WHEN President Robert Mugabe visited China in August last year to sign mega economic deals with the Asian powerhouse, the cynicism by a local daily where the Zimbabwean leader was ‘cartooned’ pushing a trolley full of MoUs, might have caused some laughter but it lacked truth and reality.
The truth and reality emerged during a recent visit by the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which was not only an endorsement of Harare as an investment destination of choice, but confirmation that the mega deals between Zimbabwe and China are now ripening.
There was a sense of joy as the leader of the NDRC Dr Liu Jianxing and Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda emerged from an hour-long meeting with President Mugabe at the State House last Thursday with the much awaited news that it was all systems go with the implementation of several projects set to start soon.
The identified projects, whose funding according to information gleaned by The Patriot, is ready include, construction of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Harare and Bulawayo, dualisation of major highways, rehabilitation of national railway links and completion of water projects.
It also emerged that some of the projects will be commissioned as early as December.
The SEZs are areas in which foreign and domestic companies can trade and invest under relaxed regulations.
They are designed to encourage overseas investment and boost a country’s economic growth.
In China, where the concept was initiated, there has been resounding success which has seen towns growing into big cities after they were turned into SEZs.
Shenzhen was among the first four locations to be given SEZs status.
It has since become a booming trade hub and one of China’s largest cities.
The NDRC is important to Chinese economic development in many ways.
It is the economic planning body of the Asian economic giant.
The NDRC, formerly State Planning Commission and State Development Planning Commission, is a macroeconomics management agency under the Chinese State Council, which has broad administrative and planning control over the Chinese economy.
The NDRC’s functions are to study and formulate policies for economic and social development, maintain the balance of economic development, and to guide restructuring of China’s economic system.
The NDRC has 26 functional departments/bureaus/offices with an authorised staff size of 890 civil servants.
At the State House, a senior Government official told The Patriot that when the NDRC visits a prospective investment destination, the deal is as good as done.
The NDRC had come to Zimbabwe to seal the mega deals.
An upbeat Dr Sibanda, told journalists that the projects would revive the economy by rehabilitating, upgrading and building key physical and social infrastructure and utilities as espoused in the country’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-ASSET).
As implementation of the deals seemed to have stalled, there was never doubt that they would one way or the other come to fruition if the confidence shown by Dr Sibanda last Thursday and that exhibited by President Mugabe was anything to go by.
In September last year during his speech at the official opening of the National Annual Conference of Chiefs in Gweru, there was a lasting picture of Robert Mugabe.
He was composed as he gave traditional leaders a briefing of what had transpired during his State visit to Beijing the previous month.
In Gweru it was not only a briefing, but a bricklaying process.
There was an aura of hope and signal of hope as President Mugabe told the chiefs to brace themselves for good times ahead.
Somewhere in that speech was a message of reassurance to Chief Musarurwa who had expressed concern over the high levels of carnage on the Harare-Beitbridge highway.
“Kunemi Chief Musarurwa, they (Chinese) are going to do roads… ehe we are going to have new dual carriageways, Beitbridge to Harare, ichavandudzwa migwagwa iyoyo,” said President Mugabe.
He made another bold declaration on the anticipated turn of fortunes in the country.
“So these projects will be coming,” he said.
“You will be seeing them soon, but of course things don’t just overnight become shining.”
This is the shine that Dr Sibanda spoke about during his briefing to journalists.
As a follow-up to the deals, Dr Sibanda said, President Mugabe sent Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to China in a move that saw an upgraded MoU being signed between the NDRC and the Office of the President.
“It is the upgraded MoU which has resulted in the sending of a six-member delegation to concretise the deals and work out a framework on going forward,” said Dr Sibanda.
On his part Dr Liu, who spoke very few words, said China was prepared to take economic risk and assist Zimbabwe in transforming its economy.
“We are starting this (implementation of projects) as soon as possible,” he said.
“We have visited the Cold Storage Company in Bulawayo and we think it’s a good project with great potential to drive this country’s economy.”
With the country currently undergoing severe challenges, it is now clear that the storm is nearing its end.
After all, it is darkest just before dawn.