EDITOR – I am writing to your newly launched publication filled with utmost joy and pride as I celebrate being Zimbabwean and being a proud citizen of this beloved country. What is heartening about the timing of your paper is the fact that it is coming at a time when the country has shot fullgear on an initiative that will not only uplift the lives of the majority and immensely shape African politics for the better. The indigenisation programme, which was one of the fundamental goals of the liberation struggle, has come at time when most citizens of this continent have come to terms with the fact that it us and only us Africans that can chart our way to both our political and economic destinies. Indeed, this is an initiative that we all have to embrace with both hands so that we can uplift our lives and those of future generations. It is also critical for those who are lambasting the programme to take cognisance of the fact that the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme currently being implemented in Zimbabwe is not a party programme, but a national exercise for the benefit of indigenous Zimbabweans. Let us not forget that the war of liberation in the country was fought to ensure that the people of this country are firmly in charge of their land and means of production through having and enjoying a fair share of their country’s economy. The misconception that the programme was designed to benefit a certain political party is therefore null and void. Indigenisation is about the people of Zimbabwe simply having a stake in their country’s economy. It is about them having an unmitigated control of their land and means of production so that they can fully develop their country without hindrance. As we celebrate being Zimbabwean through being patriotic, it is important that we take stock of where we are as a people in terms of ownership of our economy and use that information to guide us forward. Tendekai Chirevo Harare