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Cde Simon Khaya Moyo

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
ZANU-PF will focus on improving the quality of people’s lives this year by focusing on the economy.

The party’s national spokesperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo said this yesterday as he commented on the party’s programmes for 2018.

He said Zanu-PF has robust economic plans under Zim-Asset which would see the party improving the lives of the people this year following President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s coming into office last November.

So far President Mnangagwa has pledged to work on job creation and creating a conducive environment for investors, with Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa presenting a national budget last month proposing far-reaching reforms that will, among others, cut Government expenditure and revise the indigenisation law.

“Zanu-PF is a robust, organised party with clear principles, with clear programmes and policies which appeal to the generality of our people. We believe we are a party of action which promotes the quality of life for our people. We politically liberated this country, therefore we cannot be our own political liberators as we were and fail to be our own economic liberators. The focus will be on the economy,” said Ambassador Moyo.

He said Zanu-PF will achieve its objectives through the aggressive implementation of Zim-Asset.

“We believe that everybody has a right to life and life of quality. We must also see through Zim-Asset’s four clusters food security, social services looking at issues to do with provision of education and health care, infrastructure development we are talking about all types of infrastructure roads, railways, utilities we talk about energy and power and finally beneficiation. We must not export raw materials, we should process them,” he said.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have hailed President Mnangagwa for calling for political tolerance ahead of elections this year.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu said the President has been striking the right chord and what is left is implementation.

“We are pleased that President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised us free and fair elections. But what we want him to do is to translate his word into action because up to now we still have zero access to electronic media. So we want him to translate his verbal promises into real action,” said Mr Gutu.

He said free, fair and credible elections are key for the country’s social and economic transformation.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretary general Dr Gorden Moyo also called for free and fair elections saying it is an urgent agenda for 2018.

He said the reforms include putting up mechanisms that will ensure that diasporans register to vote in the countries where they are.

“The year 2018, this side of July should be a year where Zimbabwe should be preparing to launch an economic programme after an election and that election must be properly organised by civilians without military and security services,” he said.

President Mnangagwa on Sunday reiterated that the Government was committed to credible, free and fair elections saying people’s political orientations should not turn citizens against each other.

The President said 2018 should be a year for Zimbabwe’s economic turnaround.

@nqotshili