Uzumba (New Ziana) – President Emerson Mnangagwa has pledged government’s commitment to foster development throughout the country, especially in rural areas as part of the Second Republic’s stance of leaving no one and no place behind.
He said this while addressing a rally at Chidodo Primary school in Uzumba after attending a memorial service for the late former commissioner general of the Zimbabwe Prisons Services Major General Paradzayi Zimondi who died early this year from Covid-19 complications.
President Mnangagwa said rural areas would not be left behind in the current development trajectory.
For example, he said rural development was being implemented under the Rural Industrialisation policy which has seen some rural areas opening processing plants for local produce such as tomatoes and the marula fruit.
“As Zimbabweans, we have the sole responsibility to develop our country in a manner we think best,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said some of the targeted development priorities included a community radio station for every province, while over the coming 3 years, he said government would sink solar powered boreholes in 35000 villages.
He said government was rolling out people centred projects in every province, including dams which will be utilised for irrigation purposes.
President Mnangagwa assured rural communities that government would not allow the exploitation of their natural resources without their consent or benefit.
“No mining should take place without mutual agreement between mining companies and local communities. As government we do not allow such behaviour,” said the President.
Meanwhile, earlier, President Mnangagwa had described the late National Hero Zimondi as a decorated and dedicated soldier of the struggle whose discipline and commitment to the country was beyond reproach.
He said Zimondi was the epitome of loyalty and challenged the young generation of officers to emulate his character and attitude towards work and serving the country.
President Mnangagwa also revealed that he was planning to re-deploy Zimondi in another capacity before his untimely death.
“Upon his retirement from the ZPCS last year, I told him to rest for a few months pending further deployment.”
Zimondi died in January and was buried at the National Heroes Acre on the same day with other National Heroes, Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo and Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister J.B Matiza who also succumbed to Covid-19, a period described by the President as one of the Darkest in the country’s history.
New Ziana