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Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter
President Mnangagwa has declared 2020 as a year of productivity and challenged ZANU PF leaders to spend most of their time with communities monitoring the implementation of life-transforming projects.

Officially opening the 336th Ordinary Session of the Politburo at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa said party leaders should work tirelessly towards accelerating economic growth to improve the people’s livelihoods.

“The year 2020 is the year of productivity and meeting the needs of the people. I therefore urge heads of departments and party leaders at all levels, to spend more time with communities in the countryside, helping in the implementation and monitoring of Government programmes towards improving the quality of life for our people,” he said.

“To accelerate the provincial economies and rural industry systems, the party must effectively use its structures to enhance productivity across sectors through innovation and collaboration, in unity of purpose.

“The work before us is immense; we must not lose the momentum we began under the Second Republic to improve the quality of life of our people.”

The President encouraged the ZANU PF leadership to be supportive of efforts to arrest inflation and consolidate the mono-currency system.

He urged the leaders to be alert to occurrences that militate against the success of all policies that have been put in place to ensure economic turnaround and improvement in the lives of people.

The President called for unity of purpose and intensification of the fight against machete gangs, as they threaten the peace and stability in the country.

“Let us all speak with one voice against illegal gold panners and other nefarious economic activities. Our security sector has been directed to urgently bring to an end the current scourge of violence by unruly machete-wielding criminal gangs and malcontents.

“We appeal to the party to support this endeavour. The fight to end corruption must gain momentum. In doing so, however, the party’s wings and members across the board, must exercise discipline,” he said.

President Mnangagwa, who is the ZANU PF First Secretary, urged party members to exercise high levels of discipline.

“We must all guard against misguided and misdirected activism which threatens the party’s unity, cohesion and singleness of purpose. Such behaviour will never be condoned,” he said.

The Commissariat and the Chitepo Ideological College have been challenged to improve party structures to carry out sustained mobilisation activities within the respective communities.

District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) set up in Harare and Bulawayo last year, have also been challenged to work tirelessly and to be visible in their respective areas.

Said President Mnangagwa: “DCCs elected in Bulawayo and Harare in 2019 must be more visible. In line with the principle of supremacy of the party, structures must be the vehicle through which we mobilise and organise the party.

“I urge all departments to reflect on the (2019 National People’s) Conference resolutions and craft robust programmes and work plans for their implementation.

“In this regard, I urge the party leadership and structures as a whole to focus more on participating in Government and shift from the fixation of merely ‘supervising’ Government programmes. The party cannot be simple spectators in Government programmes. You must be active participants.”

The President rallied party leaders to accelerate the reform and modernisation of the party and underscored the need for unity, discipline, focus and being people-oriented.

In addition, President Mnangagwa wants the party leadership to continuously update people on the implementation of party policies.

“As we look ahead, let us acknowledge and celebrate the progress registered to date, particularly in 2019 when we managed to achieve most of the targets set under the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP).

“These targets saw us achieve economic stability and notable success across the various sectors of our economy. However, the past year was also characterised by some challenges and hardships, which our people bravely endured.

“The challenges were worsened by the negative impact of climate change, which manifested through the Cyclone Idai disaster and the current drought which has severely affected agriculture production in most parts of our country,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said the Government was working tirelessly to ensure food security at household level is achieved.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, President Mnangagwa directed ministers, through their responsible departments, to work concertedly to ensure everyone has food.

He also wants party structures to ensure that food aid is distributed to everyone in need regardless of political affiliation.

The President said the maize-meal subsidy will continue, and work must be done to strengthen the system and eliminate abuse.

“The vulnerable in our midst cannot be taken advantage of. The party must provide leadership,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said Government was aware of the impact of drought on livestock, especially in Zimbabwe’s southern parts such as Masvingo, Midlands and Matabeleland South provinces.

Mitigation strategies, he said, will soon be rolled out to save as much livestock as possible, in drought-ravaged areas.

He urged called the party to prepare for the 40th Independence anniversary, which he has already said will be held outside Harare for the first time since 1980.