Officially opening the 27th edition of the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) congress in Victoria Falls, Tsvangirai said there was need to de-specify the remaining individuals as they could play a big role in the development of the country’s economy.
He said government “would now concentrate on its role of key policy decision-making and refrain from interfering in boardroom battles of companies”.
“The state will not use its powers to interfere within boardrooms of commerce and industry,” said Tsvangirai. “The situation will be rectified where these development have happened. If you have problems or disputes within your organisation, why not go to court? These are the institutions that are legally placed to deal with these issues.”
Businessmen who are specified include business mogul Mutumwa Mawere, Meikles Africa Limited boss John Moxon, Kingdom Meikles company secretary Andrew Lane Mitchell and Intermarket founder Nicholas Vingirayi.
Businessmen who are now de-specified include Barbican Holdings Limited founder and chief executive, Mtuli Ncube, now with South Africa’s Witswatersrand University, and Trust Financial Holdings Limited’s former directors, William Nyemba (chief executive officer); Chris Goromonzi, (executive director, merchant banking) and Nyevero Hlupo (finance director).
Josphat Sachikonye, a former chief executive for FML Limited, and CFX Financial Services Limited’s senior managers, Garainesu Shoko (managing director), Onias Ndlovu (finance director), Chamu Matsika (head of treasury) and Calvin Mtomebeni (assistant accountant), have also been exonerated.
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Tsvangirai said he and other members of government do not agree to specification being the only solution of boardroom squabbles, adding there was no need for government to take any sides in the wrangles.
“I and certainly many in the inclusive government do not agree that specification is the only way out of such problems. The state cannot again use its power to side with one of the players to the squabbles,” said the prime minister.
Speaking about the inclusive government, Tsvangirai said government was under threat from forces bent on pushing for its collapse.
He however said the unity government would not sit by and watch as these forces continued to “frustrate government”.
“Seven months into the inclusive government, there can be no excuse for the continued failure to implement in full all the articles of the GPA,” he said. “The deliberate attempt to frustrate the process of change and the re-building of our nation is now affecting all aspects of our society.”
He said while the economy was now stable, it was indeed a pale shadow of its former self, citing looting and under-investment as the major causes slowing down economic recovery.
“Perhaps most dangerously, we have a few people clinging desperately to a system in which they have perverted the rule of law, basic freedoms, and even institutions of state to serve their own selfish and divisive goals,” Tsvangirai said.
Tsvangirai said government was now putting in place mechanisms that would assist it dismantle systems of privilege, entitlement and impunity which he said had sheltered those that had played a bigger role in the destruction of the economy.
“Slowly but surely, we are rebuilding the rule of law and respect for property rights, without which business cannot function,” he said.
He added: “This is a process which will take time. There have been more frustrations to date and more to come. But we will not let them distract or deter us from the mandate that we have from the people to effect positive change in their lives.”
Nkululeko Sibanda in Vic Falls
