. . . uncooperative externalisers get extension
GOVERNMENT will on March 19 publish the names of individuals and companies who externalised money and have not heeded the three-month amnesty to return the loot on a no question asked, no charges proffered basis, President Mnangagwa has said.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference Expo, which ran under the theme “Strengthen business relations between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world” in Harare yesterday, the President announced that the extension of the moratorium by a further two weeks to allow those already in the process of repatriating funds to complete the process.
The initial amnesty ran from December 1, 2017 and expired on February 28.
“I am aware that yesterday was the last day about the moratorium on the money that had left the country, border jumping,” said the President.
“A statement will be released to inform you how much has come back and how much is in the process of coming back, and how much is still remaining outside.
“We have given them another two weeks, but on the 19th of this month, we will publish those who have not heeded the call and the amounts they owe this country.”
In his speech, President Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans and investors to ignore those who continued to malign the new Government and the country in general, saying Zimbabwe was not only open for business, as he has repeatedly stated, but was also politically stable.
As a precursor to guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections, President Mnangagwa said he will soon be meeting various political party leaders to foster conditions for a non-violent election.
“I will soon be meeting political party lead- ers to deliberate and advise that we should have no violence pre-, during and post-elections,” he said.
“Responsible authorities have undertaken the biometric voter registration ( BVR) to ensure that all interested voters exercise their democratic right to choose their leaders.”
President Mnangagwa said investors and would-be investors should not be deterred by those who continue to speak ill of the new dispensation.
“To that end, your investment decisions should not be affected or influenced by political uncertainty or obscurity; we are confident of having free, fair and credible elections in line with the Southern African Development Community ( SADC) and the African Union ( AU) principles and guidelines governing democratic elections,” he said.
“We would like to assure investors, domestic and foreign, that Zimbabwe is not only
ready for business, but is politically stable. You should ignore, kuvukura kunenge kuchingoitika munyika (You should ignore some idle chatters in the country),” said the President.
President Mnangagwa called on investors to explore opportunities in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, health, transport, infrastructure development and special economic zones.
“I, therefore, urge both local and foreign investors to explore and exploit these investment opportunities and help to set our country on a new trajectory path,” he said.
“Zimbabwe is endowed with a favourable climate and large tracks of arable land suitable for all year round farming activities.
“This provides immense opportunities for businesses in agro-processing across the entire agriculture value chain, opportunities for farm mechanisation, manufacture of pesticides, herbicides, seeds and irrigation development to spearhead our command agriculture on maize production, which we have since extended to soya beans, wheat, fisheries, wildlife and livestock production.”
President Mnangagwa affirmed Government’s position on adhering to the rule of law and protection of property rights in order to help investors recoup on their investment.
“My Government also reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law and the observance of property rights,” he said. “In this regard, institutions such as the independent judiciary and legislature remain ready to ensure full protection of investments made within the confines of our laws.
“We will continue to implement measures aimed at improving the business operating environment in our quest to make Zimbabwe a favourable investment destination, leveraging on our peace dividend.”
The conference was organised by BrandMe International, who were represented by their executive director Ms Josey Mahachi.
Ms Mahachi is credited for having lured Africa’s richest billionaire Aliko Dangote to the country, where his team is currently exploring investment opportunities.