HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday called on Zimbabweans to “put our beloved country above our national interests” as he chided businesses for raising prices, a major headache for his government.
Mnangagwa vowed that his government, catapulted to power by a military coup in November 2017 before winning a controversial election last July, would resolve Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis “without fail”.
“Yes, we’re currently facing various economic challenges in our country such as foreign currency and fuel shortages,” he said. “However, I assure the nation that my administration will resolve these issues without fail.
“Meanwhile, our businesspeople at every level must be ethical in their conduct. The rebuilding of our economy is everyone’s responsibility… let us as a people and as a nation pledge ourselves to put the interests of our beloved country above our own personal interests.”
Mnangagwa was speaking at the National Heroes Acre in Harare where he led proceedings at the burial of Velaphi Misheck Ncube, a hero of the 1970s war of independence.
“We must, as the generation of today, play our own role in the struggle of today: that of economic prosperity, modernisation and industrialisation for the betterment of the lives of all our peoples,” Mnangagwa said.
“Our land and all our natural resources must be fully utilised and exploited for the accelerated equitable development of our country and benefit all citizens.”
He said his government was “moving forward on the path towards growth and prosperity” – without outlining a timeline or steps to get Zimbabwe out of a downward economic spiral that has fuelled public disaffection with his government, which threatens to spill out into mass protests and job boycotts.
