ZCC Holds First Quarter Economic Review With Economists And Resident Organizations

By Desire Tshuma

Zimbabwe Council of Churches yesterday held it’s first economic review dialogue with economists residents association representatives on the current state of the economy.

Zimbabwe Council of Churches is a non political group of Churches with the mandate of uniting Churches and advocating for equality and peace amongst all citizens and their rights.

Experts in economics who attended the dialogue include Dr Godfrey Kanyenze, Professor Mugano, Nobuhle Maphosa and Zvikomborero Sibanda from ZIMCODD.

“Zimbabwe has rich diversity of resources in the world in agriculture, minerals and it’s climate is the best worldwide, but it still has a lot of poor people. The kind of leadership is to be blamed for mismanagement of the country’s resources,” said Dr Godfrey Kanyenze.

“We need servant leadership that put people first, few elites are the ones benefiting these resources. Young people , people with disabilities and women are left out in terms of sharing the resources. Young people have lost hope on the inequality of sharing these resources that is why they have opted for substance and drug abuse,” added Dr Kanyenze.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba (pictured) also spoke to this publication and blamed the government policies which he said are a hinderance to the economy.

“We are seeing these days, police crackdown on vendors, that is not the solution.  Vendors are not criminals, these people should be dependants from the government through social security, government has destroyed the jobs that these vendors who are now seen to be the state enemy to benefit and desist from changing money,” said Shumba.

“Money changers are just runners, by the end of day they may just pocket $20 or $30 as their profits but the bulky profits are taken by their employers whom they are working for, the big guys who have influence to the banking system. The police is there to protect the citizens not to deprive them of their freedom, the big fish are known, the police should go after them not chasing innocent people like money changers,” said Shumba.

There have been public outcry over the newly anticipated ZiG money . Economists who also attended the economic review dialogue said people are no longer confident with the Zimbabwe dollar as it always fail and banking system is no longer trusted. The solution for this economy is to dollarise,” concluded HRT director Shumba.