HALFWAY through the year, we have every reason to celebrate. 

Our beloved nation continues to march ahead. 

Our detractors would want to see us fail and fall. 

Headlines in the media this week made very interesting reading. 

Not only are they interesting but inspiring as well. 

They point to a very positive future. 

They are evidence that we are on the right track. 

They show that our efforts are paying dividends. 

Headlines such as ‘Milestone as Beitbridge’s new bus terminal opens’ and ‘Zim, Russia deepen bilateral, trade relations’ show that we are not backing down. 

With naysayers and saboteurs in our midst, there may be some who think that nothing positive is happening. 

It is a lie. 

So much is happening. 

Projects are taking shape. 

Work at the Mbudzi Roundabout is progressing. 

Various road projects have been completed, with new ones being started. 

Indigenous companies run by our youths have been major beneficiaries of these ongoing projects and have expressed gratitude to Government for awarding them tenders that have resulted in their operations growing. 

Everyday they employ more and more people. 

In a short space of time, we have gone through major life transforming exercises. 

Exercises which were not expected of us. 

The country was to disintegrate, but it has not. 

We have been put through the wringer; the heat has been turned on higher and the screws, true to their word, have been tightened. 

But we are still standing and forging ahead. 

We are pushing, we are fighting, we are working and remain awake to the machinations of our enemies. 

That is who we are; a resilient and determined people who have refused to be cowed. 

Today our pieces of land are productive, never mind the challenges, we are working the land to the best of our ability. Lives, every season, are being transformed. 

Our standards of living are improving. 

As a country, we have no regrets and make no apologies. 

Currently, we are pursuing, relentlessly, policies that will turn around the fortunes of our country. 

Most importantly, we must not tire or give up. 

We must fight for our past, present and future. 

And many ask: Will we ever be free of battles and stop fighting? 

The answer is no, ane bhora ndiye anomakwa. 

We are a beautiful country, richly endowed and, as such, we will not be short of suitors. 

Unfortunately, we will not just have suitors but thieves as well and soldiers of fortune who will use any means and ways to get what is ours.