is also in line with the principle of decentralisation of national activities,” he said.

Turning to the current drought, Cde Mutsvangwa said economic reforms and investment policies by the Second Republic that have seen expansion in mining and other sectors will help the country hedge itself against the vagaries of climate change that has resulted in El Nino induced drought.

He said while the country will have to contend with the effects of the drought, which President Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster, improvements in other eco- nomic sectors will help galvanise it to fight the drought.

“This is an unprecedented drought probably the worst in decades, cli- mate change is afoot.

“The President saw it fit to rise to the occasion by declaring it a national disaster.

“The positive thing about the drought is that the economy is in a much good state to cope with this

eventuality than at any other time in the history of the Republic, courtesy of the economic reforms and investment policies of the Second Republic which has shifted the economy away from the sole reliability of agriculture and vagaries of the weather where mining is increasingly playing an important role,” said Cde Mutsvangwa.

“The beauty about mining is that it relies on age old resources and investment. Mining does not respond to the vagaries of whether, is durable, perennial and much more reliable. It hedges us against seasons. I want to thank the President for his mining polices which are attract- ing some of the huge enterprises in the global boardroom of the world. Once you have that kind of investors you insulate yourself from these effects of climate change.”