Story by Tamuka Charakupa
A special joint sitting of the Mashonaland West Provincial Development Committee and the Provincial Coordinating Committee has emphasised the importance of cohesion to propel development.
The high-level engagement held in Chinhoyi this Thursday brought together heads of government ministries, departments, agencies and ruling party leaders under one roof to promote unity of purpose in driving development across Mashonaland West.
The meeting sought to align government programmes with party resolutions, reaffirming ZANU PF’s position as the custodian of national policy and development strategy.
“We are the office that coordinates development, monitoring provincial economies. In that capacity, we are moving across the country imploring government officials to work closely with the ruling party, ZANU PF, so that there is a smooth implementation of resolutions. There should be no room for discord as far as development is concerned. As provinces you are measured with how you perform and this is how we rank province’s performance,” said Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti.
The provincial leadership echoed similar sentiments, imploring officials to work hand in glove and eliminate silo-mentality in policy implementation.
“The PEDP review process involves extensive consultations with stakeholders, including Government Ministries, Private Sector entities, and community organisations. By regular reviewing and updating the PEDP, the province will ensure that the economic development plans remain relevant and effective in driving growth and development. This meeting is being held in line with our national development philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind. These engagements are meant to ensure that the whole of Government and societal approach is realized. It is imperative to note that the Government is sub servant to the ruling party such that we implement ruling party’s resolutions and election manifesto through policies, programmes and strategies as enshrined in the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025)),” explained Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Marian Chombo.
ZANU PF Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Chairperson, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka weighed in, “The Party is the custodian of the national vision, including Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy. The government must work in full collaboration with the Party to ensure that all national development initiatives particularly under the framework of NDS1 are aligned with Party directives and rooted in the resolutions of the People’s Conference. There must be no disjoint between Party and government. Instead, there must be constant cohesion, consultation, and collaboration, ensuring that both structures move in unison. This unity of purpose is essential if we are to achieve meaningful progress and deliver on the promises made to the people.”
“We are one team serving the same people. When Government and the party pull in the same direction, we achieve real, measurable results on the ground,” noted, ZANU PF Mashonaland West Provincial Youth League chairperson, Cde Tapiwa Masenda.
The meeting resolved to have quarterly joint reviews between party structures and government departments to ensure timely execution of development priorities.
