ZimAsset inhospitable to youths: Mujuru

via ZimAsset inhospitable to youths: Mujuru – DailyNews Live by Mugove Tafirenyika  10 JANUARY 2014 

Joice Mujuru, Zimbabwe’s acting President, said her Zanu PF party’s economic blueprint ZimAsset, is “inhospitable” to youths’ aspirations.

Mujuru was addressing a handful of mourners yesterday at the burial of the late retired lieutenant colonel Harold Mtandwa Chirenda at the National Heroes’ Acre in Harare yesterday.

Mujurusaid the economic blueprint did not adequately address issues around information technology as well as banking and the financial services sector.

She said she had been approached by youths who had told her that while they were generally happy that ZimAsset covered good ground in terms of addressing important economic issues, the blueprint had inadequacies  in important sectors.

“Defensively, I retorted: ‘Which two areas? ZimAsset has gone through various stages of the party and government, and was debated thoroughly. Now you tell us it is inadequate’,” Mujuru said.

Mujuru said she had thoughtfully considered the youths’ assertions. She said there was need to take on board such feedback to make the blueprint “elastic enough to accommodate the key enablers”.

“That conversation gave me hope,” she said.

“It suggested a generation that is actively engaging and busy unpacking a national policy and ready to challenge it.”

ZimAsset has been criticised by analysts,who argue that government did not fully engage stakeholders in drafting the document, warning that this may be detrimental to its implementation.

“It is one thing to try to consult in a ritualistic fashion, but it is another to be substantively involved in a programme like ZimAsset,” political analyst and University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure said.

“The test of the policy is in implementation and its funding is also critical. It excludes key strategic shareholders such as the private sector and NGOs.

“It will become difficult to get that buy-in from such stakeholders, making the document defective at birth. It is likely not to achieve its expected results. It should have a national character.”

Turning to Chirenda,

Mujuru said the former army general was a dedicated party cadre who served his country with unrivalled distinction.

Chirenda, was a commander trained by Mujuru’s late husband, Rex Nhongo and a host of other combatants during the liberation war.

She lamented the fact that many of the liberation war heroes had departed without having the opportunity to share their experiences with the nation.

“We have not written our history, we are great but mute heroes,” Mujuru said.

“We have not narrated our experiences even to this generation that lives.

“Much worse, our experiences are buried away with us, rendered eternally mute, when we die, one at a time until we are all gone one day.

“Unless they spoke when they lived, dead comrades don’t tell stories,” said Mujuru in an emotionally-charged and poetic speech.

Chirenda died on January 1 after battling a long illness.