Prioritise rail rehabilitation says Linda Masarira
Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD) president Linda Masarira has called on the government to consider rehabilitating the country’s rail infrastructure which is in a dilapidated state.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) which oversees the railway infrastructure has struggled to keep the infrastructure intact.
According to the 2019 Auditor-General Report for parastatals, NRZ is no longer viable.
Efforts by the government to find an investor for the parastatal has been met by many bottlenecks.
Challenges faced by NRZ have seen people turning to roads for transporting their goods and services.
However, speaking in response to the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Masarira blamed the government for the NRZ woes.
She said the government should appoint qualified people and not politicians and soldiers.
‘’We applaud the efforts of road rehabilitation by the government and expect the project to be completed by mid-2022 all over Zimbabwe.
‘’Considering that Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, we expect commitment by the government to prioritize rail rehabilitation and restore NRZ to its former glory of a fast, efficient, and affordable bulk transporter of goods in Zimbabwe.
‘’Rail transport has the capacity to lure the much-needed forex if the rail regulations are followed according to the book as was before.
‘’Government must desist from appointing political or military people into the rail sector who have no understanding whatsoever about the operations of the once economic giant organization in Zimbabwe,’’ she said.
Create opportunities for locals
Meanwhile, Masarira has also called on the government to create opportunities in the same way it is creating opportunities for foreigners.
She said ‘’Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is good for the country. We reiterate that government should create an enabling environment for Local Direct Investment (LDI).
‘’The Ease of doing business should be afforded to local people instead of giving tax exemptions to foreigners who are already milking our country dry.
‘’Opportunities for wealth creation should be afforded to native grassroots Zimbabweans first,’’ she said.
Prioritise rail rehabilitation says Linda Masarira
