President Robert Mugabe yesterday said a “political whirlwind” is imminent in the next elections, which may see many government ministers falling by the wayside after failing to be re-elected as stakes were high.
He made the utterances after ministers Saviour Kasukuwere (Indigenisation), Walter Mzembi (Tourism), Joseph Made (Agriculture), Sithembiso Nyoni (Small to Medium Enterprises) and Economic Planning deputy minister Mike Bimha (all Zanu PF) made pledges to support women in attaining economic empowerment.
Addressing the ministers, Mugabe said: “Ministers, I heard you making your commitments and pledges here. There’s (a whirlwind) coming, a political whirlwind is imminent because elections are coming so I hope you will survive, it will be up to the people who will make that choice.”
Mugabe, who was speaking at the launch of the Broad-Based Women Economic Empowerment Framework in Harare, also urged women miners to train in areas such as Geology, Metallurgy and Engineering and move the country away from depending on foreigners who were skilled in these areas.
The framework’s objective is to systematically empower women in all sectors of the country’s economy.
“Don’t just come together and say we should also be given mining concessions. You must also have geologists and metallurgists amongst yourselves,” Mugabe said.
“We have said even our children should take up these courses so that we also have mining engineers and geologists. If we have our own we can then get out of these partnerships that we have started, these 51%-49% partnerships, let’s just make it 100% ownership.”
