ED is leading us to a successful and more prosperous Zimbabwe

Since taking over as president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has instilled a feeling that things are now different, that we are living in a new era, a new Zimbabwe. Obviously, not everything changed overnight, but we can start seeing the seeds of recovery all around us.

ED himself talked of ‘leading us to a new Zimbabwe', but it was never quite quantifiable.

However, according to statistics from the National Social Security Authority the employment figures show that the situation is starting to turn around. According to P3 forms submitted by new employees, 62,689 jobs were created between January and June 2018.

Additionally, 1,730 new companies have been registered this year.

These are the indicators of national confidence and that the Zimbabwean economy is starting to pick up.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) described the statistics as "impressive", and added that capacity utilisation had breached 50 percent this year for the first time in seven years.

NSSA experienced a slump in pension contributions in the past two decades owing to job losses attributable to poor economic performance and repressed investor confidence.

Employer contributions fell 42 percent between January and September last year, 48 percent in 2016, and 52 percent the previous year.

But since late 2017 when President Mnangagwa assumed office, there has been a turnaround.

"The main thing is that the industry is now operating at above 50 percent and this is positive because since 2011, industry has been operating below 50 percent," CZI President Sifelani Jabangwe said.

American politician Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."

The facts appear to back up ED's claim that we are on our way to a new Zimbabwe. While it is always possible to criticise this or that policy, as the opposition invariably does, pure cold statistics amply demonstrate that we are certainly moving in the right direction.

It is important to note that this has been no easy task, it is not as simple as waving a magic wand and everything becomes better, as some would have it. The Zimbabwean economy was in very bad shape and was heading in an even worse direction in November.

ED had to steady the ship and start the arduous business of steering it to calmer waters before navigating a turn into the right direction. Any false misstep and the whole venture could have sunk. However, a steady, calm and measured hand achieved all of this in a relatively short amount of time.

Anyone with less experience and more impetuous would have sunk our economy to even greater depths, perhaps those that would have taken a generation to recover from.

Nevertheless, we are not in the clear yet, our nation has a long road to recovery and we dare not take risks for the future.

With elections edging closer and closer it is time to seriously consider whether we want to gamble on our future and the future of our children, or maintain our course of economic recovery that will soon be felt by all.

Regardless of our opinion, the facts show that ED is leading us to a successful and prosperous Zimbabwe,.