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Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter
Vice President Kembo Mohadi yesterday urged Zimbabweans to unite, work together and create a peaceful environment conducive for investment and economic growth as Zimbabwe gears to attain Vision 2030. He said this while launching the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission’s five-year strategic plan covering 2018 to 2022.

Addressing senior Government officials, United Nations representatives, traditional leaders, women’s organisations, faith-based organisations, representatives from political parties, VP Mohadi said healing was a process to ease, relieve pain and emotional stress and help parties move on.

He said healing was a process that rehabilitated or reconstructed the psychological, social and economic well-being of the affected communities and individuals while reconciliation brought together alienated parties.

“Therefore healing is not only about assisting individuals to address their psychological health needs in an isolated way, but is dependent on integrally linked on repairing and rebuilding communities within a broad social context and in our view to make each community and each citizen a part of the upper middle income society by 2030.

This implies restoring a normalised, harmonious everyday life that can recreate people’s sense of being and belonging.
“The nation’s success is linked to a peaceful environment conducive for investment and macro-economic growth. It is against this background that the Commission’s mandate to deal with a conflictual past, resolve current conflicts and create a shared future for all generations in Zimbabwe be supported by all Zimbabweans to achieve social cohesion, reconciliation, unity, development and people’s well-being.

“The vision of a Zimbabwe that is peaceful for all generations is possible when we all work together as Zimbabweans. You are part of the building blocks of that prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society that we want to become by 2030,” he said.

UNDP country director Mr Georges van Montfort said it was encouraging that the NPRC strategic plan did not stand on its own, but was buttressed by provisions in the Government’s Transitional Stabilisation Programme, which acknowledged national cohesion as a necessary condition for a peaceful and developing new Zimbabwe.

“As a development partner to Zimbabwe, we recognise that peace and reconciliation and the form it takes cannot be determined or dictated externally, but can only be defended through an inclusive, locally-led and nationally-owned process hence the importance of the NPRC and the approach it applied in developing this strategic plan,” he said.

Zanu-PF representative, Cde Fortune Chasi said “Peace does not have to be by accident, it has to be invested and I would like to applaud NPRC for the work that it is doing. With respect to my party we have a definite commitment, we have recognised that peace is an important foundation for economic and social and other forms of development we will continue to work with you, and we will continue to preach peace,” he said.

MDC representative Mr Douglas Mwonzora said it was time that Zimbabwe embarked on a path of everlasting peace.
“On behalf of MDC we pledge collaboration in nation building and nature of everlasting peace importantly we commit ourselves to devolution and the protection of the minority,” he said.

Human rights activist and director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project Ms Jestina Mukoko said the commission should have big ears for women’s issues.