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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

DESPITE the continued adverse impact of the illegal sanctions imposed on the economy by the Western countries, Zimbabwe is on a transformative journey through the adoption of inward-looking solutions including the championing of rural industrialisation under the Second Republic, which is impacting positively on ordinary people’s lives.

Due to sanctions, big industries that formally employed thousands of people in the past were forced to shut down operations, leaving a majority of people jobless – forcing some to form new small businesses as others drifted to rural areas. 

Since the turn of the millennium, the sanctions have failed to break the country’s spirit of resilience as Zimbabweans, working closely with the Government, have come up with anti-sanction busting measures, which have kept the country ticking.

The rural industrialisation drive, which has gained prominence under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa is not only boosting productivity but offers wider employment opportunities at a local level, which promotes inclusive development.

Matabeleland South Province, for example, has significantly benefited from the rural industrialisation drive with thriving projects such as the Beitbridge Juicing Company, which has provided employment for thousands, and the amacimbi processing plant in Beitbridge, Zulu Lithium Project in Insiza, Makorokoro Horticulture Garden in Mangwe District, marula oil production project in Bulilima District, construction of Tuli Manyange Dam, among others.

Under the rural industrialisation drive, communities are capitalising on locally available endowments such as minerals, wildlife, land, and water resources, among others to set up commercial industrial activity including localised value-addition projects that generate incomes for many households. 

In particular, the rural industrialisation drive has been a major success in the agricultural sector where communities are now reaping the benefits of thriving production zones.

Agriculture has been identified as the epicenter for transformation as 70 percent of the country’s population is found in the rural areas. Hence Government has set the development of the agricultural sector as one of its strategies for ensuring food and nutrition security for the realisation of Vision 2030.

Matabeleland South director for economic affairs and development in the Office of the President of the Cabinet, Mr Richmond Ncube, said the province has seen the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes and establishment of horticulture projects. In all these projects, farmers have been capacitated on how to run their enterprises as businesses.

“Rural industrialisation is about establishing industries in rural areas. It’s about communities being able to produce their own food, process it, create employment, and have disposable income,” said Mr Ncube. 

“It’s all about taking development to the communities. If it’s farming, we will be saying that farmers should be commercially oriented so that they can produce surplus year in, year out.”

The Government expects these empowerment projects to help improve per capita incomes within households and ensure that there are employment opportunities within communities. 

“This has helped to ensure that livelihoods improve. Communities are now able to sustain their families and meet their daily costs using income, which they are getting from these income-generating projects,” said Mr Ncube.

Chairperson of the Mtshabezi Irrigation Scheme in Gwanda, Mr Ndabezinhle Nyoni, said the community was feeling the positive impact of rural industrialisation, which has helped them fight hunger.

“For a long time, we didn’t have a reliable source of income but thanks to the rural industrialisation drive we now have Mtshabezi Irrigation Scheme. While we haven’t managed to irrigate the entire 200 hectares, we supply the GMB and also remain with income for our households,” he said.

“As the irrigation scheme grows, we will move on to process our produce as we want to establish a processing plant where we will be producing and selling mealie meal and even coming up with goods from wheat.”

Ms Gloria Tshuma from Vela area in Gwanda who is one of the villagers benefitting from a coffer dam that was established at the Tuli-Manyange Dam site said the project has come in handy for the community.

“During this time of the year, we face a lot of challenges in getting water for our animals. By this time water at Tuli River would have dried. We had to drive our animals over 10km to get water. We are relieved that we now have water close by for our livestock,” she said.

Ms Tshuma said they will soon establish nutrition gardens around the area.

Zimbabwe has lost billions in potential revenue due to the negative effects of the illegal sanctions with conservative estimates putting the cost at US$40 billion in the last two decades. 

Across Zimbabwe, countless innocent lives bear the brunt of these restrictive measures, their hopes and aspirations stymied by decisions made in distant capitals.

The main effect of the sanctions is to deny Zimbabwe access to global finance sources and make it difficult to access even normal commercial banking, thus investors have had to dig deep into their pockets to do business in the country.

Illegal sanctions have also brought detrimental effects on the country’s business environment and have been the key driver of economic stagnation over the years.

Under President Mnangagwa’s 2030 rural industrialisation agenda, which is part of Vision 2030, all of Zimbabwe’s 35 000 villages are set to undergo a massive transformation. The programme is anchored on creating agriculture value chains through horticulture, aquaculture, and commercial livestock rearing to boost rural industrialisation.

Further, solar-powered boreholes will be set up in each of the 35 000 villages countrywide, for people to have water available throughout the year. Each village will also have a one-hectare garden. 

The Government has also launched the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme and is accelerating dam construction throughout the country, which will help to support the establishment of irrigation schemes, fishery projects, and hydro-power development.

Zimbabwe will join the rest of the Southern African region, Africa, and the progressive world in marking the SADC-declared Anti-Sanctions Day, which is on October 25 each year. The day serves to remind the world of the injustices committed against the Zimbabwean people. – @DubeMatutu