Jane Mlambo| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabweans to brace for tough times as his administration makes the necessary but painful changes towards building the economy.

Mnangagwa who published an opinion piece in the Financial Times borrowed from former United Kingdom Prime Minister on the need to take painful decisions in order to achieve long term successes.

“The process of change is not smooth. Some pain and discomfort along the way is inevitable. The arduousness of the path of reform can sometimes lead governments to stall or backtrack. But as a passionate reformer leading a reformist government, I know there is no other way. We cannot allow anything to slow us down,” said Mnangagwa.

Government has been battling to contain runaway inflation which has seen prices of basic commodities doubling in the process resulting in shortages.

Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube has also introduced new measures including the 2 percent tax on all electronic transactions which many ordinary Zimbabweans feel is painful, but the Zanu PF leader said the policy will bear fruits later.