ZimAsset has surpassed 2 million jobs, Cdes

Dear Cabinet and Politburo members

COMRADES, last week we launched two key projects that fall under the infrastructural development cluster of our Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) programme.

These are the Beitbridge-Chirundu highway dualisation project and the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam project.

Where are those sclerotic detractors of ours that were clamouring that our Zim-Asset job target of 2,2 million was a mere vote-catching gimmick? Where are they?

They should come out now and see the jobs that we have delivered… these two projects commissioned last week will bring livelihood to more than one million people.

Cde Joram and Cde Shuvai have assured me that just the first leg of the highway from Beitbridge to Harare is expected to create not less than 350 000 jobs for villagers along the road's route.

Then a similar number will be employed on the Harare-Chirundu leg of the road. That puts the total at a cool 700 000 jobs.

Then there are about 100 000 families whose lives will forever be changed by the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam.

In terms of a head count, we are looking at not less than 500 000 direct and downstream jobs. That puts the total jobs created from the two projects at about 1,2 million.

When we went for elections in 2013, there were not half as many informal traders as we have now. The trusty Cde Sithembiso tells me that through our people-oriented policies, another 500 000 jobs have been created in this field.

Cde Walter Chidhakwa in his mining sector tells me that gold deliveries to Fidelity have grown incredibly fast in the past three years, thanks to our policy to allow our people to make best of their God-given natural resources.

We could have a record gold production in the history of this country this year… up to 50 tonnes, thanks to more than 250 000 of our brave and hard-working people, who are risking it all to bring forth those nuggets of the precious metal.

I am happy they are now called artisanal miners, not makorokoza as before. It was a disparaging term. It was connotative.

Cde Tshinga, the ever-hardworking brother whose track record at the Zimbabwe Defence Industries is disarming, now has a ministry of his own… the Ministry of War Vets and Something.

Before we go for elections, he would have vetted up to 300 000 people who qualify as war veterans.

These are the chimbwidos, mujibhas, the detainees, the restrictees and many other people that worked in advance for this country. That status, which comes with monetary rewards and other featherbeddings, is more than a job in itself.

In just three years, the number of small-scale tobacco farmers has grown exponentially from just over 10 000 to nearly 100 000.

Now add all these massive figures, before we start adding those smaller ones that are below 100 000… which are just too many from virtually all sectors of the economy… there are cross border traders under Cde Killer (it is high time we rewarded him for his patriotism and hard work), then there are those women and youths that we have empowered through various business start-up loans, then there are those in others sectors such as hospitality and tourism (we are happy that our progressive courts have since allowed our daughters and sisters who are more resourceful to make the best of themselves), those in the transport sector and many more.

These figures go way beyond the modest figure of 2,2 million that we gave in our election manifesto.

So when Cde Emmerson told the nation that our government has delivered on its pre-election job promise, our detractors thought he was just posturing like what politicians sometimes do.

This is very real. With a year or so to go to elections, there is now a real possibility that we could double our original figure.

I had to compile all these hard figures to make it easier for you Cdes and all members of the party to be able to explain this to the grassroots and also, more importantly, to answer our detractors who never see us doing anything good.

The good thing about our hard work is not what our detractors say, but rather what the people say.

I am so happy that a recent survey by a respected think-tank has confirmed that the people are more than happy with the way we have been faithful to them.

This should make all of us proud. This way, I can assure you that our party will rule forever and ever!

Kindest Regards

Yours Sincerely

ME

… AND CZ'S NOTEBOOK



 

Disaster

This week, Zimbabwe was fully represented at a global summit on disaster somewhere in the Americas.

Whatever the meeting was about, Dr CZ thinks this is one of the few meetings that were worth attending.

This is very commendable because the country, as it stands right now, is a disaster and a half.

Anyone who knows disaster just as a word, need to invite themselves over to this part of the earth to have an idea of what not to do to a country, no matter what.

Of course, ours is a man-made disaster, which makes our case even more compelling!

False!

This week, South African power utility, Eskom, together with its Mozambican counterpart, Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB), were threatening to plunge Zimbabwe into darkness if ZESA Holdings does not settle a US$43 million power debt.

You and Dr CZ know for sure that ZESA is now collecting payment from most of its customers upfront through the pre-paid meter system, so there is certainly no way our own ZESA could be owing these regional power utilities if they are remitting these payments to Eskom and HCB unless there are occasional glitches in electronic payments to external parties.

Remember we have just embarked on a Command Winter Wheat programme that is threatening to be another huge success like its maize predecessor? So it is only natural that our Anglo-Saxon enemies are not impressed and are trying to do everything to scuttle this noble effort, including paying some officials in these companies to make false demands to our own ZESA.

There is certainly no way ZESA could be diverting the money to something else. No way! It's the British and the Americans! The notorious killjoys that do not want to see Zimbos celebrating!

Anyway, once bitten twice shy… we now have our own handy back-up plan… the diesel generators at Dema… these will make sure that whatever tricks the evil ones may try to visit on us do not yield any result.

Treasonous!

As a super patriot - the one and only ISO-certified one for that matter!-Dr CZ's blood boils when some sclerotic pessimists take it to the social media to try and spread alarm and despondency among our people.

One of those was swearing by Mbuya Nehanda's bones that in a few weeks' time, it will be the turn of Command maize farmers to receive thorough beatings at various Grain Marketing Board depots, similar to those which tobacco farmers received recently at the auction floors after they complained about non-payment of their cash. Surely, how can someone even think, let alone say, such things? Dr CZ used to wonder why treason always attracts capital punishment… he is now wiser!

What?

We are told that bloodletting violence erupted in Bulawayo at the weekend between members of ZANU-PF. Riot police had to be called in to get things back into order. This is really, really sad. We have been told time without number by patriotic analysts that violence is part of the DNA of the opposition, and for that reason, we have no reason to disbelieve that the ruling party has been infiltrated by some agents of the Anglo-Saxon criminals, masquerading as opposition players in this country. Otherwise how else can one explain the bloody scenes that were all over the mainstream and social media? Anyway, we have no doubt that the police will be leaving no stone unturned as they move to expose the real culprits behind these barbaric acts.

Meanwhile, Cde Mphoko blamed this violence on members of the ruling party who have no grassroots support. Could there be any one more qualified than Cde Mphoko to talk about the lack of grassroots support?

Rude

It was very rude - and we mean very, very rude - for MDC-T vice president, Advocate Nelson Chamisa, who is also a pastor, to turn down an offer for a doctorate degree from one of the many universities based in Mars.

Phillip Chiyangwa, Killer Zivhu, Karikoga Kaseke, Esau Mupfumi, Morgan Tsvangirai and many others have all profusely thanked God and the gods when such offers came their way from the likes of Cde Enrico Sibanda. Everyone who think that they are something wants to be addressed as Dr like Yours Truly… including those that cannot tell their left from right who - to our collective shame - are just too many. So for Chamisa to reject the offer outright was unAfrican. Elders need to sit down with this boy and advise him on how best to behave if he ever hopes to be treated with respect by elders.

Nxa-a!

The concept of Wi-Fi in kombis is just landing in Zimbabwe, the second most-developed country on the African continent after South Africa. Sadly, in backward Kenya, it arrived four years ago. Isn't it high time we set up an inter-ministerial taskforce to investigate how this abomination was allowed to happen?

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cznotebook@yahoo.co.uk