Tsvangirai made the statement while recently addressing his party’s Mashonaland West provincial leadership, where he promised that if voted into power, he would prioritise improving the economy, which went through severe battering from 2000 when President Robert Mugabe led a controversial land redistribution programme that negatively affected agricultural production.
The economy started picking up again from 2009 after the formation of the Government of National Unity, but recovery has been slow as business and industrial capacity utilisation remain depressed.
Unemployment is more than 70 percent, according to a recent report by an economic consultant, John Robertson. “We want rule of law, not rule by law. We need a new crop of leadership that is focused on issues, not on politics. We need to focus on the economy.
“The MDC government will be focused on giving food to the people, creating jobs and job opportunities for them, developing our infrastructure and improving agricultural yields,” Tsvangirai said.
Tsvangirai added that there was need to fix Zimbabwe’s governance culture, which he described as retrogressive and old-fashioned. The country needs US$ 14 billion dollars for infrastructural development thus the national government should focus on knowing what to give the people to make them effective economic players.
Meanwhile, cases of violence are on the increase with four MDC-T supporters reported to have been allegedly abducted in Chegutu recently.
In Masvingo, three huts belonging to an MDC-T member, Solomon Madyezvivi were reportedly torched by suspected Zanu (PF) supporters last week in Ward 1, Gutu West. Intra-party violence has also been blamed on Welshman Ncube’s MDC formation.
MDC-T Councilor for Ward 23 in Nkayi South constituency, Brenda Mpofu, said she had received death threats from MDC party members for refusing to defect to their party.
Post published in: News