PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has all but dashed hopes of Bulawayo’s economic revival after lashing out at city residents for rejecting him and Zanu PF during the just-ended elections.
Gamma Mudarikiri Own Correspondent
Mugabe garnered 61% of the total votes cast against Morgan Tsvangirai’s 33%, amid allegations of rampant rigging. While Tsvangirai has rejected the poll outcome, Mugabe has been given another five-year mandate to lead the country despite his disastrous economic policies in the past three decades.
Addressing thousands of mourners during the burial of late National Railways of Zimbabwe boss Mike Karakadzai on Sunday, Mugabe said Bulawayo and Harare residents should demand service delivery from the MDC-T.
“Bulawayo and Harare voted for this amount of ignorance and now go get what you voted for from them,” Mugabe said. Critics yesterday said Mugabe’s statements could spell doom, particularly for Bulawayo which is reeling from chronic water shortages coupled with industries that are on the verge of collapse.
They ruled out an urgent measure by the Zanu PF leader to reverse the de-industrialisation of Bulawayo. But Bulawayo Business Arise administrator George Mukamba said industrial recovery in the city, once the industrial hub of Zimbabwe, would not be achieved by any political party.
“We have to put our political differences aside and now look at the problems we are facing as a country. The new government, therefore, must focus on creating a friendly business environment. That way we can be optimistic that smoke shall rise again in Bulawayo,” he added.
Mukamba said his organisation had been holding a series of meetings with various stakeholders in the business community as part of efforts to seek ways to resuscitate ailing industry in Bulawayo.
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He could, however, not be drawn into divulging more detail on the outcome of the meetings saying the organisation would make its submissions in due course.
Economic analyst Eric Bloch, however, said Mugabe’s statements were unfounded as service delivery was the mandate of local authorities and different parastatals and not the government.
Bloch said he was still optimistic that the new government would prioritise industrial recovery in Bulawayo as initially promised. “The President, in his inauguration statement, said Bulawayo was a scrapyard which needed urgent attention and I don’t think there will be a shift of focus with regards industrial recovery in the city,” Bloch said.
At his inauguration last week, Mugabe referred to Bulawayo as a scrapyard which urgently needed to be cleaned and given a new lease of life. Bulawayo, is saddled with a plethora of chronic challenges and has pinned its revival hopes on the new Mugabe administration.
The city is in a quandary with 84 companies closing shop last year while 64 are reported to be on the verge of collapse. Industries in Bulawayo need an estimated $73 million to fully revive, but have been battling to attract investment.
According to the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries manufacturing sector survey, industry reduced its capacity utilisation to 44% from 57% as of June this year, as it continues to face a myriad of challenges including subdued foreign direct investments, limited long-term loans and huge energy limitations. Twitter feedback @mudarikirig
