eBusiness Weekly
Business Weekly this week publishes some excerpts of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) 2018 Election Manifesto that have serious ramifications on businesses in Zimbabwe if implemented. The party, like what the theme of the manifesto says, wants to Unite, Fight Corruption, Develop, Re-engage and Create jobs for Zimbabweans. The document was launched a fortnight ago.
The manifesto’s structure has a, foreword, executive Summary by His Excellency, the President and Zanu-PF candidate Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF values and principles, guiding principles for the 2018 manifesto, Zanu-PF vision and promise to the people, ZANU-PF unparalled success, overcoming challenges and conclusion.
Due to space constraints, this publication will only carry the executive summary, guiding principles for the manifesto, promise to the people, overcoming challenges and conclusion.
Foreword by President Mnangagwa
To restore the legacy of our liberation struggle, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) Party, hereby presents the People’s Manifesto for the 2018 harmonised elections at this opportune, yet defining moment.
We are now in a New Dispensation under the leadership of ZANU-PF, where the focus and preoccupation of the new administration is opening the country for business, fighting corruption, creating jobs, modernising the public sector and promoting investment, economic empowerment re-aligning to an investor friendly trajectory leading to economic growth and employment creation.
ZANU-PF is a revolutionary and democratic party that continues to seek broad-based development and economic emancipation of the people. This is founded on unshakable principles that uphold justice and equity for all. It is a liberation movement, which thrives on and cherishes National Unity which is the foundation for the sound conditions of peace, security and development.
The essence of ZANU-PF’s ideological thrust is the establishment of a sustained society firmly based on our historical, cultural and social experience and to create conditions for economic independence, prosperity and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation. ZANU-PF believes in a free enterprise — free market economy.
ZANU-PF also profoundly believes in putting people at the centre of governance for purposes of inclusive and value adding decision making processes in conformity with the fundamental tenets of the historic and successful “Operation Restore Legacy” under the slogan “Voxi Populi Vox dei (The Voice of the People is the voice of God).”
It is therefore, a national duty of every one of us — none but ourselves, the youth, women, the disabled and disadvantaged, the vulnerable from across the political, ethnic and racial divide to go out in our epochmaking numbers to vote for ZANU-PF in the forthcoming elections to ensure that our legacy is sustained for posterity.
Guiding Principles for the 2018 People’s manifesto
Under the new progressive dispensation and when re-elected, the ZANU- PF Government will robustly embark on transforming Zimbabwe to a Middle-Income economy by 2030 through pursuing the following outcomes
Unity
Unity forms a firm basis and foundation for a conducive environment for fulfilling the people’s aspirations:
Ensuring that the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission is fully capacitated to execute its constitutional mandate and deal with pre and post-independence era conflict issues in order to achieve national healing and national consensus building.
Corruption-Free Environment
Ensure a corruption free environment in the private and public sectors. Fight Corruption in all its forms and create a corruption free Zimbabwe through capacitating democratic accountability institutions like Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Parliamentary Portfolio Committees, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and capacitating citizens to report incidences of corruption. Non-interference by the Executive in the operations of Constitutional Institutions that combat corruption; and initiate a broad-based campaign on the need to uphold sound ethical standards across all sectors.
Development
Attaining economic growth rate of at least 6 percent per annum over the period 2018-2023. Targeting $5 billion annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and US$10 billion of domestic investments. Promoting equity, equality, gender balance and empowering the youths, women, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving fiscal and debt sustainability.
Increasing industrial capacity utilisation to at least 90 percent by 2023. Leveraging the country’s human and natural resource endowments, strengthening and revitalising value chains across all sectors of the economy and increased use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enhance productivity, product marketing, governance systems and service delivery.
Improving Health service delivery in line with the SDGs by year 2023 and ensuring an AIDS free Society by 2030, delivering 1,5 million medium income housing units over the period 2018-2023; and harnessing our environment for climate change adaptation.
Re-engagement
Open Zimbabwe for global business; protecting and preserving the National Interest and Security; mending strained international relations, strengthening existing and creating new friendships through re-engagement.
Re-building local, regional and international partnerships; re-engaging international creditors; respecting international protocols through their ratification and domestication where necessary; national re-branding and reducing country risk perception; openness to international election observation and recovering lost export markets.
Job Creation
Increased jobs in the agricultural, manufacturing, mining, tourism and service sectors as well as infrastructural development projects; transforming Zimbabwe into a regional Logistics Hub; implementation of Special Economic Zones and development of business incubation centres.
Going forward, the Party’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” strategy, complemented by improved ease and cost of doing business as well as its commitment to unity, fighting corruption, re-engagement, development and job creation, will transform the livelihoods of the people.
ZANU-PF Vision and Promise to the People
ZANU-PF’s vision for Zimbabwe lies in re-opening Zimbabwe for business to achieve an inclusive, peaceful and united model modern African state in which wealth is created and prosperity is shared among all citizens. The basis is Socialism with market characteristics.
Zimbabwe is Open For Business
ZANU-PF will put forward a cocktail of measures aimed at achieving world class status through unity, fighting corruption, development, re-engagement, and creating jobs in the period starting 2018-2023 and beyond, with the lead–strategy being: “Zimbabwe Is Open For Business”.
Key deliverables for the people being re-engagement at international and regional levels by normalising the country’s relations with the western countries, bringing to an end Zimbabwe’s estrangement with the hostile nations and re-open lines of communication with those at the highest political level to ensure the removal of sanctions and other impediments to the sustenance of normal and friendly relations.
This would propel the country onto a trajectory of sustainable economic growth underpinned by full diplomatic rehabilitation into the community of nations.
Confidence rebuilding though national branding and communication to erase the perceptions of the past and highlight areas of immense potential, creating a regulatory and institutional framework for investment by aligning our investment and indigenisation laws with the reform process to attract both local and foreign investment.
Special Economic Zones are instruments for development that help to stimulate economic development in many countries.
Meeting the Goals of the People – Election
Deliverables
This will be done through key drivers of our vision and promise which are listed below.
Agriculture
Transformation of the agriculture sector through consolidating land ownership and security, increased production, productivity and food security, export orientation by producing for the global markets.
Value addition and beneficiation, harnessing our environment for climate change, establish irrigation facilities of 200 hectares per district, creating jobs in agriculture along the value chain and drill two boreholes per district.
Mining
Transformation of the mining sector through opening the mining sector for business, increasing production and productivity, mechanisation and modernisation, formalising, recognising, supporting and protecting unregistered artisanal and small scale miners, export orientation, value addition and beneficiation, retooling, recapitalisation of ailing and closed mines and resuscitation.
Manufacturing
Attracting international brands, retooling and modernising technologies, Zimbabwe’s niche in SADC industrialization strategy, production and value addition, research and development; building and securing a knowledge economy. A commitment through a stipulated budgetary allocation towards research and development as well as export orientation
Energy
Opening the sector for business, reducing licencing fees for independent producers, increase power generation capacity from the current 1800MW to 3000 MW against monthly national consumptive requirement of 2200MW thereby creating an excess of 800 megawatts. Completely eliminate load shading, reduce energy tariffs by 2030, reduce fuel prices, to embark on a national solar farming projects across the country — designate farms for the purpose.
Creating exportable energy surplus, energy efficiency and pricing policies, rural electrification to support rural industrialization, encourage investment in exploration and extraction of fossil fuels like methane gas and the exploration of coal to liquid fuels and setting up of petro-chemical industries using coal to manufacture fertilizers and sulphuric acid among others.
Transport
Rehabilitate all roads in towns and major cities to world class standards, rehabilitate rail network system, including around industrial areas. Construct new railway network system connecting all provinces, tows and neighbouring countries. Re-route all roads in major towns in conformity with the new national transport setup. Rehabilitate ancillary transport infrastructure that is road signs, traffic lights, street lighting, storm water drainage systems including creating and maintaining servitude lanes/areas as necessary.
Ensure toll fees (income) from ZINARA are put to proper use, reduce tollgate fees, reduce vehicle registration fees, reduce licencing fees, reduce import duty for passenger vehicles, all the country’s domestic and international airports will be functional, modernised and well equipped with latest machinery and technologies.
Modernising border posts in line with contemporary and international trends, rehabilitate national rail system, building sub-regional rail networks for an exporting economy.
Re-establishing Mozambique as our natural gateway to international markets, proposed new sub regional routes. Dualisation of all major roads starting with the Beitbridge-Harare Road Harare-Chirundu Road and Kwekwe-Nkayi road.
Water and sanitation
Safe and sufficient drinking water and sanitation for the citizenry as a right conferred to them by the constitution – water purity to meet WHO standards a national rehabilitation programme of all water purification plants.
ICT
Liberalising the airwaves, expanding mobile networks, adopting modern technologies, upgrading and expansion of backbone and core networks, towers, base stations, establish more information centres, establish a new international gateway, connecting all government ministries, on optic fibres, networking of central hospitals.
Tourism
An aggressive Tourism recovery and engagement of the International source markets, targets to grow new markets in non-traditional source markets in China, India and Benelux countries as well as recovery of growth volumes in the traditional western markets.
Financial services
Maintenance of economic stability and confidence amongst the transacting public, the local business community and foreign investors, improved access to cash, financial inclusion and empowerment facilities that target women`s groups, SMES and youth, ensuring access to formal financial services by all marginalised groups in support of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy. No more bank queues
SME and co-operative development
Vertical linkages, growth and formalization of SMEs, SMES involvement in national tendering and procurement policy, SME value addition and industrialisation of growth points
Zanu-PF will also focus on ensuring access to world class social services, like health education, housing, job creation, poverty eradication and catering for special interest groups like the youth, women, elderly, disabled, veterans of the liberation struggle.
Conclusion: restoring our dignity
The ZANU-PF party under the new dispensation will restore our dignity and transform the livelihoods of our people. This will be achieved through effective, consistent and pragmatic implementation of the various programmes, projects and reforms articulated in the 2018 People’s Manifesto. The process of restoring our dignity under the new dispensation is guided by the need to achieve the following outcomes:
Middle Income status by 2030; re-integration into the global economy; re- industrialisation underpinned by value addition and beneficiation as well as taking industrialisation to Growth Points and Rural Service Centres; an empowered people through effective use of our abundant natural resources as well as favourable empowerment interventions including the Local Content Policy and supportive Micro and Small to Medium Enterprises development programmes across all economic sectors; creation of quality and rewarding jobs for the people; a reliable and efficient supporting infrastructure including roads, railways, electricity and airports; quality and affordable health care delivery system; education that is supportive of the country`s development aspirations underpinned by high levels of support towards research and development as well as Innovations; food security and restoration of the country`s bread basket status; a truly democratic state that respects the rule of law, property rights and has an independent and dependable judiciary; as well as maintenance of peace and tranquillity.
