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NewsDay

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Mnangagwa has an unenviable task

ZIM TRANSITION
President-designate Emmerson Mnangagwa, a towering figure on the country’s political landscape at the moment, comes in at a time Zimbabweans are at a crossroads due to contestations that could derail economic progress, development and monetisation of the country’s resources.

President-designate Emmerson Mnangagwa, a towering figure on the country’s political landscape at the moment, comes in at a time Zimbabweans are at a crossroads due to contestations that could derail economic progress, development and monetisation of the country’s resources.

No doubt Mnangagwa inherits a tattered economy, a divided ruling party, and a population that has extremely high hopes for a quick economic and political turn-around strategy.

This means the 14 million or so Zimbabweans are now waiting for him to give them the hope they are yearning for.

The strategy for economic development, reconnection with the international community and involvement of all citizens and political players regardless of which party they support will be the masterstroke in Zimbabwe’s turnaround strategy.

Given the events of the last few days in particular, when Zimbabweans from all walks of life regardless of colour, political affiliation, creed or tribe gathered with a common purpose to drive former President Robert Mugabe out, Mnangagwa must be magnanimous by forgiving those that he fought with before he landed the Presidency.

In fact, the new President must, if at all possible, come up with a coalition government representative of all Zimbabweans as a way to unite and heal our fractured nation.

Arguments by some sections of society are that indeed Mnangagwa was part of the failed Zanu PF regime until two weeks ago, and may not have been the right person for the job, given the political and economic errors of the past.

These concerns could be justified, and the new President will come under significant pressure to perform miracles to prove his critics wrong and revive the sinking economy.

We believe carrying such a heavy load of a nation’s expectations is never easy, but it is incumbent on Mnangagwa to adopt an all-encompassing approach by setting up a coalition or transitional government in which all political parties are represented and re-engage the international community.

We believe the world was waiting on the wings and could not wait to see Mugabe’s back to start working with Zimbabwe again. It is beyond doubt that Mugabe had become a stumbling block to the country’s growth path.

We urge Mnangagwa to bury the hatchet with his party rivals and get back to work so that we can make Zimbabwe great again as a united people. Zimbabweans are awesome people, but what they demand is clear and progressive leadership to return to our “Breadbasket Status” again. The President should stress unity over populism, peace and development for the reconstruction of the country.

Clearly, Mnangagwa will be under pressure to prove that he is the right man for the job, therefore, he needs all the support during this delicate transitional phase that will determine the future of our country.

Again, ours is currently a broken nation that needs massive rebuilding to restore its potential and ensure development and progress. Many of the people celebrating the end of Mugabe’s departure had endured untold suffering for many years in the face of massive company closures, economic collapse, joblessness and grinding poverty.

These are early days yet, but it is the time to map out a vision that we can all bank on as we look into what we hope will definitely be a brighter future in which Zimbabwe will rise again from the ashes.