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Manyara Irene Muyenziwa, the president of the Freedom of Rights Under Sovereign (FORUS) Party has said women are change agents for development and promised to look after Zimbabwe in the same manner a mother cares for her own child.
She made the remarks during the sold-out FORUS Party interface meeting with civil society representatives in the City of Kings and Queens – Bulawayo, on Tuesday.
“Zimbabwe to me is like a child with problems. As a woman, I am ready to take care of Zimbabwe as a mother does to her own child. We need to empower women. When there is a problem, women illuminate the way. Women provide solutions to problems in partnership with their male counterparts. Most of the time men don’t appreciate.
“We should work together as a team – as husband and wife, sister and brother across all the spheres of life. Let’s appreciate our women and give them a voice. They have a part to play. Women are running thriving businesses in the background and help to bring some sort of income to the families. To succeed, men should put women at the forefront in business. Everything led by women flourishes. Men and women need to unite and support each other. Men have been allowed to be at the forefront of life for a long time and now is the time to give women the reins of leadership. I am ready to carry the task of leading Zimbabwe to success,” Muyenziwa said to thunderous applause from the audience.
She said women need to be taken seriously and encouraged citizens to look beyond themselves and work in unison for the good of the country. Muyenziwa has made a sacrificial commitment whereby she now regards Zimbabwe as her own child.
The enterprising and brave politician alluded to a plethora of challenges that need to be addressed urgently. She cast a spotlight on the poor salaries of workers in the private and public sectors and said entrepreneurship is the solution to address this challenge.
Muyenziwa lambasted the rampant early and forced marriages. She said such a practice is a miscarriage of justice to boys and girls since they are forced into such unions before they understand their careers and future. The woman-of-the-moment in Zimbabwe said forced marriages shortchange children before they can make right and informed decisions about business, and careers. In that regard, she called for speedy alignment of the marriage laws as espoused in the Constitution.
“Despite these challenges, we have not lost anything as Zimbabwe. We have a lot of resources that have not been fully utilised. Our greatest challenge is corruption. It is taking root and most victims inadvertently engage in this vice. We need to eradicate corruption by remaining faithful to ourselves. Due to hardships, a majority of our citizens engage in corrupt activities in order to acquire basics like food, cars, and so forth at the expense of others. Freebies are not sustainable. FORUS is introducing permanent projects through the Manyara Irene Muyenziwa (MIM) Foundation so to empower communities economically.
” As a party, we want to give a platform for a sustainable base in mining, education, and health among other sectors. These areas should be sustainable. I got my tertiary education in the UK after I had a competitive high school qualification attained from exams offered by Cambridge back then. At the moment, the education system has been diluted, especially with allegations of exams mismanagement at ZIMSEC.
“As FORUS, we need a consultative approach across the sectors mentioned above. For example under education, we send out questionnaires to grassroots so that we understand their requirements so on how to make our education marketable internationally. Zimbabwe has a high literacy. On sustainability, it’s unfortunate citizens are getting daily handouts that do not last beyond the day. If you get a vehicle, for example, it needs to be serviced. We need core values to make the economy eradicate corruption,” Muyenziwa said.
The maverick politician bemoaned the fact that corruption is taking away resources in Africa. and said FORUS Party is bringing sustainability. so as to bring Zimbabwe to its former glory days as the breadbasket of the continent.
“Our citizens got land but we need clear policies on the land reform. We need a different mindset so that we look beyond individuals. The banking sector is struggling. People no longer have savings. Zimbabwe needs a clear policy direction. Our war veterans brought independence citizens are still in economic bondage. We need to move away from the liberation struggle rhetoric and focus on economic growth. We can’t keep on reminding ourselves daily about the liberation struggle because every other country across the world has a liberation history. Our focus should be on economic liberation as we work together for a bright future.
“The railway industry is being run down. Our infrastructure is declining. We need to think differently and focus on economic development. Our focus should be on projects. I encourage stakeholders here to form market synergies for our products. If the economy is strong, we can cater to our citizens during COVID-19. We should look beyond freebies like T-shirts from politicians. As informed citizens, we should vote for the right person. I am an advocate of social justice, equality, and economic emancipation. FORUS looks forward to implementing policies that foster economic growth. Sound policies and how to implement them should be the basis for people to vote for FORUS. We need capital. Banks should have the capacity to lend money. The credit system from banks should provide capital. We need to think differently, think entrepreneurial.”
Muyenziwa said FORUS is entrenching democratic values hence the need for citizens to vote for the right person who will work on improving transportation networks and fostering the industrial revival of entities like ZISCO Steel that are currently in a sorry state. She promised to attract investors to the country.