Newly appointed Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa has vowed to give her all in turning around the developmental fortunes of the province.
In a wide-ranging interview in Mutare on Wednesday, Mutsvangwa who replaced self-exiled Ms Mandi Chimene, said: “President Emmerson Mnangagwa has already outlined his vision for the whole country and we are taking our visions from there to make sure that we actually speed up the developmental projects of the province. There is need to show seriousness on this issue.
“The events of the past month tell us that Zimbabweans from across the political divide expect at least something, at least low hanging fruits. They have been going through a difficult time. You know what has been happening, the liquidity crunch, people are failing to access their own money. These are the issues that the President is very much seized with. I am here in Manicaland to make sure that his vision becomes a reality.”
Mutsvangwa bemoaned the sorry state of Mutare and its environs and called for immediate action to address some of the challenges the city is grappling with.
“The City of Mutare is in a sorry state and has nothing to show that it is the fourth largest city in the country. As we are speaking, it is almost like a ghost city. Industries are closed. We need to look at ways of using our resources to resuscitate industries in Manicaland.
“We want to look at what investments we can bring here to create employment. We have so many university graduates roaming the streets as airtime vendors. We were so proud when Quest Motors opened its factory, but now it is a shell. It is now a white elephant, so these are the issues that need urgent address. The potholes on the roads are just an eyesore.
“Honestly for a fourth largest city in the country, we deserve something better than this. There are no shades at bus stops. Issues of water in Dangamvura are some of the areas we can quickly look into and address them. This starts with us dealing with corruption,” she said.
She implored on all civil servants to put their shoulders on the wheel and change their mindsets.
“I must say I have been appointed by a President who has outlined his vision very clearly and has talked to civil servants. He told them that this culture of business as usual should just stop. Slothfulness and coming to office late should be things of the past. We are calling on all civil servants to do their work professionally.
“I am known for hard work. I am prepared to work day and night. I will certainly make sure that whenever and wherever I am supposed to be I will be there on time to ensure that the President’s vision for Manicaland is achieved. We have eight months before we have our elections and my task is to make sure that the 100-days vision of our President, His Excellency Honourable ED Mnangagwa is realised,” she said.- state media