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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
SENATOR Monica Mutsvangwa bade an emotional farewell to Manicaland on Monday as she leaves the province after eight months as Minister of State for Provincial Affairs to take up her new posting as Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.

In an interview with The Herald after being sworn-in by President Mnangagwa, Sen Mutsvangwa said she would always have the province in her heart.

She said she would miss working with the people of Manicaland who had given her overwhelming support over the eight months she served as Minister of State.

“My stay in Manicaland was inspiring. I enjoyed a lot of support from the people of Manicaland, from the traditional chiefs, the business community, the political leadership, the youths and women. I also received a lot of support from the media, both public and private. Their reporting of issues in the province was positive and it showed that we were all working towards the same goal,” she said.

“I saw a Manicaland that was coming from polarisation moving towards a realisation that there is greater success in unity than in disunity. We then worked together as a block and the results are there for everyone to see – Manicaland has grown significantly since then. We all realised that it is only through peace and unity that we can achieve development.”

Sen Mutsvangwa said although she was sad to leave Manicaland after only staying for less than a year, she was grateful to President Mnangagwa for the elevation to such an important post.

She promised to continue working with the new provincial leadership to ensure that all the projects she had started were completed.

“I leave Manicaland with a feeling of satisfaction at the work that we have accomplished in my eight months as Minister of State.

“We have been rebranding Manicaland and opening it up for business and now that I have a mandate to rebrand the whole country, I will continue to work with the new leadership of the province to ensure that the province does not miss out on any opportunity to develop,” said Sen Mutsvangwa.

She said Manicaland was poised for great things as evidenced by the number of investors who had come knocking on her door during her tenure as Minister of State.

Her last words to Manicaland: “Let us continue to be united. I am a Manicaland girl, born and bred here. I am also a senator in the province, so my heart will always be in Manicaland. You can all count on me to lend a helping hand wherever I can. Thank you for the support once again.”

On her new assignment, Sen Mutsvangwa said she would work hard to project the country on the global scene and make sure that Zimbabwe got investments that would create jobs for the citizens.