via Bimha submits ‘state of industry’ report to Mugabe – DailyNews Live 10 October 2014 by John Kachembere
HARARE – Industry minister, Mike Bimha, says he has submitted a state of the industry report to President Robert Mugabe and the Cabinet.
Mugabe had requested Bimha to compile a detailed report on the moribund sector, with a view to finding solutions to challenges bedevilling the sector.
This comes as a Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) report released yesterday revealed that Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector has deteriorated further, with capacity utilisation declining by 3,3 percentage points to 36,3 percent in the year to September 2014.
“The (state of industry report) results would be made public once we have deliberated them,” Bimha said at the launch of the CZI report. He said he was confident that results of the report would go a long way in addressing deindustrialisation taking place in most towns across the country.
In an effort to resuscitate the country’s ailing industry, the Zanu PF-led government crafted the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset), which focuses on beneficiation and value addition.
Other initiatives to help heal the economic malaise include setting up of Special Economic Zones by the government and re-engaging the international community including the Bretton Woods institutions.
Zimbabwe’s industry is still hamstrung by a number of macroeconomic challenges that have seen companies shut down and thousands of employees being laid off amid fears the country’s average capacity utilisation has crumbled to about 30 percent.
A 2013 National Social Security Authority Harare report for the year to July 2013 indicated that 711 companies closed down in Harare alone, rendering 8 336 individuals jobless.
In addition, many companies are downsizing and have retrenched tens of thousands of their employees, condemning them to a gloomy future. Nearly 100 companies have closed down in Bulawayo since 2010, putting out of work an estimated 20 000 workers, with the remaining companies scaling down their operations or relocating to Harare.
Major companies that have retrenched, according to the report, include platinum miners Zimplats and Unki, Bindura Nickel Corporation, Spar supermarkets, Dairibord, Cairns, Olivine Industries and PG Industries. Bimha said he had also requested the President to meet with captains of industry before the end of the year.
“At Cabinet, you get time to talk to the President about your ministry. Mine came at 7:30pm Tuesday night. I told the President before year end, we would want captains of industries to come and see you and talk to you about the economy. And he said they were welcome and that would have been done yesterday. Then you can tell the story and how you see it,” Bimha said.
COMMENTS
The blind leading the blind me thinks
wastin tym reportin to an incarpercited person. Shame on tht Bimha is a real bimha coz u cant report kuna sekuru vakwegura vanofanira kuva kumusha vachikanga maputi nokutaurira vazukuru ngano. Hachagona chinhu saka Grace akuita madire achienda kuzvikomba zvake paanodira kunyepera kuita marally. Ndiani angada kuti Zim itongwe nehure?
captains of a sinking ship, the results of zim greed 51% of any industry =stick it up your dilapidated backside zanu and Mugabe we will close down rather than have idiots run our hard earned business.
Mugabe aneta nukuchembera. Dai angotiregereravo, tichiri vadiki and wish to determine our future in this global village.
Mugabe aneta nekuchembera. Dai angotiregereravo, tichiri vadiki and wish to determine our future in this global village.
Curious indeed that the commander-in-thief doesn’t know the state of the economy ? Asleep again
Oh dear ZIMASSET has failed to produce the miracle! What a shock….
So, what is the truth then? Recently president Mugabe declared that Zim economy was on a growth path. Now We are being told he commissioned his Minister to investigate & report on the deteriorating state of the country. If this is not confusing, then we should wonder what can be. One can only conclude, Mugabe was warning Bimha of his preferred outcome to the very investigation he is said to have demanded done by the Ministry. Now, knowing how good Zim Ministers are at putting their ears on the ground and listening at what the old man want them to say can any sane person expect anything candid in Bimha’s report? Surely, Bimha has no choice except sing for his super, and parrot Mugabe’s declarations.
In short, after all is said & done all sensible beings can tell what Joy will tell his boss, in order to please the boss of course. For the benefit of those who may not have figured out what Joy will say, here is what he will say:
‘Our economy is growing at an astonishing rate, and our detractors (Britain, Ammerica, bula, bula, bula) are so disheartened by the positive turn of events in our dear country’s, The country owes all this aforesaid success to our President and his agrarian reform programme. Long live Cde President! Very soon our country will take its revered place among the success stories of the world, such as our true brothers’ story. Of course, our true brothers are none other than the Chinese. ….”
Obviously this is the tone of Bimha’s report – no rocket science is necessary to state what Cde Joy’s report will largely say.