News / National
Zimbabwe divided on indigenisation: Tsvangirai
28 Oct 2011 at 05:36hrs | Views
THE inclusive Government is divided over how to implement the indigenisation and economic empowerment laws, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said yesterday.
He said some of the major contentious issues were how to balance the need to empower the poor, who have no money, to acquire stake in firms with the desire to promote investment. Mr Tsvangirai was responding to questions from legislators during the re-introduced Prime Minister's question time.
Mbire MP, Paul Mazikana (Zanu-PF), asked the PM if there was any contradiction in Cabinet on indigenisation.
"There do not seem to be any contradictions, it is the implementation which some people would like to politicise when it is not a political issue," he said. "It is not a partisan issue, we want to encourage the participation of Zimbabweans and no one argues about that."
Mr Tsvangirai said he felt that everyone agreed that the idea was not to share a small cake, but to grow it so that everybody could benefit.
"This has to be very clear that the intention is to encourage participation, because our people are poor . . . to invite them to cede for value when they do not have money to go kunogaisa kana chibage chaicho, and expect them to participate in millions of dollars, I think it is expecting too much," he said.
"So, there is need to create alternatives, wealth-creation fund for the resources that we have got in order that all of us can then participate."
Mr Tsvangirai has in the past come under fire for flip-floping on indigenisation and economic empowerment. He said at a rally in Marondera recently that his party was totally opposed to indigenisation andeconomic empowerment.
On opening the airwaves, the PM said it remained one of the outstanding reforms that principals to the GPA were dealing with. He said he was not happy with the level of hate speech in the media. Mr Tsvangirai said it was not proper that those who controlled the print media wanted to establish a radio station.
This seemed to be a veiled attack on Zimbabwe Newspapers, which has applied to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe for a radio license.
"I want to assure you that myself, His Excellency the President and Honourable Mutambara, have dire-cted the Minister of Information that the BAZ must be rectified, the board must be reconstituted and there has to be multiple media voices in the country instead of just having one," he said.
Mr Tsvangirai was responding to a question from Mutare Central MP, Mr Innocent Gonese (MDC-T) on what the inclusive Government was doing to liberalise the airwaves.
Mr Tsvangirai said political violence had been substantially reduced, adding that the few reported incidents were sporadic.
On Libya, the PM said Zimbabwe would be guided by the African Union in determining the status of its diplomatic relations with the North African country.
He said some of the major contentious issues were how to balance the need to empower the poor, who have no money, to acquire stake in firms with the desire to promote investment. Mr Tsvangirai was responding to questions from legislators during the re-introduced Prime Minister's question time.
Mbire MP, Paul Mazikana (Zanu-PF), asked the PM if there was any contradiction in Cabinet on indigenisation.
"There do not seem to be any contradictions, it is the implementation which some people would like to politicise when it is not a political issue," he said. "It is not a partisan issue, we want to encourage the participation of Zimbabweans and no one argues about that."
Mr Tsvangirai said he felt that everyone agreed that the idea was not to share a small cake, but to grow it so that everybody could benefit.
"This has to be very clear that the intention is to encourage participation, because our people are poor . . . to invite them to cede for value when they do not have money to go kunogaisa kana chibage chaicho, and expect them to participate in millions of dollars, I think it is expecting too much," he said.
"So, there is need to create alternatives, wealth-creation fund for the resources that we have got in order that all of us can then participate."
On opening the airwaves, the PM said it remained one of the outstanding reforms that principals to the GPA were dealing with. He said he was not happy with the level of hate speech in the media. Mr Tsvangirai said it was not proper that those who controlled the print media wanted to establish a radio station.
This seemed to be a veiled attack on Zimbabwe Newspapers, which has applied to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe for a radio license.
"I want to assure you that myself, His Excellency the President and Honourable Mutambara, have dire-cted the Minister of Information that the BAZ must be rectified, the board must be reconstituted and there has to be multiple media voices in the country instead of just having one," he said.
Mr Tsvangirai was responding to a question from Mutare Central MP, Mr Innocent Gonese (MDC-T) on what the inclusive Government was doing to liberalise the airwaves.
Mr Tsvangirai said political violence had been substantially reduced, adding that the few reported incidents were sporadic.
On Libya, the PM said Zimbabwe would be guided by the African Union in determining the status of its diplomatic relations with the North African country.
Source - HeraldOnline
