Mnangagwa warns Zimbos against turning into a nation of drunks

By The NewsDay | May. 26, 2015 | 2 Min read

VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday warned against abuse of alcohol and turning Zimbabwe into a country of drunkards.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

Speaking at the official opening of Wholesale Centre Liquor Club in Bulawayo, Mnangagwa also pledged to turn around Bulawayo’s industrial fortunes before the 2018 general elections to ensure a resounding victory for Zanu PF.

“We are making efforts to resuscitate Bulawayo before the 2018 elections so that we can win,” Mnangagwa told guests at the opening of city businessman Raji Modi’s liquor centre.

Zanu PF has not won any seats in Bulawayo since 2000 as the main opposition MDC-T turned the city into one of its strongholds.

“While I thank you for your attention and wish you a pleasant shopping experience, I caution you on drinking. A drinking national does not work normal hours. I wish that as a nation, we continue to divide our work between leisure and actual work,” he added.

“I, therefore, want to encourage Wholesale Centre Liquor Hub and all retailers in Zimbabwe to source and stock locally-produced goods wherever possible. Similarly, I believe that on their part local producers should endeavour to comply with quality and delivery requirement of retailers since trade is a mutually beneficial process.

“This is a significant achievement not only for business itself and its owners, but for the Zimbabwean economy as a whole. This investment is very significant for Bulawayo, the ebbing industrial hub of Zimbabwe,” he said.

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Bulawayo has experienced massive de-industrialisation over the past decade as several companies either shut down or relocated to other regions, throwing thousands of workers into the streets.

Several Zanu PF officials have in the past few weeks promised to revive the city’s industrial base blaming its collapse on alleged misgovernance by the main opposition MDC-T which dominates the council.