First Lady in unity call, slams lazy ministers

Harmony Agere in Chivhu
FIRST Lady Amai Dr Grace Mugabe has rallied the nation to unite in the face of attempts by hostile forces to divide citizens and sow seeds of chaos.

Amai Mugabe also warned ministers and legislators against dereliction of duty and neglecting the electorate. The First Lady was speaking in Chivhu yesterday at the Chikomba West Education and Development Celebrations.

Said Amai Mugabe: “I would like to encourage all of us to remain united and work with the sense of common purpose, tibatane senyika. Tinofanira kubatana nekuti muvengi anenge akatarisa kuti vanhu veku Zimbabwe varikumboitei.

“Ndataura ndikati isusu tiri nyika yakakomborerwa nema natural resources, asi kune vamwe vane shanje kuti imi mwari makarangarirei zvivanhu zvitematema zviya muchivapa zvatisina isu.

“Vakatitarisa usiku nemasikati vachida kudyara pakati pedu vanhu vanokonzeresa nyonga nyonga kuti tisawirirane.

“Tikaona vanhu vakadaro vachiuya pakati pedu ngatingwarirei kuti kwete ndezvedu takapiwa namusiki akaona zvakakodzera kuti iyesu neganda redu dema dema zvive zvedu,” she said.

But, added Amai Mugabe, the country must watch out for such people and refuse to be divided. Amai Mugabe said President Mugabe has championed the Zim-Asset economic blueprint to value add and beneficiate agricultural produce and natural resources locally rather than have them plundered by other countries.

She said President Mugabe has always reminded people that Zimbabwe resources belong to Zimbabweans and that is why he came up with Zim-Asset so that the economy can grow and improve people’s lives.

She said there was iron in Chivhu while there was a belt of diamonds from Manicaland and these minerals should benefit the people even through employment creation and that was the wish of President Mugabe.

Amai Mugabe said the President has become an enemy of the West because he refused to let them rampantly exploit Zimbabwe’s mineral resources.

She said the West was even denigrating the President on why he was keeping so much natural resources and not relinquish them to their companies.

Amai Mugabe said President Mugabe introduced free education in 1980 so that people acquired the necessary skills they can use to exploit the natural resources. She added that people must also watch out for some local people who acquiring mining concessions on behalf of foreigners. She said such people wanted to sell the concessions for peanuts while the foreigners reap more.

Instead, she said those without enough capital must seek partners but on equal and beneficial terms. On ministers and MPs who abscond parliamentary sessions and ignore their constituencies, Amai Mugabe said they should have told President Mugabe that they are not capable to do the job when they were appointed. She said being minister or MP meant one has to work for the people.

Amai Mugabe said there have been complaints from Parliament that ministers were no longer attending Parliamentary sessions.

The celebrations honoured Industry and Commerce Minister and Chikomba West legislator Dr Mike Bimha’s academic achievements. Fellow ministers Dr Sydney Sekeramayi (Defence), Dr Walter Mzembi (Foreign Affairs) and Edgar Mbwembwe (Tourism, Environment and Hospitality Industry); as well as captains of industry and academics attended the celebrations.