Peace key to development
THERE can never be any meaningful development in any community if there is no peace, Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Cde Owen Ncube has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by acting provincial administrator Mr Joram Chimedza at the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) provincial consultative meeting in Gweru last week, Cde Ncube said peace was the backbone of meaningful development in any society.
The meeting was held at Chaplin High School in Gweru and was attended by senior Government officials, church leaders, traditional and civil society leaders.
“For every society to develop, there has to be peace,” said Cde Ncube. “I urge all the people from Midlands to offer maximum support to the commission. Let us learn to tolerate each other for the development of our society and the nation at large.
“We need to unite as the people of Midlands and solve conflicts peacefully so that we can develop. Let’s all contribute and participate in this noble cause that will bring peace to our province.”
Chief Ngungumbane Mkhwananzi applauded the commission, saying it was a step in the right direction.
“As the people of Midlands, we would like to applaud and appreciate the commission for coming here because it is a step in the right direction,” he said.
“I hope all the fighting in society will come to an end now that there is a commission. If we want to solve conflicts in our society, let’s stop defending positions and let us prioritise ubuntu/ hunhu.
“Let us also stop defending acts by certain political parties for us to reach a consensus. We want to live peacefully as Zimbabweans.”
The meeting went on without interruptions, with participants calling on Government to address the Gukurahundi issue once and for all.
President Mnangagwa signed the NPRC Bill into law in January this year, effectively giving the commission, which was appointed in 2016, the mandate to operate.
The commission was constituted in 2013 following the enactment of the new Constitution.