Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Chiratidzo Iris Mabuwa on Thursday blasted journalists’ lack of understanding of the country’s indigenous economic policies saying this was the prime reason why the country is not moving forward.
Speaking at a Vivid Burson-Masteller seminar on Crisis Management and Disaster Preparedness held in the capital, Mabuwa said journalists were writing badly articulated articles about ZIMASSET despite not understanding it.
“You should see what these fellow black journalists write about ZIMASSET and the indigenisation policy. They plough the indigenous policy and clearly they have troubles in interpreting indigenous laws,” said Mabuwa.
Mabuwa, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mberengwa South Constituency, said the nation’s blueprints can be compared to the South African Economic Empowerment (BBE).
“Please help me to teach journalists that South Africa has the BBE, which is the indigenous law of Zimbabwe. BEE has worked extremely well and the same should happen to our local policies should the media report well on our policies.
The Mberengwa South Legislator who evidently wanted media practitioners to reinforce her views on local blueprints bristled over how some papers cover the policies.
“Ndine hurombo nemi munoda kufa nenhamo (shame on you, you want to continue wallowing in poverty) you are ploughing the wrong seed to your children and my grand children, musazviita izvozvo ndingazotsamwa (please don’t do that I will get angry),” she said.
Mabuwa went on to reveal her war veteran credentials and how she went to war at the age of 13 to liberate Zimbabwe.
“We tell you to own the means of production and you write negative about it,” said Mabuwa.
She contends that a change of mindset and attitude will aid the success of ZIMASSET.
“The successful implementation of ZIMASSET is subtly underpinned by a mindset change and to a larger extent depends upon organisational behaviour, attitude and response challenges,” she said.
The economic blueprint which the Government of Zimbabwe is using as the universal remedy to the country’s economic woes has been received with scepticism by many Zimbabweans who feel it is no different from many other policies introduced by the government since independence in 1980.
A report by the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute titled: Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions towards the ZimAsset Policy in Mashonaland West confirmed that citizens are neither knowledgeable nor convinced of the government’s five year economic blueprint.
