‘We need real deals in Zimbabwe’

By Harry Peter Wilson

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s recent trip to China did not yield major deals as what some people and the media want us to believe.

The president met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) where the two leaders are said to have signed three deals.

While the deals were indeed signed these will not have an immediate impact on our ailing economy that is yawning for a major injection of funds.

Interestingly, according to Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Sibusiso Moyo the first deal was of “immigration and that agreement was meant to have the possibility and provide a framework of exchanging prisoners who would have committed offences on either side.”

The second deal was to “do with the Chinese side to import citrus fruits from Zimbabwe…” And the third and last agreement was “that of 500 boreholes which were donated by the Chinese government…”

Yes, these are the three deals that Mnangagwa and his high-powered delegation managed to sign when in China!

While I am not against signing such deals, I also believe these are just small deals that we should not celebrate about especially given the state of our economy; the poverty and joblessness that our youths are encountering every day.

These deals are not anywhere near the $2 billion that Zimbabwe is looking for that can bail us out and kick-start our economic growth.

I am happy though that as these big industrialised countries keep shutting their doors, Mnangagwa has also looked elsewhere, hence his engagement with Britain and other international financial institutions.

The president has also to look at the local businesses and engage them for solutions, it works at times and we are the best drivers for this economy.

We are happy that he has chosen his new Cabinet which fits with his agenda and direction because he has the compass.

What we can only do is help those he has appointed to these posts so that the next five years can be as fruitful as possible.

We hope the new Cabinet will work on the required reforms that can soften the stance of countries like China, US and the UK.

Our lives are in our own hands because we know what these countries require of us so that they can release the much-needed finances.

Sadly, like in the past Mnangagwa has failed to listen to most of us who had called for an inclusive government because what he has just done is recycle Zanu PF guys; some of whom we had already forgotten!

It is good we have a Cabinet and these guys have to roll their shirt sleeves and start the work at hand — there is no time to relax because the house is burning.

We also hope that the president will keep his word when it comes to devolution because we are eagerly waiting to see how he will manage this.

And thanks to him for having a small Cabinet; yes, 20 ministers are manageable and we hope they will push together.

Like I always say and I am proud to say it; Zimbabwe is for us all, we need to enjoy it together!

Let us learn to share the cake….

Wilson is president of Democratic Opposition Party