Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa this week said told Chitungwiza North Member of Parliament Godfrey Sithole to attend Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front meetings to know what the party is doing to create the 2.2 million jobs that it promised in its 2013 election manifesto.
“I am impressed by the hon. member who interests himself with the manifesto of ZANU-PF. I would ask the hon. Member to come to our meetings so we can inform him about what we are doing because the 2.2 million jobs that we promised were in the manifesto of our 2013 general elections,” Mnangagwa said in response to a question from Sithole who wanted to know what progress the government had made in creating the 2.2 million jobs it promised to the electorate.
“We are very happy with the programme that we are implementing which is unfolding. We have many mega deals that are being implemented and these are creating a lot of employment. So feel free to come to our meetings and get briefed,” he said.
Mnangagwa has been tasked with the country’s economic turn-around and is also the Leader of House and Justice Minister.
In June, a United States intelligence firm said the succession issue in Zimbabwe had already been decided with Mnangagwa taking on a more prominent role than any other vice-president before him.
“Competition over succession has tinted Zimbabwean politics for many years, but Mnangagwa has undertaken a larger role in ruling the country than has any preceding vice president or government leader: Former Vice President Joice Mujuru never had the amount of influence over state affairs that her successor now has,” Stratfor said.
This week international news agency Reuters said Mnangagwa had virtually cemented his position as President Robert Mugabe’s successor.
Mugabe’s current term of office ends in 2018 and the party has so far indicated that he will be the party candidate for the next elections but age is beginning to tell on the nonagenarian who turns 92 in five months.
Q & A:
MR. SITHOLE: I would like to know from the Leader of the House, the Vice President Hon. Mnangagwa, what progress Government has made in terms of the 2.2 million jobs promise that it made.
MR SPEAKER: Order, order, hon. members. I want to remind hon. members that in terms of our Standing Orders, the Hon. VP and Ministers are expressed as honourable all the time. Thank you.
THE HON. VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I am impressed by the hon. member who interests himself with the manifesto of ZANU-PF. I would ask the hon. Member to come to our meetings so we can inform him about what we are doing because the 2.2 million jobs that we promised were in the manifesto of our 2013 general elections. We are very happy with the programme that we are implementing which is unfolding. We have many mega deals that are being implemented and these are creating a lot of employment. So feel free to come to our meetings and get briefed. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
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