We deliver on promises, claims Chiwenga

GOVERNMENT under the able leadership of President Mnangagwa is delivering to the people tangible life-changing projects as it is not time to promise fake things like spaghetti roads and rural home airports, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, has said.

The MDC-Alliance presidential candidate Mr Nelson Chamisa has been making shocking promises to the electorate like spaghetti roads and airports in villages when the opposition stands accused over presiding over the worst urban councils in history.

Addressing Zanu-PF supporters at Zhovhe Dam in Beitbridge West Constituency, some 80km west of the border town, VP Chiwenga said it was not time for fake promises.

"Promising people lies like building spaghetti roads is not our concern. If you look at what we have done since coming into office so far, you will note that our Government is seized with rebuilding the economy and boosting food security, health care, job creation, education, housing, peace, unity and infrastructure development," said VP Chiwenga.

"We are gathered here at Zhovhe where Government is constructing a 63km canal that will augment water supplies in Beitbridge town at the same time creating a greenbelt through irrigation farming and horticulture activities. "Under this initiative we intend to create 10 000 hectares  of irrigation land of which we have since put 2 500 under citrus production.

"Our President today is officiating at the ground breaking ceremony to modernise Beitbridge Border Post. You will note that we have a challenge of receiving below average rainfall in Matabeleland South province due to natural climatic conditions.

"At the moment we have started with the processes of water harvesting by building three more dams, among them the Tuli-Manyange in Gwanda district, which will not only boost agriculture, but also sell water to Botswana".

VP Chiwenga said he had since engaged the Minister of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security, Supa Mandiwanzira, to urgently attend to the poor mobile service network in the province. He said the state of communication facilities in the area was deplorable considering that in some areas, people are relying on Botswana and South Africa for such services.

VP Chiwenga said the new dispensation was working on improving the coverage of televisions and radio services through the digital migration programme.

The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is upgrading broadcasting transmitters while in some cases they were constructing new projects to accommodate the new order.

"As we move forward with our Zimbabwe is open for business mantra, we also encourage indigenous businessmen to take advantage of abundant investment opportunities the new dispensation is offering. So far we have opened the Women's Microfinance and the Youth Empowerment banks respectively as we move a gear up to promote self-sustenance among Zimbabweans," he said.

He said they had also started reviving the Cold Storage Commission to promote livestock production and to revive the canning and beef industry in Matabeleland South province.

"I have also instructed the provincial administrator (Mat South) to engage development agencies here to repair the 475 boreholes in Beitbridge district to improve water and sanitation issues here," said Chiwenga.