President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned businesses that “support the government by day and sabotage it by by night.”
He made the remarks while officially opening this year’s 62nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo yesterday.
He said for Zimbabwe to attain Vision 2030, which is being pursued through the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), all hands must be on the deck. Said the President:
Collectively, through hard honest work and ethical business practices, let us advance the goal of achieving the Vision 2030.
Business cannot purport to support Government by day and sabotage it by night, and thereafter, play the victim.
It is imperative for us all to make strategic choices in the best interest of our country. The overall economic competitiveness of our country remains the duty of all of us as Government, industry, commerce and consumers alike.
His remarks come when there has been a spate of price increases in the country attributed to the local currency’s continued loss of value against other currencies, especially the United States Dollar (USD).
The government blames the soaring inflation on “economic saboteurs.” Meanwhile, some analysts blame it on:
- a). the government’s failure to put measures to sustain the local currency,
- b). the failure to supply foreign currency on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) foreign currency auction conducted every Tuesday,
- c). the failure to boost the confidence of the general public with regards to the Zimbabwe dollar,
- d). some say with inflation rising on the geoeconomics arena, Zimbabwe is importing inflation since its industry is relying on imports.
The President also indicated that his Government, to cushion the consumer, is seized with drafting a cocktail of measures to bring economic stability and deal once and for all with economic saboteurs.
More: The Herald