A FEW weeks ago His Excellency President Robert Mugabe came back from China where he had signed huge deals between China and Zimbabwe in the following areas: Infrastructure, mining and agriculture.
The deals are worth billions of dollars.
Soon after the President had arrived back home, the foreign owned media and the dying MDC formations went into overdrive shouting from rooftops that the deals were pies in the sky.
Below we would like to show that mega deals signed between China and Zimbabwe to develop our infrastructure, mining and agriculture are the way to go. African nations that are already developing faster than us here on the continent have addressed the areas of infrastructure, mining and agriculture first and are flying right now.
And they have not gone for cash, but for mega deals.
“There is a palpable sense of excitement in East African economies of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
“The exhilaration is centred on key infrastructure projects – In Kenya it is all about the (US$22 billion) Lappset Corridor with its port, rail, airport and oil refinery components.
“In Tanzania, it is the US$1,23 billion China funded Mtwara gas-pipeline project which covers a distance of 542 kilometres (km) and includes a 150 megawatt power plant.
“In Uganda it is the country’s first oil refinery, a US$2,5 billion project that will produce 60 000 barrels a day.”
There is also the 235km Arusha – Holili highway which is a cross border road. There is the Dar es Salaam – Isaka railway line as well as the construction of a US$$10 billion Bagamoyo port in Tanzania.
East Africa is flying and yet they have not been given a dollar to put into their pockets as the MDC and its ‘papers’ would want to happen in Zimbabwe.
They have simply signed mega deals like Zimbabwe has done.
And they are on their way to prosperity.
The Russians this week signed mega deals with the Zimbabwe government.
On Tuesday September 16 2014 the government of Zimbabwe and the Russian Federation signed a US$3 billion platinum mining project in Darwendale.
Experts say that project is going to create thousands of jobs as well as many downstream industries.
On top of the physical mining of the platinum mineral itself, there will be construction of a refinery which will result in the creation of more jobs.
One of the mega deals the Zimbabwe Government has signed is on energy.
The energy sector right now in the country is in a crisis.
While we would like our industries to ‘wake up’ and start production, there is no electricity to power them.
“Hakuna magetsi.”
We need lots of electricity to turn around our industries including agriculture.
No wonder some of the major deals Government has entered into are energy-related.
Already the deal that Government signed between themselves and the Chinese – the Kariba South hydro power plant is already on course.
Is this a pie in the sky?
There is an interesting power plant deal that has also been signed between our Government and the Chinese in the Mutare area.
It is worth about US$1,2 billion.
This is going to be a diesel and gas emergence power project.
Then there is another power deal that has been signed in Matabeleland North which involves a thermal power plant on the Gwayi, Shangani rivers.
Once these power plants come on stream, Zimbabwe’s towns and cities will then have enough electricity to power their industries and light their homes.
For our economy to get moving again what we need are railways and trains to be functioning at full throttle.
The situation right now where there are no passenger or goods trains moving in a country with so many railway lines criss-crossing the country is totally unacceptable.
For the economy to function smoothly, we need an efficient railway system.
Generally our roads are in a shambolic state.
Potholes are the order of the day.
And so it is interesting to note that our Government has also sealed a deal to construct the Beitbridge – Masvingo – Harare Highway which is the main trunk road to South Africa and the seaports.
The people who are crying that Government should have been given loads of cash by the Chinese or Russians hoping that would end the present liquidity problem are wrong.
The best way to end liquidity problems is not by donating cash.
The starting point is to fix the infrastructure.
Listening to the MDC and their foreign-owned newspapers you would think the economic situation in Zimbabwe is so hopeless that nothing the government will do will turn it around.
We must all learn from Singapore’s shining example where the once poor country rose to become one of the best economies in the world.
Here is their short story:
“The citizens of Singapore were worse than those in most African countries.
“To make matters worse, unlike many African countries, it had no natural resources; it could not feed itself; it had to import its water from its neighbours; its rivers and waterways were so filthy, the stink carried all the way to Malaysia and Indonesia; its housing was the most squalid in the world and the ethic Chinese, Malaysia, Indians, Eurasians and a few Europeans who made up its population were constantly at each other’s throats.
“However, Singapore turned its vulnerability to strength.
“It is this extraordinary transformation, from a disease – ridden ‘basket-case’ at independence in 1959 to becoming one of the world’s most successful countries today that is of particular fascination to us.
“It is a constant reminder and inspiration to Africa of what can be achieved with vision, determination and the right leadership.”
If the MDC wants to look for pies in the sky they should simply go to President Obama of the United States of America and Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom (by the way the name UK may be gone by now) who will not only give pies in the sky, but also the moon itself.