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RECENTLY, Zimpapers Capitalk100. 4FM hosted the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa (MM), to discuss a myriad of issues with special focus on the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). Zimpapers Group Political Editor Ranga Mataire (RM) and Capitalk100. 4FM presenter Tobias Mudzingwa (TB) conducted the interview during the Deep Dive programme. 

TM: Like I indicated before, today we are hosting a very important person. We are privileged to have the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services who is also the Government spokesperson. Thank you so much Minister for your time. We are discussing today the National Development Strategy 1 and we want to find out how the Government has gone in implementing this particular strategy. 

MM: Thank you so much Tobias. Zimbabwe is a country which fought for its Independence and we all fought for prosperity and opportunities for our people. The ultimate price of sacrifice is prosperity.

The blueprint is a plan towards that prosperity. NDS1 is a step in the plan to fulfil the gains of  Independence. There is a lot which has been done. We are happy to come and talk to you at a time like this. The most exciting time of the decade in the developmental history of our country. 

Most of the work has been done and is continuing to be done to transform our economy and society and make sure our people live a better life, so a lot of projects have been implemented across clusters.

The most important thing with the 2nd Republic is we are making a multi-sectoral approach. We have moved away from that silo mentality, moving everybody and everyone matters in this developmental agenda.

We have adopted the whole of Government approach so that we share and carry the burden together so there is neither them and us.

TM: When you are in the political space sometimes when the Government brings out a policy and as long as I am not affiliated to a political party I might just rubbish it off. We did a survey which showed that most listeners did not understand the main themes you explained in this document. Do you think it’s something that the media is to blame for or people are just reluctant.

MM: We never say it’s the fault of the people . . . the people haven’t understood it. It’s still the job of the Government, media, ministry, etc. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has been going out for road shows making people understand that when we talk of NDS1 which succeeded the TSP, we are talking about the getting back the prosperity.

We are talking about developments that have been done in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, devolution, our people moving together towards Vision 2030, which has been the mantra from the time President Mnangagwa took office in 2018. 

RM: Hon. Minister can you please specify and highlight some of the visible developments that have manifested in the implementation of this blueprint? 

MM: Remember when we took over in 2018 we spoke about the mantra Zimbabwe is Open for Business and our manifesto talked about issues to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy by 2030 and this is guided now by this blueprint.

We started with TSP and now it’s NDS1 and we will have NDS2 and going forward to Vision 2030 and to achieve that target we need sustained economic growth and this is what has been happening. 

Going forward we need a sustained economic growth of 6 percent per annum for the whole period as we move from 2022 to 2023.

Currently, the growth focus for 2021 stand at 7,8 percent so we look strong on that front. Even financial institutions like the IMF have also revised upwards Zimbabwe’s growth projections to 6 percent which again is a very strong indicator that we are on the right track to Vision 2030.

Most importantly, our growth target for 2030 is US$5000 per capita income. We are talking about issues which are affecting every citizen when we talk about GDP figures,  we are talking about what is the quality of life putting into consideration how much are people earning, and those economic shifts will help our people to move forward to a better life.

This is precisely what the Government is doing. When we come to agriculture, the food security of our country, we have seen that a lot of effort has been done to make sure that we put more land under irrigation. 

The target of Government is almost 100 000 hectares of virgin land under irrigation, we have also seen that besides these enormous irrigation projects, which have been put around reliable water sources, government is supporting farmers, even subsistence farmers.

Under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, the President is going into each homestead giving a bag of fertiliser and seed. They (farmers) are trained that even under climate change, they can have something and we have seen the best results coming.

We have taken a huge step as a Government to put to rest this emotive issue about the land reform programme. The President signed the Global Compensation Agreement and that is in line with the provisions of our own Constitution that we need to move with everybody, we need peace and unity.

In mining, we are actually working towards attaining a US$12 billion dollar economy by 2023. We have already amended the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act and this is being done to facilitate investment in that sector.

We have also made sure that we support beneficiation and value addition of minerals and that we don’t export raw materials. This is all being done so that we achieve a US$12 billion industry and all that is meant to make sure there is prosperity and young people coming from university get jobs.

TM: One listener here asks: how can NDS1 be a success when we are developing other nations through donating unprocessed minerals? 

MM: As a Government, in order to attain the US$12 billion industry, there is a lot being done and one of the ways is amending the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act to facilitate foreign direct investment into the sector and to make sure that we will continue to beneficiate, value add our minerals. 

We want to grow this economy to be a net exporter for the global market because what we have cannot be consumed by the domestic market. It is actually for the global market and the Second Republic is aware of what needs to be done to make sure that we get there. 

When we export, we get the money to industrialise, to make sure that the lives of people change and all our university students have jobs. We’re developing and renewing our towns and cities through urbanisation. That’s why the Second Republic is talking about urbanisation because that’s critical for prosperity.

RM: Do you think the Government has done enough in capacitating national institutions for them to contribute to the fulfilment of what is contained in the NDS1?

MM: Our national institutions need to be capacitated. Before Independence there was only one university. But now we have more than 14 universities. What are those universities doing?

Soon as President Mnangagwa got into power he called all the university Vice Chancellors and said that the time for bragging about churning out 25 000 graduates is over, we need a 5.0 education system which can bring out graduates who can actually turn education attained into a product or service. 

So we are talking about innovation centres and incubation centres. All this is meant to make sure that as a country we increase our production and we make sure all our students who go through university are employed, employees on their own ride.

TM: What is your take on the Nyatsime issue? What about people who have not yet been given their stands they paid for in 2010? 

MM: Some stayed in houses for 30 years without title deeds. Land barons were also short-changing those who wanted houses. The President came up with the National Housing Ministry so that people will have permanent places they own. 

It is going to look at those residing on wetlands prone to floods, those residing on service roads or stands for schools. The Government will do mapping with universities to check if people built their houses at the right place and offer them title deeds afterwards.

It’s not a crime that people were placed there, but the people will be relocated to other houses and flats built by the Government in towns.

The issue of title deeds is a game changer. Those who extended their houses are now being given title deeds by the Second Republic. The Cabinet committee led by VP Chiwenga and local government are working together to check on school locations, clinic locations because all should be done correctly.

TM: When it comes to NDS1 as a blueprint, we have had economic blueprints before using ZimAsset, but many people argued that it was a good document on paper, but when it came to the implementation it might have fallen short to achieve that which it intended to. What makes NDS1 unique? 

MM:NDS1 is a plan for the fulfilment of the gains of Independence, this is why I was clear on what I was talking about on agriculture, empowering all farmers to sure that we have food security in the country; roads which are being built to make sure farmers can carry their goods to the market; the US$12 billion mining economy by 2023, and the steps being taken there and what we are doing in terms of accelerating implementation of doing business and this is being done to make sure manufacturing capacity increases. 

This is why you have seen Government putting in place the forex auction system. This is all being done to increase manufacturing contribution to the GDP to about 50 percent.

When we talk of energy, we are increasing power generation. You have seen the expansion project at Kariba, the Batoka gorge hydro station project, Hwange expansion to make sure Zimbabwe becomes a net energy exporter by the year 2025. 

There is also water sanitisation, nothing and no one is left behind. Devolution is also important, there are developments in the health sector and also liberalisation of the air waves.

RM: Hon Minister I am sure you would agree with the assertion that for this economic blueprint to succeed, there is a need for collaboration between the people of Zimbabwe who are direct beneficiaries, ordinary people, the private sector and civil society. Do you think the private sector has been forthcoming in supporting the Government to fulfil this vision?

MM: As we move forward as a country we just can’t move with the public sector leaving the private sector. We have really moved from the mentality of them and us because the Government belongs to the citizens and within the citizens, some belong in the public sector and some to the private sector. I am sure you have seen a change in how the Government operates. We have incorporated the private sector in every manner. You have seen how the private sector came on board as partners in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. 

RM:  We recently had by-elections held in an environment of peace. What are your sentiments regarding those elections including the outcome? 

MM: Remember I am a war veteran. I am among that generation of young people who joined the war at a tender age. I was only 15-years-old when I joined the liberation war. I went to fight not for myself, but for every Zimbabwean, for opportunities for all of us in this country. I think I said it earlier that the ultimate price for the sacrifice is to achieve prosperity and we fought for that one man, one vote. Sometimes the young generation might have missed it and think that voting was always there in this country. 

There was no voting, no black man was ever consulted on who was going to be your councillor or your MP. Blood was shed for us to have this democratic space that we have today. I want the audience to understand that there is nothing wrong for anybody to stand up and say you belong to the CCC, to the MDC or the ruling party ZANU-PF, that’s democracy which was fought for so that you can have a choice. 

When it comes to voting, it is also a right which was fought for and so we’re always appealing to people to register to vote and that right should be exercised in a peaceful manner. There is no need for violence. You just need to choose a person you think is going to change your life. Remember, whoever you are picking to be a Councillor will decide on whether sewage is going to be removed from your households and or not. 

RM: Hon. Minister may I take this opportunity to ask you about the impending Independence celebrations. For the first time in the history of this country, there has been a shift from the capital Harare to Bulawayo. What really informed this shift Honourable Minister? 

MM: Thank you very much. You know devolution. We are talking about devolution. We are making Zimbabweans understand that we are all equal. This 42nd celebrations are going to be held in Bulawayo and this is going to continue as we decentralise the holding of the celebrations to all the provinces. This is being done in the spirit of inclusivity. We want every Zimbabwean to understand that there is something special in the province they reside in. 

Monies have been allocated using devolution to make sure every Zimbabwean participates in the economic activities in their locality. So l am very happy with the preparations and we are working very hard to make the celebrations memorable. 

TM: Thank you so much Hon Minister for your time.