FULL ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. E. D. MNANGAGWA
ON THE OCCASION OF HIS INAUGURATION FOR A SECOND TERM AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE
NATIONAL SPORTS STADIUM
4 SEPTEMBER 2023
Director of Ceremonies;
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;
The First Lady, My Dear Wife, Dr. Mnangagwa;
Vice President and Second Secretary of ZANU PF, Gen. (Rtd) Dr. C. G. D. N. Chiwenga and Madame;
Vice President and Second Secretary of ZANU PF Col. (Rtd) Cde. K. C. D. Mohadi and Madame;
Former Vice Presidents of the Republic of Zimbabwe;
Chief Justice, Hon. L. Malaba; Members of the ZANU PF Politburo and Central
Committee;
President of the National Chief’s Council, Hon. Senator Chief Mtshana Khumalo and Other Traditional Leaders here present;
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. M. J. M. Sibanda;
Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Dr. V. Hungwe;
Members of the National Assembly and Senate; Senior Government Officials;
Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General P. V. Sibanda;
Service Chiefs;
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle;
Leaders of Political Parties here present;
Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Leaders and Heads of Religious Organisations;
ZANU PF Party Members, Cadres and Affiliates;
Representatives of Zimbabwe Civic Groups;
Members of the Media Fraternity;
Invited Guests;
Comrades and Friends.
It is my distinguished honour and privilege to be addressing you my fellow Countrymen and Women as well as friends of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe at this auspicious occasion. Allow me, on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, my Party ZANU PF, and indeed on my own behalf and that of my family, to express my deep gratitude for the kind messages of congratulations we have received following our elections.
In the same spirit, I warmly welcome the various delegations, from the SADC region, Africa, and beyond, who are joining us today for this inauguration ceremony. Your presence attests to the long-standing solidarity and support, Zimbabwe has enjoyed from the progressive members of the comity of nations which date back to the days of our protracted 16-year war of liberation for our Independence and freedom.
The 2023 Harmonised General Elections have come and gone. I once again thank you, my fellow Zimbabweans, for dutifully preserving and safeguarding our national unity and peace, before, during and after the elections. Ndinokutendai mhuri ye Zimbabwe. Ngiyalibonga muli yeZimbabwe.
As Zimbabwe, we have demonstrated that we are a mature democracy. The people of this precious nation, which is born out of the sacred blood of those who fought for our independence, freedom, democracy and indeed the right to vote, have spoken.
Our unparalleled conduct before, during and after the electoral processes is praiseworthy and will be an everlasting standard and benchmark as we continue to deepen and entrench constitutional democracy in our country. There are no losers, but a victory for the people of Zimbabwe against neo-colonial and hegemonic tendencies of our country’s detractors and those who believe that “might is right”.
Counter-revolutionary forces and their proxies will never prevail in our free mother country, Zimbabwe.
Let us now look ahead with unflinching focus and determination, emboldened by our rich history as a resilient, warrior people.
We continue to defy the onslaught of the illegal sanctions as well as the negative narratives peddled by those bent on stunting our country’s development.
Our strength in our diverse cultures, capacities and competencies has seen us realise unprecedented successes towards Vision 2030.
Zimbabwe is surely on the rise. Our national development philosophy, Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatigwa, nevene vayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo, shall continue to be the beacon of our pro-people policies, anchored on Pan-African values and norms. This philosophy sums up our sovereignty as well as the collective duty and obligation we have to develop our country and the African continent.
Fellow Compatriots;
Today, I have once again taken an oath as a humble servant leader and President, committed to wholeheartedly serving you all, the people of our great motherland, Zimbabwe.
Under this renewed mandate, I have re-committed to continue faithfully upholding and defending our sacred national Constitution and laws, with integrity and impartiality, leaving no one and no place behind.
I stand before you my fellow Zimbabweans, at this historic moment of our nation as President of all Zimbabweans, regardless of tribe, religion, colour, creed, or political persuasion. I am honoured by the trust and confidence you have reposed in me to continue to serve in the office of President. Through your democratic vote, you have renewed and extended my mandate and that of our colossal revolutionary mass Party, ZANU PF.
I offer to you, individually and collectively, unity, love, oneness and brotherhood, as the people of the great, unitary and independent state of Zimbabwe.
Fellow Compatriots, Comrades and Friends;
My new Government will deliver on the promises we have made to you. The transformation of the living standards of our people, especially those in rural communities, will be accelerated, while the concerns of those in urban areas will not be neglected.
Responsive policies, projects and programmes, which begun during the first term of my Presidency are on course to lift many more people, out of poverty and into prosperity.
The hurdles such as the illegal, heinous sanctions and machinations of our detractors must be knocked out of our way through unity of purpose, hard honest work, innovativeness, resilience, focus and determination. Together as a united people, all challenges can be overcome; brick by brick, stone upon stone, and step by step.
The ongoing success milestones in the agriculture sector will be consolidated during this new term under my leadership. To date, we are food secure in both maize and wheat. All the agriculture sub-sectors have realised unprecedented growth. I commend our farmers as well as stakeholders in the agriculture sector for these achievements. This is indisputable evidence of the success of our Land Reform Programme and the responsive pro-people policies of the Second Republic.
Going forward, my new Government will prioritise guaranteeing this momentum through household and national food security.
The construction of dams, accelerated irrigation development, coupled with the ongoing borehole drilling programme, in every village and school, is set to insulate our agriculture sector from climate change induced weather fluctuations.
Vulnerable districts and areas are now the critical focus.
Rural Development will be implemented at full scale through robust rural agriculture industrialisation models.
This will result in our 35,000 villages country-wide, having productive agro-based companies, owned and run by the benefiting communities. The programme will see a multi-fold increase in rural incomes and sustainable livelihoods.
Concurrent with this thrust is the setting up of rural industries and systems designed to process, value add, beneficiate as well as export agricultural produce. Untapped opportunities exist for more of our people to penetrate the global markets and value chains through quality ‘Made in Zimbabwe’ goods and products.
The success of our agriculture sector has ripple effects to our agro-based manufacturing sector and Industrial base.
The factories that we all desire can only succeed if there is the requisite through-put from agriculture and mining, among other sectors. Therefore, I call upon us to respect each other as a united people, no matter where we live or our economic activities.
Comrades and Friends;
The past five years have delivered valuable lessons on our intricate economy, especially the fact that a national currency that is supported by a vibrant productive sector is indispensable to sustainable development. No country has ever developed without its own currency. Further, we can only develop and grow the economy based on our own internal resources.
I urge us all to believe in ourselves and our abilities, as Zimbabweans and Africans. Development and national prosperity based on what we have is more sustainable and durable. We must take pride in who we are and what we can do for ourselves.
The numerous mineral resources in our country must be sustainably exploited to leap-frog our industrialisation and development. The lives of our citizens and the fortunes of our country as a whole must be improved. We expect nothing less.
Our economy must realise maximum benefits from increased beneficiation and value addition. As such, my new Administration, through the Responsible Mining Initiative, will ensure greater stewardship over our finite natural resources. These must benefit both present and future generations.
Riding on our abundant resources, as well as skilled and hard-working people, Zimbabwe is poised to take its place as a competitive manufacturing jurisdiction.
I exhort industry and commerce stakeholders to be patriotic and always seek an intricate balance between profit and the plight of our people. Profiteering,opportunistic tendencies and greed, will not move our country forward.
Together, let us grow our country’s manufacturing base, to use, consume and wear what we produce.
The new Government shall continue to foster a predictable business environment, where capital is safe. Those who want to invest in our country are welcome, based on respect and mutual benefits, for shared prosperity.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;
The modernisation of our national infrastructure, utilities and amenities will continue unabated. Transport inter-connectivity within provinces and further linking us to the rest of the SADC region and the Continent are a priority.
The internal capacities and local skills in road construction that have been developed over the last five years will be deployed to further modernise our road network.
Agreements and investments to modernise, repair and expand our rail system will be consummated to allow urgent revitalisation of the sector.
Water is life and a solution not only to sustainable food security and sovereignty but also for the water and sanitation needs of our fast growing urban populations. Gwayi-Shangani and Kunzvi Dams, which are set to meet the needs of Bulawayo and Harare Metropolitan Provinces, are scheduled to be completed soon.
During the last five year-term, my Administration delivered energy self-suffiency to our country. Courtesy of our comprehensive, strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China, Hwange Unit 7 and Unit 8 are now on stream.
We will now move on to upgrade Hwange Unit 1 to Unit 6, among other national strategic power generation stations.
Additional work is continuing towards broadening our energy mix, inclusive of renewable energy, to increase the total energy output, in tandem with the demand created by our fast growing economy.
The recovery and growth of the tourism sector in the post COVID-19 pandemic era, is testimony that Zimbabwe is a safe and competitive tourism destination. The joint marketing of brand Zimbabwe with both regional and continental partnerships is critical to sustain growth in the sector.
The economic role of SMEs, women and youth, as key players in our quest to realise Vision 2030 is set to receive due attention.
My new Government shall further consolidate the achievements in the health and education sectors for quality health delivery and education, especially for those in our country-side. Resources will be availed to equip and modernise the numerous schools and clinics constructed during the last five years. The requisite resources will be channelled towards the commercialisation of start-ups developed in our Innovation Hubs and Heritage-Based Education 5.0. Industrial Parks under
Matters related to housing delivery, water sanitation, among other social amenities remain key to the modern, empowered, and prosperous Zimbabwe we all want and deserve. I call upon those elected at the local government levels to wholeheartedly serve the people of our great country.
Our citizens, especially those in urban areas have endured poor service delivery for far too long. Rate payers deserve hard working and competent local authorities who will ensure that our towns and cities
regain their long-lost pride and lustre, through world class service delivery.
Going into the future, those in the arts, sports and creative cultural industries will be supported to express their talents. However, the fraternity is called upon to promote and protect our Zimbabwean values, African culture as well as our Christian-oriented family traditions and norms. Never use the arts or media to promote self-hate and divisions in our nation.
Meanwhile, I express my profound gratitude to our traditional leaders, who are the custodians of our land and culture, together with the religious community who joined the crusade to preach peace, love and harmony in our nation. The institution of traditional leadership and freedom of worship will continue to be protected by my new Government.
Comrades and Friends;
Under my leadership and the new ZANU PF Government, democracy, good governance, the rule of law and the politics of tolerance will be entrenched, in line with the spirit and letter of our sacred national Constitution and laws.
We make no apologies for entrenching and protecting our unique Zimbabwean values, cultures and norms. In this regard, I challenge us all to remain Zimbabwean and African, in both thoughts and deeds.
Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and “a friend to all and enemy of none”. Our membership and engagement within SADC, the African Union and United Nations and other countries in the comity of nations remain guided by the principles of mutual respect and the sovereign equality of nations, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
The undermining of our national institutions and laws will not be condoned, under whatever guise. No country or group of persons should disregard the sovereign decisions and views of the people of our motherland, Zimbabwe.
We will never be second class citizens in our own country. We stand ready to welcome those nations who want to work with the new ZANU PF Government to build lasting partnerships to make the world a better place.
We look forward to joining both traditional and emerging global institutions who accept our hand of friendship.
The architecture and composition of the United Nations Security Council must be reformed to reflect democracy at a global level as well as the equality of nations.
Our country is committed to playing its part for the realisation of global peace and security, anchored on dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Fellow Zimbabweans; Comrades and Friends;
In concluding, allow me to once again commend, you the people of our great motherland, Zimbabwe, for the successful, watershed, peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible Harmonised General Elections.
We have shamed our detractors who predicted and clandestinely financed mayhem, expecting the worst from us, before, during and after our polls.
The will of the Zimbabwean people has been expressed and must be respected.
In unity we have defended this sacred land, bequeathed to us by our great heroes and heroines.
They paid for the democracy, independence and sovereignty we are enjoying today, with their precious lives. This thunderous victory for our sovereignty, dignity and right to be masters of our own destiny is in their honour.
In the enduring spirit of unity and peace that characterised this past election, I once again call upon all Zimbabweans to say no to violence, tribalism, regionalism, hate speech and other divisive tendencies. Peace, love, harmony and tolerance are in our DNA as a people.
Let us now turn our focus back to our collective duty and obligation to build, modernise and industrialise our country.
The quality of life of our people, from Zambezi to Limpopo, from Plumtree to Mutare must be improved. That duty lies with us all, as Zimbabweans, both here at home and in the Diaspora.
No one else will build our country. No one should ever come from elsewhere to govern our country.
We have the primary responsibility to offer supplications and prayers for our country. We must do all these ourselves. This is who we are, as the great people of Zimbabwe.
Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatigwa, nevenevayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo.
Under the new ZANU PF Government and my leadership, rest assured that you, my fellow Zimbabweans and compatriots; boys and girls at home and abroad, shall continue to be at the centre of all our policies, projects and programmes.
We remain, forever; a Government from the people; by the people and for the people. The future of our great motherland, Zimbabwe, is bright.
Long live our freedom.
Long live our democracy and independence.
Long live our unity and peace.
God bless Zimbabwe. God bless you all.
I thank you.