Harare(New Ziana)-President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday said Zimbabweans should be united and avoid politics of hate as it does not help the country achieve its set targets.

In his address to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1987 Unity Accord, celebrated every December 22, President Mnangagwa said for the country to prosper, everyone must put hands on the deck.

“A divided house soon crumbles and falls. We should never entertain politics which mobilise around narrow, anti- nation sentiments. Zimbabwe is a unitary state and politics operating below that constitutional dictate, should be rejected,” he said.

He said unity of purpose was a cornerstone for the country’s quest to transform into an upper middle income economy by 2030.

“We must be united to assure our people of decent livelihoods, through inclusive development and growth which leaves no one behind.

“Zimbabwe needs all its hands: black or white, long or short, tender, clean or greased; fisted or open. All these hands belong to our nation which today bids them to work for it, and in unity and harmony,” he said.

He said elections should never be the cause for divisions in the country.

“Our constitution bids that we hold election after every five years. With elections comes contestation; however these must never be aggressive or divisive rivalry.

“Democratic contestation should never destroy our national cohesion. The quest to govern is never a license to divide. Our politics must affirm our nation by always advancing productivity, economic development and prosperity for all our people,” he said.

“We must therefore always seek to be more peaceful and more united through greater interaction, greater justice and more balanced development,” he added.

New Ziana